Top book picks for 2010
A new year means a fresh set of goals. That鈥檚 why so many of us 鈥� in addition to promising to exercise more and spend less time on Facebook 鈥� are also resolving to read lots of books in 2010. 鈥淭he new year is about renewed energy and all the things you can accomplish,鈥� says Daniel Goldin, owner of the Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee. 鈥淭he pile of books that you think you鈥檒l never get through in November becomes a possibility鈥� in January.
Maybe. But as we all know, February can be a cruel month, littered with the debris of broken resolutions. So to help would-be readers chart successful courses for an actively bookish 2010, the Monitor asked the experts 鈥� booksellers, authors, and other 鈥渂ookistas鈥� in the know 鈥� what they are most excited about reading in the new year and why.
Goldin says he鈥檚 kicking the year off with both an author he鈥檚 never read before (James Hynes and his 2000 political thriller, 鈥淭he Wild Colonial Boy鈥�) and an old favorite (Sinclair Lewis鈥檚 1927 satire on religion, 鈥�Elmer Gantry鈥�).
And to make sure that he actually finishes 鈥淕antry,鈥� he says, 鈥淚鈥檝e chosen it for the in-store book club that I lead.鈥�
Both Goldin and senior Wash颅ington Post book editor Ron Charles say they plan to read 鈥淣oah鈥檚 Com颅pass鈥� by Anne Tyler (to be published in January 2010 by Knopf).
鈥淚鈥檝e loved all [Tyler鈥檚] books, but sometimes felt some of them were merely recast versions of each other,鈥� Charles says. 鈥淪till, her previous novel, 鈥楧igging to America,鈥� showed that she鈥檚 still capable of fresh, moving work, and I鈥檓 hopeful that 鈥楴oah鈥檚 Compass鈥� is another surprising, funny, heartbreaking story.鈥�
Charles also has his eye on a new novel by Chang-rae Lee. 鈥淐hang-rae Lee鈥檚 鈥楢loft鈥� is one of my favorite novels, so I鈥檓 eager to read his (very long!) 鈥楾he Surrendered,鈥� [March, Riverhead] which begins during the Korean War.鈥� In addition, he鈥檚 looking forward to Jerome Charyn鈥檚 鈥淭he Secret Life of Emily Dickinson鈥� (February, W.W. Norton), which he says 鈥減romises to spice up the Belle of Amherst 肠辞苍蝉颈诲别谤补产濒测!鈥�
Elizabeth Kostova鈥檚 historical fiction 鈥淭he Swan Thieves鈥� (January, Little, Brown) also made it onto Charles鈥檚 list, along with Rebecca Newberger鈥檚 novel 鈥�36 Arguments for the Existence of God鈥� (January, Pantheon). 鈥淸36 Arguments] sounds like a wonderful academic satire,鈥� Charles explains, 鈥渨rapped around a provocative exploration of our attitudes about religion and metaphysics.鈥�
Jess Walter, author of 2009 novel 鈥淭he Financial Lives of the Poets,鈥� says he鈥檚 planning to read 鈥淧oint Omega鈥� by Don DeLillo (February, Scribner), 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 Don DeLillo and the title sounds like a 1970s thriller about Nazi hunters.鈥� (The protagonist is actually an American war strategist.)
Walter鈥檚 also marked the historical fiction 鈥淭he Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet鈥� by David Mitchell (Random House, June), fiction novel 鈥淭he Ask鈥� by Sam Lypsite (March, Farrar, Straus and Giroux) and 2009 essay collection 鈥淐hanging My Mind鈥� edited by Zadie Smith, 鈥渂ecause her brilliant essay in The Guardian about David Shields鈥檚 upcoming manifesto, 鈥楻eality Hunger,鈥� made me want to read both books.鈥�
The book buyers at Powell鈥檚 Books of Portland, Ore., report 2010 reading lists a mile long. Billie Bloebaum, new book coordinator, plans to delve into a host of genres during the first few months of the year.
