Best of the Books

All around the world bloggers are putting up their 10 Best lists and I’ve noticed over and over that these seem to be musically inclined. Well, you’re out of luck here at Shenanigans. While I enjoy music, I enjoy having it on in the background while I do other things. I know what I like, sometimes I discover (or am forced to listen to) new things and all around I’m happy. So I’ll spare you a music list based on artists that have been on my play lists for years and instead will do one that is more in line with my interests.

The 10 Best Books I Read This Year

10. The Wallflower Quartet – Lisa Kleypas.
This one’s actually a cheat – there were four novels that made up the Wallflower Quartet but now there’s a fifth book making it an outright series. Whatever, I make the rules. If you’re a historical romance fan you’re going to love these memorable characters.

9. Stasiland – Anna Funder.
Subtitle: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall. Status: Winner of the BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction (2004). So: Read it.

8. 84 Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff.
Long ago (in the Spring) Larry took me to see the play based on this book and I loved it. For my birthday Larry got me the book and I devoured it. Now I’m pleased to see that one of Helene’s letters is included in the Mslexia 2008 Writer’s Diary. Discovering this book and all of it’s related productions has been an all-around delight.

7. Good In Bed – Jennifer Weiner.
I’m a huge fan of Weiner’s, mainly because her chick lit heroines are smart, sassy and real. Cannie Shapiro, reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and and plus-size powerhouse, may be Weiner’s best ever creation.

6. Writing Down the Bones – Natalie Goldberg.
The actual subtitle of this book is Freeing the Writer Within, but it could just as easily be Go Ahead and Write Crap. There are times I need something to remind me of this, and just looking at the front cover does so wonderfully.

5. Bitter Sweets – Roopa Farooki.
When Shona elopes with Parvez and moves to London to open a sweet shop she has no idea that her secret is not the only skeleton in her family’s closet. Reviewed as a “Brit-Asian crossover”, I’m here to tell you that it’s much more.

4. The Anti 9-to-5 Guide – Michelle Goodman.
I had to have this one sent in from America but it was worth it. A must read for anyone in need of a pep talk before fleeing “the cube”. (Though to be fair, it is slanted towards women. Hence the subtitle Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube.)

3. Where The Action Was – Penny Colman.
This slim volume packs a huge punch with the information it provides on a number of Allied correspondents posted all over during World War II. Martha Gellhorn, Margaret Bourke-White and Lee Miller are all covered, as are lesser known journalists like Virginia Cowles, Lee Carson, Lyn Crost and Elizabeth Phillips. Appropriate for young adult readers as well.

2. Lipstick Jihad – Azadeh Moaveni.
When American-born Moaveni moved to Tehran to cover her parents’ country for Time magazine, she had to reassess her relationships with both Iran and America. Masterfully written and surprisingly intimate. Perfect for anyone interested in identity.

1. Atonement – Ian McEwan.
I raced through this novel the night before I had tickets to the film and I was so glad I did. For days after I was still going over the events of this gloriously opaque story. I plan to read it again when I have some spare time.