Amazingly,
this is my
seventh year of doing this highly unofficial ranking of the favorite
books I read during the course of the year. I think the fact that two books
incorporated “Zen” into their titles and philosophies may speak volumes on my
year, no?
Overall,
it was a slightly disappointing year for books, really;
last year’s slate of books was harder to judge and were better. That being said, I still unearthed a
few gems, however.
Without
further ado ...
#1: “The
Dog Stars,” by Peter Heller
What I Wrote Then:
Heller
takes on an ambitious environment with aplomb, sketching out how what we might
cling to, turn to and lean on in times of unthinkable depravity and loss. In
that sense, he has pulled off a minor miracle in “The Dog Stars”—painting a
believable picture of what an America might look like after it goes to the
dogs.
What I Say Now:
Heller’s
unique bit off quite a bit to chew on (dog pun intended), and I wasn’t thrilled
with how it said goodbye, but his style evoked unexpected emotion and visceral
feeling throughout, a true gift and feat for any author.
Passage to Remember:
“Is it possible to love so desperately
that life is unbearable? I don’t mean unrequited, I mean being in the
love. In the midst of it and desperate. Because knowing it will end, because
everything does. End.”
#2:
“Joyland,” by Stephen King
What I Wrote Then:
Stephen King’s
“Joyland” was an exquisite fit in the Hard Case Crime series. It took place
along the coast of North Carolina (fictional Heaven’s Bay), a place near and
dear to my heart. It took just over a week to read. It featured emotional,
oft-beautiful prose about coming of age and first loves. It managed to
interweave a compelling cold-case plot within it. But it still had one
impossible-to-overcome problem, in my estimation:
It was too
short.
What I Say Now:
As
memorable for the feelings it evoked as for the story it spun, “Joyland” was a
metaphorical breath of fresh air, a love story meeting a ghost story meeting a
coming-of-age story.
Passage to Remember:
“It’s hard to let go. Even when what
you’re holding onto is full of thorns, it’s hard to let go. Maybe especially
then.”
#3: “Perfection,” by Bob Griese and Dave Hyde
What I Wrote Then:
For a kid who didn’t want to wear glasses and then found
a role model in Bob Griese, this was a book that transported me back quite a
few years. “Four decades later, I still hear those cheers,” wrote
Griese.
And so many years later, I’m still grateful for the
privilege of being among those cheering.
What I Say Now:
In a
year in which I read three tomes on football, “Perfection” was the only one
that had me riveted, that was able to make a 40-year-old story come alive like
it was happening in real time, that brought my heroes to life—warts and all.
Passage to Remember:
“In the locker room ... no one talked of
the undefeated season. It was the title we cherished. The ring. This moment
when we were the best.”
#4: “Doctor Sleep,” by Stephen King
What I Wrote Then:
King
certainly bit off plenty in electing to pursue an extension of such a landmark
novel, and with a few hiccups here and there, he largely pulls it off. It’s an
ambitious work that lacks some of the frantic intensity and horror of some of
his earlier pieces, but he does a more-than-admirable job of tackling a
monumental task in “Doctor Sleep.”
What I Say Now:
In
any comparison to its predecessor, “The Shining,” this novel is going to come
up short, so I will admit to some harsh grading here. “Doctor Sleep” did have
bursts of high emotion and fear-inducing moments, with a story about the
normalcy of heroism that reels you right in.
Passage to Remember:
“Life was a wheel, its only job was to
turn, and it always came back to where it had started.”
#5: “Collusion,” by Stuart Neville
What I Wrote Then:
The
lack of soul, for lack of a better word, within this novel made it more “just”
a crime mystery story—though Neville’s writing talents make that work to a
more-than-passable extent.
What I Say Now:
Similar
to “Doctor Sleep,” I felt that “Collusion” paled in comparison to its
predecessor (the tremendous “
Ghosts of Belfast.” However, Neville once again uses a diminished (and underutilized) Gerry Fegan does
a tremendous job of tying together the traditional evils of politics,
corruption, violence and all the overlap that comprises what Northern Ireland
is and was.
Passage to Remember:
“She was safe.
“That was the most important fact in his world now, the
one thing that made tomorrow better than yesterday, and he clung to it like a
pillow in his sleep.”
Honorable Mentions (fringe top-five
considerations):
Others Receiving Votes Category:
“
Doc,”
by Dwight Gooden and Ellis Henican; “
Dude and the Zen Master,” by Jeff Bridges
and Bernie Glassman; “
The Essential Smart Football,” by Chris B. Brown; “
The Public Relations Writer's Handbook,” by Merry Aronson, Don Spetner and Carol Ames; “
Coaching Confidential,” by Gary Myers; “
Zen in the Art of Writing,” by Ray Bradbury
Jason Day is my true Augusta
pick
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