2008 Best Of Lists

Best fiction of the year:

* City of Thieves, by David Benioff
* A Woman in Jerusalem, by A. B. Yehoslua
* Lamb, by Christopher Moore

Best non-fiction of the year:

* Step by Step, by Bertie Bowman
* Inside the Jihad, by Omar Nasiri
* A Complaint Free World, by Will Bowen
* Dear Mr. President, by Pink (not a book, but still the best)

The year-end numbers are in, and a bit higher than prior years: 151 books read, of which 39 were non-fiction and 112 fiction. Based on the queue of 48 books in my "to-be-read" stack, (compared to only 28 on the stack entering 2008), it would be good for me to keep up the pace.

The sacred book of the werewolf, by Victor Pelevin

I've read some strange books and I've read many books I've not liked very much. But this may be the strangest disliked book I've read in a long time.

Why would I make such a negative statement? The book is about A Hu-li, a 2000+ year old were-fox / human female prostitute. She bedazzles clients with her magical tail (as in a fox's tail, not as in ... well, never mind). She meets a were-wolf. Or dog. But perhaps this is all really a metaphor for life in Russia today. There's lots of ponderous prose.

At this point I was going to quote from the book to make my point about the prose. But it was so distasteful, so painful, that I just can't do it. I'd tell you to find the book at a library and see for yourself, but that recommendation seems needlessly cruel.

Exit Music, by Ian Rankin

It turns out that this is the terminal novel in a series featuring the character of Scottish detective Inspector Rebus. I'd not read any prior. I found the dialog and plot lines to be very interesting. The ending was a bit open ended, which is apparently precisely the effect the author sought, but isn't the neat and tidy closure one usually finds in a mystery novel. Still, it was quite good. But I'm not motivated to read the earlier books in the series.

Angel's Tip, by Alafair Burke

I really enjoyed this mystery. You could tell there was a prior novel featuring the same main character, but Ms. Burke wasn't annoying about the links, so it didn't bug me too much. The dialog, plot line and action were all very good.

Black Flies, by Shannon Burke

This is an outstandingly great book. It grabbed me right from the start. A novel, but it reads as though it could be non-fiction. Definitely on my top-ten list for the year.

Nudge, by Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein

Nudge is both highly entertaining and highly frightening. The latter because it exposes the degree to which we can be manipulated into sub-optimal personal decisions just by the way that choices are framed.

I'm not exactly sure what to do with my new-found understanding of how subtle nudges change my decisions. But I'm glad I read the book.

Gentlemen of the Road, by Michael Chabon

I remembered about two paragraphs into this book that I'd read it before. But it was already so much fun, I decided to keep going. That was the right choice; this is a delightful little novel.

Be the Pack Leader, by Cesar Millan

Millan is best known for his TV show "Dog Whisperer." In this, his second book, Millan gives more details and anecdotes about how to train the humans who inevitably seem the cause of dog behavior problems.

The rules are simple: remember that dogs are first of all dogs. Millan says you must train yourself to understand that your dog is first an animal. Second, a dog. Third, a particular breed (or mix) of dog (with associated behavioral tendencies). And only then, your companion.

This isn't so easy for dog owners. He points to near-empty nesters who treat their dog as a baby (and better than their kid). And to guilt ridden office workers who don't spend much time with their dog and spoil it.

Millan says the key to having a successful dog is: exercise, discipline, affection. In that order.

He looks for 45 minutes to one hour each morning of dog exercise (dog following the human, who must be the pack leader), and again in the evening (for perhaps a slightly shorter time). Millan says that just running around in a fenced yard is insufficient. This is for many reasons, including the need for the dog to have a mission - and that a directed walk, following her pack leader, provides that raison d'etre for the dog.

One of my personal take-aways from this is that dog ownership is quite different from having a pet hamster or gold fish. There's considerable work and time required. Not just for the daily walks, the animals maintenance and training. But also mental work, to think clearly about the signals you send the animal, to think clearly about how to best challenge it, train it, and keep it interested as well, physically and mentally.

Anyone for a Pleo instead?

Exposed, by Alex Kava

This mediocre mystery had the potential to be good. Some characters were well developed. Others disappeared from my attention. It felt rushed. The story line was okay, but the writing was uneven.

The Killing Ground, by Jack Higgins

This paperback was passed to me by a friend who commented that there were too many characters and it was hard to follow what was going on. Now having read it, I'd say the critique was right: there were too many characters that I care nothing about, because there was zero character development of them.

On top of that, the dialogue was hackneyed. The writing was choppy. I can't find a single good thing to say about this novel.

This book is terrible. How is it a publisher actually produces this sort of tripe? I don't believe in burning books, ever. But if I really needed some kindling, this one would be a candidate.