Read in April 2012

As always, titles link to the pertinent Goodreads page — feel free to add me as a friend on there if you have a Goodreads account.

1. A Prayerbook for Spiritual Friends, by Madeleine L'Engle and Luci Shaw
I liked this more as a portrayal of the friendship of these two women — both writers and poets, in the later part of their life — than as a devotional work. As the latter, it's nice, but pretty light.

2. The Passion, by Jeanette Winterson
Ambivalent. If you've read this, I'd be interested to hear what you thought.

3. Woman Hating, by Andrea Dworkin [free download]
Strong, compelling, clean analysis. The opening section on fairy tales was particularly brilliant. I felt a little skeptical about the claims and declarations she makes in the last twenty or thirty pages, though.

4. The Rosary for Episcopalians/Anglicans, by Thomas Schultz
Good basic primer, with some alternative rosaries to pray, e.g. one inspired by St. Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love.

5. The Book of Folly, by Anne Sexton
I don't remember. But I like her, and I finished it, so it couldn't have been worse than "pretty good."

6. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
Also ambivalent to this one, at least to the plot. The characters were realistic, quirky, and rather dear. I thought his portrayal of the subculture that arises among seriously ill children and teens was so interesting: the frequent experience of "cancer perks," doubts about the way cancer victims are made into saints, doubts about the meaning ascribed to their young lives because of their illnesses.

7.  Eight1011, by Sui Solitaire [Pay as you can here]
A polished, atmospheric collection of semi-/quasi-confessional poems. Somewhat dark, with an absorbing flow.

8. The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale
Reread. Always gorgeous (a retold fairy tale). I was particularly struck this time by how cinematic the imagery was.

9. The Depression Book, by Cheri Huber
This Zen/mindfulness (a.k.a. tangerine-eating) perspective has significantly altered my own perspective on coping with depression, for the better, I think. Her approach to depression and other negative emotional experiences is unconventional but empowering, and pretty darn functional. If you deal with depression or anxiety, I highly recommend this.

Read in February

1. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, by Ally Carter
2. Side Show: My Life With Geeks, Freaks, & Vagabonds in the Carny Trade, by Howard Bone
3. A View of the Ocean, by Jan de Hartog
4. Inside Out, by Nadia Shivack
5. A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, by Valerie Zenatti
6. Nothing, by Robin Friedman
7. Red Colored Elegy, by Seiichi Hayashi
8. Dragon Slippers, by Jessica Day George
9. Once Upon a Time in the North, by Philip Pullman
10. Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, by Anne Lamott
11. Click, by [a whole boatload of authors]
12. Burma Chronicles, by Guy Delisle
13. Letters to Children, by C.S. Lewis
14. Paper Towns, by John Green
15. Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta
16. Thin, by Lauren Greenfield

The best:

Red Colored Elegy, a somewhat existential graphic novel about a young couple in Japan. Not the easiest to follow (though not a whole lot happens), but occasionally quite poignant. The artwork is enthralling.

Dragon Slippers is a light, fast-paced fantasy. Quite delightful. Would recommend it to people who like Gail Carson Levine's fantasies.

Traveling Mercies is a series of reflective personal essays on faith and the author's life. Wise and thought-provoking, but she doesn't try to wrap up every story neatly with a moral.

Jellicoe Road, a tangly contemporary young adult novel set at an Australian boarding school. Somewhat dark (though not overall), and very in-sucking. Melina Marchetta is one of my favorite authors, no question.

Thin is a collection of photos and interviews from a residential eating disorder treatment center, and a tie-in to the documentary of the same name. Revealing but extremely sensitive.

Read in January

[Click for Goodreads page]

1. Shortcomings, by Adrian Tomine
2. Girl Culture, by Lauren Greenfield
3. An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green
4. Life Sucks, by Jessica Abel, Warren Pleece, and Gabe Soria
5. The Beforelife, by Franz Wright
6. That Was Then..., by Melody Carlson
7. A Not-So-Simple Life, by Melody Carlson
8. Boy Proof, by Cecil Castellucci
9. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You, by Peter Cameron
10. Sock Monkey: The Glass Doorknob, by Tony Millionaire
11. Vegan Virgin Valentine, by Carolyn Mackler
12. Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Best of 2008

Admittedly rather belated, but then again so am I, habitually. Without ado, the best books that I read in 2008. [Click for Good Reads page.]

1. The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss [adult, realistic]
2. The Bearskinner, by Laura Amy Schlitz [picture book]
3. Wasted, by Marya Hornbacher [memoir]
4. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, by Kirsten Miller [young adult, adventure]
5. The Perilous Gard, by Elizabeth Marie Pope [young adult, historical/fantasy]
6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie [young adult, realistic]
7. God's Silence, by Franz Wright [poetry]
8. Coraline, by Neil Gaiman [middle-grade, fantasy/horror]
9. Looking for Alaska, by John Green [young adult, realistic]
10. Anne of the Island, by L.M. Montgomery [young adult?, realistic]
11. Song of the Sparrow, by Lisa Ann Sandell [young adult, verse, historical/fantasy]
12. The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt [middle-grade, realistic/historical]

Read in November

1. The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield
2. Superior Saturday, by Garth Nix
3. Looking for Alaska, by John Green
4. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart