Top 10 Reads of 2011

here are the books that most excited me this past year:

1. So Big by Edna Ferber

this was an accidental and welcomed discovery. it was written nearly a 100 years ago and celebrates life from an exciting angle rarely expressed these days. it’s all about beauty out of bleakness.
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2. In the Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music by Nicholas Dawidoff

any one interested in the roots of Americana Music needs to read this one! hello Harlan Howard, Kitty Wells, Jimmie Rodgers, Johnny Cash, Carter Family, Merle Haggard…
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3. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

nothing like the beauty of pure music and the unleashing of the aural and visual power of a cello to juxtapose the evils of war. a masterpiece.
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4. In the Skin of A Lion by Michael Ondaatje

i read this while lying on a couch at a cabin in Wisconsin alongside Lake Michigan. sometimes it helps to leave home to see the your native land from such an exciting angle. i’d never read any Ondaatje before this one, but you can bet your ass i’ll be reading more.
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5. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

my love for Chicago continues to grow every day. the Chicago World Exposition back in the 1890′s was an exciting time for both Chicago and the world. it was an age of excitement towards a future with endless possibilities. it was the beginning of electrically lit cities, unimaginable architectural feats and the Ferris Wheel! we could use some forward thinkers leading the charge once again. umm, just the other half here, the mass murderer types, those can stay in the past. this historical book reads like a great work of fiction.

6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

finished reading the last few pages to this one at the library and it nearly broke me down with tears. lots of accolades for this one, i can see why. powerful story about race, family, rape, spirituality, sexuality and love.
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7. Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke by Peter Guralnick

not quite finished this one yet but thoroughly still engrossed. Sam Cooke is a musical genius and Guralnick’s writing is at his best.

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8. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

please don’t watch the movie, especially after reading it, you’re only asking for a let down. i loved this book. characters to fall in love with. visuals that make you wanna just plop yourself right down into the middle of the story.
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9. There Is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America by Philip Dray

there’s no shortage of union haters out there these days. unless you’re of the ultra-rich class i have a hunch this book might just get you thinking unions have a place in society. a well researched and written tomb.
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10. Continental Shift by Russell Banks

maybe if you’re depressed don’t read this one. its bleak as hell yet beautifully captures the spirit of our age. the Grapes of Wrath of our time?