On Friday, Publishers Weekly posted their list of the "Best Books of 2010"...
...and I haven't read a single one of them.
*Hides*
Granted, the list is comprised of adult fiction and non-fiction titles and I read mostly YA/MG/astronomy books these days. But, but, but. This is no excuse! As a book lover, I need to start feeding my brain with some of these books. Frankly, they sounds pretty awesome! Here are three that I really want to tackle:
The Surrendered by Chang-rae Lee
PW's Review:
"Grim, but so is Dostoyevski. Lee, who can craft a sentence, follows several decades in the lives of an American soldier and a Korean orphan whose paths cross during the Korean War, the reverberations of which, Lee shows, are now deeply woven into the fabric of what it means to be American."
"Grim, but so is Dostoyevski. Lee, who can craft a sentence, follows several decades in the lives of an American soldier and a Korean orphan whose paths cross during the Korean War, the reverberations of which, Lee shows, are now deeply woven into the fabric of what it means to be American."
My take:
Oh, I'm a sucker for beautiful writing and novels woven with history. Sold.
The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
PW's Review:
"Golden Richards, a fundamentalist Mormon with four wives and 28 children, flirts with infidelity in this tragicomic family saga with a cast of flawed, perfectly realized characters. Don't mistake this for the Great American Mormon Novel—it could just be the Great American Novel of the year."
My take:
I've actually been meaning to read this books for months since it's gotten amazing reviews but I haven't wanted to pony up the $20 to buy it. (I'm cheap, yo.) But..."Great American Novel of the Year"? Yeah, I need to read this book pronto!
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
PW's Review:
"Wilkerson's sprawling study of the flight of six million blacks from the humiliation of Jim Crow to uncertain destinies in the American North and West is expansive in scope, pointillist in focus, and a triumph of scholarship and empathy. Anchoring her narrative in the suspenseful stories of three who made the journey, Wilkerson humanizes the migration that reshaped American demographics, art, and politics."
My take:
Back in September, all of the newspapers and magazines I read lavished praise for this book. New York Times! Newsweek! Washington Post! Every reviewer adored it. I've been hesitant to read this book, however, due to the subject matter. I've always had a hard time reading about racism but I think I need to satiate the inner history geek inside me and pick up a copy of this book. Plus, isn't the title awesome? It's perfect.
So what's on your To-Be-Read list?
