2010 was a good year for reading. I discovered new authors whose work I enjoyed: Hyland, St. John Mandel, Zusak, Sawyer, Toole. I participated in a book club whose meetings were always vibrant and whose selections surprised me. I touched base with some old favourites. And I had my eyes opened by one of the greatest literary achievements, Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. As per usual, I have compiled a list of statistics for 2010. See below for comparable stats and the full list of books read in 2009.
Stats from my 2010 reading list:
- 23 were borrowed from our public library
- 24 have Canadian authors
- 4 were chosen due to personal recommendations from friends
- 27 are by authors who appear more than once on the 2010 list
- 3 were being reread
- 1 was read aloud by my wife and me
- 8 are non-fiction
Books read in 2010 (67):
- Silber, Joan. The Art of Time in Fiction
- Fforde, Jasper. First Among Sequels
- Swan, Mary. The Boys in the Trees
- Wood, James. How Fiction Works
- Prachett, Terry. Unseen Academicals
- Wood, James. The Irresponsible Self
- Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway
- Skelton, Matthew. The Story of Cirrus Flux
- Stewart, Trenton Lee. The Mysterious Benedict Society
- Ransome, Arthur. Swallowdale
- Cunningham, Michael. The Hours
- Handler, Daniel. Adverbs
- Munroe, David. The Unexpected and Fictional Career Change of Jim Kearns
- Hyland, M.J. This Is How
- Stewart, Trenton Lee. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
- Hayder, Mo. Birdman
- Patchett, Ann. Bel Canto
- Crummey, Michael. Galore
- Patchett, Ann. Run
- Oe, Kenzaburo. Nip the buds, Shoot the kids
- DeLillo, Don. Falling Man
- Small, David. Stitches
- Munce, Alayna. When I Was Young & In My Prime
- St. John Mandel, Emily. Last Night in Montreal
- St. John Mandel, Emily. The Singer’s Gun
- Richards, David Adams. Mercy Among the Children
- Huston, Nancy. Losing North
- Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief
- Wright, Richard B. Adultery
- Clowes, Daniel. Wilson
- Bennett, Alan. The Uncommon Reader
- Gopnik, Adam. Through The Children’s Gate
- Wray, John. Lowboy
- DeLillo, Don. The Body Artist
- Swift, Graham. Making an Elephant: Writing From Within
- Coleman, Reed Farrel. Walking The Perfect Square
- Stewart, Trenton Lee. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma
- DeLillo, Don. Point Omega
- Tyler, Anne. Noah’s Compass
- Chabon, Michael (ed.). McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories
- Proust, Marcel. In Search of Lost Time: volume 1, Swann’s Way
- Sawyer, Robert J. Wake
- Sawyer, Robert J. Watch
- Stern, Sheila. Proust: Swann’s Way
- Sawyer, Robert J. Identity Theft and other stories
- Lehrer, Jonah. Proust was a Neuroscientist
- Pick, Alison. Far to Go
- Heti, Sheila. The Middle Stories
- Gibson, William. Zero History
- Heti, Sheila. Ticknor
- Pick, Alison. The Sweet Edge
- Sawyer, Robert J. Flash Forward
- Toole, John Kennedy. A Confederacy of Dunces
- Baker, Nicholson. The Size of Thoughts
- Tyler, Anne. The Accidental Tourist
- Baker, Nicholson. The Fermata
- Baker, Nicholson. The Anthologist
- Simmonds, Posy. Tamara Drewe
- Palmer, Dorothy Ellen. When Fenelon Falls
- Pym, Barbara. Excellent Women
- Etienne, Doris. The Jewels of Sofia Tate
- Bellow, Saul. Herzog
- Pym, Barbara. Quartet in Autumn
- Heti, Sheila. How Should A Person Be?
- Ferguson, Will. Coal Dust Kisses
- Pym, Barbara. Jane & Prudence
- Toole, John Kennedy. The Neon Bible
Here, for comparison, is my list from 2009.
Stats from my 2009 reading list:
- 11 were borrowed from our public library
- 18 have Canadian authors
- 3 were chosen due to personal recommendations from friends
- 12 are by authors who appear more than once on the 2009 list
- 1 was being reread
- 6 were read aloud by my wife and me
- 7 are non-fiction
Books read in 2009 (56):
- Chabon, Michael. Wonder Boys
- Bloom, Harold. How to Read and Why
- Prose, Francine. Reading Like a Writer
- Gaiman, Neil. American Gods
- Gaiman, Neil and Terry Prachett. Good Omens
- Horowitz, Anthony. Stormbreaker
- Fforde, Jasper. The Eyre Affair
- Moore, Christopher. A Dirty Job
- Russo, Richard. Empire Falls
- Vanderhaeghe, Guy. The Englishman’s Boy
- Wright, Richard B. October
- Prose, Francine. Goldengrove
- Fforde, Jasper. Lost in a Good Book
- Chabon, Michael. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
- Le Guin, Ursula K. Powers
- Austen, Jane and Seth Grahame-Smith. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
- Hill, Lawrence. The Book of Negroes
- Gessen, Keith. All the Sad Young Literary Men
- Fforde, Jasper. The Well of Lost Plots
- Furey, Leo. The Long Run
- Clarke, Brock. An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England
- Wright, Richard B. Clara Callan
- Gallant, Mavis. A Fairly Good Time
- Foer, Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
- Mosley, Walter. This Year You Write Your Novel
- Russo, Richard. Bridge of Sighs
- Montgomery, Lucy Maud. Anne of Green Gables
- Chabon, Michael. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
- O’Neill, Heather. Lullabies for Little Criminals
- Toews, Miriam. The Flying Troutmans
- Prose, Francine. The Peaceable Kingdom
- Robinson, Marilynne. Housekeeping
- Fforde, Jasper. Something Rotten
- Baker, Nicholson. The Anthologist
- Chabon, Michael. Gentlemen of the Road
- Chabon, Michael. A Model World and Other Stories
- Baker, Nicholson. The Mezzanine
- Saul, John Ralston. A Fair Country
- Hay, Elizabeth. Late Nights on Air
- Chabon, Michael. Maps and Legends
- Barbery, Muriel. Gourmet Rhapsody
- Baker, Nicholson. The Everlasting Story of Nory
- McEwan, Ian. On Chesil Beach
- Montgomery, Lucy Maud. Anne of Avonlea
- Chabon, Michael. Manhood for Amateurs
- Coupland, Douglas. Generation A
- Barbery, Muriel. The Elegance of the Hedgehog
- Bicknell, Jeanette. Why Music Moves Us
- Crummey, Michael. Flesh and Blood
- Strube, Cordelia. Lemon
- Burnard, Bonnie. Casino & Other Stories
- Gaiman, Neil. Stardust
- Lamarque, Peter. The Philosophy of Literature
- Tyler, Anne. Digging to America
- Chabon, Michael. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
- Crummey, Michael. River Thieves