My Reading List From 2009

It has been some time since I made a posting here, one of the reasons being that I have been too busy reading! Nonetheless, what follows is a list of exactly what I read throughout 2009, and the perceptive reader will notice that outside of my favorites (Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, Walter Mosley and Jonathon Kellerman) my reading has been eclectic, following no particular theme or interest. In the near future I hope to provide some capsule commentary on several of the titles.

Alex and Me – Irene Pepperberg (N.F.)
The Given Day – Dennis Lehane
Anansi Boys – Neil Gaiman
Leisureville – Andrew D. Blechman
Too Close to Home – Linwood Barclay
The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls – John R. King
Walking Through Walls – Philip Smith
After Sunset – Stephen King
Resurrection Men – Ian Rankin
Bones – Jonathan Kellerman
Diablerie – Walter Mosley
The Brass Verdict – Michael Connelly
Blonde Faith – Walter Mosley
Them – Nathan McCall
The Brief History of the Dead – Kevin Brockmeir
Be the Change – Lisa Endlich
Shakespeare – The World as Stage – Bill Bryson
Feelers – Brian Wiprud
Three Cups of Tea – Greg Mortenson and David Relin
Why Your World is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller- Jeff Rubin
The Evil That Men Do – Dave White
The Way Home – George Pelecanos
Outliers – The Story of Success – Malcolm Gladwell
Relentless – Dean Koontz
Lush Life – Richard Price
Road Dogs – Elmore Leonard
A Fraction of the Whole – Steve Tolz
The Scarecrow – Michael Connelly
Chasing Smoke – Bill Cameron
Wake – Robert Sawyer
Body Copy – Michael Craven
American Fascists – The Christian Right and the War on America – Chris Hedges
Fear the Worst – Linwood Barclay
The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein – Peter Ackroyd
9 Dragons – Michael Connelly
Rain Gods – James Lee Burke
The Highest Tide – Jim Lynch
I Don’t Believe in Atheists – Chris Hedges
The English Major - Jim Harrison

Total Books Read for 2009: 39

My Reading List From 2009

It has been some time since I made a posting here, one of the reasons being that I have been too busy reading! Nonetheless, what follows is a list of exactly what I read throughout 2009, and the perceptive reader will notice that outside of my favorites (Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, Walter Mosley and Jonathon Kellerman) my reading has been eclectic, following no [particular theme or interest. In the near future I hope to provide some capsule commentary of several of the titles.

Alex and Me – Irene Pepperberg (N.F.)

The Given Day – Dennis Lehane

Anansi Boys – Neil Gaiman

Leisureville – Andrew D. Blechman

Too Close to Home – Linwood Barclay

The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls – John R. King

Walking Through Walls – Philip Smith

After Sunset – Stephen King

Resurrection Men – Ian Rankin

Bones – Jonathan Kellerman

Diablerie – Walter Mosley

The Brass Verdict – Michael Connelly

Blonde Faith – Walter Mosley

Them – Nathan McCall

The Brief History of the Dead – Kevin Brockmeir

Be the Change – Lisa Endlich

Shakespeare – The World as Stage – Bill Bryson

Feelers – Brian Wiprud

Three Cups of Tea – Greg Mortenson and David Relin

Why Your World is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller- Jeff Rubin

The Evil That Men Do – Dave White

The Way Home – George Pelecanos

Outliers – The Story of Success – Malcolm Gladwell

Relentless – Dean Koontz

Lush Life – Richard Price

Road Dogs – Elmore Leonard

A Fraction of the Whole – Steve Tolz

The Scarecrow – Michael Connelly

Chasing Smoke – Bill Cameron

Wake – Robert Sawyer

Body Copy – Michael Craven

American Fascists – The Christian Right and the War on America – Chris Hedges

Fear the Worst – Linwood Barclay

The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein – Peter Ackroyd

9 Dragons – Michael Connelly

Rain Gods – James Lee Burke

The Highest Tide – Jim Lynch

I Don’t Believe in Atheists – Chris Hedges

The English Major - Jim Harrison

Total Books Read for 2009: 39

Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen

Several years ago, my neighbor lent me a copy of a book called Angela’s Ashes. At the time, had someone asked me if I was interested in reading an Irish memoir about growing up in dire poverty, I probably would have said no. Yet that book turned out to be a richly rewarding reading experience.

Something similar happened to me recently when my brother-in-law recommended a novel called Water for Elephants. Without giving any details, he said it was one of the best books he had read in a long time. When it arrived after a lengthy hold period at the library, I was frankly disappointed to learn that it is a story revolving around circus life during the Depression. Neither the subject matter nor the era exercises any particular fascination for me. However, my disappointment soon turned into enthusiasm after just a few minutes of reading.

The story is told from the perspective of Jacob Jankowski, a 90 or 93 year-old (he isn’t sure which) living out his days in a nursing home. Despite an extended family which includes children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, each of whom take turns visiting him on a weekly basis, Jacob feels alone in the world, especially since the death of his wife. He therefore spends much of his time reminiscing about the past, especially the period during which he worked with the circus.

After a personal tragedy sees him leaving university before completing the final exam for his veterinary degree, the young Jacob suddenly finds himself in the employ of a circus billing itself as “BENZINI BROS MOST SPECTACULAR SHOW ON EARTH.” Here he works as both a veterinary and general helper.

As the story progresses, we learn that lurking beneath the public merriment of ‘the big top,’ some dark secrets abide. There is the ringmaster August, a man convivial and generous one moment, a cruel animal the next. There is his hapless wife Marlena who, at the age of 17, wed the ‘good ‘August four years earlier after a very short courtship, only to discover his other side almost immediately after the wedding. Disowned by her family, she sees no way out of her situation. Exercising great power over everyone’s life is the proprietor of Benzini Brothers, Uncle Al, whose avuncular mien hides some shocking truths. And then there is Jacob, whose growing attraction to Marlena threatens the stability of the façade under which the circus operates

Through the practice of scavenging failed circuses, Benzini Bros secures something it has long coveted, something all of the great circuses have: an elephant. Almost human in her presentation, this pachyderm named Rosie emerges not as a dumb, untrainable creature her handlers initially conclude after acquisition, but rather a very intelligent soul that understands Polish, a language Jacob is quite conversant with. Due to the relationship that develops between Rosie and August, Marlena, and Jacob, the former acts as a foil for the reader to see both the best and the worst of human nature through these characters.

Another aspect of interest is the novel’s depiction of the social hierarchy of circus life. For example, performers and ‘workers’ never eat together. When pay is in short supply, the performers are paid, but not the workers. The true expendability of the latter is reflected in the horrifying secret practice of ‘redlighting’ troublesome employees.

Water for Elephants is a richly textured novel, vividly recreating a time and place most of us have little knowledge of. And despite its improbable ending, this trip to the circus is well worth the price of admission.