Stephen King is a list man. He’s dedicated his last few Entertainment Weekly columns to his Best Of… lists. This week his column is titled My 2005 Picks: Books. He starts off by talking about a friend who just received her first publishing contract. She’s excited because she said she “was finally allowed into the playground where the big boys play.” But she was worried because her book comes out in 2007. Her fear is that books will be irrelevant by 2007. Not so, says King (and I happen to agree).
He then lists the best books he read this year. As usual with lists like these, in general I either own a book listed or I’ve never heard of the damn thing. Here we go:
10. The Godfather Returns by Mark Winegardner. Heard of it. Don’t own it. Don’t want to buy it. Mario Puzzo’s original doesn’t need an assistance in my view.
9. The Mad Cook of Pymatuning by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt. “Warm ’50s nostalgia gives way to cold chills in this tale of summer camp gone bad.” Never heard of this and since I have my own memories of summer camp, I’m going to skip this.
8. Drama City by George Pelecanos. Drug dealers and Washington, D.C. – of course I own this one.
7. The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly. Love him. Love his books. Bought it. Read it. Got it for two other people for Christmas.
6. The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard. I’m a Leonard fan but missed this one somehow. King describes it as a “Bonnie-and-Clyde-era thrill ride featuring a U.S. Marshal, a bank-robbing maniac who once tried to drown his sister in a pool, and a good-hearted woman with a shady past.” How could I not love that?
5. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling. Even if I didn’t own it I would lie and say I did for fear of being beaten to death by her rabid fans (you know who you are…)
4. No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. Own it. Read it. There’s a reason there was so much buzz about this one. It’s a lesson in clean and vivid writing.
3. Saturday by Ian McEwan. “This novel spans one day in the life of neurosurgeon Henry Perowne, beginning with a plane on fire and ending with a terrifying dinner party at which he and his family are held hostage by home invaders.” Hadn’t heard of this one. King’s description doesn’t make me want to rush out and buy it either.
2. This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes. This one doesn’t come out until April 2006. King loved it. I wish I could tell you what it’s about, but King’s description is, well, confusing. Something about a “lost man’s reconnection with the world…” Whatever. At least the title is catchy.
1. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. I have this on my TBR pile. King says: “I defy any reader not to feel a combination of delight and amazement.” Guess I need to move this to the top of the pile.
There you have. The books King says you should have read this year.
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My boss loves Ian McEwan. She loved Saturday and had previously read Atonement and is eagerly waiting for his next one. It’s not much of an endorsement
) but she loves books that are ‘different’ than most fiction out there and I guess McEwan falls into that category.
by Shelly December 17th, 2005 at 7:10 pmLOL. I don’t have any of them on my list. Well, Atkinson sounds familiar–as in, was/should be on my wish list familiar.
by May December 18th, 2005 at 11:28 amMay – I wouldn’t list most of these either. I own the Atkinson book but every time I’m ready to read something new, I reach for something else. No idea why, but I do.
Shelly – Your boss is not alone. McEwan’s book is on many lists. I swear I’ve never heard of it. I fear that says more about me than I want it to.
by HelenKay December 18th, 2005 at 7:32 pm