Okay, this is not one of the best books I’ve read in the last 6 months, but I have read it multiple times over the years and am going to read it again this week: House, by Tracy Kidder. It’s basically an accounting of both the mundane (what flooring should the owners install) and sociological/emotional journey of building a custom home from the very first moment until moving in. It’s not a how-to book – it reads like a novel and is really like a documentary with a lot of emotional / relationship explorations as to what it takes to choose to/deisgn/and build a custom home. The builders are a small co-op housing company (four people) in Amherst, Mass who have been hired to build an architecturally-designed house. It reads really well. Amazon.com: House eBook : Kidder, Tracy: Books
But…the funnest thing…I was in Amherst last week for a family event that someone else had planned. I was driving there with my son and mused that I would like to try to find the house so I could drive by it and see it, as I’ve read the book probably half a dozen times since it was first published in the 1980s.
When we get to the house rental that our relatives had reserved for four of our families for the event, there was a copy of House on the table. I thought…could it be??? There were floorplans in the book’s opening pages and DH and I paced the house out and were pretty convinced. Then I saw the letter the Airbnb owner had left for us and her name matched the one in the book…and then she mentioned later on in the letter that this house was the one in the book.
I’ve read 17 on the NYT list. And I have started but didn’t get into another half dozen. But these are not the kind of books I enjoy reading in general and I rarely read short stories or essay collections. I like story/plot and characters. I dislike books that feel like they are trying too hard. I want to feel not like I am reading but rather that I am in the author’s world. I’m also not crazy about books where people are unrelentingly cruel or subject to cruelty. It doesn’t have to all be happy but I just can’t take all bad.
And wow, the last 24 years have gone quickly! I would have thought some of these books were written in the late 1900s because I think of them as “old”. But yeah, 2001 is a long time ago!
I’ve read (as in finished) 37 and was reminded of some really enjoyable reads as I saw the list. Some of those were discovered on the “employees picks” shelf at independent bookstores, so clearly, I’m happy for recommendations. (Part of why I love this thread!) And there are a few in there that I started but were just too much work for me.
The “if you liked this, you might consider…” feature is nice. I noted a few that looked great and have added them to my ever-growing list.
I didn’t really respond to Sandwich, which surprised me because I followed her blog for over a decade when her (and my) kids were young and loved her writing.
I do enjoy her occasional articles which are very similar to her novel but I thought more trenchant. Sandwich seemed 95 percent based on her family’s reality, based on her writing that I have followed over the decades.
Pachinko and Bel Canto are well-written and plot-driven. My guess, based on what you’ve read and enjoyed, is that you would enjoy these 2 a lot.
I tripped over “A Manual for Cleaning Women” and was blown away by it. The writing is incredible, it has laugh out loud moments, and I was heavy-hearted for days at the ending.
I thought Stay True was very poignant and raw so shared it with a friend who was not as impressed. It’s a special kind of coming of age at college book.
For the Times list, I’ve read about one third of the books on the list, including the top 5. There are a few I am unsure of of, as in I think we picked them for book group, but not sure I finished the book!
Some others are “want to” or “should” read books I haven’t gotten to, others I have no interest in, and quite a few I have never heard of, which surprised me (especially the fiction ones).
Near the top of the article is a link to the list of Reader’s Favorites. I would bet most of you have read more of those than the ones on the critic’s list.
Of your want tos, I would suggest checking out The Warmth of Other Suns, Pachinko, The Great Believers, and Station Eleven. All different, but interesting, well written books I enjoyed. The descriptions on the list are pretty accurate. Not on your list, but highly recommend the Overstory.
