Favorite Reads/Listens of 2010

As I've often said before, one of the joys of my day job (aside from bringing women flowers) is the time it affords to devote to listening to audiobooks.  Since moving to Bellingham I have become an audiobook junkie.  Big, small, I listen to them all.  And aside from helping to pass the time, my audiobook addiction is doing its part to keep me pretty well-read.  So here are my top 10 favorite reads/listens for the year.



1. Ulysses by James Joyce.

This is how I spent my summer. The Old Pacific Highway, a makeshift bed in the back of my truck, and 40 disks of Joycian prose. Easily the most challenging work I’ve ever attempted. Also easily the most rewarding. Although I’ll admit I listened to each of the disks an average of 2.4 times and had to pick up a Cliff Notes guide to keep all the characters straight and even now there are still some fuzzy patches (‘Oxen of the Sun’). But this is the kind of book that indelibly changes the reader, setting new watermarks in literature, beauty and life. At least it did for me.



2. Assassination Vacation and Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell.

Vowell has this intensely personal method of relating American history that I find irresistible. These are stories of geeky trips to memorial sites with her sister and nephew, of conversations with B&B proprietors who lay claim to a Confederate heritage, of Ronald Reagan/JFK/John Winthrop inspirational speech mashups. But as far-out as Vowell gets (like the sexual practices of a group of colonial teapot makers, say), it’s always with a mindful eye of history as a whole. She’s a master of laying out a wide net and subtly connecting the dots to reveal a fascinating portrait of the subject at hand. Assassination is a look at the history of America’s first three assassinations (Lincoln, McKinley and Garfield), and Wordy deals with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Also, the audio books are read by the author herself, who has one of the best radio voices ever (Remember the movie “The Incredibles?” The invisible daughter, Vi? She was voiced by Sarah Vowell), and historical passages within each book are read by a variety of celebrities (including Conan O’Brien).



3. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.

I feel guilty for taking 28 years to get around to reading this. The audiobook I found was read by the esteemed Jeremy Irons. “She groped for words. I supplied them mentally (‘He broke my heart. You merely broke my life.’)” What an amazing book.






4. Biocentrism by Robert Lanza.

What came first, reality or consciousness? Consciousness, according to Lanza. Part exploration of quantum mechanics, part Intelligent Design for Buddhists, Lanza’s work is currently the authoritative text behind the idea that life engineered existence retroactively. It’s a pretty fascinating concept, one that Lanza goes to great pains to connect with the scientific world.





5. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke.

Clarke has created a self-contained and meticulously-detailed world reminiscent of the pains Tolkien took in creating Middle Earth. Both Jonathan Strange and Grace Adieu were a treat to read. Looking for the next great fantasy world now that Rowling’s wrapped up all things Harry Potter? Look no further than Clarke's opus, a ten-year labor of love.  Although I hope she picks up the pace a little, I'm eager for more stories out of magical Victorian England.






6. The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson.

After reading this book I started scouring the internet for journalism jobs in Puerto Rico. The longing persists. I want to live this novel. Maybe without getting beaten up by the cops. But I’ll take the beating if there’s no other way around it. Anyone out there have any Puerto Rican connections?  And when the hell will the Rum Diary movie ever come out?







7. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

This book is long. Really long. But also really good. There’s something to be said about the intimate relationship that develops between the reader and the character after 1500 pages (or in my case, 51 disks). Set in the turbulent times of Russia’s military engagements with Napoleon and France, the story revolves around several families and their struggle for survival in an increasingly hostile environment (both in times of war and peace). I got a little glossy-eyed over the historical essays after a while, but this is still an excellent read if you have the time.





8. Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon

My first attempt at reading Pynchon several years ago ended in tears. Or at least frustration. Gravity’s Rainbow was not kind to me. I abandoned it after roughly 100 pages, vowing someday to return and try again. Since then, I’ve always been strangely intimidated by Pynchon’s canon. Everything looked and sounded great, but I just couldn’t commit to another Pynchon endeavor. I finally talked myself into trying his latest, Inherent Vice, on audiobook. So glad I did. This has turned out to be one of my all-time favorite mysteries. I love the content (murder, dentists, Atlantis, drugs), I love the setting (Southern California in the early 70s), I love the actor who read it and his pitch-perfect surfer dialect (Ron McLarty) and all the crazy music references and songs from the time. Granted, from what I understand, Inherent Vice is considered ‘Pynchon Light’ for true fans. And that may be true. But I can’t think of a better jumping-on point for the uninitiated.



9. Charlie Wilson’s War by George Crile.

This should be required reading for anyone even remotely interested in the USA’s ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Actually, I’ll take that one step further and say that this should be required reading for anyone planning on receiving a high school diploma. I haven’t seen the movie yet, does anyone know how it compares to the book?





10. Breakfast of Champions and Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.

Again, these are books where I’m ashamed to admit I’ve waited so long to read. Both were incredible. I am now a devout Bukononite, for what it’s worth. Also, the audiobook version of Breakfast of Champions is read by Stanley Tucci, and is available for free temporary downloads for Washington state residents with library cards. Although you may want to pick up a copy of the book as well, Vonnegut’s pictures are great.





Honorable mentions

Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.

Our Sentence is Up by Patrick Meaney.

Watership Down by Richard Adams.

Last Evenings on Earth and 2666 (which I haven’t finished quite yet but am really digging) by Roberto Bolaño.

A History of Inequity by Jorge Luis Borges.

The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley.

The Blight Way by Patrick F. McManus.

The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.





Now. Who’s got recommendations for 2011?