The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I understand why this book has become such a nerd cult classic. There's a lot going on in the expertly woven multi-strand plot, from murder-mystery to thriller, to family epic, but if there is a universal stream to the many plot-lines it is the uncovering of the darkness lurking beneath respectable facades in finance, in families, in social services, and in the human heart. Heroes in this story are the people who, sometimes at great personal cost, expose and fight (as best as they can) lurking corruption and evil. Mikael Blomkvist, the idealistic reporter and Lisbeth Salander, the fierce, eccentric, brilliant and damaged hacker, make an unlikely underdog team. Blomkvist has recently retreated from a fight with a corrupt corporation he was investigating which has so manipulated the flow of information and the legal justice system as to successfully sue him for libel. Facing jail time and with his magazine on the brink of collapse, he has little choice but to take the strange job of investigating a 40 year old crime. The disappearance of Harriet Vanger, the favorite niece of the head of an old family firm, the Vanger group, has baffled police for decades, and Blomkvist himself believes he's on a fool's errand. But when he begins to turn up overlooked clues, the plot thickens, gets incredibly dark, and Salander and Blomkvist turn up far more than they expected or bargained for.
But it's complex, fascinating, misunderstood Lisbeth Salander who really gives the novel its soul. Her past is mysterious, but it's clear she's been underestimated by nearly everyone around her. In her mid-twenties she is a tattooed, pierced ward of the state, under guardianship. However, she also works for a security firm as a freelance investigator, and her reports on individuals and companies are known for being brilliant and almost impossibly detailed. She also has a reputation for being thorny and difficult, almost impossible to work with or befriend. Her hermit habits make her an easy target for abuse. But people who get in her way soon regret it, and it becomes clear that she has an unwavering sense of justice as well as a clear-eyed view of humanity.
The plot takes awhile to get going (think Tom Clancy-esque long wind-up) but once all the dominoes are in place and begin to fall, it is explosive. Larsson managed to create a serious novel about big ideas that also happens to be a bad-ass read, and I heartily approve. He's very concerned with issues of social justice, particularly in regards to women and sexual violence, and what a way to get that message out. As explicit as it gets, he's really trying, like his protagonists, to shine some light on a complicated and dark social problem. Larsson's characters are very real, believable creations with their own baggage and flaws who are nevertheless trying their best to survive, out the truth, find love, and in Salander's case, dispense justice.

Angel Time

Anne Rice is one interesting lady. I read her probably-best-known book, Interview with the Vampire when I was in college and was drawn in by the dark intensity of it. But I don't think I understood how spiritual even that particular classic vampire tale was until I read some of the books she wrote after her conversion to Christianity in 2002 and did a double-take on how much her vampire stories are about the struggle against damnation and despair. She's writing with the same passionate intensity, and the same willingness to gaze into the darkness, but there's an unapologetic theme of hope and redemption in her stories now.
Angel Time features Toby the lute-playing hit man with a deeply buried heart, accosted by the angel Malchiah who wants to give him a chance at redemption and send him into the world to use his unique gifts on the side of the angels. His first assignment happens to be in 13th century England, using every diplomatic sleight-of-hand and subterfuge he can muster to save innocent local Jews from becoming victims of ignorant superstition and violence. I loved how detailed Rice's characterization of Toby is- this is a thriller but it is also a psychological and spiritual study of a human heart- what happens to twist it, how no-one is beyond redemption, and really cool speculation on what goes on in the spiritual realm underneath everyday circumstances. Also, I dig the musical references. A hit man who is a musical genius on the lute? Really that's all you need to know about the strange, thought-provoking, fascinating genre-smooshing blend that is this book.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is so good, but I almost hesitate to put this book up here because the looming tragedy of the story is palpable from page one. But it's so beautifully put together with prose like Robert Frost's poetry- woodsy, direct, honest and dark around the edges- that I felt compelled.
Part John Steinbeck-esque American family epic, part coming-of-age tale, part ghost story, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle follows the tumultuous events of the title character's young adulthood. His father and mother make a living breeding and training their extraordinarily intelligent dogs, and Edgar can't imagine any other life. Cracks appear in their tight-knit family when Edgar's troubled, enigmatic uncle Claude reappears after a years-long absence and reinserts himself into the life of the family and kennel. When Edgar's father dies unexpectedly, Edgar is the only one who suspects that something is not quite right about his death. I really can't say much more without spoilers, but it really is a beautiful, haunted book with some very believable, unique characters and real things to say about families, growing up, trusting your instincts, and the deep friendships that are possible between humans and dogs. But don't read the ending alone in the dark at midnight like I did. Bad idea.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

Sherlock Holmes has retired to the country to work on his magnum opus of detection and keep bees. But as he is following bees through the hills one day, he runs across the brilliant, damaged, somewhat prickly Mary Russell. When she deduces what he is doing, and shocks him by solving his current bee tracking mystery for him, a complicated and intellectually stimulating relationship is born. Mary becomes Holmes' apprentice and friend, and of course Scotland Yard eventually calls Holmes out of retirement on a desperately important case.
The only thing better than finding this book was discovering that it's a whole series. Laurie R. King weaves smart mysteries that are worthy successors to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classics. I think the character of Holmes is pitch perfect- that King does a convincing job of peeking in on Holmes the man without revealing too much, distorting his character, or dissolving into sappiness. Of course, giving Holmes a female apprentice lends the series a distinctly feminist flavor in the sense that King quite clearly believes that women can be just as observant, intelligent, and scholarly as men, but I never felt like Mary Russell as a character stomps Holmes or men in general. I couldn't put it down, especially once the plot thickens and Russell and Holmes set off solving mysteries together.

Good Omens

This book was a product of a lot of excited shouting over the telephone (at least to hear Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman tell it.) I mean, they should know since they wrote the thing. Young authors having a blast throwing ideas back and forth is a seriously cool way for a cult classic to be born. It's a lot of absurd, highly irreverent, strangely thought-provoking fun.
To summarize the plot would be foolhardy, but it involves a book of prophecies done by a witch by the name of Agnes Nutter, all of which actually come true, an unlikely comradeship/partnership between the somewhat fussy angel Aziraphale and the slick, cynical, modern demon Crowley to prevent the End of Days (scheduled for next Saturday), a misplaced budding Antichrist gradually becoming aware of his awesome powers, unguided by either angels or demons, and the assertion that any tapes left in a car for too long inexplicably turn into "The Best of Queen". Well, it's true.

Bitter is the New Black

Jen Lancaster, I have nothing in common with you. But you're pretty hilarious. In a twisted, oh how I hated girls like you in high school kind of a way. The book is subtitled "Or why you should never carry a Prada bag to the unemployment office". Sage advice, ladies.
This unlikely book grew out of a blog done by an unemployed ex-V.P. of marketing and sales who is (well, was), by her own admission, and complete egomaniacal, selfish bitch. She sails through her charmed life, maxing out credit cards and squishing all the little people on her way to the top (she is very VERY good at what she does). Her tales of manipulation, humiliation (of other people, of course) and extravagant shopping change (slowly but inevitably) when she loses her job in a corporate merger. Apparently, she has made an enemy or two over the years, because it's much more difficult to find a job than she could have ever expected. As she gradually loses everything (except her pets and her long-suffering boyfriend) she begins to re-evaluate her life and priorities.
Jen Lancaster really does have a gift for telling horrible terrible life stories in a way that is uproarious. If you have a Y chromosome, you will probably hate this book. But if you're female and enjoy laughing until you pee yourself at snarky, witty stories, read it.

The Dark Tower series

So I'm a big nerd. Sci fi and fantasy books, when done well, are my absolute favorite. So after my third fellow fantasy-loving book geek told me I needed to read Stephen King's epic fantasy series, I caved. I expected the literary version of a horror movie (lots of special effects and bad dialogue). I'd never read anything by him, but I mean, it's Stephen King, master of creepiness.
This series is not for the faint of heart. Seven volumes. 10,000 pages. While not a story that exists simply to creep, it is pretty grim. Legal fine-print out of the way...
This is actually really good. King's dealing with very big ideas. Our hero is on a quest across great expanses of space and time to climb the Dark Tower, source of all power in all universes, and challenge whoever he might find at the top. He wants to know why the world is winding down and falling apart, and stop it if he can. Roland of Gilead, the last Gunslinger (a kind of a cross between a knight of the round table and a Clint Eastwood cowboy hero) is haunted by tragedy. His quest for the Dark Tower has demanded everything of him, and has caused the death of nearly everyone he has ever loved. He draws three adventurers to him from out of our world into Mid-World, where he is, to join him in his quest. Their quest ranges across space and time, with many adventures, rescues, close calls with dark villans, monsters, demons, and a talking dog along the way.
It's intense, compelling, fascinating, had me in tears more than once. At the end of volume 4, I threw the book across the room, it was that upsetting. The ending of the series (at least for the supporting characters) was beautiful.
On the downside, sometimes it rambles. Some volumes fit together neatly, in others King has to do some deus ex machina mumbo jumbo because he's painted himself into a corner. He writes himself into the story in volume 6, which I think was pretentious, but I'm sure I'm not the first one to accuse him of that for that particular trick.
It's the master-work of a pretty good writer haunted by great ideas, and if you like fantasy and don't mind the dark, it's well worth it.

Trouble

"If you build your house far away from trouble, then trouble will never find you" is the mantra of Henry's upper-class father and current custodian of the rock steady, 300-year-old family house by the New England sea. But everything changes for the comfortable, tidy, rooted Smiths when their oldest son Franklin is struck and gravely injured by a car. The fact that the car was driven by a teenage Cambodian refugee (who, by the way, had been bullied by Franklin and his friends) adds a few more layers to the Trouble. Racial tensions in the town ignite, and when Franklin succumbs to his injuries, Henry decides he needs to hitch-hike to and climb Mount Katahdin as he was planning to do with his brother. Only, the only driver who will pick him (and his friend, and his dog that he rescued from the sea) up is Chay, the guy whose truck hit Franklin.
Man this book is good. It's written for young adults, but completely transcendent of its genre and reading level. The plot twists around in beautiful and unexpected ways- layers on layers, and everything interconnects. Gary Schmidt tackles real issues here- death, racism, the moral ambiguity of lying to protect the person you love, the impossibility of dodging grief in life, the tragedies that happen when you try. I mean with all those issues, the book should feel like dragging your feet through wet concrete. And at times it's pretty emotionally hefty, but there is also a lot of Grace (first bounding into the story in the form of Black Dog, the bedraggled, irrepressibly friendly animal Henry saves from the sea. There are light-hearted moments all through. There's some real friendship recognized and created.
I love what Gary Schmidt finally pulls out of all this: forgiveness is freeing. Grace is the way to live well with Trouble, because you sure can't hide from it.

World War Z

At some point in the not-too-distant future, the world has struggled back from a zombie apocalypse. Humanity was nearly destroyed, but thanks to the toughness and resourcefulness of some, we were able to globally mount a resistance and fight the undead hordes back. Max Brooks subtitles his book, "An Oral History of the Zombie War", and it reads just that way- each chapter is an interview or story of a survivor. (Obviously) many of the stories are deeply creepy and gory, some are very moving, and a few "survivors" obviously trampled on as many heads as it took to obtain their own safety, making you loathe the scum. Brooks' portrayal of a world-wide catastrophe and various governmental and individual responses was so realistic that this book has actually been studied by several different groups in the field of disaster-preparedness.
Really well-written and gripping- a great investigation of human nature in crisis; it really digs into all the dirty dealings, and ineptitude and heroics that crises bring out in people. And for a crazy premise, it feels disturbingly plausible. Did I mention there's a sequel? It's a handbook of everything you need to survive in a zombie apocalypse. Always keep your baseball bat handy, kids.

Tolstoy Lied

Sometimes you pick up a book just because the title grabs you. And the fact that a reference to the opening line of Anna Karenina did that for me gives you all a good idea of how often I go clubbing or whether I might wear horn rimmed glasses or potentially get excited about NPR programming. It's a love story, a quirky, thoughtful one. Rachel Kadish, the author, is taking issue with Tolstoy's quote "Happy families are all alike- each unhappy family is miserable in its own way", and the implication that happiness in life and literature is boring and the only interesting subject material is tragic. I think she's absolutely right in her criticism of this trend- it's annoying and depressing. Ugh. It's particularly bad in modern lit. I drop prospective reading material like a.p. calculus when I read the word "bleak" in a blurb on the back cover. "Bleak" is not a compliment, dammit!
Kadish rambles a bit, but I like her novel's mix of English professor trying to balance a serious (but not bleak) career while falling in love (of course it can't go completely smoothly); I like her philosophical asides on books and romance and marriage, and yes, I like the happy ending.

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

This book really should sink under the weight of its own braininess, but it's just too good to ever quite do it. Warning: if you are not an over-educated English major, former homeschooler who read way too many classics of Western literature, or didn't really pay close attention in those college English classes, this probably won't tickle your pickle. For example, Blue, the hero, narrates and footnotes her life as she goes along like a good little scholar and the titles of the chapters are titles of classic works of literature.
But I know I could sure relate to the over-educated, under-socialized, emotionally scarred protagonist who lives her life in books until her senior year of high school. 'Course her circumstances are a little unusual. Her mother died when she was young, and her charismatic, pedantic, extremely liberal political science professor of a father takes off guest lecturing across the country, daughter in tow. The whole thing starts off as a meandering, almost-too-smart coming-of-age novel. Blue, the heroine, settles down at an exclusive private school for her Senior year, is befriended by the fascinating film teacher Hannah and pulled into her small orbit of prodigies. Relationships, drama, first love- All of these eventually give way to a dramatic murder mystery that develops into conspiracy-theory thriller to rival the Da Vinci Code.
One of the most original books I've read. If nothing else, you'll get to say hello to all the S.A.T. words you've been pining for so desperately since high school. And I think it's absolutely incredible that this was Marisha Pessl's first novel.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Ever read a book that made you desperately wish you could buttonhole the characters and demand they immediately become your friends? That's this book. Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows create a witty, plucky English author who has used her literary gifts in wry short stories that manage to make a nation under fire laugh a little- no small feat. But she needs a new project, one a little more substantial. Inspiration comes in the form of a letter from a man she has never met who lives on the Guernsey Islands (which were occupied by the Nazis during the war). He and his friends accidentally created an unusual and eclectic literary society that becomes something rich and extraordinary in the lives of all its colorful members.
The book is epistolary for the most part- written as letters back and forth- a form I usually abhor as something contrived and frankly rather boring; here it's fresh, witty, and impossible to put down. I startled my husband several times by bursting into laughter reading this book, but I think he became slightly concerned when he caught me wandering through the kitchen with a stricken expression and tears streaming down my cheeks. Amazing story about the power of really great books, true friends, deep tragedy and triumph over it, and of course, true love. The best book I read this year, and one of my new favorites.

The Hunger Games

Could a concept for a young adult book trilogy be a little darker please? In a future America ruled by an evil totalitarian government, the twisted punishment for a rebellion generations ago is for each district of the country to randomly choose two teenagers to fight to the death in the Arena. Worse, the Hunger Games are a giant production and mandatory televised sport. Gutsy Katniss volunteers for her Appalachian district in place of her beloved younger sister and is immediately swept into a world of glamour, danger, and forced brutality where each decision is life-or-death for her- but as she fights to save herself, her desperate choices make her a hero for an entire oppressed country.
Fast-paced, gritty, and moving, Collins creates a fascinating plot and a deeply nuanced character in Katniss. Growing up is hard enough without having to fight for your life to do it, but you're rooting for this tough- skinned survivor of a heroine every step of the way. Seriously, if this book doesn't at least make you tear up a little, you might want to check and make sure you still have a soul.
*Some of the scenes get pretty graphic. Young kiddos might want to use caution.