In 2011 I read eight new books which took me to different places - some good, some not so much - but all of which taught me something about myself. A book doesn't have to be good to teach a lesson.
I can fully admit that in past years I didn't read nearly much as I should have been. Growing up, I read all the time. Loved it. Couldn't get enough of it. Going to the library was a common - almost daily - occurrence and brought about as much joy as a Friday, after-school trip to McDonald's. Somewhere along the line the library trips were replaced with shopping mall visits and slowly but surely my reading habit faded.
College certainly didn't help either. Sure there were plenty of books, but nothing that excited me. Books were suddenly boring. However, after graduation - almost immediately - books entered my life without the boring pretext. I'm still not reading as much as I would like, but I'm challenging myself to read more and more.
Someone who is reading about as much as I would love to be is Jeff Hirz. If you did not know, Jeff quit his job several months back to become a full-time writer. It's inspiring stuff, and I think of him almost on a daily occurrence as I put on my tie, leave my room and go to work with several not-yet-read books sitting on my desk. Recently, Hirz wrote an excellent blog post on his favorite books of the past year, which served as an inspiration-of sorts for this current post.
Without further ado, here is my 2011 book club, ranked from least favorite to favorite for your reading enjoyment.
2011: Year of The Pursuit of Happiness - Book Review
8) Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
As my good friend Katie put it, "Katniss became kind of a hot mess." Couldn't agree more. In fact, the whole series became kind of a hot mess. To be fair, concluding a book - especially a series - is harder than creating it. At the beginning, everyone is excited about the potential the show/book/movie has. That excitement creates expectations, and in my mind, Mockingjay falls way short of the expectations that were created in the first two books.
7) How To Succeed With Women - Ron Louis
All the credit for this enlightening book goes to Matt Barnes who gave me this for a Christmas present last year. It brought a lot of laughter upon opening and little in terms of actual insight after I started reading it.
The first half of the book is full of nothing but rambling about all the problems that guys have getting girls. After nearly 100 pages we are finally bestowed the knowledge that will help us find success with women. And the big answer that Ron Louis came up with in his years of travels ... "use common sense." Take care of yourself, have confidence, don't be afraid of rejection, be aware of your appearance, etc. Thanks a lot Ron.
If Ron Louis can publish books like this and make any sort of money, then there is absolutely zero doubt that guys like Jeff Hirz and myself will do the same. Thanks again Ron.
6) Under The Dome - Stephen King
My favorite book of all time is Stephen King's The Stand. It has a large group of characters, pits good vs. evil, and tells it an epic fashion. When I initially saw Under The Dome I thought King was trying to revitalize that winning formula he used with The Stand. I thought wrong.
King does have a large cast of characters, even if some of them are severely under-developed, and he does tell a story using an epic back-drop (in this case a mysterious dome encapsulates an entire town), but he fails to clearly develop sides in the good vs. evil battle.
At the center of this huge novel (1074 pages) is the question of "why is the dome here?" Yes, you do get an answer to it, and no, it couldn't have been more disappointing. I love Stephen King, and I would much rather read the worst of King than the best of some other writers, but the conclusion of this book left a lot to be desired.
5) Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
The first book sees Katniss Everdeen - the main character - enter into The Hunger Games arena - and the second book tells a story about what happens when she gets out. There are a couple great twists in this book but as I was reading I began to get the feeling that Collins had already mapped out the plot-line for everyone, and instead of letting the book come to her, she forced the book - and the characters - to fit her needs.
Catching Fire focuses a lot on the three-way love triangle that centers around Katniss, and while I completely understand how a majority of readers are fascinated by this plot development, it completely deterred me from why I started reading the series in the first place.
4) What The Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell
What The Dog Saw was not really a new book for die-hard Malcolm Gladwell fans as it was merely a collection of some of his old New Yorker columns, but as I hadn't read any of those, it was a brand new book for me.
I discovered Gladwell thanks to Bill Simmons from ESPN. Gladwell was on a couple of Simmons' podcasts and occasionally they traded e-mails back and forth. I found Gladwell to be thought-provoking, highly intelligent, and an excellent writer. His first three books didn't disappoint me in the least bit, and What The Dog Saw followed suit.
My favorite chapters were The Ketchup Conundrum, The Art of Failure, and The Talent Myth. Gladwell really opened my eyes to certain topics, such as the difference between choking and panicking, why there aren't more varieties of ketchup, and how Cesar Milan became The Dog Whisperer.
3) Have A Little Faith - Mitch Albom
I've been a pretty big Mitch Albom fan and have read several of his previous works (The Five People You Meet In Heaven, For One More Day, Fab Five) and always have enjoyed his work on The Sports Reporters. Have A Little Faith talks about Mitch's relationship with his childhood rabbi.
The rabbi wanted Mitch to give his eulogy when he passed away, which meant Mitch needed to get to know his rabbi a little bit more. The story seems similar to Tuesday's With Morrie, but since I never read that one I can't compare the two. What I can say is that Mitch uses this book to talk about important topics like faith, love, life, God, etc. It's a quick read and one everyone - no matter what religious background - should take the time to digest.
2) The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
By now you should know the general outline. Katniss Everdeen is her district's representative in The Hunger Games where she will battle with other competitors in an arena. There are more than 20 competitors that Katniss is facing, and in order to be victorious, Katniss needs to be the last one alive.
During the battle, sponsors can send gifts to the competitors such as medicine, food, armor, weaponry, etc. The battle can last one day or several months, depending on the climate and the competitors themselves. It's a page-turner in every sense of the word.
Am I excited for the upcoming feature film? Not really. As you can tell, each book was a little bit worse than the first which created a damper on the series as a whole. At the end of the day I will more than likely end up watching it just to see the visual images on screen and compare them to the ones I had in my head as I was reading.
1) On Writing - Stephen King
Without question, the most important book I read in 2011. It inspired me, it taught me an incredible amount, and like any good book, it entertained me from start to finish.
On Writing is a first-person account of Stephen King's career as an author. It talks about how he got his start, his early career, and tips for upcoming writers like myself. It's a book I've already re-read once and will probably read it again in 2012 as well. In my short time spent on Earth there hasn't been a better reference for aspiring writers.
Some of the advice is simple. Just like any other skill, the only way to hone it is to practice ... constantly. King reads and writes 6+ hours a day, and makes a conscious effort to write 2000 words each day, which pretty much sums up my ideal day. A day spent reading and writing.
What I liked most from the book is the early part of King's career, when he was struggling to make any money and working in a laundry facility. That's something that I can currently relate to. I also loved hearing him talk about that first phone call he received when Carrie was doing really well, and how he slowly began to realize he was going to make it.
If you are even thinking about writing for a living, or if you just want to become a better writer in general, then this is a book you should check out. You won't regret a minute you spend reading it.
Well that does it for my 2011 book review. I'll leave you with a quote from Jeff Hirz's blog, "that which we call destiny goes forth from within people, not from without into them." Amen.
Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."
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