Favorite Books from the Past Year

Borderliners - Peter Hoeg

When I first approached this book I was mildly disappointed. I had expected something more along the lines of Smilla's Sense of Snow. This was a Peter Hoeg that I wasn't prepared for, and I almost ended up not finishing it after the first several chapters. Leaving books unfinished bothers the bajeezus out of me so I ended up coming back and discovering that I hadn't given it a fair shot. I started over and was greeted with what I thought must be a different novel. The quirky narrative shifts and grasping definitions of time and self became less jolting and more nuanced on the second attempt. I ended up enjoying it and eventually decided to read another Hoeg novel

The History of Danish Dreams- Peter Hoeg

In this novel Hoeg decides to be even more abstract shifting from one narrative storyline to another seemingly unrelated narrative and back again as if at whim. I've been looking for some concise Danish history after reading this novel just to better understand what the hell was going on. In similar fashion my next book got me interested in Pakistan, Indian, and Bangladesh history.

Midnight's Children - Salmon Rushdie

After nearly a year and a half of waiting for this book to become available at the Berkeley Public Library, I gave up and bought my own copy one day when I was strolling through Barnes and Nobles. You'd think after such a long wait I'd dive right in. Wrong. Not only did it take me forever to get around to reading it, I also ended up having to restart it after having placed it aside for whatever reason. So after it sat around my apartment for about another year and a half, I began to read it again in earnest and while it took me several months to completely read (I was reading other things at the time as well), I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami

So I actually finished reading this book just this past week, and it is one of the main reasons I haven't posted very much this past week. I just couldn't put it down. I had been looking for another Murakami novel, The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, but wasn't able to find it. Instead I opted for this instead. What a great way to be introduced to his work. Almost immediately I was intrigued by the idea of the subconscious being used as data storage/protection and how that would theoretically be applied. Since finishing this novel, I ran out and picked up The Wind-up Bird Chronicle which is already turning out to be a compelling read.

Goblins! A Survival Guide and Fiasco in Four Parts - Brian Froud

Classic Froud. What more do you have to say? Not much, but I will anyways. I'm a long time fan, ever since my first viewing of the classic fantasy movie The Dark Crystal. It is visually rich and outrageously ingenious. It makes me just shiver to think that Brian is now working on a sequel to The Dark Crystal after such a masterpiece of imagination.



These next three books I've actually read a number of times including over the course of the past year. As favorites of mine I've decided to briefly mention them here.

Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought - Pascal Boyer - Exactly what it sounds like, an evolutionary, anthropological, and neurological explanation of the origins of religion. I think everyone should read this non-fiction work. Classic.

The Origin of Species - Charles Darwin - Another classic non-fiction masterpiece that was brought to the forefront of American thought over the course of the past year, what with the big hooplah caused by the poorly argued Intelligent Design hypothesis. ID happened to be my largest annoyance last year as well.

The Great Tree of Avalon: Child of the Dark Prophecy and Shadows on the Stars - Ok, so maybe these are just some fantasy novels, but they are imbued with such life and intelligence I simply adore them. True it sometimes delves into a nature as bliss tone, I still enjoy rereading them whenever I get the chance.