One of the best
things about being a reader is surely discovering a great book and
then raving about it to all your friends. However, it's also true
that sometimes the best books may not be raved about enough. So
then, to remedy this, we've asked Readings staff and booksellers to
come up with their top overlooked books for 2011 - overlooked not
so much because they haven’t got plenty of praise and fans already,
but because we’re such big fans that we reckon they deserve even
more.
Reading my Father
Alexandra Styron
Alexandra Styron’s father, William Styron, the Pulitzer
Prize-winning author of
Sophie's Choice, is still widely regarded as a giant of
American letters. Part memoir, part elegy, this is her fascinating
account of what it was like to grow up with a man of such a famed
public profile who also battled with major depression. Written with
great sensitivity and courage.
Townie
Andre Dubus III
Growing up under the care of his mother in a Massachusetts mill
town saturated with drugs and crime, Andre Dubus III taught himself
to fight on the streets in order to survive. Nearby, and a world
apart, his father, a prestigious author, taught at a collage
campus. In order to bridge the gap, Debus began to write, and the
result is Townie, a riveting memoir about a fight both
physical and personal.
What the world will look like when all the water leaves
us
Laura van den Berg
A short story collection that deserved far more attention than it
may have received over here. Laura van den Berg gives her
characters – all of whom are women – true depth and colour. Their
narratives are linked both by a quiet sense of dislocation and
misdirection, as well through the lonely natural landscapes and
mythic creatures that surround them. Waiting in anticipation for
her forthcoming novel too.
Zazen
Vanessa Veselka
One of the most original voices to make their debut in years,
Zazen
is Vanessa Veselka's thoroughly breathtaking portrait of America on
the brink. War A is small and is no longer a threat, yet War B is
in full flower. While people plan their exodus to other continents,
Della drifts through life as a waitress at a vegan diner amid
street bombs, streaming television and counterculture, until one
day she fabricates a bombing of her own, to shocking
consequences.
Berlin Syndrome
Melanie Joosten
A tense, tightly-paced debut from Melbourne author Melanie Joosten.
One day, Clare meets Andi in Berlin in they go home together. But
that’s where the ordinariness of their relationship ends. As the
title suggests, this is a chilling, finely wrought take on
Stockholm Syndrome by an author we can’t wait to hear more
from.
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
Tom Franklin
It can be hard sorting the wheat from the chaff in the world of
crime writing, but this taut murder story set in Amos, Mississippi
definitely deserves another look. A girl goes missing, a drug
dealer is killed, and Silas Jones’s one-time friend, Ott, himself
suspected of a murder, has his life threatened. As sole law
enforcer, Jones finds himself alone in uncovering the mystery.
The Cookbook Collector
Allegra Goodman
The latest from US National Book Award shortlisted novelist Allegra
Goodman was easy to miss this year. Described as ‘Sense
and Sensibility for the internet age’ this is a story of
the lives of two vastly different sisters, set against a thematic
backdrop of the dot com boom, life after 9/11, conservation and the
lasting impact of our literary classics.
How to Be a Woman
Caitlin Moran
Sometimes a good, smart, funny rant is hard to find. But this year
we need look no further than Caitlin Moran’s
How to be a Women, which takes on the big questions about
contemporary feminism, pop culture and social expectations, and
wins.
A History of the World Since 9/11
Dominic Streatfeild
So much more than just a history book, this is an elegant
collection of memoir and investigative journalism at its narrative
best. Streatfeild shows how the lives of millions around the world
- from those at an Afghani wedding party to a gas station
proprietor in Texas and a planespotter in Mallorca - have been
affected, sometimes devastatingly, by the American response to the
attacks on the Twin Towers.
Riding the Trains in Japan
Patrick Holland
This book might seem too recent to suggest it’s flying under the
radar, but we still think that Brisbane-based Holland is something
of an under-recognised talent considering what's here.
Riding the Trains in Japan is travel reportage across
Asia, distinguished by a novelist’s eye for a good tale, a deep
knowledge of the cultural, religious and philosophical traditions
of the lands he traverses, and a gently melancholic registration of
the inroads of liquid modernity into the fabled cultures of the
East.
Other 'best of 2011' lists:
Best overlooked books picked by:
Jo Case is
the editor of Readings Monthly and associate editor of
Kill Your Darlings journal. You can follow her on Twiiter
- @jocaseau.
Martin
Shaw, Readings’ Books Division Manager, is what they call a “career
bookseller”, which might be an interesting concept as the world
turns “E”. Formerly an avid fiction reader, now “Jolly Jumper”
supervisor to an adorable 7-month-old. Follow him on twitter -
@thebooksdesk
Jessica Au is
from Readings St Kilda and is the author of
Cargo.
