My Reading Rainbow

The roof of my mouth is a bit torn up, what with all the chocolates and peanut brittle I've been cramming into my maw these past few days.

Fortunately, I've managed to take my mind off the dangly little skin flaps by also consuming vast quantities of good reads.  Well, maybe "vast" is the wrong word, considering I'm talking about two books, to be exact.  But, for a slow reader, two books in less than a week's time is worthy of at least some self satisfaction, if not actual words written in ALL CAPS.

Books are funny things, tidy contradictions told in 12-point type, thousands of words all neatly tucked between two covers intended to entice me.  The two I've read this week--"Skellig" by David Almond and "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews--were written with teens in mind. Somehow, though, both books managed to move and change this 52-year-old interloper--a school librarian who can hardly find her own pulse, much less the pulse of her teen patrons. 

"Skellig" was a delicate tale, its setting and characters all slightly askance, an air of mystery and magic surrounding them.  It was quietly transformative, both for the young characters and for me, the reader.  "Me and Earl" was downright profane at times, but I loved it anyway.  Like "Skellig,"  it, too, captured that strange grey smear that separates life and whatever it is that follows it. 

Books, which always take me away from myself, invariably lead me inward, too.  And like the first step outdoors after leaving an absorbing movie, after I close a book, I often find myself a bit lost and disoriented, blinking at the sun when I was sure it was already night. 

As far as relationships go, my relationship with books has been a very good one this year.  We have spent plenty of time together, some of it on vacation, but most of it here, in my house, with me slumped low in a chair, my hands juggling the book between them.  True, I also have walked away from a few this year, turned my back on them before they could finish whispering their stories in my ear.  And I will not apologize for that.  There is no greater freedom than choosing to pick up or put down a book, and I will exercise that freedom with reckless abandon.

Since 1994, I have kept a journal of the books I read, in part so that I might remember their titles.  Below are the books I read this year--and the accompanying cat scratchings I've made after reading each.  These are the books that stretched and moved me, made me laugh and left me utterly lost in the end.  They made for excellent companions in 2013 and, no doubt, have opened up the door for more of their friends, come 2014.

The Round House (Louise Erdrich) FICTION
"What Erdrich does best is to form characters so rich and real that we can somehow endure the brutality of their worlds and find hope and humanity in the end.  A violent, unimaginable crime almost undoes a family, but they find their way back to each other."

Dante & Aristotle Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Alire Saenz) TEEN FICTION
"Two Latino teens meet one summer day in El Paso and become friends for life.  Well told, although I don't buy the ending."

The End-of-Your-Life Book Club (Will Schwalbe) NONFICTION
"A moving account of how books bring a dying woman and her son even closer."

Marriage and Other Acts of Charity (Kate Braestrup) NONFICTION
"Another fine collection of essays by this outdoorsy chaplain, these focusing mostly on relationships."

The Miseducation of Cameron Post (Emily Danforth)  TEEN FICTION
"A coming-of-age story set in Montana's cowboy country, this tells the story of a young gay girl finding her way in life without her parents, who died in an accident.  I read about half of it...I'm nost sure she developed into a rich character by then."

Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn) FICTION
"Intense psycho thriller about a very messed up couple who moves from NY back to his Missouri hometown.  Filled with lies, deceit and an annoying ending."

The Age of Miracles (Karen Thompson Walker) TEEN FICTION
"An intriguing premise--our days begin growing longer--sets up an interesting, slowly unfolding story of a dystopian, not-so-distant future."

The Beginner's Book of Prayer (Kate Braestrup) NONFICTION
"A good read with interesting suggestions and examples."

Tiny Beautiful Things (Cheryl Strayed) NONFICTION
"Excerpts from Letters to Sugar, an online advice column, that are filled with sadness, loss, humor and wisdom."

Star Island (Carl Hiaassen) FICTION
"Hiassen's latest, it's formulaic, occasionally fun but not my favorite by him."

It's Kind of a Funny Story (Ned Vizzini) TEEN FICTION
"Ended up really liking this story about 15-year-old Craig, who ends up in a psychiatric hospital, where he finds himself and his groove again."

Tell the Wolves I'm Home (Carol Rifka Brunt) FICTION
"Well written with good voice, this story traces an awkward teen's love for and loss of her uncle, who dies of AIDS, and how she and her family find their way home again."

