Most interesting non SFF books of the year.

Here's a possible topic, since so many testify that one of the reasons for dropping off the board was the shift in their reading-
the most interesting non SF books for this year:

So far my most interesting nonSF reads was the rest of the Salinger material besides Catcher in the Rye, namely Franny and Zooey, Nine Stories and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction. I was suprised to find out how funny and singular this material was. Much of the material concerns this family of radio whiz kids- The Glass family. It's pretty unique stuff! Salinger as a writer of dialogue (and you wouldn't necessarily know this from just reading The Catcher in the Rye is second to none. An amazing ear.
I always liked and admired The Catcher in the Rye, but it in no way prepared me for the treats of this other stuff!

I will have to think about it. I just reviewed my 2008 list (which still has 2 months to go) and I don't see a book that jumps out at me, But I will mull it over.

"Salinger as a writer of dialogue (and you wouldn't necessarily know this from just reading The Catcher in the Rye is second to none. An amazing ear."

Wow, that's certainly not something I would have guessed! But then I suppose a lot of people read TCITR without thinking twice about what else he's written. Since we're on the topic of Salinger, he seems to be one of the few classics studied at schools that the students often enjoy...

Back on topic, I've not actually read a heck of a lot this year. Some good first-time reads for me have been:

The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald
South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami (A good read, undeniably Murakami, but it should have been longer. Much longer.)
An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (Really a pleasure to read and my first taste of Ishiguro. I'm also interested in reading a couple of his other books, namely Never Let Me Go, The Remains of the Day, and A Pale View of Hills.)
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli (A YA set in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, told through the eyes of a young orphan. Left some brief thoughts in the review section.)

I'm also half-way through a couple other Murakami books, but atm I don't have access to them. A real kick in the groin. >_

I guess I haven't had a single stellar read so far this year, but I will list the non-SFF books that are memorable.

The Pavilion of Woman by Pearl S. Buck
About the life of a family in China at the end of the last Emperor's reign.
I liked the writing, and the subject was interesting, liked many of the characters.

Consider this, Senora by Harriet Doerr
About a group of characters who move into a small remote Mexican village.
It was a bit bland, and I didn't like the ending, but it was well written, interesting and I cared about the characters.

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran, and Nefertiti by Nick Drake
I just love the subject, actual historical characters and setting. Though both books were flawed. Drake's had a great idea, did little with it, and the writing was a bit awkward. Moran's book had good writing, but she turned it into a movie of the week, celebrity tabloid type of story. Can only get one touchstone.

Berlin by Pierre Frei
Its a mystery set in Berlin after the war, during the US occupation. It follows a serial killer. The way its done is they find the victim, and then it breaks off from the main story, with a chapter that follows the victim from childhood to the murder. It was very sad, but it also shows different aspects of the war and what when on, as seen by German individuals.

The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason
Set in Burma, when the British are trying to take over. Well written, though a bit of 'what does this really mean'. Interesting setting and story.

This isn't genre, though it has a fantastic element. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. About a flock of sheep in rural Ireland, whose shepherd is murdered. The sheep try to solve the murder. They aren't alien or magical, and the novel is sheep-centric, and so a bit odd, but enjoyable.

Into The Blue by Robert Goddard
The first in the Harry Barnett mystery trilogy. Liked the writing and the structure of the story. I have the 3rd book, and since the 2nd one is oop in the US, a Book Moocher from Australia is sending it to me.

The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox
A long book set during the Victorian times, with a POV who opens the book committing a practice murder. He chronicles the way his enemy has ruined his life and all the details of his existence. The writing was good, and the POV was a nasty piece of work, but interesting.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Very simple book written from POV of a 15 year old autistic boy. Starts with the murder of a neighborhood dog, and ends up with his life unraveling.

Mahu Fire and Mahu Surfer by Neil Plakcy
Mysteries set in Hawaii, following a gay cop and not just the mystery, but his attempt to deal with his past, present and future being 'out'.

In the time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, and the Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa. Both fiction, but about the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic (set in the 60s at the end of it). Many of the characters are real people.

The butterfly book deals with the Mirabal sisters and the murder of 3 of the 4 of them. Very well written, very narrow scope and personal. The goat book looks at the whole canvas of life, tries to be a fictionalized history, it mentions the Mirabals. But it has structural and writing problems (though to be fair its a translation).

non-fiction:

The Party of the Century by Deborah Davis
About Truman Capote's Black and White Ball. Also turned out to be about his life, his writing, the time period and the early celebrity-vulture culture.

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild
About how the Belgian king stole and then ran the Congo in Africa. Quite horrific.

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"

That sounds interesting from the Amazon description. Sounds like it could be a real downer though.

"That sounds interesting from the Amazon description. Sounds like it could be a real downer though."

