2010 -- A Year in Books

Last January, I posted about my 2010 New Years resolutions.  Actually, looking back at that post, I realize that's a lie.  I posted about only one of my New Years resolutions -- my resolution to lose 30 pounds.  Yeah...well...this post isn't about that particular resolution.  That one sucks.  I hate that one.  This post is about one of my other resolutions, one I didn't mention on the blog.

For those who don't know, I spent a lot of time in school, more than most people even.  Immediately after finishing my bachelor's degree, I spent two years in grad school and another four in law school.  Over that time, I read a lot.  Sadly, very, very little of that reading qualified as "reading for pleasure."  In grad school, I spent a lot of time reading about the Founders' views on federalism, general constitutional theory, and Hayekian economics.  In law school, I read...well...a lot of law school stuff.  There just wasn't much room for reading fiction or even optional non-fiction.  Don't get me wrong, a lot of what I read was fascinating, it just wasn't recreational.

After I finally graduated from law school and my wife informed me that my schooling days were over, I tried to get back into recreational reading.  For a long time, it came in fits and starts.  I started reading a lot of books, but finished very few.  When 2010 came around, I decided that one of my resolutions would be to read 20 books over the course of the year.  For some, that sounds incredibly easy.  For others, it probably sounds impossible.  I'll be honest, for me, it seemed a little daunting, but very doable.  Actually, in 2009, I think my resolution was "read more books."  So, the fact that I actually ascribed a number to the goal was a vast improvement on my part.

So, here we are on the first day of 2011.  The year 2010 is now history.  While I fell dismally short in reaching my weight-loss goal for last year, not to mention a couple of my other resolutions as well, I was actually able to read 20 books in 2010 -- finished book number 20 the day after Christmas, as a matter of fact.

Sadly, very little of what I read would be considered high-brow reading.  A lot of if was downright pulpy.  Still, 20 books is 20 books.  I thought I'd be remiss if I didn't document this feat somewhere.  So, without further ado, I give you The Books Bryan Read in 2010: 

(Note about the star ratings:  I grade on a zero stars to **** scale...some lame book-centered social networking sites use a five-star scale...not me)

(Note about the order:  I'm listing these in sort of a logical, group-based order.  This is not the order in which I read the books...that kind of listing would have required more contemporaneous forethought than I would have been willing to exercise over the course of this last year)


Boomsday by Christopher Buckley -- ***

A political satire involving a young political operative and a would-be candidate for president and their proposal to solve our nation's fiscal woes by offering tax and financial benefits to seniors who agree to kill themselves at the age of 65.  Buckley is an incredibly witty satirist and his books always seem to flirt with becoming either too "inside" or too outlandish. For the most part, Boomsday avoids either tendency and is a pretty good read.

Little Green Men by Christopher Buckley -- **

Another political satire by Christopher Buckley, this time about the mass-hysteria that follows an alien abduction hoax.  Not as good as Boomsday.  This book had some funny moments, but I too often found myself thinking that the book would a whole lot funnier -- not to mention better -- if the aliens were real.  

 When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Jackie MacMullen -- ***

Larry Bird was the first professional athlete I ever cared about. Magic Johnson was the first one I ever hated.  If you grew up a huge fan of either of these players, there's not much in the way of new information in this book.  But, it's a pretty fun read

Death to the BCS: The Definitiive Case Against the Bowl Championship Series by Dan Wetzel, Josh Peter and Jeff Passan -- ****

A must-read for any real fan of college football or sports in general.  There aren't that many true believers in the BCS around these days.  But, those that are left were likely afraid to walk outside after this book was released last October. 

True Grit by Charles Portis -- ***1/2

I read this book clear back in January 2010 after hearing that the Coen Brothers would be re-adapting it into another movie.  It's a simple, matter-of-fact tale of old-timey retribution that is equal parts spiritual and comic in nature.  The Coens' cinematic take on the source material, which I've seen twice already, is pretty faithful to the events and tone of the story.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro -- ****

Another book I read after hearing about a film adaptation.  It is, quite possibly, the best piece of fiction I read last year.  I reviewed it here on the blog a few months back.

Fool by Christopher Moore -- ***

A hilarious retelling of the story of King Lear through the eyes of Lear's jester.  It's a crass, vulgar romp through a number of Shakespearean themes and just an all-around good time. 

