Top 5 Books of the Year

Ha. I've only read 5 books this year, but saying they're my Top 5 sounds so much more exciting, doesn't it?! Here they are...

1. The Memory Keeper's Daughter (5 stars)

Last year, every where I looked, someone was reading this book. Not me. Oh no, not me, Miss I Judge A Book By Its Cover. I did NOT like this cover so I didn't read it because usually I have a pretty good track record (Love the cover, love the book, hate the cover, hate the book). Maybe if I'd seen the book with this cover...

... I'd have picked it up. I like this cover. I like the veins, which I take to represent human life as well as a family tree, and how that can all be changed by decisions, secrets and lies. Anyway, I finally read it (by coercion) and I loved it. Everything about it. It may be one of my favourite books ever. 

2. The Abstinence Teacher (2 stars)

This book was NOT one of my favourite books ever. I'd read Little Children last year and loved it, so when it came time for me to choose a book for my book club, I saw this had just been released, so I chose it. Bad move. Even after discussing it at length, I'm still not clear on what the point of the book was. I still think Tom Perrotta is excellent at his portrayal of average, flawed individuals, but I thought the title was misleading. It really wasn't about The Abstinence Teacher at all. In fact, she's in about 2.5 pages of the book. It's like calling Alice in Wonderland "The Two of Hearts." Also, this book disproved my "love the cover, love the book" theory so I'm upset with it for that. Loved the cover, hated the book. Oh well. 

3. Made to Stick (2 stars)

One of my goals this year is to read more non-fiction, and I LOVED this cover (what's not to love about duct tape?) and the concept, so I picked it up. It's quite similar to The Tipping Point, which the authors used as inspiration for the book. If I hadn't read The Tipping Point I probably would've enjoyed this book more, because it's more applicable in its theories (with tips for putting theory to practice when dealing with co-workers, bosses or when networking). Oprah hasn't called yet, but when she does, this book will totally bump up to 5 stars. 

4. My Life in and out of the Rough (3 stars)

Oh John, I think I have a chubby crush on you. Or maybe I just have a soft spot for you because I have your overswing (oh, a golf club ISN'T  a baseball bat? Whatever, it is to me.) I borrowed this from my dad at Christmas. From his drinking (a bottle of JD a day) to his divorces (4 so far), this book isn't about the writing (which is so very, very bad, even though he has a co-author) but ALL about the details. So juicy. Oh, and no comment on the cover...

5. Ask Again Later (5 stars)

I picked this book up totally based on its cover last week and wasn't disappointed (hurrah! The "love the cover, love the book" theory is redeemed!) and read it in three days (which is very quick for me). Jill A. Davis used to be a writer for Letterman, and this is her second book (her first is Girls' Poker Night). It's the story of a mother-daughter-daughter-father relationship. Funny and poignant. 

In my own book cover news, here's the new (blue!) cover for Stuck in Downward Dog, for the mass-market paperback version that comes out this spring...

Do you love it or do you love it? Okay, I'm biased, but I LOVE this cover! If you weighed in on the cover-colour contest and voted blue, then I'm sharing my love with you, and will send you a free copy of this version of the book when it comes out. 

Up next on my reading list is Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler, then Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (my book club's next pick). But enough about me. So what are you reading?