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I read as much and as often as possible — ficiton, nonfiction, magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes… anything with words, really. And usually when I’m done reading something (usually some sort of book), I’ll write a quick review I can refer to later, to jog my memory.
As I was skimming through the reviews of the past year or so, I noticed that these five fiction books really stood out from the rest:
Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
(published in 1994)
Proulx was making headlines long before the Brokeback hooplah had started up — The Shipping News won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1994. The characters in this book were quirky and wonderful, and I loved the maritime-themed scenes. This is the best book I’ve read in a long time.
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
(published in 1925)
I avoided Lewis after Babbitt, so unfortunately I didn’t get to Arrowsmith until years later (after forgetting why I’d reacted so strongly to Babbitt in the first place). I’m glad I finally read it. The conflicted main character, Dr. Martin Arrowsmith, is torn: he loves scientific research and loathes commercialism, yet he can make more money treating patients than he can slaving over test tubes in a lab. The book follows him as he tries to decide which path to choose…
Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow
(published in 1974)
You may have seen E. L. Doctorow’s name recently — his latest, The March, has been winning awards left and right. Ragtime, perhaps his best-known book, convincingly weaves fiction into the fabric of history; Doctorow’s characters interact with historical personages like Harry Houdini, Robert Peary, Emma Goldman and J. P. Morgan. (I also appreciated the refreshingly simple prose style — in terms of clarity, Doctorow is the dead opposite of Pynchon.)
Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun
(published in 1921)
This book is so character-based that there really isn’t a discernable plot, but for some reason I liked it all the more for that. It’s a rambling little gem that transports you to the first decades of the 20th century for a look into the lives of a Norwegian farmer, Isak, and his family. It has its own sort of magic that some may find dull, but that I found fascinating.
Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
(published in 1915)
Why do high schools teach Hemingway and never Maugham? It’s a question asked myself after The Razor’s Edge, and again after Of Human Bondage. This was a long book and it was slow in a few parts, but overall I found the Philip/Mildred dynamic fascinating.