Son (Lois Lowry) TEEN FICTION
"The final book of The Giver series follows Claire, a castoff of her town, who finds herself thrust into a wild world beyond the stifling rules she knew growing up.  She gives up much to find the son she never knew."

My Antonia (Willa Cather) FICTION
"My first, but not last, Cather book.  Such accessible writing for being 100 years old...and, most appreciated is the way she makes the land a character as well."

Molokai (Alan Brennert) FICTION
"An intriguing, sad and ultimately uplifting story about Rachel, a young Hawaiian girl who gets leprosy and must live out much--though not all--of her life on an island of lepers.  Really liked the characters and the land."

Dreams of Significant Girls (Christina Garcia) TEEN FICTION
"Told by three girls--a wild Canadian, a kind Cuban and an intellectual Iranian--who befriend each other at a French summer school.  I liked and appreciated their unique voices.  Funny and touching."

Insurgent (Veronica Roth) TEEN FICTION
"The followup to Divergent.  I'd forgotten details of the first, so I struggled for a bit.  Tris and friends try to upend the Erudites, only  to discover that there's another world beyond the gates."

My Name is Mina (David Almond) TEEN FICTION
"Quirky, thoughtful, broken Mina picks up a journal to begin chronicling her young, lively life.  I like the format, the content, the voice of this British novel of a young teen."

Every Day (David Levithan) TEEN FICTION
"An intriguing story of "A," someone who is reborn every day into someone else's life...until he falls in love and everything changes."

The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman) TEEN FICTION
"A scary, strange little story about a 7-year-old English boy, monsters, and his ageless, magical neighbors at the end of the lane."

Gulp (Mary Roach) NONFICTION
"Too much poop, but another well researched book by Mary Roach, this one focusing on our guts."

Flight Behavior (Barbara Kingsolver) FICTION
"A slow read for me, but I stuck with it.  As did Dellarobia, the independent, curious, smart and mostly trapped protagonist in this tale of butterflies gone off their trail."

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour (Morgan Matson) TEEN FICTION
"A very nice teen lit book about heartache and discovery.  Well written and good."

Prairie Silence (Melanie Hoffert) NONFICTION
"Cool title, but I thought it was a bit of a letdown.  Melanie, from North Dakota, yearns to return but is scared that, as a gay woman, she won't be accepted."

Death Comes to the Archbishop (Willa Cather) FICTION
"A gentle story of a French priest sent to New Mexico to become a bishop in a wild, beautiful land."

The Running Dream (Wendelin Van Draanen) TEEN FICTION
"A high-school runner loses a leg and has to learn how to live again.  It was okay."

Pastrix (Nadia Bolz-Weber) NONFICTION
"A tattoed Lutheran minister writes about her unusual path to ministry."

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Rachel Joyce) FICTION
"A gentle, quiet story of a quiet man who is compelled to walk to a dying friend.  He finds many things along the way."

Bad Monkey (Carl Hiaassen) FICTION
"Better than Carl's previous book, this was classic Hiaassen--stupid, bad people and complicated good ones who all come together because of a human arm someone caught while fishing in Florida."

Sparks (S.J. Adams) TEEN FICTION
"An okay teen-lit book about a girl who comes out and finds her life changed overnight.  I thought the transition was forced, too quick and smooth, but a fun read, regardless."

The Uncommon Reader (Alan Bennett) FICTION
"A small, delightful book about the queen's late-life discovery of the joy of reading.  Incredibly abrupt ending, though."

The Golden Buddha (Clive Cussler) FICTION
"An exciting mind game involving a ridiculous ship filled with geniuses, and the Dahli Lama."

 Skellig (David Almond ) TEEN FICTION
"A lovely, magical story of two kids who find themselves--and a miracle or two--tucked into the broken body of Skellig, a homeless man they befriend (a followup to My Name is Mina)."

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Jesse Andrews) TEEN FICTION
"Profane and fun and moving, this fresh story follows two teen filmmakers--Greg and Earl--through Greg's forced friendship with Rachel, a girl who has cancer.  A quick and good read."

TWO BOOKS I'M MIDWAY THROUGH...

Dad is Fat (Jim Gaffigan)...a funny collection of stories about life as a dad of too many kids under the age of ten.

Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You (Alice Munro)...a collection of 13 stories by the Pulitzer Prize winner who is from Canada (where many of the stories are set).