10 Books in 2010

Last month, my department head challenged me to read ten books before the end of this year (2010) and, for whatever reason, I agreed. I enjoy reading, but I often don't have as much time to devote to it as I would like. Last year, I managed to get through something like six or seven books - many of them ones I'd read before.

These are some of the selections I've made for myself this year:

"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
I first read this American classic in high school, but I didn't really enjoy it then (mainly because reading Steinbeck's "The Pearl" as a freshman left a bad taste in my mouth). However, after reading and enjoying "East of Eden" last summer, I decided to pick this book up at Half Price Books and give Steinbeck another go. I'm almost done with this one and have really enjoyed it the second time through.

"Smoke and Mirrors" by Neil Gaiman
I'm a big fan of Neil Gaiman and have been for years (ever since reading "American Gods" in college). Since then, I like to try and read a Gaiman book every year. This book, Gaiman's second collection of short stories (I own all three), is a favorite of mine, containing a couple of my favorite works of his, like "We Can Get Them For You Wholesale," "Murder Mysteries," and "Snow, Glass, Apples." I haven't read this one in about five years, so it'll be fun to revisit some of these stories again.

"John Adams" by David McCullough
This one is a book that's been recommended to me by my department head, whose opinion I generally trust implicitly when it comes to good books to read (he recommended two books I enjoyed last summer - "Miss Lonelyhearts" and the aforementioned "East of Eden"). I haven't seen the Paul Giamatti HBO miniseries yet, but I figure it'd be better to read the book first. I think it'll be a good start to my summer reading.

"Other Voices, Other Rooms" or "Answered Prayers" by Truman Capote
I read both "In Cold Blood" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" while I was a bookseller at Barnes & Noble and fell absolutely in love with Capote's prose. I vaguely recalled reading one of his short stories, "A Christmas Memory," when I was in middle school... but what eighth grader is really equipped to comprehend the nuance of Capote? I've been stocking up on Capote novels in hopes that I'll later get a chance to read them - now seems like a great time to read one of or both of these books that have been waiting to be read.

"Dubliners" by James Joyce
I got an itch to read some James Joyce last year and got about four short stories into Joyce's first novel. I figured it would be better to start with some of his early work rather than jumping into the more difficult "Ulysses" (which I bought today at Half Price Books) and "Finnegan's Wake." I enjoyed what I read, but had to put it down due to my workload. This is another one I'd love to pick up now that spring is upon us.

"Orthodoxy" and "The Everlasting Man" by G.K. Chesterton
I read most of "The Everlasting Man" in my senior year of high school, but will likely be using it as a basis for one of my classes next year, so this one seems like a logical choice for reading this year. "Orthodoxy" has also been on my 'to-read' list for years and having a mandate to read ten books pushes it to the forefront. I've been an admirer of Chesterton for years and would love to read his masterwork.

For right now, I'm still looking for other books to read. I'm not sure if 'plays' qualify as books or not, because that would likely add a few reads to my list. I actually need some more non-fiction books, having only three on my list at the moment. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Friday's Top Five - Influential Fiction

Kyle Hopkins (Covenant's new English 12 teacher) and Justin Knapp (Covenant's favorite son) got me thinking a couple weeks ago when I posted my Top Five Influential Books list. Both of them mentioned fiction titles, which struck me as I hadn't included any on my list. Honestly, I found this odd, particularly since fiction is my favorite style of literature (though, it seems, I've been reading much more non-fiction lately - odd). Because of their influence, I give you my Top Five Most Influential Fiction titles:

5. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
In Cold Blood was some of my first exposure to the writing of Truman Capote since I was forced to read his short story "A Christmas Memory" in middle school. (And, since I didn't like anything I read in middle school - because I was being forced to read it in middle school - it was a futile endeavor.) However, after reading In Cold Blood, I felt inspired to pick up some of Capote's other writings. Breakfast at Tiffany's was the first. I was amazed at Capote's use of prose - its poetic nature and fluid rhythm, almost as if it were a living thing in and of itself. I am consistantly enamored with his writing and think it a shame he didn't stick around to write more.

4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
I read Brave New World my senior year in high school and absolutely loved it! My reading of it followed my reading of Sir Thomas More's Utopia, Orwell's 1984, and Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death, so I was already fascinated by the concept of dystopia - a society which seems perfect to a degree, but falls apart when the surface is scratched or upset in any way. Huxley BNW defied my prior notions of a dystopia largely because of its characters are unaware of the flaws inherent in the society. In his nightmarish vision, Huxley paints a society so close to the one in which we live, it's almost frightening.

3. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
I had heard Gaiman's name mentioned before, namely in comic circles as the author of the series The Sandman. Other than that, I knew nothing of him before I picked up American Gods one summer night during my high school days. One of the first things I noticed was that it was epic in scope. Indeed, the book had a cast in the dozens (with many more unnamed besides) and told a story that stretched across centuries and continents, written in a style that is at once self-aware and unassuming. Gaiman reveals himself a master story-teller in both this and its sequel, the novella The Monarch of the Glen. If you've not read either, do yourself a favor.

2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Like many, my first exposure to Carroll's wonderful creations was Disney's animated classic Alice in Wonderland. In fact, it wasn't until high school (when I read Carroll selections for speech tournaments) that I discovered the amazing text pieces the film had been based on - Adventures and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. They were so different from Disney's version, which made them so compelling. With rich characters and oddly absurdist thinking, it became no wonder to me that Alice (and Carroll) had successfully captured the imaginations of so many for so long.

1. 1984 by George Orwell
No other book has elicited such a response from me. Read not for class but of my own volition (a rare feat for me in high school... at least with regard to a classic piece of literature), I found 1984 haunting, disturbing, and compelling. I connected well with its main character and, as such, was upset by the course of action within the book. A thinly-veiled indictment of Communism, Orwell's masterpiece has stood the test of time as a chilling work regarding both the role of government and free will.

Honorable mentions: Watchmen (Moore & Gibbons), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Hamid), Waiting for Godot (Beckett), Sophie's World (Gaarder), Cat's Cradle (Vonnegut)

*NOTE* - I have actually not read Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, which I know is a literary heresy. It's on my list of "books to read," but know that it's exclusion on this list is mainly due to that fact.

So... what are some of your favorite fiction titles?