It's been fun reading all the Best Books of 2009 lists. Now that you have a full slate of highly recommended books, here's a few that I absolutely do not recommend. Back away from these books. Or read them and weep. Presenting...The Stinkers of 2009.
Not on the List: The Worst Book I Ever Read
#1. Snark by David Denby. Although I appreciate a good snark as much as anybody, I was looking forward to the book-length argument by Denby on why snark should be avoided. Sadly, Denby had difficulty even defining snark, although he indulged in it rather often considering he was condemning it. Not very persuasive.
#2. About Face by Donna Leon. I enjoyed the earlier Venice-based murder mysteries of Donna Leon, but lately, the mysteries have taken a back seat to Leon's various causes and peeves. Here's a rule for murder mysteries – there should be at least one murder and it should take place somewhere near the beginning of the book. In About Face, there had been no murder when I left off over halfway through. The only mystery that had been solved by the time I returned the book, unfinished, to the library, had to do with a botched plastic surgery job for a rich socialite. Yawn.
#3. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby. For me, it's all or nothing with Hornby. I liked About a Boy and High Fidelity. Love his non-fiction. But Fever Pitch and How to Be Good left me cold. So when I got caught up in the characters of Juliet, Naked, I thought this would be a winner. Then there was an odd episode with some middle-aged break dancers. Ignoring what should have been a warning, I continued. The second half of the book fell apart, but I forged on, hoping a strong ending would save the day. Nope.
#4. Tinsel: A Search for America's Christmas Present by Hank Stuever. This one promised to be an amusing look at the commercialization of Christmas in America. I've read some of Stuever's newspaper and magazine articles and they've been informative and entertaining. Tinsel was just too much of a good thing, perhaps. Stuever spends several Christmas seasons in Frisco, Texas, mocking the woman who professionally decorates homes for Christmas, patronizing the nerdy dude who programs the spectacular musical Christmas light show in the town plaza, and poking fun at the people putting on the pageant at the Megachurch. By the halfway point I was snarked out. Maybe David Denby was right, after all.
Just for the record, here are my Best Books of 2009:
Spiral Jetta: A Road Trip Through the Land Art of the American West
Collections of Nothing by William Davies King
The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British by Sarah Lyall
The American 1930s: A Literary History by Peter Conn
No Girls in the Clubhouse by Marilyn Cohen
Now, what are your nominations for Worst Books of 2009?
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Deven McKay
Ersatz Reader
Donna Ski
Christine Bollerud
Felisa Rogers
lasomnambule
Salon.com
Comments
R
I also agree about the all-or-nothingness of Hornby. His nonfiction is fabulous, *High Fidelity* and "About a Boy* were great, but so much other fiction I've tried to read by him is bad. Yet I keep trying. When he carries off that combination of witty writing and sadder undertones, it's worth it.
Ditto for Lorrie Moore. I'd put her *Gate at the Stairs* in "The Most Disappointing Novel" category for 2009. A completely paper-thin and unconvincing young protagonist. However, Moore is usually a wonderful writer, and I'll always keep trying with her.
john b. -- Like so much fiction (it seems to me), it starts out strong, but ends up going nowhere. Or I may just be missing the point.
Martha -- You're right - I could have called this list "Most Disappointing." It's all about expectations. Which is why, I suppose, I was not disappointed by Lost Symbol. It exceeded my very low expectations and I rather enjoyed it. (Uh oh, I think I'm losing any credibility I may have had here.)
Steve -- I start at least as many books as I finish. For this list I stuck to books I had actually read most of. That narrowed the competition. For instance, Superfreakonomics would have made the list if I hadn't quit after the first chapter.
Pat Conroy's South Of Broad
Looking forward to your next post!