It's that time of year, and the year-end lists are already beginning.
Mine is not yet complete, as I have three "sure things" but the other two are still being weighed. I'll be listing top 5 Poetry and top 5 Fiction, with a smattering of other great titles. Probably a favorite lit journal, etc.
Take this as an opportunity to tell me your favorite titles (and presses!) of 2012!
Also, the new year will welcome a new Reading Challenge. Russia has been big...I'm debating keeping that one going. A good friend suggested a California Reading Challenge. And since Mexico is the theme country for BEA, it might be a good challenge.
Suggestions for 2013 Challenges are welcome...please send me your ideas for big or small challenges.
As far as my top book of 2012, I can give one hint: ROCKS.
Or, for a more visual hint, see above.
1. By accident, I had a bit of a Berlin run this summer and devoured a whole bunch of good stuff:
ReplyDeleteCity of Women by David R. Gillham
All That I Am by Anna Funder
The Student Conductor by Robert Ford
Kino by Jurgen Fauth
The HIstory of History by Ida Hattemer-Higgins
2. Deciding I needed to slow down and savor my books, I read two fat Hungarian novels:
Csardas by Diane Pearson
The Dukays by Lajos Zilahy
3. A couple of quiet, powerful novels were;
The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker
An Exclusive Love; A Memoir by Johanna Adorján
What Is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman
The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches by Gaéton Soucy
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
4. Eastern European gems:
The Breaking of Eggs by Jim Powell
The Stalin Epigram by Robert Littell
The Suitcase by Sergei Dovlatov (read anything by him you can get your hands on)
The City of Thieves by David Benioff
5. Lest you think it's all obscure, intellectual hard stuff (ha ha) I loved this too and I look at her blog whenever I remember:
Suri's Burn Book: Well-Dressed Commentary from Hollywood's Little Sweetheart by Allie Hagan