RECOMMENDED READING

Memorable Reads of 2009 - Robert Mandatta

Favorite Easy Read: Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella is "chick-lit" at its finest: funny and charming with unexpected depth. It asks us to consider what our lives would be like without our memories. Who would I be? And however did I get to be that person? In the process of raising those questions, Kinsella provides a satisfying romance made even better by her clever makeover of Descartes’ "I am thinking, therefore I am" into "I am remembering, therefore I am."



Favorite Character: Without a doubt it’s Salander, the quirky and multi-layered central character in the Swedish crime trilogy by Stieg Larsson: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009), The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009), and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (due out this spring). Larsson’s novels are centered around violence against women in Sweden, so they’re filled with salacious scenes and twisted characters, but Salander makes the more disturbing images worth the upset. Always captivating, she's a true original in the formulaic world of crime fiction.



Favorite Short Story Collection: I love short stories for their intensity but prefer novels for their reach. With interrelated short stories set in small-town Maine, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout gave me the best of both worlds. Not only does Strout reveal her characters’ private struggles, she manages to unveil their very souls. Refreshingly, the men depart from the usual scumbag stereotypes of modern fiction, while angry but empathic Olive defies being put into any box. If there’s a flaw in this rich collection, it’s one of personal geography; while Mainiacs are dear cousins, I prefer Vermonters for obvious reasons.



Favorite Novel: Each of the above books were memorable to me, but as good luck would have it, I discovered the very best during this final week of 2009. All That I Have by Castle Freeman Jr. is an easy read set in the Vermont hills with a compelling crime story told by an endearing sheriff who loves the people more than the law. If you cherish dry Vermont wit and native wisdom, this one’s for you. Enjoy!