Rumpus Books asked some of our favorite writers what they will be reading as we leave the aughts behind and sally forth into a new decade. Here, then, is the second annual Reading in the New Year, from your hungover friends at The Rumpus.
THE CONVALESCENT, by Jessica Anthony – Laura van den Berg
THE ANTHOLOGIST, by Nicholson Baker – Andrew Foster Altschul
THE BOOK OF HAPPINESS, by Nina Berberova – Matthew Iribarne
WAYS OF SEEING, by John Berger – Stephen Elliott
FROM A TO X: A STORY IN LETTERS, by John Berger – Melanie Rae Thon
THE NUTSHELL STUDIES OF UNEXPLAINED DEATH, by Corinne May Botz – Maud Newton
MS. HEMPEL CHRONICLES, by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum – Lucy Corin
NOTEBOOKS 1951-1959, by Albert Camus – Andrew Winer
AN ORESTEIA, by Anne Carson – Lili Taylor
BULLET PARK, by John Cheever – Nick Taylor
1989: BOB DYLAN DIDN’T HAVE THIS TO SING ABOUT, by Joshua Clover – Juliana Spahr
THE DEAD FISH MUSEUM, by Charles D’Ambrosio – Keith Scribner
TOTAL OBLIVION, MORE OR LESS, by Alan DeNiro – Hannah Tinti
ERASURE, by Percival Everett – Sarah Shun-lien Bynum
THE BLOOD OF THE POET: SELECTED POEMS, by William Everson – D.A. Powell
THE COLDEST WINTER, by Paula Fox – Lydia Davis
TESTS OF TIME: ESSAYS, by William H. Gass – Ron Hansen
THE TORTURER’S WIFE, by Thomas Glave – Catherine Brady
THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT, by Robert Goolrick – Cornelia Nixon
DOROTHEA LANGE: A LIFE BEYOND LIMITS, by Linda Gordon – Rebecca Solnit
CASE SENSITIVE, by Kate Greenstreet – Rick Hilles
LORDS OF THE SEA, by John Hale – Jim Shepard
THE ROAD HOME, by Jim Harrison – Shawna Yang Ryan
THE LINE OF BEAUTY, by Alan Hollinghurst – Alexander Chee
ARCTIC CHILL, by Arnaldur Indridason – Robert Boswell
LIT, by Mary Karr – Kaui Hart Hemmings
LIT, by Mary Karr – Nora Pierce
THE GIRL WHO KICKED OVER THE HORNET’S NEST, by Stieg Larsson – Stacey D’Erasmo
EDITH WHARTON, by Hermione Lee – Daniel Orozco
THE EXECUTIONER’S SONG, by Norman Mailer – Joshua Furst
YOUR FACE TOMORROW, by Javier Marías – Rabih Alameddine
YOUR FACE TOMORROW, by Javier Marías – Daniel Handler
ASTERIOS POLYP, by David Mazzucchelli – Eric Puchner
A GATE AT THE STAIRS, by Lorrie Moore – Mary Roach
THE STONES OF SUMMER, by Dow Mossman – James Frey
TOO MUCH HAPPINESS, by Alice Munro – Margot Livesey
BLUETS, by Maggie Nelson – Peter Rock
NEW AND SELECTED POEMS, by Mary Oliver – Margo Rabb
THE CANNIBAL GALAXY, by Cynthia Ozick – Jason Roberts
CHICAGO: A BIOGRAPHY, by Dominic Pacyga – Peter Orner
THE INTERROGATIVE MOOD, by Padgett Powell – Brock Clarke
MODEL HOME, by Eric Puchner – Edward Schwarzschild
THE RADETSKY MARCH, by Joseph Roth – Daniel Alarcón
AUSTERLITZ, by W.G. Sebald – Ethan Canin
ACHILLES IN VIETNAM, by Jonathan Shay – Nick Flynn
RAYMOND CARVER: A WRITER’S LIFE, by Carol Sklenicka – Don Waters
THE STORY OF THE NIGHT, by Colm Toibin – Aaron Shurin
ANNA KARENINA, by Leo Tolstoy – Andrew Sean Greer
THE TEN YEAR NAP, by Meg Wolitzer – Robin Romm
THE WAVES, by Virginia Woolf – Carl Phillips
2 responses
Nice list, but I’m bummed that there aren’t a few words from the authors on the reasons behind their picks. (Or am I being dense and missing it somewhere? Or just rudely expecting way too much of the hungover editors? If yes, sorry.)
i totally agree with Jane. i’m reading a ton of books: Eats, Shoots & Leaves — fun and good grammar refresher; End of Faith — more discussion about religion; Wastelands — great anthology of post-apocalyptic fiction; One Nation Under Therapy — great look at our over-medicated country; On Monsters — our obsession with fear; Cruel and Unusual — our country’s obsession with punishing wrong-doers. i like to read fiction and non-fiction to see how and why people interact and relate.
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