What I'm Reading, Pt. 4

I recently finished my 20th book of the year. As 20 is a nice round number, I decided I would share the books I've read thus far. I always love to know what people are reading (when someone is reading on the metro, I make a thinly-disguised effort to identify what book they're reading), and I figure other people feel the same way. So why not return the favor. 

(Note: I present the book descriptions in italics -- I did not write these; the descriptions were usually taken off the back of the book.)

(Note: Books are listed in the order I read them.)

16. Bossypants by Tina Fey. (Non-Fiction)

No description needed. In this book Tina Fey writes funny shit about her life and career. This book made me laugh out loud so many times. Trust me, you want to read this book. It's hilarious and adorable. Enough said. 

17. The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson. (Non-Fiction)

Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, this book intertwines the true tale of two men -- the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World's Fair, striving to secure America's place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.

I probably don't need to convince you that the serial killer story is interesting (and it is indeed very interesting), but you'd be surprised at how fascinating the account was of the laborious process to build the Chicago World's Fair in time and the efforts made to have it be a success. It's amazing how much went into the fair. I loved hearing all the details. I learned so much interesting information and trivia from this book. Aside from all the great historical knowledge you gain, it's also a really fascinating narrative. The book really does read like fiction. Larson does a great job at making a potentially boring topic (for other people, that is. I can't seem to get enough World's Fair stuff after falling in love with a great World's Fairs exhibit at the National Building Museum. I'm such a nerd) extremely interesting. I never thought I'd be biting my nails with anticipation over whether they'd get the landscaping done in time! 

18. The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson. (Fiction)

Julian Tresolve, a professionally unspectacular former BBC radio producer, and Sam Finkler, a popular Jewish philosopher, writer, and television personality, are old school friends. Despite a prickly relationship and very different lives, they're never lost touch with each other, or with their former teacher, Libor Sevcik. Dining together one night at Sevcik's apartment -- the two Jewish widowers and the unmarried Gentile, Tresolve -- the men share a sweetly painful evening, reminiscing on a time before they had loved and lost, before they had prized anything greatly enough to fear the loss of it. But as Treslove makes his way home, he is attacked and mugged. Tresolve is convinced the crime was a misdirected act of anti-Semitism, and in its aftermath, his whole sense of self will ineluctably change.

I love Jacobson's British humor. You know that British type of humor: smart, witty, deprecating. I loved all the BBC jokes made throughout the book. Although this book is usually considered a comedy, it's also a very serious and introspective book. I like books where people are trying to figure out who they are, and I get to be a voyeur in their development or soul searching (even if they're only fictional characters). Also, if you're into books that deal with Jewish people and Jewish culture, this is definitely the book for you. It's very much a discussion of what it means to be Jewish in London (or Europe) in the 21st century. Although, be forewarned, the main characters (save Libor) are not very likable people. They're pretty whiny, cantankerous, and selfish. Definitely not warm people. Despite this, you still want to follow them and see what they do next (sometimes it's like watching a car crash -- you want to see how they'll mess up next. Or how they'll stick their foot in their mouth next). And you also want to keep reading to see if maybe, just maybe, they become better people.
I liked this book but it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. I don't know if that's because I had too high of expectations (it had just recently won the Man Booker Prize) or if it just didn't quite hit the mark for me personally (maybe because the characters are not the most likable). I don't know. That's not to say I didn't like it, but I think I just imagined liking it more than I actually did. In other words, I liked it, but I knew it probably wouldn't be making my Top 10. 

19. The Help by Kathryn Stockett. (Fiction)

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone. Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken. Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own. Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed. 

I loved this book. This book made me so emotional. It's not too often that I get so emotional reading a book. This book really affected me. It made me cry (both happy and sad tears) [despite crying very easily watching movies, I don't often cry reading books. So a book is definitely something special if it makes me cry], it made me feel so angry at what was happening to the characters, it stressed me out with suspense (I could not put the book down towards the end), and it also made me smile and get that warm feeling inside (I know that sounds like such a Hallmark card, bu it's totally true). I really enjoyed this book. 

20. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. (Non-Fiction)

In 1960, when he was almost 60 years old, John Steinbeck set out to rediscover his native land. Accompanied only by a French poodle named Charley, he traveled the length and the breadth of the United States. He outfought a hurricane in New York and drank cognac in Maine with a family of migrant farm workers. He renewed old acquaintances in California and attended a modern witches' sabbath in New Orleans. He saw things which stirred his anger and things which made him swell with pride.

At times you can tell this book was written in 1960 -- like when he describes these newfangled things called mobile homes, motels are just beginning to put sanitary covers on the drinking glasses in the room, people are afraid of the Russians, and he uses the word "negro" in a non-ironic way. Other times, the book still seems really current. So many of his observations and reflections are relevant today. Regardless of whether the book seems dated or not (which, overall I would say it doesn't seem dated), it's interesting to hear his impressions of the different states he passes through and the people he meets. One of the most fascinating parts of the book is when he travels to the Deep South. As in, the Deep South in 1960. What a crazy time. It probably goes without saying, but that part got me very angry. Conversely, it was lovely hearing him describe his absolute affection for Montana. I also really loved the section on Northern California, which was the most personal for him because he grew up there. This section resulted in some beautiful, touching passages. My only "complaint" about the book is that I wish he went to even more states. I wanted more! I would have loved to hear his opinion of all the states. I selfishly wanted him to at least go to Utah because I was curious as to what he would say about it. Psh, as if he didn't put his life on hold and travel on the open road even longer for the sake of my future satisfaction!

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Although it was hard making this list, I would say these are my Top 10:

1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

2. The Help

3. A Visit From The Goon Squad

4. Bossypants

5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

6. Freedom

7. Let The Great World Spin

8. Great House

9. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

10. Room/The Devil in the White City (tie) (ok, I picked 11, not 10)