Mini Book Review - End of 2009

Okay, I'm late with this. Shoot me. My 2009 New Year's resolution was to keep track of every book I finished (note I said 'finished'?). I did that but haven't posted the final handful of books until today. Don't I get points for following through on my resolution? I'm pretty damn proud of this milestone...my first ever completed resolution. This goes a lot further than the year I resolved to use dental floss every day.

Here they are:

To Kill A Mockingbird. If I read this in high school I certainly don't remember. It took me about 20 pages to get into the book because I was hung up on some of the Southern-isms most notably the names. Jem? Atticus? Boo? Once I got past that I couldn't put it down. I sorta knew the plot, but reading Harper Lee's prose was a real thrill. If I wrote a book that magnificent, I wouldn't publish another one either. Every adult must read this one.

Going in a completely different direction, Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French, by Stephen Clarke, is about a Brit who has a love/hate relationship with the French. (Don't we all?) In this book he good-naturedly shares his 10 tips for dealing with and living with the French. Even though he is a crusty Brit, he truly loves the French despite their, well, French-isms. You'll learn, for example, how to deal with rude waiters and better understand why the French always seem to be going on strike. I also recommend Mr. Clarke's other books: In The Merde for Love and Merde Happens.

Savannah Blues, by Mary Kay Andrews. Every now and then a girl needs her chick-lit. This one also turns into a murder mystery and a lesson in antiquing. Again I had to get past the Southern stuff this Yankee girl just doesn't immediately understand, most notably the names and the importance placed on who you are (family names) and who you know. If you're in the mood for something breezy with a bit more plot than you usually find in chick-lit, I recommend this one.

Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott, is another writer's guide to the writing life. Along with On Writing, by Stephen King, (see previous review here) B by B shows the human side of what writers face (and put themselves through). Mr. King comes across as a more confident about his writing while Anne Lamott shows us what an insecure bundle of nerves many writers are. I can relate! I found comfort in both books and refer to them often. If you're not a writer but admire what writers do, both of these books provide a glimpse into their solitary yet creative worlds.

There! I'm done. I finished 29 books this year and wrote about them all. There were many more that I started and didn't/couldn't finish. Sometimes the mood wasn't right or the first few pages didn't strike me. Life is too short to read something you don't enjoy. Now I'll contemplate my 2010 resolutions. Maybe I need to revisit that dental floss thing.