We’re celebrating our fifth year of the Scooties here on Scooter & Hum, and it’s that time of year where the challenge of picking the best books I’ve read this year weighs on me. I didn’t get through as many this year as I would’ve liked, mostly because a couple of the books I chose were lengthy and/or difficult to work through.
All that being said, it was another year that included some stellar reads, as you’ll see below ...
#1: “Ham on Rye,” by Charles Bukowski
What I Wrote Then:
Distilled all the way down, this is essentially a book about getting hit so many times that you’re numb physically, mentally, literally and figuratively—yet you never give up your willingness to keep getting back up after falling down. If you can get past the brutal, stark harshness of it all, you may even find, as I did, a belief that “Ham on Rye” deserves perhaps a higher stature in the catalogues of American literature.
What I Say Now:
Bukowski’s searing, volcanic depiction of La-La Land in the height of the Depression was stunning in its hard-charging, unflinching tone. Alternately hysterical, depressing and morose, “Ham on Rye” captivated with its unwillingness to bend to convention and its limit-testing energy.
Read My Review
Passage to Remember:
“Drink was the only thing that kept a man from feeling forever stunned and useless. Everything else just kept picking and picking, hacking away. And nothing was interesting, nothing. The people were restrictive and careful, all alike. And I’ve got to live with these fuckers for the rest of my life, I thought.”
#2: “The Help,” by Kathryn Stockett
What I Wrote Then:
... “The Help” is a memorable, brave work, a promising and head-turning debut for Stockett. No matter where you’re from and what you believe about civil rights, it will forever change the way you look at racial relationships within not only the South, but the entire country. And for a first-time novelist, that is a truly, truly staggering accomplishment.
What I Say Now:
Though “The Help” featured a few holes, the compelling nature of the tale more than made up for the shortcomings in the execution. The result was a truly unforgettable commentary on -- and reminder of -- Southern culture from a time not as long ago as many of us would like to think.
Read My Review
Passage to Remember:
“I look deep into her rich brown eyes and she look into mine. Law, she got old-soul eyes, like she done lived a thousand years. And I swear I see, down inside, the woman she gone grow up to be. A flash from the future. She is tall and straight. She is proud. She got a better haircut. And she is remembering the words I put in her head. Remembering as a full-grown woman.
“And then she say it, just like I need her to. ‘You is kind,’ she say, ‘you is smart. You is important.’”
#3: “Suttree,” by Cormac McCarthy
What I Wrote Then:
In the spirit of honesty, I have to share that this was the least favorite of the McCarthy books I’ve read thus far, paling in comparison to “The Road” and “Blood Meridian.” That being said, I appreciated the different style of writing, the ability to shift prose, a quality I’ve long admired in proven, brilliant authors. I was glad to see McCarthy’s willingness to incorporate humor into his writing, which he pulled off well.
And though I do slot this piece behind some of the iconic works of McCarthy’s stellar career, it comfortably resides as yet another tremendous example of novel writing from an American treasure.
What I Say Now:
The difficulty in translating and interpreting this piece, combined with the difficult subject matter of scrutinizing the underbelly of poor white trash, led to the tough decision to put a McCarthy book in third. That being said, however, “Suttree” was an inspired and memorable read.
Read My Review
Passage to Remember:
“She was shouting at him some half drunken imprecations, all he could make out was his name. He seemed to have heard it all before and he kept on going.”
#4: “Ghosts of Belfast,” by Stuart Neville
What I Wrote Then:
With his gift for engrossing storytelling, versatile prose style, strong character-building and affinity for the region, Neville has ascended to a deserved lofty stature among Irish crime novelists ... I look forward to seeing Neville’s undoubted improvement in certain aspects as I follow his burgeoning career and potentially limitless success.
What I Say Now:
After a searing start, “Ghosts of Belfast” petered out a bit toward a somewhat predictable end. However, the overall tale and Neville’s ability to hypnotize the reader made it one of my favorite books of the year.
Read My Review
Passage to Remember:
“Fegan battled within himself, part of him wanting to stay hidden, part of him needing to show itself.
“He surrendered.”
#5: “Full Dark, No Stars,” by Stephen King
What I Wrote Then:
In this book about secrets and the lengths folks will go to to hide them, to come to terms with a life of living with them, King has constructed a piece not for the faint of heart. But in his carefully crafted characters and environments, he painstakingly endeavors to write about emotion more than ever -- about the emotions in these people, and yes, even the ones in you.
So be brave … cast whatever light you can muster into the dark and shadows spread by King. Then revel in a genius at work in the medium he first mastered, then owned … and now redefined.
What I Say Now:
The harsh, unflinching darkness of “Full Dark, No Stars” was nearly enough to overwhelm the reader, but the veteran King reader knew there would be a payoff. No one does the short-story medium like King, and this collection only served as a chilling reminder of that truth.
Read My Review
Passage to Remember:
“Here’s something else I believe: if you’re going into a very dark place … then you should take a bright light, and shine it on everything. If you don’t want to see, why in God’s name would you dare the dark at all?” ... “When it came to the dark fuckery of the human heart, there seemed to be no limit.”
Honorable Mention: “11/22/63,” by Stephen King (review)I had to omit this one from the list because I didn’t think it was quite fair to have multiple King choices in the top five, but I couldn’t go without at least mentioning this book. I think if I hadn’t finished it so close to the end of the year that it would have ended up higher on this list, but I haven’t had enough time to complete digest its weight and impact. But I certainly thought it was tremendous enough to warrant inclusion here.
Editor’s Note:
Among the “Others” category: “Lost Symbol,” by Dan Brown; “Soul Pancake,” by Rainn Wilson; “Herman Wouk is Still Alive,” by Stephen King; “Take Your Eye Off the Ball,” by Pat Kirwan
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