Books!

OK, so this post will cover - or at least begin to cover - the books that will go on the Feagin List this year!  These books are not necessarily new, just new to me, and have stood out in all of the reading I've been doing this year.  They are in no particular order, alphabetical, preference, whatever.  Deal with it.  I'll talk about my experiences reading them, what I liked about them, but not necessarily summaries or plot synopses.  Again, deal with it.

No. 1: Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

Fiction.  Story of a boy from England traveling over a magical boundary into the world of Faerie to find a star to take to his love.  I listened to this on audiobook, read by Gaiman, which was WONDERFUL.  Obviously, the author ought to read his own work well, but Gaiman was superb - excellent narration, excellent voice.  I'm also a big fan of the movie, which I saw before I ever read the book, but the two are different enough to remain separate entities in my mind, although both very enjoyable.  I like fantasy in general, but I don't think you have to in order to get into this story.  His conception of Faerie is interesting and original (at least, to me).

No. 2: The Language Instinct, by Steven Pinker

Non-fiction.  About the human capacity for language.  My first time reading this was for an introductory Linguistics class, but it does not read like a text book.  Pinker explains concepts clearly and with many examples, so that you don't have to be a Linguistics student to understand it all.  I found it not at all dry, but engaging, fascinating, and humorous.  

No. 3: The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx

Fiction.  Tells the story of Quoyle, a rather pathetic man, who leaves behind a broken life and returns to his ancestral home in Newfoundland.  The back of the book had a comment from someone about how, out of all the characters, the setting was the most important one, most forceful, something along those lines.  It sounded silly, like something you'd read in a paper for an English class.  However, the reader cannot ignore the attention that Proulx gives to describing the setting, making the reader feel the isolation, cold, wet, and overwhelming lack of control over the land, water, and weather.  Much is hinted at, not stated; Proulx uses a light touch in creating her story.

No. 4: Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout

Fiction.  Series of short stories about people in a small town in Maine, united by the appearance of Olive Kitteridge, a town fixture and someone we all know.  I loved this book.  I did not love Olive Kitteridge.  However, she did fascinate me.  I found her completely plausible, and the stories drew me in to the town of Crosby.  Sometimes I feel like writers go out of their way to make their books sad or tragic in some way, because they won't be viewed as "serious" writers if their work is too happy, and this book struck me that way.  I like depressing stuff, so that isn't really a complaint.  Anyway, I loved reading it, and I even loved that it made me cry.

No. 5: The Ladies of Grace Adieu, and Other Stories, by Susannah Clarke

Fiction.  Short stories, mostly set in the world of Faerie created by Clarke in her very excellent book Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.  One story has Jonathan Strange in it (the titular story) and one has the Duke of Wellington from Strange and Norrell, but that's it, as far as overlap between the two books.  One story is set in the world of Faerie and town of Wall that Gaiman created in Stardust, and I think it's really cool when authors I like are friends.  Loved this book.  I love Clarke's style and tone and ideas and everything she touches.  My biggest problem with it is that it is short.  Also, I wanted her to continue the story of Strange and Norrell, which this book does not do.

Anyway, that's it for now.  I'll do more books, plus get to music and miscellaneous stuff in future ones.  Enjoy!