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points if you recognize the title quote (no googling). i didn’t come close to reading 25 books this year but i did manage to discover some new authors and finish a couple from last year. the only book that was a bear for me to read was world’s end, it was quite dense and i had to refer to its reference pages quite often. everything else on this list is short and/or accessible enough that you can knock any one of them off in a few weeks at a leisurely pace:

world’s end by t.c. boyle - andrew w. recommended this and i can’t believe i’ve missed out on t.c. boyle for this long. he does horrible yet somewhat hilarious things to his characters and you honestly don’t know whether to laugh or cry. WE in particular is rather complex as it follows several generations of families as early as the 17th century but it’s worth the trouble. i think i started reading this at the emily haines show in january, didn’t finish it until the end of june.

after the plague by t.c. boyle - after world’s end, i immediately went to the library to pick this up. i think boyle may be an even better short story writer than novelist, each tale in this book leaves you reeling like you’ve been kicked in the stomach.

the plague by albert camus - i never read this in high school. picked it up for 25 cents at the 2006 camden county library book sale. it’s short and very striking read that operates on a number of levels in relation to events at the time and present day as well.

roomanitarian by henry rollins - nitin got me this a two years ago and i still had two chapters left to read in january. not my favorite rollins book as it’s mostly poetry and a few articles. the second half is better than the first. for fans only.

generation of swine by hunter s. thompson - i think monica’s aunt got me this and didn’t get around to reading this for almost a year. it’s a collection of articles from thompson’s mid-80s weekly column in the san francisco examiner. when it’s funny, it’s really funny but this isn’t as good or as crazy as his other works. on the plus side, the columns are short so it’s very easy to pick up and put down.

survival of the sickest by sharon moalem - i borrowed this from the library after listening to an interview with moalem on NPR. moalem is a “renegade doctor” who proposes that genetic diseases actually serve to protect us from greater environmental threats. it’s quite controversial and i don’t particularly buy into it, but taken with a grain of salt it’s at least interesting to read.

american green by ted steinberg - kristin & kevin got me this last xmas, it was another book i was interested in after hearing the author on NPR. this focuses on suburban america’s obsessive quest for the perfect lawn, a phenomenon that has only risen in the past 60 years or so, in the years following WWII. this quest has led to the rise of the billion dollar lawn care industry, which overwhelmingly promotes soil bleaching chemicals, non-native grasses and pesticides whose toxicity outweighs any kind of aesthetic benefit. surprisingly, AG has a light and conversational tone and even gives tips to those who are interested in greener (although in reality it’s browner) methods of lawn care.

into thin air by jon krakauer - another CC book sale find that was recommended by pintu, i started reading this while at a nifty fifties drive-thru. this book details an ill-fated expedition to climb mount everest in 1996. tragic and suspenseful but ultimately a worthwhile read. krakauer also wrote into the wild, whose adaptation was released this year.

conquering the impossible by mike horn - i picked up this book solely on the merits of its cover at the library while waiting for a one-legged locksmith to come jimmie my car open. this is about explorer/adventurer/international celebrity mike horn’s attempt to circumnavigate the arctic circle using only conventionally powered (by foot or wind) transportation. from the bloody-minded preparation requiring equipment set to the most precise and demanding specifications to the perils of arctic and subarctic travel, i found this completely engrossing, inspiring and impossible to put down. monica on the other hand, thought horn was an utter fool. he encounters a polar bear, falls into frozen water and loses parts of his fingers within the first three chapters!

those are at least the books i remember, i started and stopped a couple of others. i re-read harry potter books V & VI after seeing V in the theater and realizing i didn’t remember any of it from the book. mark and jen just got me book VII and i’d love to finish it by new year’s.

books to finish & start in 2008:

resistance, rebellion and death by albert camus - got this from michelle, it’s a very inspiring collection of political essays written prior to camus’ death. far from the absurdist fiction that he is known for, RR&D is a call to action that demands we equate freedom with justice and any compromise between the two is not acceptable.

the runes of the earth: the third chronicles of thomas covenant by stephen r. donaldson - i borrowed this from the library, couldn’t finish it and ended up picking up a copy at the bookstore a few months ago. i love stephen r. donaldson, and the thomas covenant series in general. this picks up after the excellent second chronicles and while the writing is as good as ever, it’s also some of his most dense writing, which makes it slow going for me.

quicksilver by neal stephenson - speaking of dense, i’m never going to finish this book.