Hornby's Slam a successful foray into "juvenile" fiction

Books now read in ’08: 1
Title: Slam
Author: Nick Hornby
Genre: Fiction
Date Completed: 1-2
Pages: 309

A new year, a new book.

Slam is ostensibly Hornby'ss first effort at juvenile fiction. I’m not at all certain what that means. Possibly his publisher believes this book will sell to the 15-year-old skateboarding crowd. More likely some 12-year-old.

In any event, it is an entertaining book. Sometimes wise and certainly wiseass. If one thing is true it’s that Hornby’s humor will appeal to the juvenile of any age. Sometimes I think he is perpetually 15. And I mean that in a good way.

This is the story of Sam, who is 15 when the story opens and 18 when it ends. He’s into skating and lives with his mom, who had him when she was 16. Sam goes down the same path and his mom – and the story is about all that befalls or can befall a 16-year-old prospective father.

What makes the book entertaining rather than preachy is Hornby’s humor and his way of looking at the world. Sam visits the future on at least three occasions and is given to taking fatherly advice from a post of skateboarder Tony Hawk. Yeah, it’s off-beat and good.

Can’t wait for the movie.

More on 2007 reading

Book of the Year – Fiction:

Out Stealing Horses, Per Petterson
Norwegian writer Per Petterson’s Out Stealing Horses is wise and touching; spare, yet lyrical -- superbly written, superbly told -- it is a powerful novel of loss and self-discovery.

Book of the Year – Non-Fiction:

The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan
A difficult decision because I also liked Hampton Sides’ Blood and Thunder a lot. I chose The Omnivore’s Dilemma because I think it is an important work, bringing to mind Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle or Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. The Omnivore’s Dilemma is really two books. On one level there is author Michael Pollan’s interest in food and in cooking, and his comparison of three very different meals. On another more important level is Pollan’s exploration of the industrial food network and the refreshing alternatives that have sprung up as an answer to it.

Best Books – Fiction:

• Finn, Jon Clinch – a brilliant re-imagining of a classic work of American fiction.
  
• The Gathering, Anne Enright – a challenging book that rewards the patient reader with a powerful story and insignificant insights into human nature
• Returning to Earth, Jim Harrison – a man and his family come to terms with his death. This ranks among Harrison’s best.

Best Book – Non-Fiction:

• Blood and Thunder, Hampton Sides – an extraordinary history of the taming of the Southwest. Sides weaves a compelling narrative with the skill of a novelist and with an artist’s eye for detail.
• Dog Years, Mark Doty – a profound meditation on mortality as viewed through the loss of a dog.
• The Soul of Baseball, A Road Trip Through Buck O’Neil’s America, Joe Posnanski – Baseball reads, and there is no better example than this book. It is filled with marvelous stories of negro league baseball as well as of Buck O'Neil's experiences during his "tour" of America. Mostly, it is about O’Neil, who was a wise, kind man and whose personality shines forth in this book in unexpectedly powerful and poignant ways.

Fiction I recommend:

• Thirteen Moons, Charles Frazier
• Blood of Paradise, David Corbett
• The Pesthouse, Jim Crace
• Winterton Blue, Trezza Azzopardi
• On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan
• The Children of Húrin, J.RR. Tolkien
• The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Michael Chabon
• Bangkok Haunts, John Burdett
• Blood at the Root, Peter Robinson
• Spook Country, William Gibson
• Glasshouse, Charles Stross
• Kentucky Straight, Chris Offutt
• Afterwards, Rachel Seiffert
• Bridge of Sighs, Richard Russo
• Cheating at Canasta, William Trevor
• Run, Ann Patchett
• Blonde Faith, Walter Mosley
• You Don’t Love Me Yet, Jonathan Lethem
• Gentlemen of the Road, Michael Chabon
• Secondhand World, Katherine Min
• The Uncommon Reader, Alan Bennett
• The Ministry of Special Cases, Nathan Englander
• Every Visible Thing, Lisa Carey

Note: The books by Walter Mosley and Peter Robinson are representative. I’d recommend any mystery by these two.

Non-Fiction I recommend:

• Calvin Coolidge, David Greenberg
• Gerald R. Ford, Douglas Brinkley
• Richard M. Nixon, Elizabeth Drew
• George H.W. Bush, Timothy Naftali
• Shakespeare, Bill Bryson
• The Tenth Muse, Judith Jones
• Falling Through the Earth, Danielle Trussoni

Note: The four Presidential biographies are part of Times Books’ American Presidents Series. It is uniformly good.

My 2007 Reading List

Here's my reading list for 2007. 125 books, 37,348 pages -- an average of 102 pages a day.

For those unfamiliar with my list, the first set of numbers (1-6, 11-20) indicates the month and day that the book was finished. The second set of numbers (417, 323) indicates the number of "readable" pages the book contained. Indexes, bibliographies, etc., are not counted.

