Books I Read in 2011

I managed to read twelve books in 2011, one for each month, although two took months to read and the final only days.  There was no set pace, no set list and no intention other than to be entertained and at times educated.  I picked them as I went.  Interestingly four were memoirs (2, 5, 8 & 9).  Only one was a mystery (12), which is what I typically like reading.  Several were for sheer entertainment (1, 5, 6 & 9) and fun to read if you are a female, an artist or are interested in pop music in 1980s.

1. Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
2. Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
3. My Ántonia by Willa Cather
4. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
5. Art and Madness: A Memoir of Lust Without Reason by Anne Roiphe
6. The Help by Kathleen Stockett
7. Antonement by Ian McEwan
8. Enemies of the People: My Family's Journey to America by Kati Marton
9. Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran by Andy Taylor
10. Once a Goddess by Sheila Lamb
11. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
12. Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan

One of the most interesting comparisons was how The Corrections and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant shared the same plot and storyline throughout the both books.  A dysfunctional family with three children who set out on their own lives to create further drama, mayhem or dwell in sadness. They were both downers, but lead me to think of how important it is to make my life and the life of my children that much more captivating.

I got to travel to Iran, Hungary, Ireland, England, Mississippi, Nebraska,  Baltimore and New York City.  Several were set against the backdrop of war and civil unrest, some in the normalcy of domesticity and one was from a magical world where people travel by shape shifting.

One of the more moving, yet difficult to read books was Enemies of the People due to my father's history growing up in Hungary during the revolution.  Ms. Marton was able to gather her parent's secret police files and piece together her family's story during the Cold War with the help of interviews and remembrances.  Her parents were the last and only remaining journalists for the Associated Press and United Press during the Communist's control over Hungary and they were charged and imprisoned for spying.  When reading this I experienced a lot of the same feelings as I had upon my first visit to Hungary twelve years ago by saying, "Now it all makes sense."  Many of my father's strange or different habits were the norm during the Marton's life.     

Atonement was a wonderful book, possibly my favorite in regards to the subject of unrequited love and how beautifully the stories were strung together.  Once a Goddess had a similar driving force of unrequited love set against the backdrop of war. Support the author, who happens to be a good friend and check out Once a Goddess by Sheila Lamb.

I could write more about some of these books, but need to turn my attention to ringing in the New Year and picking out my next read.  Happy New Year Friends!