Its a tad late in January to be doing "Best Of 2006" lists, I suppose--especially since I saw them appearing as early as November on some sites. (I always feel bad for the stuff that gets released after the lists appear.) Additionally, since I am usually about a year behind on reading books, etc. I am calling this my "Top Recommendations" list. Who am I to say if these were really the best. I will also throw in some books released in past years. Hey, its my list and I can do what I want. (You will notice a conspicuous absence of movies--I have not a seen a new movie in a very long time) Anyway, here is my completely inconsistent Top Recommendations of 2006, with occasional commentary.
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Music
Flaming Lips--At War with the Mystics
Not as good as Yoshimi or Soft Bulletin, but it is still a really good album.
The Raconteurs--Broken Boy Soldiers
Quality song writing and clever/goofy rhyming. (See "Intimate Secretary)
TV on the Radio--Return to Cookie Mountain
I think they succeed in being a little "arty," without sounding pretentious, while still being able to write a catchy pop tune.
I also tentatively recommend Muse's Black Holes and Revelations. It is a tad over the top and inconsistent, but it has some great moments. Also, I have only heard selections from Yo la Tengo's I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, but what I have heard is excellent material.
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Books
First, I should mention my biggest disappointment--Philip Roth's Everyman. I really like Roth's writing, and his last book, The Plot Against America, is a great book. Everyman is not. It is Roth, so the writing is first class. But the story is basically just a litany of the main character's ailments and times spent in the hospital throughout his life. Blech.
Anyway, here are the top five from 2006 that I find groovy.
Blackswan Green, David Mitchell
Mitchell is sort of like a British Murakami. Before you read this make sure to read his previous novel Cloud Atlas (2004)--not just because it is an amazing book, but you learn the fate of some of its characters in Blackswan Green.
A Dirty Job, Christopher Moore.
(Okay, so technically it was published in Dec. of 2005. Who cares?) This is an extremely funny book. Don't read any of Moore's books if you are easily offended.
Special Topics in Calamity Physics, Marisha Pessl.
Don't pass over it because it is a "murder mystery." (Like I normally would.) It is an erudite novel that is fun to read but also is a bit challenging.
City of Saints and Madmen, Jeff VanderMeer
This collection of interconnected short stories has been published previously, but a new expanded edition was published last year. This may be one of the most original works I have read in a long time. The scholarly types out there will get a kick out of the footnotes and annotated bibliography.
The Futurist, James Othmer
This is a borderline selection. This last spot was a toss up between this and Arthur and George, by Julian Barnes. The Futurist has stuck with me more, though.
Books published previously that I read, but worthy of recommendation.
Lamb (2002), Christopher Moore
Who knew? Jesus learned kung fu ("Jew"do) from Buddhist monks.
The Human Stain (2000), Philip Roth
White Teeth (2000), and On Beauty (2005), Zadie Smith
On Beauty is probably the better known of the two, but I think White Teeth is the better book. Both are worthy of reading, though.
Midnight's Children (1980), Salman Rushdie
Why did I wait so long to read this? Why was this not required reading in school?
Kafka on the Shore (2002, 2005 En. trans), Haruki Murakami
No, I didn't completely understand it. But I am looking forward to reading it again to try to unravel its mysteries.
Never Let Me Go (2005), Kazuo Ishiguro
Middlesex (2002), Jeffrey Eugenides
It is one of the best that I have read in the past couple of years. Go here for why I think so.
4 comments:
Good tip on Everyman. Have you checked out American Pastoral? I just finished Franzen's How To Be Alone and recommend it highly (b/t/w The Discomfort Zone isn't as good).
I've never read any of Franzen's work, but I have been meaning to. Thanks for the insight. American Pastoral is next on my list of Roth novels.
I think I forgot to send you this tip. If you're looking for "smart reads," the University of Missouri (my beloved alma mater) recently published a list of 100 books recommended by the recipients of the school's big teaching award. The list can be found here.
I actually like straddling the borderline. Thanks for including The Futurist in such fine company. I've read most of the others on your lists (huge Murakami fan) except C. Moore, who I'll look into..
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