So instead of a top 10 list, here are a handful of the books that made a big impression on me this year. While they aren’t all new releases, part of the reason they stood out is that they are all new authors for me or something different from known authors. No particular order here.
The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees is a mystery set in modern Palestine, full of conflicted loyalties and increasingly entrenched beliefs on all sides amidst just too many everyday horrors. Ok, fine. It’s tragic, but been there, seen that on the nightly news. The difference here is that it’s all happening to real people who could easily be your friends or neighbors, people you care about and genuinely experience those horrors through in a way that doesn’t happen with anonymous flickers on a TV screen. Taut, evocative writing, gripping and memorable. I could wish the only American in the book wasn't quite such a negative stereotype since he is the only American, so it just reinforces the stereotype. But it's not as if the stereotype doesn't exist or is extremely rare. Darker than my usual taste, but a book I would hate to have not read.
My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme. Two pages in I was already wondering why on earth I waited so long to read this. Julia’s nephew helped her write and publish this but the voice is 100% Julia: exuberant, forceful, full of life and shamelessly opinionated about everything from the proper way to cook a chicken to the government’s treatment of her diplomat husband. The woman who could laugh freely at herself and at Dan Aykroyd’s hilarious impression of her but also be relentless when dealing with publishers over Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Don’t read it while hungry.
Red Sox Rule: A Season in the Life of a Manager by Michael Holley isn’t the typical sports book. This is more of a character study, covering first what went into creating the person named Terry Francona (and no, not in typical sports book “my 2nd grade teacher and junior high coach were my heroes” fashion), who helped turn the Red Sox from perennial also-rans to winners; then offering a fascinating, “through the eyes of” view of what it was like to be, not anyone, but that particular person in the madhouse that is baseball in Boston. It’s the insight, which wasn’t all directly about sports, that made this stand out for me, not the “insider” info for the fan (yes Manny drove Francona crazy long before he ever publicly acknowledged it). Things such as Francona relaxing during his job interview only after it was clear how prepared and knowledgeable those interviewing him for this job were—I could really relate to that, and it brought Francona alive as a person in a way that reciting great managerial calls couldn’t.
Snake Agent / The Demon and the City / Precious Dragon are the first three books in Liz Williams’ Inspector Chen series. I started the first and barely came up for air before finishing the third. These are mystery / fantasy crossovers set in a near future where cities are franchised—Inspector Chen is assigned to Precinct 13 in Singapore Three—and where it is possible, if not easy, for people such as Chen to travel between heaven and hell and earth. Obviously there’s a certain woo woo factor involved, something I usually avoid like the plague, but it’s very well done here. It’s also the basis of a fair amount of the dry humor that is wound all through the books, including such things as a demon cursed with a conscience (he’s going to have to consider therapy when he has a chance). Action filled, fast paced reading that’s a lot of fun and definitely something different.
Moneyball by Michael Lewis is another of those books I should have read a long time ago. Problem is the book was reportedly all about relying on stats per se over perceptions and instincts. I’m a sports fan / former data analyst and even I find that boring. However, what it's really about is determining which are the right stats, the ones that really matter to winning and losing vs the ones conventional wisdom has always focused on. Take the basic stats and slice and dice them into component parts like the securities industry does to create derivatives—an analogy I could relate to since I once worked with derivatives (yes, alright, so we’re talking checkered career here)—then extrapolate to see what they can tell you. And remember that while stats may not lie, how you interpret / misinterpret them can have the same effect, which is a key truth all too often ignored when people insist that they've proven something beyond question just because they can cite stats. You need an understanding of the game to pick the right stats and get the most out of them, while you need the right stats to understand what’s really happening despite what instinct and watching tell you you’re seeing. I think I fell in love.
A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley (aka Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip) isn’t the best mystery I’ve ever read. It’s doorstop thick and meandering. But it’s also a great, refreshing combination of old and new that is rock solid, combining a huge, engaging Botswanaan detective with a classic, Golden Age approach to constructing a mystery / detective story. All while practically glowing with the life and energy of its unique setting and appealing hero.
So sorry, no top 10, but hopefully some varied ideas for some good reading instead. And hey, if you're into web design and haven't read The Zen of CSS yet...










