Okay, it's the end of the year, which means that everybody's posting their best-of / worst-of lists in their blogs. In my last post, I indicated some of my favourite reads over the year, but I thought I'd elaborate further, add a few extras... and give a bit of context to the circumstances in which I was reading, which generally adds to the reading experience. Note that these aren't necessarily the "best" reads for 2009, but they have certainly been the most enjoyable for me.
So, without further ado... and in no particular order - my five favourite reads of 2009.
Jarvis 24 - David Metzenthen
This book had been hovering in my periphery early this year, but not really brought to my attention until it appeared on the Inkys Longlist (and, later, the Shortlist). By an amusing coincidence, I started reading it just after I started working regularly at Hawthorn Library, which involved walking down Glenferrie Road, past the local MLC girls flirting with the Xavier boys, and getting regular coffees at Mario's. This enhanced the already-strong sense of place, in the heart of Melbourne's leafy eastern suburbs, and I could see Metzenthen's characters in those around me in my day-to-day life. Plus, it's such an honestly touching read, encapsulating an episode in a teenage boy's life, and the lessons he learns about the world.
Pink - Lili Wilkinson
Just as Simmone Howell did with Notes from the Teenage Underground, this novel took me back to my teenage years in Melbourne. As a high school music & theatre nerd, there were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments which were sometimes uncomfortably close to home, and stirred up more than a few fond memories of midnight sessions at the Valhalla Cinema.
Look Who's Morphing - Tom Cho
Over the last couple of months, I've, on several occasions, had the "Oh, so you've read Tom Cho's book. What did you think of it?" conversation with literary types, as though my very answer would define my future social status in literary circles. I read much of this book whilst travelling through Vanuatu, and I must admit that it added an extra dimension to the slightly-surreal nature of overseas travel. Having grown up through the 80s, I found Look Who's Morphing to be an indulgent romp through my formative pop culture, whilst cleverly subverting it to provide commentary on how we define ourselves through these tropes. As a indulgent-yet-sneakily-profound read, I just love pulling it off my shelf to read passages to visiting friends.
Thinner than Water - Justine Larbalestier (from "Love is Hell")
This was a pleasant surprise for me. I've been a fan of Justine's work for a couple of years now, and this was the first short fiction work of hers that I've read. You can find an excerpt of it here. Following an anglo-celtic tradition in rural fantasy, this story is rich in its language, and sublime in its tragedy.
Hate that cat - Sharon Creech
If you haven't read Love that dog, then go find a copy and read it. Then you'll know exactly why you'll want to read Hate that cat. And it doesn't disappoint. Equally as effective and touching as the first, and cheaper than a double-degree in American poetry and psychotherapy. Lie down on a couch, and read it to yourself out loud. Your neighbours / flatmates might think you're crazy, but it's a wonderful reading experience.
Okay, that'll do. It was hard enough narrowing it down to five.