January
1. Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore. Running 1-6 417
2. Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman. Speculative Fiction 1-7 355
3. Alexis De Tocqueville Democracy’s Guide, Joseph Epstein. Biography 1-10 205
4. Absurdistan, Gary Shteyngart. Fiction 1-13 333
5. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen. Fiction 1-17 331
6. Housekeeping vs. The Dirt, Nick Hornby. Books on Book 1-20 153
7. Freud Inventor of the Modern Mind, Peter D. Kramer.
Biography 1-21 211
8. Thirteen Moons, Charles Frazier. Fiction 1-25 420
9. Calvin Coolidge, David Greenberg. Biography 1-26 159

February
10. The Oracle at Stoneleigh Court, Peter Taylor. Stories 2-5 324
11. The Family That Couldn’t Sleep, D.T. Max. Non-Fiction 2-6 256
12. Falling Through the Earth, Danielle Trussoni. Memoir 2-9 240
13. A Spot of Bother, Mark Haddon. Fiction 2-11 354
14. Prime Green: Remembering the Sixties, Robert Stone. Memoir 2-13 229
15. When Madeline Was Young, Jane Hamilton. Fiction 2-20 274
16. Lords of the North, Bernard Cornwell. Fiction 2-25 314
17. Blood and Thunder, Hampton Sides. History 2-27 402

March
18. Travels in the Scriptorium, Paul Auster. Fiction 3-1 145
19. Gerald R. Ford, Douglas Brinkley. Biography 3-6 160
20. The Flanders Panel, Arturo Perez-Reverte. Fiction 3-7 295
21. The Watchman, Robert Crais. Thriller 3-10 292
22. The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan. Non-Fiction 3-15 411
23. All Aunt Hagar’s Children, Edward P. Jones. Short Stories 3-19 399
24. Paper Trails, Pete Dexter. Non-Fiction 3-21 289
25. Saul and Patsy, Charles Baxter. Fiction 3-23 317
26. An Unfinished Season, Ward Just. Fiction 3-27 251
27. Dog Years, Mark Doty. Memoir 3-28 216

April
28. Blood of Paradise, David Corbett. Thriller 4-1 406
29. Benjamin Franklin, Walter Isaacson. Biography 4-7 493
30. Moral Disorder, Margaret Atwood. Fiction 4-7 225
31. The Pesthouse, Jim Crace. Fiction 4-11 309
32. The United States of Arugula, David Kamp. Non-Fiction 4-18 364
33. Winterton Blue, Trezza Azzopardi. Fiction 4-19 271
34. The Soul of Baseball, A Road Trip Through Buck O’Neil’s
America, Joe Posnanski. Baseball 4-21 273
35. The Sun Over Breda, Arturo Perez-Reverte. Fiction 4-22 261
36. Rollback, Robert J. Sawyer. Speculative Fiction 4-27 313
37. I Got Somebody in Staunton, William Henry Lewis. Fiction 4-28 202
38. On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan. Fiction 4-30 166

May
39. The Naming of the Dead, Ian Rankin. Mystery 5-3 452
40. A Writer’s Life, Gay Talese. Non-Fiction 5-4 430
41. The Children of Húrin, J.RR. Tolkien. Fantasy 5-6 259
42. The New American Story, Bill Bradley. Non-Fiction 5-11 343
43. Coriolanus, Shakespeare. Drama 5-13 156
44. Tomorrow, Graham Swift. Fiction 5-18 248
45. Up In Honey’s Room, Elmore Leonard. Thriller 5-20 292
46. Rereadings, edited by Anne Fadiman. Books on books 5-21 238
47. The Ministry of Special Cases, Nathan Englander. Fiction 5-27 339
48. Julia Child, Laura Shapiro. Biography 5-29 181
49. What the Dead Know, Laura Lippman. Mystery 5-30 373

June
50. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Michael Chabon. Mystery 6-5 411
51. Bad Luck and Trouble, Lee Child. Thriller 6-6 377
52. The Overlook, Michael Connelly. Mystery 6-7 225
53. Why Bring Them Back From Heaven?, Clifford Simak.
Science Fiction 6-10 191
54. Einstein, Walter Isaacson. Biography 6-11 551
55. Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson. Fiction 6-13 219
56. Richard M. Nixon, Elizabeth Drew. Biography 6-14 151
57. Bangkok Haunts, John Burdett. Fiction 6-17 290
58. Eat the Document, Dana Spiotta. Fiction 6-20 290
59. Everyman, Philip Roth. Fiction 6-21 182
60. Opening Day, Jonathan Eig. Baseball 6-23 275
61. Terrorist, John Updike. Fiction 6-27 310
62. Close to Home, Peter Robinson. Mystery 6-30 389

