2006 Year in Books

Time to finish off the Year in Review, focusing on the books I read in 2006 this time around. This isn’t a definitive list but it gives a good sense of what I read as the year went by…

“Bodyslams” by Gary Michael Capetta: Some people read histories of professional wrestling. Some people read autobiographies by pro wrestlers. Me? I read the autobiography of pro wrestling ring announcers. Yeah, a book by the guy who went, “Coming to the ring and hailing from Parts Unknown…” And it was like a three hundred page book. And I probably shouldn’t be admitting any of this on a website.

“Turning Thirty”, “Brand New Friend” and “His n Hers” by Mike Gayle: My favorite writer that no one outside of England has ever heard of. He is one of the best at writing a guy’s confessional novel. Basically a guy’s Bridget Jones or what my novel will be like when it is finally written. These three books focused on turning thirty and realizing that you missed all of your old friends from school, how difficult it is for a guy to make new friends as his adult and the age old question of whether a guy and a girl can be friends, and about breaking up a long relationship and wondering if it wasn’t the biggest mistake you ever made. Please pick up one of his books. (On a side note: my life no longer goes to hell when I read one of his books. Or, that has just become my steady state.)

“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee: I was very disappointed by this book. I don’t remember a single hunting scene in the entire book. By the title it was clear that someone was going to go bird hunting. In all honesty, I don’t know how I went so long without reading this book. It just was never on a required reading list and it got to the point where I embarrassed that I hadn’t read it. Great book, a classic, and another book to cross off on the back of my copy of Cliff Notes.

“Angels and Demons” by Dan Brown: I spend a lot of time on planes and it is required that I read a Dan Brown novel at least part of the time. A fun book if you ignore things like “characters with absolutely no motivation” and “a plot that would be implausible in an episode of Scooby Doo”. Just goes to show how easy it is to make a multi-million dollar publishing empire.

“Fight Club” by Chuck Palahnick: You want to have a good time watching other people? Read Fight Club while in a crowded plane. Be sure to wield a highlighter and utilize broad sweeping strokes. And say things like “That’s awesome” and “Yeah, I should punch the next person who talks to me.”

“Jpod” by Douglas Coupland: It’s a book about being a computer programmer in Vancouver. Lots of parallels with my life in this book along with certain plot lines that make the book border on farce at times. Oh, and entire pages are filled with the numerical sequence of pi. It’s a book after my own heart.

“The Google Story” by Donald Vise, “The Search” by John Batelle, “The Long Tail” by Chris Anderson: All of which I read for work, which might give a little indication on just what I do for a living. Let’s just say that I’ve learned more about the human condition than any one being ever should. My vocabulary has increased, sadly it’s filled with a lot of words I can’t use in proper conversation.

“Sox and the City” by Richard Roeper: A book detailing the White Sox’s championship season as well as a reflection of what life was life growing up a Sox fan. A great book if you want to remember what old Commiskey was like in its beautiful, decrepit, smelly glory. However, I can not believe that Roeper could write a book about being a Sox fan and not once mention Andy the Clown. He was a legend at the old park or more accurately he was a guy who dressed up in a clown costume and went to the games. I was raised to believe that this was perfectly normal behavior.

“New Orleans, Mon Amour” by Andrei Codrescu: A collection of essays on New Orleans by one of her favorite sons, albeit a son who was originally born in Transylvania. If you want to understand why I love this city so much and why I have hope that it will one day return you really should read this book. Andrei explains things much better than I ever could.

“V for Vendetta” by Alan Moore: Look, graphic novels count as books. It’s my list and I make the rules. If you want to get into the graphic novel scene there are three books to read: V for Vendetta, Watchmen, and The Sandman. And you can’t complain about anything that is filmed with Natalie Portman in the lead role.

“Sight Hound” by Pam Houston: Read this book over the holidays and I’m on record as saying that Pam has one of the best voices of any author I have ever read. She is a very lyrical writer. However, this is her first novel and well, it’s a novel about a dog and it reads like something that will be featured in book clubs from now until the end of time. Which means that the dog is certainly not going to make it to the last page. And I’m sorry but after reading Sounder and Old Yeller growing up I don’t want to ever have to read another book about a dog dying.

“Fragile Things” by Neil Gaiman: Probably my favorite author on the planet. He’s the writer behind the aforementioned Sandman as well as some great fantasy novels. This is a collection of short stories and poems and other little bits that he has written along the way. The greatest compliment that I can give him is that he has the ability to create an entire mythology out of whole cloth. Even in a short story he can create his own little world and you believe every single part of it. You can’t go wrong with anything he has written. (Well, except for that quickie biography he wrote about Duran Duran in the 80’s but he was a struggling writer who needed the money.)