(15) Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson (1995)
A beautifully written account of a murder trial and the events leading up to it in a post-World War II northern Puget Sound region of Washington state. I'm not sure if this was intended, but, there is an eerie element of impending doom throughout the novel, so, the (SPOILER ALERT - kinda) pseudo-happy ending is actually a nice twist.
(14) The Tortilla Curtain - T.C. Boyle (1995)
I love T.C. Boyle's writing style, even if he gets off track or lost in his own overwhelming detail a little too often. His sixth novel, The Tortilla Curtain, is about the middle class, illegal immigration, poverty and the destruction of the environment. While I did not love it as much as his previous novel, The Road to Wellville, that sense of impending doom that I love (SPOILER ALERT: and it delivers!) is thankfully present. There are some truly terrifying moments that obviously are difficult to get through, but, are this novel's real strengths.
(13) Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates (1961)
A humdrum novel about marrying and having children at a young age, turning 30, trying to be successful at and care about a job you don't really care about, and then the dissolving of said marriage. A biting, subtly humorous, depressing domestic drama. The monotonous tone fits very well with the subject matter.
(12) World Leader Pretend - James Bernard Frost (2007)
An ambitious story written in an inspiringly unique and post-modern style. Four characters are deeply and obsessively invested in their MMORPG world, and tragic events in their real lives somehow bring them together. Completely unbelievable? Absolutely. Imaginative and really, really fun? Oh, most definitely!
(11) The Visible Man - Chuck Klosterman (2011)
The voice found in Chuck Klosterman's second novel, The Visible Man, is, without question, very much his. So, this original style of storytelling is much appreciated. The events in The Visible Man unfold via the therapist narrator's recollections of conversations with her newest, bizarre, unlikeable patient, until we are brought into real time, where the climax is unexpectedly shocking. Well played, Mr. Klosterman.
(10) 100% - Paul Pope (2002-2003)
Another insane sci-fi story written in Pope's conveniently simple form and drawn with his fantastic manga-esque flourishes. Not sure which I prefer between 100% and Heavy Liquid.
(9) Ready Player One - Ernest Cline (2011)
This was a complete blast. Ready Player One is laced with hilarious and truly fun references to some very popular, but, mostly obscure 80s pop culture (television, music, board and video games). Additionally, it tells a highly enjoyable, suspenseful, and intense story with characters that may lack depth, but are a joy to follow along with. This is a novel for the nerdiest children of the 80s who are sentimental about their childhoods.
(8) Life of Pi - Yann Martel (2001)
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved Life of Pi. It is incredibly captivating for focusing on one character who doesn't interact with another human for 80% of the book. The fantastical moments are understated in an awesome way, and the terrifying moments overwhelm with intensity. And, I am always a fan of the ambiguous, open ending when it is done this well.
(7) Shock Value - Jason Zinoman (2011)
Shock Value documents the history of 70s cult classic horror films, namely the most highly lauded ones like Rosemarry's Baby, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Exorcist, Halloween, Alien, etc. Fascinating stuff, for sure.
(6) Then We Came to the End - Joshua Ferris (2007)
A novel chock full of smart, hilarious office humor. The plot is disjointed, but, that helps the zaniness of the characters (which is the most appealing aspect of the story) to really come out. Reading Then We Came to the End really reminded me of watching those first three seasons of the American version of The Office, minus any sentimentality.
(5) Catch-22 - Joseph Heller (1961)
It's a shame that it took me until 2013 to finally read Catch-22. Also, I feel stupid that I don't think I got the whole effect of the novel, as I read it during a time where I was extremely distracted (lots of travelling, playing shows, transitioning from jobs, etc.). About half-way through, I finally hit my stride in reading it, and this, supposedly one of the great American novels of all-time, utterly terrified me while making me laugh out loud for the first time since when I read Portnoy's Complaint the year prior. This probably should have been the best book I read all year. I regret that I didn't feel that way, and hope to make amends with Joseph Heller when I read it again in a couple years.
(4) Wonder Boys - Michael Chabon (1995)
Wonder Boys, Michael Chabon's second novel, which came seven years after his 1988 debut, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, was a real shocker to me. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh was a nice coming-of-age story with some great darker twists. Wonder Boys is a desperately paced novel about desperate adults making THE WORST decisions. It felt like a lesser Franzen novel in that all the characters were unlikeable, but, also less believable.
(3) The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Eugenides (2011)
I appreciate when a writer takes his or her time between novels (authors who publish multiple novels in a year, AHEM Stephen King, HAVE to write bad stories all the time, right?). However, Franzen and Eugenides take this concept to a ridiculous degree. The Marriage Plot is Eugenides' third novel. It was published in 2011. His first, The Virgin Suicides, came out in 1993, and Middlesex in 2002. He's averaging one novel per decade. It's stupid to have to wait that long for a novel, especially when the author is this good. Anyway, I feel the public's response to The Marriage Plot was pretty middling. It seemed to be critically acclaimed, but, I've always heard plenty of complaints about it being boring and pretentious. This is crazy. The characters in The Marriage Plot are believable in a very real, attractive way. In some instances within the story, this is incredibly frustrating. In others, it is entertaining and laughable. I lived a very different college life than most people, and the drama and poor choices detailed in The Marriage Plot make for a hell of a read. With all the literature critique thrown in too, I can't say I've read many novels as unique as this one.
(2) Glamorama - Bret Easton Ellis (1998)
Thanks to their disturbingly graphic nature, simply put, it is very difficult to read a Bret Easton Ellis novel. Glamorama is no different, and, in fact, out of all the Ellis novels I've read, might be the greatest offender (and, yes, I've read American Psycho). What Glamorama also has, though, is brilliant character development (no real room for that in his other novels), even funnier dialogue than I'm used to from him, and an amazingly original, complex, mind-blowing plot that never grows tired. I loved this so much, though, it is hard to recommend because of the gore and how messed up and long a lot of the sex scenes are. This would have been the best book I read all year if it weren't for a certain fantasy series I got way into...
(1) A Game of Thrones (1996), A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005) - George R.R. Martin
Holy cow, do I not regret spending roughly six months slowly trudging through the first four books of the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. Obviously these books are dense (probably too much so), but every word is worth it. Intelligent storytelling combined with prose that is the right combination of poetic and direct. The twists are many, and always shocking in a fresh way. I can't rave about these four books enough (though I will say A Feast for Crows, due to its lack of focus on my personal favorite characters, is my least favorite so far). I cannot wait to finally read the fifth book in the next couple of months.
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