For the love of books

I remember talking with my friend Andrew about his accomplishment of reading 52 books in a year. While intriguing, it just seemed like such a hard thing to do. A book a week? No way did I have that kind of time.

Then, in December of last year, I discovered Goodreads. A social network for bibliophiles that allows me to track the books I’ve read and the books I want to read. Combining my love of data with my love of reading? Sign me up.

It was Goodreads that invited me to take part in the 2012 Reading Challenge (52 books in a year) and of course, I’ve never met a challenge that I didn’t like. Now the year is halfway over and, to my own surprise, I’m AHEAD in my progress towards reaching my goal. Not bad.

2012 Reading Challenge

Tarable has
read 27 books toward a goal of 52 books.

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27 of 52 (51%)

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So my work does not go to waste, I share with you the best of what I’ve read in the past six months. Here are my top 5 non-fiction recommendations…

• Lit, Mary Karr – This one is straight-up Mary Karr. I’m a big fan of her work. Her stories about parenting as an alcoholic sent shivers down my spine and made me feel like a REALLY good parent for not pouring a glass of scotch before picking my kid up in the morning. (I just drink vodka.) (Kidding.)
• Wild, Cheryl Strayed – I’ve been shouting the praises of this one since reading it. I may be a bit biased as I hiked the same section of the PCT that she writes about, but in terms of sheer storytelling, Strayed is amazing. She made me want to start planning my next long-distance hike.
• Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science, Atul Gawande – If you’ve ever had surgery or been interested in the topic, read this book. You will definitely learn something. And you’ll also hope you don’t have another surgery anytime in the near future.
• What I talk about when I talk about running, Haruki Murakami – I’m a runner and a writer. Loved Murakami’s style and descriptions of how running has helped his writing. I haven’t read any of his novels but feel the need to now that I know the author so well.
• The Table Comes First, Adam Gopnik – I had never thought about where the restaurant or the recipe came from before. This book had me looking at the dinner table in a whole new light.

And my top 5 fiction recommendations…

• Unaccustomed Earth, Jhumpa Lahari – A beautiful collection of short stories. This book made me rethink the short story format and definitely made me long to travel to India.
• Mule: A Novel of Moving Weight, Tony D’Souza – This book is about what can happen when you get caught up in making an easy buck. Although driving drugs across the country isn’t really an easy buck.
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick – I found out about this book when NPR interviewed the author. An amazing story for anyone who loves film and a breakthrough in mixing text and illustrations to tell a story. This is one very sophisticated children’s book.
• A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan – I loved the interconnectedness of the characters throughout the story. Wonderful pop culture references and a whole chapter made up of PowerPoint. Awesome.
• The Visible Man, Chuck Klosterman – Classic Klosterman. His take on the power of invisibility and what it means in our society of ubiquitous surveillance.

Although my to-read list just keeps getting longer, I’m always ready and excited to add new books to it. That being the case, what’s something good you’ve been reading?

{And if you are a book lover who hasn’t seen the goodness that is Underground New York Public Library, get thee over there stat. Then come back and tell me your reading recommendations.}