As we conclude three years of blogging I look at the books I have blogged for 2010 and I realize that some of my favorites are the books that have been chosen by our amazing book group of eleven like minded but diverse readers.
I really enjoyed “Let The Great World Spin”, by Colum McCann. It is a story that revolves around the real life feat, performed by Philippe Petit, of walking a tightrope between the World Trade Center buildings. Colum McCann uses this event to pivot an incredible story about twelve characters who lived in New York on that day.
“Cutting For Stone” by Abraham Verghese, is an ambitious, family epic that spans over forty years and two continents with characters that are difficult to forget.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written a novel about the Nigeria-Biafran War, “Half of a Yellow Sun”, that is mesmerizing. Her research into this forgotten war is enlightning and her characters are so strong and memorable.
On my own I have attempted to read some non fiction. One of my favorites, although a difficult book to read, was “Lucky” by Alice Sebold. This incredible story is a memoir of the author’s rape at the age of eighteen on the last day of her freshman year, in a park tunnel, at Syracuse University in New York. How this courageous girl deals with this life altering ordeal is inspiring.
To balance out my list I want to include a book that made me laugh out loud, “This Is Where I Leave You” by Jonathan Tropper. It is the very amusing story of a complicated Jewish family gathering together, after being apart for sometime, to sit Shiva for their father.
It is great to move from very serious and/or enlightening books to ones that are just plain fun. That is the joy of reading and I happily look forward to a year of more inspiring and wonderful reads!
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