I wasn't going to do it but Taco will yell at me if I don't so I decided to do much shorter versions than last year and call it even. I'm combining books and comics this time because reading is reading and if you're one of those people that stick your nose up at comics then I don't want your sorry ass reading this anyway. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on all things reading in 2008.
The best reading last year was probably Philip Roth's Indignation. I read one review that called it an interesting failure which is funny because Roth is probably the greatest living American writer and that critic is, well, not. If this is him failing then more people should fail at writing. If you've never read Roth then obviously you have homework now.
Hot on the heels of that was Ed Brubaker's Criminal. If anything, the series gets better the more he puts out. If you like words like pulp, noir, hard case and femme fatale or just like tremendous writing then you'll love this.
Also pick up Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley. I love Buckley to pieces and if you've ever wondered what would happen if a U.S. president nominated a television show judge for a spot on the Supreme Court because he's pissed off at the senate, and really who hasn't, then wonder no more.
The best nonfiction was easily The Ten Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu. You don't even have to like comics to like this book, that's how good it is.
The best YA book was Neil Gaiman's Graveyard Book just edging out Terry Pratchett's Nation. Both are superb but Gaiman channeled his inner Kipling and produced a book that was flat out amazing.
It seemed to me to be a particularly strong year for first time novelists last year. The best was probably The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes. Other very good first novels that have me looking forward to more from their writers were The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman, The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff and A Good and Happy Child by Justin Evans.
Other very worthy '08 releases included:
The Duma Key - Stephen King
The Ghost in Love - Jonathan Carroll
Buffy Season 8 - Joss Whedon
Grendel: Behold the Devil - Matt Wagner
Sharp Teeth - Toby Barlow
2666 - Roberto Bolano
Little Brother - Cory Doctorow
There were obviously many other things published last year that were worth reading but I'm trying to keep it short. If you want recommendations on anything in any genre, just ask.
I also decided to make a note of things that slipped under my radar from previous (though recent) years that I caught up with last year and are more than worth your time. They include:
Absurdistan - Gary Shteyngart
Special Topics in Calamity Physics - Marisha Pessl
An Arsonist's Guide to Writer's Homes in New England - Brock Clarke
The Brief History of the Dead - Kevin Brockmeier
We also mourn the passing of two giants in 2008. Arthur C. Clarke and David Foster Wallace, rest in peace.
2 comments:
For once, I've actually read a few of your list. Hooray for me!
*writes the rest down to add to his to-read pile*
Nice list, mate. I'm glad to see someone else not only watched but really enjoyed In Bruges. Surprised there's no mention of WALL·E, though... marvelous work from Pixar, that.
I haven't done my usual list compiling this year, aside from the fact that I did it last year and never got around to posting it on here, No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood only came out at the start of 2008 around here so they're my picks ahead of the aforementioned, along with Burn After Reading.
Did "Smart People" earn it's shout out in your list, or is that a reflection of how bare the Indie landscape was this year? Because I heard really average things about that... but then I didn't hear as much about Be Kind Rewind as I expected and I thoroughly enjoyed that.
Also, I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button just last week. I gave it 3/5 stars. My Flixster review follows:
I was quite excited about this film once Fincher was attached to direct, not knowing anything about the source material or the fact that it was adapted for screen by Eric Roth, who did the same for Forrest Gump. While Fincher's usual visual flair and attention to detail are stunning, the story itself can't break free of the Forrest Gump mold, unless it's to crib from Big Fish or Titanic.
Unfortunately it never quite resonates with the emotional depth of the former and inexplicably interrupts any interesting moments with flash-forwards like the latter. I admire the ambition and technical work behind it, but it's too ambitious for the story it wants to tell, and falls short of the mark. Interesting to watch, but hard to love.
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