6.30.2011

A List of Mid-Year Favorites

So it's about half-way through 2011 (!!!) and when Beth from Bookworm Meets Bookworm posted her mid-year favorites, I decided I wanted to play along. The first half of the year has been pretty consistent reading wise. I've maintained at least a book a week, sometimes even two. I've read a total of 35 books since January 1, 2011, and among those, these are my favorite six titles:

1. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (1987): One of my favorite bloggers, Ben from Dead End Follies, recommended this one and assured me I would love it. Well, he was right and it still remains my favorite book read so far this year. Norwegian Wood is a book about memory and the memory of love, and how it stays with us even when the one we love is gone. High-five, Ben. Fantastic read.

2. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (2003): Simply put, I adored this book. The Namesake examines the immigration experience of a Bengali family with a focus on the second generation. It speaks to the psychological disjucture and cultural displacement that is associated with belonging to two very different cultures.

3. Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides (2002): This is a truly amazing book. Middlesex is a novel that is preoccupied with splits and divides; within our identity, our desires, our family, our culture and our place in the world. Beth from Bookworm Meets Bookworm recommended this one - I'm really thankful that all of my favorite book bloggers have great taste in books. (No doubt part of the reason they are my favorite.)

4. Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (1988): Margaret Atwood is one of my top three favorite authors. In Cat's Eye, I read a whole new side of Atwood's and enjoyed every minute of it. Cat's Eye is about growing up and going back home. Per usual, Atwood includes elements of social and feminist comment in her work, exploring the idea of adulthood and questioning whether one can ever truly grow up.

5. How I Became A Famous Novelist by Steve Hely (2009): I don't think I have ever laughed so much reading a book than I have while reading this one. A satire of the publishing industry, Hely's novel exposes its hypocrisies, lampooning the majority of today's best-selling authors.

6. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (2010): Since it won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, this book has been talked about quite a bit. Egan connected a multitude of characters over a span on 50 years and explores themes of time and memory, the self-destruction and the disappointments that inevitably ensue as we age, and the redemption and second chances we get to take, if we're lucky. A beautify complicated novel that is not confusing in the least.

Honorable Mentions:

13 comments:

  1. Awesome list and a bunch I need to add to my TBR pile

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  2. The only of those I've read is the Murakami...and I've read that particular book maybe 3 or 4 times and I'm due to reread it again sometime soon. It's one of my all-time favorite books.

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  3. I was also thinking I should do my favorite for this year so far, too. Maybe I'll do that post over the long weekend and post it next week!

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  4. Yay! I finally read Namesake this year too and really enjoyed it. I imagine I'll cave and read Goon Squad at some point.

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  5. Read and loved 2, 3, and 5. Have 6 on my shelf, too! Glad I found your blog, looks like we have similar tastes!

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  6. Yay Middlesex! And yay for Atwood too! I haven't read Cats Eye though, and I think I need to add it to my list

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  7. Norwegian Wood is probably my favourite book ever. It's definitely in my top 5...

    I picked up Cat's Eye at a charity shop the other week and am just about to start reading it, so I'm really glad to see you enjoyed it!

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  8. Cat's Eye! I have that one! Don't know when I'll get to it but I'm looking forward to it. Margaret Atwood is a boss.

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  9. I know I'm going against the crowd but Norwegian Wood didn't do much for me. The Namesake and Middlesex however - wow. I just LOVED the end of The Namesake. Have you see the movie?

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  10. Hooray! Middlesex!

    I've seen How to Become a Famous Author and A Visit From the Good Squad showing up everywhere lately... must... get... reading...

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  11. I didn't love Goon Squad as much as you did, but I was thrilled with Norwegian Wood when I read it several years ago. It remains a favorite. Good stuff!

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  12. I've just picked up Good Squad and I can't wait to get into it.

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