July
63. A Thief of Time, Tony Hillerman. Mystery 7-1 209
64. Baltimore Blues, Laura Lippman. Mystery 7-2 324
65. Coyote Waits, Tony Hillerman. Mystery 7-3 292
66. Bleeding Hearts, Ian Rankin. Mystery 7-4 374
67. Sacred Clowns, Tony Hillerman. Mystery 7-5 305
68. Skin Tight, Carl Hiaasen. Mystery 7-8 318
69. The First Eagle, Tony Hillerman. Mystery 7-9 278
70. Blood at the Root, Peter Robinson. Mystery 7-11 309
71. Double Play, Robert B. Parker. Mystery 7-12 288
72. Red Square, Martin Cruz Smith. Mystery 7-15 418
73. The Maytrees, Annie Dillard. Fiction 7-17 216
74. First Among Sequels, Jasper Fforde. Fiction 7-20 395
75. The Gravedigger’s Daughter, Joyce Carol Oates. Fiction 7-29 582
76. A Good Hanging, Ian Rankin. Fiction 7-30 253

August
77. The Tin Roof Blowdown, James Lee Burke. Mystery 8-2 373
78. Black Dogs, Ian McEwan. Fiction 8-5 149
79. Enduring Love, Ian McEwan. Fiction 8-8 262
80. The Zero, Jess Walter. Fiction 8-12 326
81. Foreign Affairs, Alison Lurie. Fiction 8-16 291
82. Saving Daylight, Jim Harrison. Poetry 8-19 121
83. Spook Country, William Gibson. Fiction 8-20 371
84. Friend of the Devil, Peter Robinson. Mystery 8-24 424
85. Skeleton Man, Tony Hillerman. Mystery 8-26 241
86. Death of a Writer, Michael Collins. Fiction 8-31 307

September
87. Edith Wharton, Hermione Lee. Biography 9-1 762
88. The Accidental Time Machine, Joe Haldeman. Science Fiction 9-3 276
89. Can I Keep My Jersey?, Paul Shirley. Basketball 9-12 323
90. Finn, Jon Clinch. Fiction 9-16 283
91. Glasshouse, Charles Stross. Science Fiction 9-21 335
92. This Shape We’re In, Jonathan Lethem. Fiction 9-21 55
93. Kentucky Straight, Chris Offutt. Fiction 9-23 167
94. Afterwards, Rachel Seiffert. Fiction 9-25 321
95. Machiavelli, Philosopher of Power, Ross King. Biography 9-26 238

October
96. Oh What A Slaughter, Larry McMurtry. History 10-4 161
97. Tree of Smoke, Denis Johnson. Fiction 10-6 614
98. Bridge of Sighs, Richard Russo. Fiction 10-16 528
99. Julie & Julia, Julie Powell. Food 10-19 307
100. Interred With Their Bones, Jennifer Lee Carrell. Mystery 10-21 416
101. Cheating at Canasta, William Trevor. Short Stories 10-26 232
102. Run, Ann Patchett. Fiction 10-31 295

November
103. C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race, Geoff Williams. Running 11-4 303
104. The Gathering, Anne Enright. Fiction 11-6 261
105. Shakespeare, Bill Bryson. Biography 11-10 196
106. Blonde Faith, Walter Mosley. Mystery 11-11 308
107. Then We Came to the End, Joshua Ferris. Fiction 11-14 385
108. Away, Amy Bloom. Fiction 11-18 335
109. Fieldwork, Mischa Berlinski. Fiction 11-21 314
110. You Don’t Love Me Yet, Jonathan Lethem. Fiction 11-23 224
111. Like You’d Understand Anyway, Jim Shepard. Fiction 11-27 211

December
112. Ralph Ellison, Arnold Rampersad. Biography 12-1 566
113. Out Stealing Horses, Per Petterson. Fiction 12-2 258
114. Varieties of Disturbance, Lydia Davis. Fiction 12-6 219
115. The Power of Experience, ed. Jeremy Janes. Fiction 12-6 221
116. Returning to Earth, Jim Harrison. Fiction 12-12 280
117. American Creation, Joseph Ellis. History 12-13 243
118. Gentlemen of the Road, Michael Chabon. Fiction 12-14 204
119. Secondhand World, Katherine Min. Fiction 12-16 274
120. The Uncommon Reader, Alan Bennett. Fiction 12-18 120
121. The Tenth Muse, Judith Jones. Food 12-22 282
122. Every Visible Thing, Lisa Carey. Fiction 12-24 306
123. George H.W. Bush, Timothy Naftali. Biography 12-25 176
124. Sacred, Dennis Lehane. Mystery 12-26 288
125. Man Gone Down, Michael Thomas. Fiction 12-31 428