Laura June

2011 has been one of the busiest and best years of my life. We bought a house and moved into it, and we started The Verge. It took a toll on my reading, however. Anyway, onward to 2012, where I hope to have a few extra hours a week to read (and smell) my books, but probably won’t. Also, I didn’t keep track of these in order, so I’ll have to list them from memory. 

1. Welcome to the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan (2010).

2. Matterhorn, by Karl Marlantes (2010).

3. In Other Worlds, by Margaret Atwood (2011).

4. In the Wake of the Plague, by Norman F. Cantor (2002).

5. Distinction, by Pierre Bourdieu* (1987).

6. The Sportswriter, by Richard Ford (1995).

7. The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin (2000).

8. Steve Jobs: A Biography, by Walter Isaacson (2011).

9. Alone Together, by Sherry Turkle (2011).

10. When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead (2010).

11. The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood* (2000).

*Re-reads. And boy did I enjoy them.

Both Matterhorn and When You Reach Me came by way of high praise from the manager of Word in Greenpoint, the bookstore in my neighborhood. It is a lovely place. Also, The Sportswriter, which took me forever to read, is one of the finest pieces of writing I have ever encountered. Finally, as of this moment, I am currently reading the follow-up to that book, Independence Day (no relation to the movie), and George R.R. Martin’s A Clash of Kings.