A friend of mine read it a couple years back and wouldn't shut up about it for a while. Also a lot of teachers held it in high regard at my old college and used to recommend it to students. Since then I've seen it mentioned often online and always positively. I guess I'll have to read it at some point and find out why. Also, the title is rather hard to forget... :)

I guess I've been reading more history and historicals this year.

Among my five star reads:

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara -- Historical Fiction, battle of Gettysburg on which the film was based.

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan -- NF, beautifully written.

Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem -- historical fiction, impending collapse of the Western Roman Empire as one Roman legion is tasked with holding back the barbarian horde. An unforgettable read.

The top tier of my 4 to 4 1/2 ratings would be:

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque -- Fiction, WWI, a classic I should have read years ago... lives up to its reputation.

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky -- Fiction, WWII France as Germans invade; was quite taken with this one, even in its unfinished form (IN finished only 2 out 5 parts she had planned to write), so much so I've added her as a favorite author and have purchased what I can find in print by her.

Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors by Nicholas Wade -- NF, Science and Nature, Paleoanthropology -- would recommend to anyone interested in our prehistory and what DNA research is bearing out.

Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron -- NF, Travel Narrative, beautifully evokes the crumbling remains of history -- most particularly as Westerners rarely see -- as the author travels by any conveyance he can get across China and some of the more difficult/inhospitable Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Iran, etc.

Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay, NF, fascinating bio of ESVM; highly recommend to those who admire her poetry or are interested in the lives of Jazz Age bohemians.

The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America by Russell Shorto, NF, History, extensively researched and fascinating history of the colony before it was transferred to England. Pairs well with my next rec,

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick about the Plymouth Colony.

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner, Fiction, contemporary/historical threads about a wheelchair bound historian whose marriage failed researching the life and marriage of his grandmother.

Hmm... I couldn't help but notice that Margaret Wise Brown's "The Wonderful House" appears in our most commonly shared books... now that one was unexpected!

Monty (oops).

I mean Arthur, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

It isn't a downer in the sense that the book and the POV focus on his abilities and/or the work-arounds he has come up with to function and fit in, rather than his limitations. So you don't feel sorry for him because he is handicapped.

You feel sorry for him as a kid who loves his mother and father, and when their marriage doesn't work out, he gets hurt. But that is the same regardless of whether the kid has autism or not.

The book has a way of looking at things from a different angle that is very interesting. For example he talks at one point about how he determines if its a good day or not.

On his way to school if he sees a red car its a good day, if he sees several its a very good day. If he sees a yellow car it isn't, and multiple yellow cars are very bad. And you think oh dear, hes out of it. But then he talks about people who go to work and are inside all day, but they look out the window and if the sun is out, its a good day, whereas if its not, or is raining, it not a good day. And you realize that he isn't out of it, just different. ( I may have the good color mixed up, but he definitely hates yellow).

It is a short book that is a fast read, and I was sad and felt wrenched to leave him. The author did a very good job.

Thanks- It sounds interesting -I might just grab a copy.

Ludmilla,

I like history and historical fiction too. I have been thinking about the Dust Bowl book, and the Breem book for the Romans sounds good. Is it a stand alone or part of a series ?

Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors by Nicholas Wade

Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron -- NF, Travel Narrative,

I just got these 2 books in August. I saw them on LT, either Tag Watch or maybe on Connection News (yours ?). I haven't read them yet. Glad to hear they are good.

"All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque -- Fiction, WWI, a classic I should have read years ago... "

Same here. I also picked this up recently, but haven't read it yet.

I have to say I was underwhelmed by Suite Francaise. I had to read it for a RL book group. I thought the writing was good, if bland, but it seemed that nothing really happened. At least in the first part of the book. They were all scurrying around to escape the Nazis in Paris, and then there was no second act. The last story was more interesting, but it ended too soon. But others in my group enjoyed it, or at least the second part.

Breem's book is a stand-alone (as are all his books, I think).

I also read Nemirovsky's novella, Fire in the Blood, which may make a better introduction to her, since it is complete. So far, I find her books to revolve much around themes, and either it clicks or it doesn't. I also thought the 2nd part of Suite Francaise was the stronger, more interesting of the two parts. I think what makes it unsatisfying for some is that there are so many characters whose potential or purpose we don't yet see because it is an incomplete work. The 2nd part reminded me of something Bergman might try to film (or that was how I pictured it in my head as I read).

I also read Curious Incident for a bookclub several years ago. It was an enjoyable read. While not a "happy" book, I didn't find it necessarily a downer, just different because of the perspective of the boy. Worth reading if you like books that attempt to view the world from odd angles, as Ficus says.

I've been enjoying Julia Spencer-Fleming's mysteries set in the Adirondacks and featuring Claire Fergusson, a great character who is a helicpopter pilot turned parish priest. My favorite single read this year, though, is Freddy and Fredericka. What a great combination of humor, hopefulness, characters, and so on.