Ariana’s Reading

2010

• This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper — I loved this book. Funny, moving, honest.
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley — I am sadly indifferent towards this book even though I approached it only expecting light fare and really wanted to be charmed by it and even enjoyed it on some level. I found it easy to read, yet difficult to suspend my disbelief of the supposedly 11-year-old narrator.  For (in my opinion) a better child narrator in a mystery novel, read Blacklands by Belinda Bauer — here the danger feels more real, chilling.  For a much more convincing child narrator, read Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender.  That being said, I’m not at all surprised by the love people have for this book.
• The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer — One of the most delightful romps — yes, romps — I’ve encountered in a while. Especially recommended for those interested in the literary and publishing worlds.
• Audition by Ryu Murakami — Worth reading even if you’ve seen the film. Not for the squeamish.
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender — I’ve loved Bender since discovering her short story collection,  Willful Creatures, my first year at the store. Her writing is even more beautiful and poetic and her characters more memorable, unique, and relatable (regardless of the surreal) in this novel.
• Wish Her Safe at Home by Stephen Benatar
• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
• Why We Buy by Paco Underhill — Greatest reminder to those in business: Think like your customers!
• This Is Not the Story You Think It Is by Laura Munson
• Dark Life by Kat Falls
• Hunger by Elise Blackwell
• The Singer’s Gun by Emily St. John Mandel
• Big Machine by Victor Lavalle
• Eaarth by Bill McKibben — Scary but essential.
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• The Magicians by Lev Grossman — Charming.
• Tell-All by Chuck Palahniuk
• You by Charles Benoit (available in September). Ehh.
• Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa — Creepy. And I mean that as a compliment.
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• Before the Frost by Henning Mankell
• The Ecstatic by Victor Lavalle
• The Missing by Tim Gautreaux
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan
• Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Y: The Last Man – Unmanned by Brian K. Vaughan and others
• The Passage by Justin Cronin
• Without by Donald Hall
• Nine Horses by Billy Collins
• Taroko Gorge by Jacob Ritari (hint: if you follow the link and scroll down the page a bit, you’ll see my blurb for this intriguing debut novel)
• Solar by Ian McEwan — Pass.
• The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett — The most beautiful hymn to books & reading.
• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
• Both Right and Left Handed: Arab Women Talk About Their Lives by Bouthaina Shaaban
• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
• Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner
• The Yacoubian Building  by Alaa Al Aswany
• In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
• To Hellholes and Back by Chuck Thompson
• Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins — I’ve already highly recommended this to a teacher friend.
• Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell
• Going Bovine by Libba Bray — One of the best books I’ve read all year. Period. Funny, charming, thoroughly enjoyable.
• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
• The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
• The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner — Action-packed dystopia for fans of The Hunger Games.
• The Man Who Went Up in Smoke by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo
• Numbers by Rachel Ward
• Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert — Page turner. If I had known better, I’d have saved this for a summer beach read.
• A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
• Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham — Laugh-out-loud funny.
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• Roseanna by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo
• Bar on the Seine by Georges Simenon
• Sun Storm by Asa Larsson
• Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
• Ooku #1 – The Inner Chambers by Fumi Yoshinaga
• The Privileges by Jonathan Dee — Surprisingly engaging.
• Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
• The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
• Union Atlantic by Adam Haslett — Overrated.
• War Dances by Sherman Alexie — Fabulous.
• Blacklands by Belinda Bauer
• Original Sin by P. D. James
• The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris

2009