2007 Books
January
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.
* Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank.
Snow Flower and The Secret Fan by Lisa See.
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger — I love the way he writes, but nothing ever seems to happen in his books.
February
Tales from Fish Camp by Danielle Henderson.
March
Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai — I enjoy magical realism, but you can tell this is a first novel for the author. It could easily be condensed into a short story and could use a ruthless paring down.
April
Billie’s Kiss by Elizabeth Knox — Mediocre. I didn’t hate it, but it’s pretty light.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin — Sometimes the right book comes along at just the right time. This is one of those moments for me.
May
An Island To Oneself by Tom Neale — Simple, fascinating, and the perfect book to read while on summer vacation.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins — Trashy Victorian fiction. I couldn’t put it down.
June
Incognito Street by Barbara Sjoholm — I was prepared to hate this book but ended up liking it so much I don’t think I’ll get rid of it.
* Short Short Stories by Dave Eggers — Apparently unavailable in the US, I bought this book at the airport in Tokyo. I’ve read and enjoyed it several times, and have read it one last time before I pass it on to a friend.
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler — I am turning into a full-blown moon-goddess hippie chick, be warned.
July
A Cab Called Reliable by Patti Kim — Short but sad and touching.
The Accidental by Ali Smith — I picked this up at the expat free library. I judged it based solely on it’s cover, which didn’t have a synopsis but instead a very short excerpt, and a note that the novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2005. I really struck gold here, this book was completely fantastic and fascinating. I’ve been unable to stop talking about it since I first picked it up, and have recommended it to almost everyone I know.
August
Ugly Koreans, Ugly Americans — The first half is full of stereotypes of Koreans by Americans, the second half of stereotypes of Americans by Koreans. The whole time I was reading the first half I was laughing out loud to myself. During the second half I kept saying “We don’t do that!” (I can’t find this book online.)
September
The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll by Jean Nathan — A biography of an unusual and mysterious children’s author from the 1950s. Totally weird and captivating. I can’t decide if I’m fascinated by her or repulsed.
A Good Man is Hard to Find, and Other Stories by Flannery O’Connor — Some of her stories bore me to tears, but the ones that are good, such as “The Displaced Person,” are real gems.
Puppy by George Saunders — Deliciously-depicted stereotypes and a sad, strange story.
November
Jupiter’s Travels by Ted Simon — Four years and more than 60,000 on a motorcycle. Reading this at the end of my time in Korea, I was able to relate to many of the inner issues Simon faced as he traveled the world questioning his motives and needs in the face of so much diversity and frustration.
Cherry by Mary Karr — Another lucky random find at the expat bookstore. She’s from Texas, too!
Frank Sinatra Has A Cold by Gay Talese — Talese’s 1966 New Journalism opus that blended the lines between reporting and fiction.
*Items marks with asterisks have been previously read. Some titles are links to short stories, not books.
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