Slam by Nick Hornby -- **

A mostly forgettable story about teen love, lust, and pregnancy in the UK.  I read it on a plane ride from SLC to DCA back in April.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -- **1/2

Apparently, young-adult fiction is all the rage these days, even among adults.  I haven't really caught on as of yet.  I suppose I dug the Harry Potter books as much as the next guy, but I've had no desire to go Twilighting.  As you all know, The Hunger Games series is all the rage these days.  It promised to be a swift, vampire-free read, so I decided to give it a look-see.   This first book was entertaining enough...until the last 20 pages or so when it became clear that, though society, the government, and the world itself would eventually hang in the balance of this story, the real focus was going to be on a teen-angsty love triangle.  Lame.  I was left with no desire to read the next two books.

Variant  by Robison Wells -- ***

This novel has actually not yet been published.  It was written by a friend of mine and will be released sometime this year by Harper Collins.  It's a solid piece of young adult fiction -- without an annoying Hunger Games-like finish.  I won't go into details because I don't want to get Rob in trouble.  But, I will say that it's a good book and everyone should buy a copy when it comes out (and Rob's not paying me to say that).

The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx -- ***1/2

"This is a good book," said Captain Obvious, describing one of the most universally acclaimed novels of the past quarter century.  The story is one that should be instantly and continuously depressing, but Proulx's prose has a way of making the misery sublime. Highly recommended.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson -- ***

My first instinct was to compare this book to The DaVinci Code.  Like Dan Brown's magnum opus, it is immensely popular and has been hyped to death by the book-reading masses.  But, I don't think that's a fair comparison.  The DaVinci Code was a watered-down page-turner that tricked stupid people into believing they were reading something deeply intellectual when, in reality, they were reading a pedestrian-level piece of sugar-coated garbage (too harsh?).  Dragon Tattoo isn't any masterpiece either (though it's better than DaVinci Code by a mile).  But, there's nothing watered-down about it.  If anything, it's too edgy, too out-there.  I enjoyed reading it -- it kept me thoroughly engaged -- but, in the end, I had little desire to read any of the sequels.  

On Writing by Stephen King -- ****

Frequent readers of this blog will remember that, about mid-way through 2010, I was bitten by the writing bug.  More accurately, I was bitten by the wanting-to-be-a-published-author-without-putting-in-any-real-hard work bug.  But, that's another story entirely.  Several of my friends recommended this book, which is both a memoir and a style-guide for wannabe writers.  I hadn't really read any Stephen King books before this one, so I didn't know what to expect.  It's simply a fantastic read, regardless of whether you want to be a writer or not.  King is, at all times, humorous and insightful, inspiring and humbling, and, more than anything, effective at getting his points across to the reader.  Read this book, I tell you.

The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King

After reading On Writing, I wanted to read some of King's other works.  As I mentioned, I wasn't much of a fan before this year -- I read part of It in middle school, I think...but that's about it.  Honestly, I don't know that I'm a huge Stephen King after reading this series either.  But, it's a seven-book journey that deserves it's own post.  So, while I plan on writing a more complete post about this series at some point down the line, I'll give my star ratings for the individual books:

The Gunslinger -- ***

The Drawing of the Three -- ***

The Waste Lands -- ***1/2

Wizard and Glass -- ****

The Wolves of the Calla -- ***

The Song of Suzanna -- **

The Dark Tower -- ***

So, there you have it, people, my year in books.  I'm currently trying to decide what my goal will be book-wise for 2011.  One thing I do know is that I want to read more serious books, classics and whatnot. I glance through and read chunks of a lot of non-fiction books, but I rarely go cover-to-cover on those.  I want to get some more of that in there as well.

Anyway, when I get my goal finalized, I'll be sure to post it here on the blog and, hopefully, keep up enough to be able to review them as I go along.  Of course, none of this matters to you, our faithful readers.  One thing I've gathered over the past year is that movie and book reviews aren't nearly as crowd-pleasing as posts about family vacations and CPAP machines.  Still, I enjoy writing reviews, so, if you're going to be reading this blog, you're going to come across them from time to time.  Deal with it.

Happy New Year!