Sheryl K's Top Books of 2013

Happy New Year, readers!

This year I read 42 books, 10 of which were non-fiction. For those of you who suggested that having a newborn was going to slow me down, well, I am just that much more stubborn than you thought!  While I have spent a lot of the year reading Jamberry and Wet Pet, Dry Pet, Your Pet, My Pet, here are a few other books that I really loved.

On being a woman:

Well, if you are going to tell your boss you are pregnant, I recommend doing it right after Marisa Mayer does the same.  And if you are going to be on maternity leave, try doing it when Sheryl Sandberg releases her book, Lean In.  Once you've had your baby, if you decide to go back to work and pump breastmilk, read The Milk Memos, about some women at IBM who did it before it was trendy.

For nonfiction, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand was amazing.  My sister recommended this story about a former Olympic runner who enlists during WWII and whose plane is shot down over the Pacific.  Less masterfully striking but still a good memoir is Laura and Lisa Ling's chronicle of Laura's getting imprisoned in a North Korean prison and Lisa's fight to get her released in Somewhere Inside.

I read some really high-quality fiction as well.  Topping the list is The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer, recommended by my mom, which is the story of a Jewish Hungarian family during WWII.  I only wish I had read it last summer when I was in Hungary.  Also wonderful was Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, about two Nigerians who fall in love as teenagers, one of whom stays in Nigeria while the other one emigrates to the United States.  A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra, recommended by Deena, was a memorable and well-written novel about several people making difficult decisions during the Chechen conflict in the late 1990's.

A surprise gift from Kurt and Laura turned into a favorite - The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo was a storytelling romp through Malay and the Chinese underworld.  The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer, on many "official" lists, was about lifelong friendships that begin at summer camp and was indeed as good as everyone said it was.  Another universally well-reviewed book was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, a mystery that I also liked as much as everyone else.  Finally, awarded the "why did it sit on my shelf for so long?" prize was The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee, a love story set in Hong Kong.

I read several books about the Asian immigrant experience in the United States.  The Mango Bride by Marivi Soliven was about two women from very different classes who immigrate from the Philippines.  In The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger, a man finds a wife in Bangladesh to bring to the US.  Another story of a wife brought to the United States, this time from India, was in A Good Indian Wife by Anne Cherian. And The Reeducation of Cherry Truong by Aimee Phan was a coming-of-age story about a young Vietnamese woman and her family.

There were two notable books that I enjoy but that were flawed.  The Circle by Dave Eggers was a searing criticism of our lack of privacy on the internet with completely lackluster character development from a writer I know is better than that.  The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin was also lacking in some character development, but was a good fictional account of Charles Lindbergh's wife's life.

Finally, if you like trashy historical fiction and are not already reading the Outlander by Diana Gabaldon series, you should be.  I read books #4 and #5 this year.

I will keep updating this blog, but now manage my "to-read" list and all my reviews on Goodreads.  Find me there if you are also a member.

Best wishes to all for health, happiness, success, and lots of great books to read in 2014.

Sheryl