2010 was made for laughing...

Great books I’ve read so far in 2010:
1. The Book of Negroes Illustrated Edition by Lawrence Hill
2. Watermark by Vanitha Sankaran
3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
4. The Lamb, the Gospel According to Biff, Jesus Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
5. Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
6. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
7. The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor Mcnees
8. March by Geraldine Brooks

The year 2010 seems to be the year I begin discovering literature I should’ve read forever ago. The most exciting so far has been my discovery of Christopher Moore. I was looking for a humorous book for the book club I lead at work and stumbled upon Christopher Moore. Now, I could never use him for the book club, but my goodness I think everyone should read either Fool or Lamb. Lamb is a parody of the bible. God has Biff resurrected to share his gospel because almost 30 years of Jesus’ life is missing from the bible. And well, according to Biff, while Jesus was miraculous he was also a typical teenage boy at times. A small warning that the humour can be crude. If you have a hard time thinking about Jesus as a boy going through puberty curious about sex, well, this may not be the book for you. Biff is obsessed with sex, and he is Jesus’ best friend. But there is actually a lot of good stuff in Lamb. Throughout most of the book Jesus needs to learn how to be the profit and goes on a journey to find the three wise men who attended his birth. Through them he learns meditation and Buddhism; he learns about demons and potions; he learns how to turn water into wine and a little bread into a lot. Parallels are drawn between the major world religions. There is actually a good philosophical discussion to be had on religion in this book and it is because of this that I do not think that Moore means to mock Christianity but make us think about Jesus in the context of the culture and world during that time, and in the context of religion and power. All with a great sense of humour too. Since reading Lamb I have read 2 more, with 2 more on the way. Fool is based off of Shakespeare’s King Lear and again leaves lots to be discussed if you’ve read the original work. The rest are what I consider “fluff” reads- good, but not much sustenance for thought or discussion, but he is still worth picking up.

The Help and The Book of Negroes were books that came out a while ago, that I was recommended over and over again, but just didn’t think they would be up to the hype. The Book of Negroes was a good story but what put it on my favorite for 2010 so far was the illustrated edition. The Illustrated edition has art, photographs of authentic items and maps that made it real and gave me goose bumps. With the overwhelming amount of historical fiction out there I always wonder where reality ended and the story began. The illustrated edition of Negroes means that I know. And it gave me the chills. It’s a heart wrenching story. The Help is another historical fiction studying the African American culture, this time long after the slave trade. Set in the 1950s this book follows a couple of African American house maids and a upper class white girl who just doesn’t fit in. It is wonderfully written from several viewpoints and I could not put it down.

Obviously, my love of Little Women and really, all things Louisa May Alcott had me reading spin offs this year. I usually refrain from spin offs-except Austen spin offs, they’re too fun- but March has won the Pulitzer Prize. A spin off winning such a significant award? I had to read it! And it was fantastic. It was gritty, it was real in a way Little Women never was. It was the type of civil war novel I would recommend to my husband even. And The Forgotten Summer was a new book based on Ms. Alcott’s life. If you don’t read biographies this is a great way to get to know Ms. Alcott while still feeling like you’re reading a good romance. Much of the book is accurate to Ms. Alcott’s life; the liberty has been taken in the romance. A fun book for any Women fan.

2010, so far, has not been a year of “heavy reading” where I’ve discovered life changing literature that makes me truly think about the substance of the world around me. Most of it has been entertaining more than thought provoking. Watermark can be added to that list. If you are a fan of historical fiction, this is a good book. I can see anyone wanting a less violent and less lengthy version of Pillars of the Earth enjoying this. Set in the 13th century the story follows the struggle of an albino girl who seeks protection from the Inquisition. The more interesting part of this novel comes from the education on the paper industry. Paper was just being invented and developed as an alternative to parchment, which I will admit I had no idea was originally out of animal hide. This story is also heavy on the love story as the protagonist’s sister and father try and marry her off for her protection while she wants to marry for love.

Lastly, there is the non fiction that made my top 2010 list. I know, I know, I was really slow getting to Blink when Mr. Gladwell has made such a niche for himself in the non fiction world for writing an easy to understand non fiction. But, I will confess, I don’t read as much non fiction as I used to. Most of 2009 was spent in the world of fiction. But Blink is fascinating. I didn’t imagine that his study of our decision making could lead in so many directions, though I really should have. What put it on my top 2010 was the discovery I felt reading it. I just simply had no idea, and, it was that easy to understand.

What I am sure you are to discover about me is that I am chalk full of contradictions. I really dislike how consumer marketing and pop culture have gone far beyond their intended boundaries to influence every aspect of our daily lives. And yet I watch reality TV, read People magazine (on occasion), eat processed foods, live on debt to keep up with the Jones’, and make decisions based entirely on wants, not what is best for me, those around me or the environment. And I complain all the while. So when I read non fiction it is usually to give myself a wake up call. Now, Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs didn’t do this but what makes it great is that it did get me thinking about how much thought actually goes into the ways we are manipulated as a society-without even knowing it. The essays themselves are light, and funny and occasionally educating. Often, the essays are rants more than discussions; and occasionally they’re completely out to lunch (there is one where Klosterman attempts to compare the movies Vanilla Sky and The Matrix and I gave up on it halfway through). But put them all together and you have a funny book that paints the picture how far back popular culture started taking over our life and in some ways it shows us how much of our minds we’ve lost. The book made my top 2010 because of its contradictions, because of its title, and because it made me laugh.