Michelle's Top Ten Books 2003

10. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
This book was good because as a writer Toni Morrison is not afraid to flip readers' expectations and one's sense of the norm (preconceptions). From this book I learned that it's very hard to point a finger at the "bad" guy, because there is no bad guy, really. It's very hard to say, "oh man that guy is so wrong for doing that", when you know that guy's history and how the event came about. This book deals with a lot of scary, shocking events, such as incest and child molestation, but by letting you into each character's history, life, mind, you get to "know them" in a way that it's hard to lay all this blame on top of them. It's as if your mother had stolen something, because you know her, because you're "attached" to her, it's hard to just ship her off to jail. Ya know? Read it, it's good. Lots of double meanings to words to, which I love. P.S. if you'd like to read more from this author, try Sula, Beloved andSong of Solomon

9. Bloodchild and other stories by Octavia E. Bulter
Oh if you're a sci-fi reader, read this book. I recommend the stories "Blood Child" "Speech Sounds" and "The Evening and the Morning and the Night". The entire book was well written and being short stories it was easy to put down after reading one without having to remember what had happened. Did I say it was well written? It was great, I read it to Rich and he liked the first story, "Blood Child", not just because it's eerie, and a bit frightening but also because it parallels a lot of issues that are seen today. All of them are convincingly real. Very Twilight Zone-y, but even better beause it's all in your head. I haven't read any other stories or books of hers, though I hear her novel "Dawn" is very good.

8. Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Why this book? It's easy, it's factual, it's touching, it's inspiring, it's sad. Written almost like a newspaper piece. Always something to interest you, almost a non fiction book rather than a novel, and that's due to the fact that it's a true account of something that happened, but also because of how she wrote it. Although it seems like a work of non fiction there's so many amazing, beyond belief items in it that keep it a good, interesting read. I saw the movie and it just does not compare to the book, but what movie does?

7. A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch
If you've ever seen the (lovely) movie, Iris, with Dame Judy Dench, it's about this author, Iris Murdoch. What can I say about this novel? Its good. So good because it's thought provoking, without making you search for it. It's there in the names of the characters, their evident actions, the sordidness of it all, but it makes you go, haha, huh? ohhh! ahhh! This is one of those books that made me feel the doldrums over the thought that I may never write half as well. It's full of surprises, sarcasm, ironies, pain. God it's lovely. Warning, I don't think it has the "popular" pull that other novels have but it's good. Read up on it before you jump in.

6. Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
It's written like a painting. (It is loosely based on the dutch artist Vermeer) You become so immersed in the many tiny, soft, subtle strokes as well as the bolder, decisive marks of the characters and the places and the actions and the scenes and suddenly you step back and you realized that they have combined together to create a masterpiece. This is so quietly done, that when one thing occurs, it really touches you. It's one book that I would read again, just so that I can go over it and catch the little pieces that I've missed and turn it around in my head. I've heard that they are making a movie of it starring, Colin Firth, who is one of my more favorite actors because he played Mr. D'arcy in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, (my all time favorite novel) and he also stars opposite Rene Zellwegger, again playing Darcy in "Bridget Jones' Diary" (one and two). This book well done.

5. No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
I have been in search of good "mystery novels" since two summers ago when I was hit by the crime solving bug. It all began one day when I was desperate for a book to read, and so a trip to the bookstore found me staring at a book that Rich recommended called Ten Little Indians (a.k.a. And Then There Were None) by Agatha Christie. That started me out with the (Christie's) Poirot and Miss Marples, and once I exhausted those I decided to take a class on detective fiction in America. That led to a string of hard-boiled and "soft-boiled" books like The Maltese Falcon,Devil In A Blue Dress,Farewell, My Lovely and some other, "softer" books which led to this book. Oh my word, I was not expecting this at all. It's set in Botswana, and the main character is Precious Ramotswe who solves crimes and "littler" mysteries, but in this book we also see how she came into this profession, we learn about her past, her endurance to continue on with such an odd career choice, and also glimpse of a life so different from what I see everyday. It's another gentle, quiet book that went by too fast. Books that make me crave for more are hard to find. Good thing there are more volumes to this series.

4. My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki
God how much I laughed and laughed because of this book. It's strange because I remember feeling like I was forced to get through it because it was a "class" book, and then suddenly I laughed and found that I had finished it weeks before schedule. It's about this meshing, or rather confusion of American and Japanese and American Japanese culture. But it's not just funny, it's got several messages all wrapped up in there. Pick one (from racism to domestic violence to fertility) and you'll find that it touches on it, but without bogging you down. What I didn't really like so much was the way it twisted and ran away at the end, but the first two-thirds is so good that I almost forgive the ending. Read it. Warning! It may turn you into a vegetarian.


Down to the last three...better and better.

3. Bombay Time by Thrity Umrigar
It's set in India, and deals with love and loss, the changing world, and the quickness of time. What makes it really, really good is that it's just an "introduction" of the characters. I know their past and their present but the author leaves me yearning to know more about them. It's so good because you get wrapped up in their lives, each and every character has a separate story to tell that is both inspiring and heart-rendering. Each separate story is like a piece of cloth that holds its own beauty and style and that is pieced together to form a quilt of interacting people and lives. I relate to it because it recalls a lot of issues that my "family" deals with, both the laughter and the tears, and it was sad, but oh so sweet. Loved it and will read it again.

2. Empire Falls by Richard Russo
It's full of so many little scenes of everyday life America, outside of the big cities, but that doesn't mean it's not full of "characters" and interesting events and eye opening revelations into human lives and the world around us. It was hilarious and yet almost with a off-centered realness to it. But I guess reality is a bit off centered. The characters may be a bit two dimensional but a study of their life and actions are so real, there's a truth to it that touches the reader. It's honest, sad, redeeming, brilliant. This is one of those that I would suggest to just about anyone to read. And it won the Pulitzer Prize...for 2002 I think.

1. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Gee, there's a list of characteristics that a book has that makes me truly love it. One is that it makes me cry; once you get me to cry it's over, you had me at "hello". Another is that it makes me laugh and this book made me laugh and giggle and roll around until I busted a gut, and then there's the hate factor, I was actually made to feel a certain anger and disgust toward someone! This book brought out true emotions in me, that were not in halves but in wholes! I could not put it down and I was truly upset when it ended because I wanted more, (and it's about 600 pages long). One last point that makes a novel stay with me is that it inspired me to "create" and anything that produces one to actually get up and pay homage to it has got to be amazing. God it's great. Must read it.