52 books in 52 weeks

1. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Beginning the year with this book bodes well. I don't know whether I happened to be feeling particularly emotional around the new year, but I was so invested in these characters that I would worry about them at work and then come home and be afraid to pick the book up because I was scared to see what was going to happen to them but then be unable to resist. To me, this novel had the haunting landscape and breathtaking prose of Blood Meridian with a heady dose of pure love.

2. The Best American Short Stories 2006, edited by Ann Patchett

I have never seen an editor's individual tastes so transparently revealed in a BASS collection. While the stories were enjoyable as always, I think I've met my quota of meaningful childhood epiphanies for 2007.


3. Death of a Writer by Michael Collins

I don't quite know how I came to read this fairly conventional mystery (besides the 'death of a writer' angle). I don't wish for the time back, but I find it troubling that I became most involved in the novel when I came across passages I would have really liked the opportunity to edit.

4. The View from Castle Rock: Stories by Alice Munro

Munro is always a champion storyteller, but I was not sure how I felt about seeing the woman behind the curtain so clearly after all this time. That, however, is my problem. Her facility with the past and the present is unrivaled.


5. And Never Stop Dancing by Gordon Livingston

I reluctantly admit enjoyment of this book's prequel, Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart, but I should have know by the awful title alone to stay away from this obvious grab for cash.

6. Eat the Document by Dana Spiotta

At first, this book felt too gimmicky, but by the end, I cared for the characters (except maybe the odd throwaway Henry) and enjoyed Spiotta's willingness to dwell within conversations, especially those on music.