2011 Reads

I love to read, and get through a book a week on average.  As a general rule, I prefer to read fiction, and listen to non-fiction in audiobook format when available.  In 2011 I allowed myself to do something I rarely do; that is, re-read books I've already read.  Generally, there are so many books I want to read that I feel guilty "going back."  However, it had been about eight years since I was introduced to Neal Stephenson's masterful Cryptonomicon, and after rereading it, I just had to reread his "Baroque Cycle."  I can honestly say that I enjoyed all four books even more this time around.  These rereads (and their historical settings) led me back to the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey-Maturin novels, which I've just started again.

A brief note: I'm a member of Shelfari, a social networking site for book lovers; I use it as a place to host books I've read, am reading, or plan to.  You can find overviews, details and reviews of just about any book there, as well as add your own.  So I'll refrain from posting links to each individual book and encourage you to explore my shelf (get it? Shelf + Safari = Shelfari!), and hopefully join, on your own. 

My chronological reading list for this past year (notables in bold, with brief notes):
1. The Street Lawyer, by John Grisham
2. Xenocide, by Orson Scott Card
3. A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule The Future, by Daniel H. Pink (audio)
4. Everyday Immortality, by Deepak Chopra (audio)
5. The Algebraist, by Iain Banks
6. Children of the Mind, by Orson Scott Card
7. Destiny of Souls, by Michael Newton - the followup to Journey of Souls, a thought-provoking book that challenged my conception of the after-life and, ultimately, our purpose for being
8. Black Elk Speaks, by Black Elk & John G. Neihardt
9. Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield (audio)
10. Surface Detail, by Iain M. Banks - Mr. Banks' Culture Series is a favorite, and this latest novel explores the digital striation of reality into virtual "hells" at the behest of technologically advanced, yet moralistic and corrupt, interstellar civilizations
11. Muse of Fire, by Dan Simmons
12. The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family, by Patrick Lencioni (audio)
13. Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days, by Alastair Reynolds
14. Rework, by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
15. When Giants Walked the Earth, by Mick Wall
16. The Starfish and the Spider (audio)
17. The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown
18. I Don't Want To Talk About It, by Terrence Real
19. Conversations With God: An Uncommon Dialogue, Book 1, by Neale Donald Walsch (audio) - a big, bold statement of spiritual solace when I needed it most
20. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson (reread) - on my favorites list. This, my introduction to the brilliance of Neal Stephenson, is still his most complete work; all 928 pages of its epic, genre-jumping excitement
21. 50 Success Classics, by Tom Butler-Bowdon (audio)
22. Feeling Good, by David D. Burns, M.D.
23. Life After Loss, by Bob Deits (audio)
24. The Bridge, by Iain Banks
25. Lincoln On Leadership, by Donald T. Phillips (audio)
26. Transition, by Iain M. Banks
27. Protecting the Gift, by Gavin de Becker
28. The Testament, by John Grisham
29. Hope for the Separated, by Gary Chapman (audio)
30. The Runaway Jury, by John Grisham
31. The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker (audio)
32. Ender's Shadow, by Orson Scott Card
33. Way of the Peaceful Warrior - A Book That Changes Lives, by Dan Millman 
34. The Partner, by John Grisham
35. Quicksilver: Book 1, Quicksilver, by Neal Stephenson (reread)
36. Quicksilver: Book 2, King of the Vagabonds, by Neal Stephenson (reread)
37. Quicksilver: Book 3, Odalisque, by Neal Stephenson (reread)
38. The Now Habit, by Neil A. Fiore (audio)
39. The Confusion, Book 4: Bonanza, by Neal Stephenson (reread)
40. The Confusion, Book 5: Juncto, by Neal Stephenson (reread)
41. Ender in Exile, by Orson Scott Card
42. 50 Psychology Classics, by Tom Butler-Bowdon (audio)
43. Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes, by William Bridges (audio)
44. The System of the World, Book 6: Solomon's Gold, by Neal Stephenson (reread)
45. The System of the World, Book 7: Currency, by Neal Stephenson (reread)
46. The System of the World, Book 8: The System of the World, by Neal Stephenson (reread) - for the entire Baroque Cycle: sprawling, sensational, superlative, a masterful tour-de-force of imagination, adventure, and hilarity.  Historical fiction like none other.
47. Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness, by William Styron - As one who has battled depression, I include these most eloquently descriptive quotes from the author in their entirety:

"And this results in a striking experience - one which I have called, borrowing military terminology, the situation of the walking wounded.  For in virtually any other serious sickness, a patient who felt similar devastation would be lying flat in bed, possibly sedated and hooked up to the tubes and wires of life-support systems, but at the very least in a posture of repose and in an isolated setting.  His invalidism would be necessary, unquestioned and honorably attained.  However, the sufferer from depression has no such option and therefore finds himself, like a walking casualty of war, thrust into the most intolerable social and family situations.  There he must, despite the anguish devouring his brain, present a face approximating the one that is associated with ordinary events and companionship.  He must try to utter small talk, and be responsive to questions, and knowingly nod and frown and, God help him, even smile.  But it is a fierce trial attempting to speak a few simple words."

"For those who have dwelt in depression's dark wood, and known its inexplicable agony, their return from the abyss is not unlike the ascent of the poet, trudging upward and upward out of hell's black depths and at last emerging into what he saw as "the shining world."  There, whoever has been restored to health has almost always been restored to the capacity for serenity and joy, and this may be indemnity enough for having endured the despair beyond despair.

E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.

And so we came forth, and once again beheld the stars."

This is a short yet insightful, and very personal, document.
48. The Brethren, by John Grisham
49. Authentic Happiness, by Martin E. P. Seligman (audio)
50. Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brian (reread) - and so it begins (again)... this first of 21 immersive historical novels set on the sea of the Napoleonic Wars. A great introduction to the series, and the basis, melded with a few of the other novels, for the Russell Crowe film that, thankfully, does the series justice.  If you've ever wanted to dive into the late 18th-century British Navy, start here!