Once again, I’m flipping through the pages of my book
journal to see which books I thought were the best…which means this is my
highly personal, highly unscientific take:
sometimes I loved a book that may not be a work of “art.” Many times those books may not have been
published in the current year. The only
rule is that I have to have read them in 2013.
Also, I try to avoid putting books by friends on my list, though on
occasion I also allow myself to break that rule every now and then. So, in order only of when I read them
throughout the year, here goes:
1. Gone Girl by
Gillian Flynn: A bestseller that is hardly
a book that needs my endorsement, but I’ll say that I consumed this in about 24
hours, wondering how on earth the author could write to an ending…and totally
impressed that she did.
2. With Robert Lowell
and His Circle by Kathleen Spivack: The best literary gossip about an
amazingly talented group of people in a most creative time and space, 1950-60s
Boston…this book sent me down a remarkable Robert Lowell rabbit hole that I may
never emerge from.
3. Serena by Ron
Rash: Another popular book that hardly
needs my accolades but just SO compelling and beautifully written. I can’t love Serena, but I sure was fascinated
by/terrified of her.
4. The Pat Hobby Stories by F. Scott
Fitzgerald: A reread, and my exact words
from my book journal: “I was worried,
but yes—these stories still make my heart ache.” A down-on-his-luck Hollywood hack still tries
to believe he’s someone of relevance…just like Scott himself, I imagine.
5. Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion: Another reread. How does she get away with writing
episodically about an emotionally numb character who’s not entirely
sympathetic? Oh, of course: because
she’s Joan Didion.
6. The Mountain Lion by Jean Stafford: A
lovely pathway of the Robert Lowell rabbit hole, discovering this novel by one
of his wives…I’m so angry that the book has been forgotten and that Jean
Stafford is basically a footnote. Wit,
sarcasm, darkness, secrecy…sign me up for more of Stafford’s work!
7. Deliverance by James Dickey: A reread,
which sent me back to the movie (also brilliant). A nail-biter even knowing the
outcome, and a dark, dark, dark book from which no one emerges unscathed. I
recommend reading it while alone in a cabin in the same Georgia mountains where
the book takes place!
8. Blueprints for Building Better Girls by
Elissa Schappell: Smart writing that
cracks like a whip and leaves you feeling uncomfortable. These stories burrow into the souls of girls
and women and spills their secrets.
9. The Complete Stories by Flannery
O’Connor: A reread. And if I had to pick
one book that shaped my writing/mind during this year, it would be these
stories, especially when combined with the experience of being in Georgia while
reading them and visiting O’Connor’s house and town. Dark, funny, true, hard…these stories chill
me to the marrow.
10. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt: Totally immersive and addictive, with
memorable characters and richly evoked settings—and lots and lots of plot! A big book in the best meaning of the word. Set aside your life for a few days and dig
in!