I stated emphatically for days that I wasn’t going to do this, but I’ve had a few requests, so, what the hell, I’m doing it.
I will forever remember 2013 as the year I read Infinite Jest. I can’t provide a good synopsis, because the plot, the premise, the structure – really, everything about it – defy description. But it’s on my 6-star list, and one of the greatest books I’ve ever read. It was a difficult read; I referred to external resources at many turns of the page. But it was rewarding. I’d never heard of it until one of my online book groups decided to tackle it. It definitely has a cult following, and it MOST definitely is not for everyone. In fact, the pool of my reader friends to whom I think IJ would appeal is miniscule.
Which brings me to the “theme” of this list, if there is one: every book is not for everyone, but yours are out there! These are the books I read in 2013 that I rated as 5-star (in the order that I read them). Some of them will have mass appeal. Some of them won’t, and fall into the category of “You read a book about what?” They are on this list because they particularly resonated with me. And even if they don’t resonate with you, if I can inspire you to step out of your usual genre for just one book this year – or to read a book at all! – I’ll be tickled pink.
(By the same token, there are many books I read in 2013 that I really liked, and that you may love, but that aren’t listed here. But I’m usually willing to provide recommendations!)
As always, I didn’t read nearly as many books as I would have liked. (If you’re reading this blog, you probably have the same complaint.) I made it to 73, compared to 102 the year before. I hope I did something productive with that extra time. (Come to think of it, I probably spent about 15 books’ worth of time on golf lessons and practice. You wouldn’t know it from how much I suck at golf, but still.)
The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton
I don’t read nearly as many classics as I used to (simply because there are so many new books out there that grab my attention), but I’m glad I read this one, as it was a gem.
Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese
I went on a Canada Reads 2013 binge to consume all five finalists in about a week. Three of them got 5 stars. This one, which I loved even though it’s about hockey (but more about the treatment of native Canadians in residential schools – yes, that really did happen, yes, for that many years, and yes, only that short a time ago!!)…
…and Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan, a dense but enjoyable read about lives in Quebec in the early 20th century and the dichotomies in which they exist, which I thought was the best of the five finalists…
…and also Away, by Jane Urquhart, a beautiful rendering of life in Ireland and Ontario in the 19th century.
Too Bright to Hear, Too Loud to See, by Juliann Garey
A portrayal of mental illness so well done.
Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace
DFW’s brain must have been an incredibly complex and imaginative place. I’m sorry that I didn’t discover his work until after he died.
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, by Ayana Mathis
Ignore the “Oprah’s Book Club” sticker on the cover, and you’ll be rewarded with these moving stories of the African American Migration woven together.
Wave, by Sonali Deraniyagala
What happens when the author survives but loses her husband, two children and parents in the Tsunami of 2004? This.
Milosz, by Cordelia Strube
I’d never read Strube before, but I picked up this book after seeing her on a 2012 IFOA panel – she just seemed downright awesome! It’s an amusing tale of an offbeat cast of characters, set in Toronto.
Then They Came for Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival, by Maziar Bahari
Being a Jon Stewart fan, thought I’d give this one a try while he was off directing the movie. And, it turned out to be excellent.
Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Adichie is one of my favourite writers, and yes, I can even pronounce her name! I snapped this right up when it came out, and wasn’t disappointed. Engrossing picture of life for expat Nigerians in the U.S. and upon returning “home.”
In the Shadow of the Banyan, by Vaddey Ratner
My first foray into reading about the Cambodian genocide of the 1970s, and it was gorgeous. (The book, NOT the genocide.)
Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood (first read in 2003, reread in 2013)
Dystopian fiction, science fiction, speculative fiction, just fiction… whatever you call it, nobody does it better than Atwood. Nobody. Stop what you are doing right now and go read this book.
The Painted Girls, by Cathy Marie Buchanan
A book for ballet and/or art nerds, but it’s also just a good yarn. Degas is a character in this tale of Belle Époque Paris. I listened to the audiobook, which was wonderful, as there are multiple narrators in the book, and audio version uses a different reader for each one. Plus, those amazing readers did all the French accents, so I didn’t have to try and do them in my own head.
The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood (first read in 2010, reread in 2013)
The second in the MaddAddam trilogy, once you get to the end of Oryx and Crake you WILL want to grab this.
The Woman Upstairs, by Claire Messud
So disappointing that this book didn’t make the Giller shortlist. It was quite possibly my favourite Canadian book published in 2013. Gotta love a book where the female protagonist “of a certain age” emphasizes a point by shouting “FUCK YOU ALL” in the second paragraph.
The Crooked Maid, by Dan Vyleta
This one did make the Giller shortlist, and is the only one of the five finalists that I would give 5 stars to. Intriguing bit of a mystery set in Vienna just after WWII.
A House in the Sky, by Amanda Lindhout
The horrors in this recounting of Lindhout’s kidnapping and captivity in Somalia are unfathomable. I don’t think I’ve recovered yet from reading about them, so I certainly don’t know how she survived them. You’ll feel like a shmuck for ever having whined about your own petty problems, but read it anyway.
One Summer: America, 1927, by Bill Bryson
A history of the U.S. from May-September of 1927? Huh? No really, it was a captivating narrative – from Charles Lindbergh’s impressive flight over the Atlantic, to baseball as it was played at the time and Babe Ruth’s home run record, to mobsters and headline-spawning crimes, to laying the foundations of Mount Rushmore and the Great Depression, and more. Made all the better because Bryson himself narrated the audiobook, and his reading was marvelous. (And I told him as much when I met him, while he inscribed our copy of the book!) If this one doesn’t appeal to you, try something else by Bryson – he’s terrific.
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital, by Sheri Fink
Gripping account of what went on at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and the aftermath for doctors and nurses accused of euthanizing patients. Raises tough questions that government officials, medical professionals and ethicists – and all of us – should really ponder before the next pandemic or disaster strikes.
The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri
Another one of my favourite novelists whom I was excited to see on the roster of books coming out in 2013, and again, she didn’t disappoint. Beautiful story of family, together and separated, and making one’s way in a new place – Lahiri’s specialty!
Jim Henson: The Biography, by Brian Jay Jones
As a child of the late ’70s/early ’80s I couldn’t not read this. I expected the magic of the Muppets and Sesame Street to leap off the page at me, and you know what… it did! What a fascinating and talented man Henson was, and the book made me sad all over again at the world having lost him so early.
That’s it! There are currently 25 books taunting me from my to-read pile… I wonder how many will make next year’s 5-star list.
(Note: I’m well aware that my reviews don’t include plot summaries a la fourth-grade book report. Why repeat what’s on the jacket cover or in published reviews? If I’ve intrigued you with my quick thoughts on a book, you’ll look up more info about it. Now, what are you still doing here? Go read Oryx and Crake!)