鈥淭here are a couple of debut thrillers coming that I am really, really thrilled about,鈥� Bloebaum says. 鈥�Keith Thomson鈥檚 鈥極nce a Spy鈥� (March, Doubleday), which is about a former spy with Alzheimer鈥檚 and the scrapes and adventures he and his son face as they try to outrun and outsmart the guys trying to kill them; and 鈥楽till Missing鈥� by Chevy Stevens (St. Martin鈥檚, July).... I want to start spreading the word on this one early. [It鈥檚] about a woman who鈥檚 abducted from a real estate open house and held in isolation for a year. It is told in the first person as sessions with her psychiatrist.鈥�
For readers of romance, Bloebaum recommends Meredith Duran鈥檚 鈥淲icked Becomes You鈥� (April, Pocket), saying that Duran, 鈥渨hile still very early in her career, has become an author I know I can depend on for quality writing and emotionally complex love stories.鈥�
Powell鈥檚 new-book purchasing supervisor, Gerry Donaghy, wants to check out 鈥�Matterhorn,鈥� a 2009 Vietnam War novel by decorated Vietnam veteran Karl Marlantes. 鈥淭he jacket copy [notes] that this is on the level of 鈥�The Thin Red Line鈥� [a 1962 thriller by James Jones] and 鈥楾he Naked and the Dead鈥� [Norman Mailer, 1948], which is a bold statement,鈥� says Donaghy, 鈥渂ut readers I trust who have read this say the description isn鈥檛 far off.鈥�
Author Gail Godwin (whose own novel 鈥淯nfinished Desires鈥� will be published this January) says she eagerly anticipates Ian McEwan鈥檚 鈥淪olar鈥� (March, Nan A. Talese), and will soon be 鈥渋mmersing鈥� herself in 鈥淭he Red Book,鈥� the newly unveiled, self-illustrated, private journal of Swiss psychologist Carl G. Jung, published last year. 鈥淚 also have treated myself to the brand new, two-volume 鈥楬istorical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary,鈥� 鈥� says Godwin, 鈥渨hich includes virtually the entire vocabulary of English from Old English to the present day.鈥�
At Boston鈥檚 Brookline Booksmith, where Godwin will speak on Jan. 26, co-owner Dana Brigham has family books in mind. Brigham notes Gail Caldwell鈥檚 memoir 鈥淟et鈥檚 Take the Long Way Home鈥� (August, Random House), a book about 鈥渕idlife, independent women, wonderful dogs and a particularly special friendship.鈥�
Brigham also singles out Roger Rosenblatt鈥檚 鈥淢aking Toast鈥� (February, Ecco), a memoir about life with his grandchildren following his 38-year-old daughter鈥檚 sudden death: 鈥淚t may sound sad but it鈥檚 touching, funny and revelatory.鈥�
In Denver, book buyer Cathy Langer of the Tattered Cover Book Store has her eye on Wyoming writers whose books hold particular appeal for the Colorado region. Mark Spragg鈥檚 鈥淏one Fire鈥� (March, Knopf) deals with difficult life in the modern West, and Laura Bell鈥檚 鈥淐laiming Ground鈥� (March, Knopf) tells the author鈥檚 unconventional story of soul-searching through sheepherding. 鈥淸Claiming Ground] is a very interesting story about a woman who took great risks and lived a difficult but fulfilling life,鈥� says Langer. 鈥淰ery wonderful, fabulous writing.鈥�
David Kynaston鈥檚 2009 book 鈥淔amily Britain, 1951-1957,鈥� sequel to 鈥淎usterity Britain, 1945-1951鈥� (2008), pops up on the reading list of Terry Teachout, author of 鈥淧ops: A Life of Louis Armstrong.鈥�
Teachout says he鈥檚 also interested in Selina Hastings鈥檚 biography, 鈥淭he Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham鈥� (May, Random House), which he calls a 鈥渉ighbrow tell-all about the scandalous private life鈥� of the 鈥淥f Human Bondage鈥� author.
And in tune with his own work, Teachout is looking forward to Ricky Riccardi鈥檚 鈥淲hat a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong鈥檚 Later Years鈥� (May, Pantheon). 鈥淭his promises to be one of the most significant books yet written about the greatest jazz musician who ever lived,鈥� says Teachout.
Katie Ward is an intern at the Monitor.
