Friday, December 31, 2010

Jackie's Top 10 (Plus 10 More)

These are the best of a VERY fine crop. I agonized about which books and which order,
but I've decided to go with:
Room
Sooo very different from any other book I've ever read--mesmerizing.

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
Brought me back to old friends in a brand new way, reminded me of a more innocent time.

Alice I Have Been
Another visit to the past, this time with in-depth clarity of a sad but fascinating life lived in the shadow of "enchantment".





The Girl Who Fell From The Sky
Intense story of the survivor of a family tragedy and those whose lives were touched by her.

Beatrice and Virgil
This book is here because it is the first book in a very long time that I had to struggle, fight, re-read, ponder and gnash my teeth about in order to make peace with it. It's a challenging read from an unapologetic author, and it's brilliant in it's harshness and metaphor.



Half a Life
This book is starkly honest about the continuing consequences of a teenage accident, and how survivors guilt has built his helped to form half of his life.

Crocked Letter, Crooked Letter
Southern fiction about a secret friendship between a black boy and a white boy, and what that friendship costs them when trouble visits them as adults. You can feel Mississippi in every page of this book.

Still Missing
This tale of a brutal kidnapping/imprisonment is told in the character's voice as she goes through therapy after her rescue. Riveting and unforgettable.





The Madonnas of Echo Park
Interconnected short stories giving voice to the plight of the Hispanic in East LA. Eye opening and resonant.

American Terroir
Vivid tales of the food, and of the people who bring it to us, in the America's. Not a day goes by that I don't think of some small tidbit from this remarkable book.





Of course, I have an "Honorable Mention" list, as well, in no particular order:
Impatient With Desire
The Postmistress
Making Toast
Horns
Bucolic Plague
The Irresistible Henry House
The Happiness Project
The Passage
Immortal Milk
The Christmas Chronicles

No comments: