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.