Reflecting on the Year in Books and Book Blogging

2011 feels like it was a big year for change in a lot of ways--in publishing, books, how and why we read what we do, and also book blogging itself. Maybe some of these changes are just changes for me...I once rode in on a new wave of book blogging and now something else has taken its place and at times I feel a bit lost. I've had to evaluate exactly what I'm doing and why and what matters most to me in all of this, otherwise I'd probably just stop altogether...I very nearly did this year, after all. I've watched some of my own favorite book bloggers drop the title of book blogger--something we used to be proud of that sort of...bonded us together as a community? others leave Twitter, many go professional, and still others nearly disappear altogether. I used to feel like I had a sort of segment of the community that I belonged to, but there have been so many divisions now, some of them ugly, some just the natural way things progress as time passes. And yet...despite all of this, there's a warmth I feel when in the company of fellow readers, a way that blogging about books is a part of my life that I don't want to lose. YOU all are part of my life and I don't want to lose you even if I can't be a book blogger in the way that I used to. And so I guess that's what I learned at the end of the day, that what I value about book blogging the most are the connections and friends that I've made along the way, and the way I've learned to think smarter and better about what I read. There's something so comforting about knowing that while we each live our own lives, we also share a sort of life on our blogs. I like it. Let's not kill it completely okay? Evolution is a weird thing, and this evolving as a blogger thing has been one of the most interesting for me, because I certainly never expected to find myself at this particular point. In short? What I care about: reading good books, talking about them, making and keeping good friends, being smarter, and having a record of what I've read in a year. What I don't care about: Discovering the next great book, having a million readers that I have no interaction with, marketing and selling books just for the sake of marketing and selling books. Admittedly, I used to have a lot of internal conflict over some of these, but not anymore.

As far as the actual title of book blogger...well I still consider myself one because that IS what I blog the most about, but it doesn't really matter to me one way or another. I didn't originally create this blog to be a book blog and I do blog about other stuff so if that doesn't make me a book blogger so be it.

But! On top of all that stuff, I thought this post I wrote back at the beginning of the year was very timely. In A Dying Way of Life, I discussed how I could see our bookish way of life coming to an end. And since then I watched another used local bookstore close and just today (well on Thursday when you read this) I learned the local Book Warehouse is closing. I just feel so much grief and some of it is ridiculous because it's not like I NEED physical bookstores, it's just that I have a really hard time letting things go. I don't know if I will like a world better where we all read on electronic devices and our interests are even more divided and fragmented than ever before. I will miss just browsing the shelves, eavesdropping on complete strangers' bookish conversations and just being in a place where books matter. Who knows what 2012 holds? I wouldn't be surprised if one of the big things that happens is that even more bookstores close.

In other news, a few other of my favorite posts this year:

My post about Reader's Block

Jealousy and Book Bloggers

I also admitted that I prefer female authors to male authors, and don't feel guilty about it. Much.

And just for nostalgia's sake, my tumblr post about missing the early days of book blogging.

I'm sure the coming year will bring many other changes to my blogging life and reading life, and hopefully personal life as well. But I do hope I'll be back at the end of 2012 to review the year once again. :)

2011 -- The Year in Books

I am so hesitant about posting this two days early, especially as I have a long day of travel on the 30th during which I will probably read at least one more book. But I am not going to get another chance to really write for awhile, so here goes! (Also these are my favorite reads of the year, not necessarily books published in 2011)

You Are My Only by Beth Kephart (I never wrote a review)

This year was really kind of strange for me, and there were periods of time where I struggled a lot with just feeling down. It's weird, too, how sometimes you don't see that if you aren't enjoying the things you used to love you might be depressed? Even if you don't recognize it as such at the time. Well that was this year and reading for me. I don't even know how to explain it, but it was a really tough reading year. And so I actually put off reading You Are My Only for a time, because it's Beth's book and I wanted to love it and not read it when I hated the very thought of reading. I don't even remember why I finally picked it up, but I read it straight through staying up until the early morning hours, and weeping as I reached the end of the book. Beth masterfully tells two stories simultaneously of two girls that are in need of hope. And hope doesn't come wrapped in bright packages, it comes in its hard won way and it's difficult and hard but it's there. I love her use of language, theme, and her eye for detail, but mostly I love, will always love that healing and hope and freedom come through human interaction in her stories. We reach out to one another, we love each other, and we heal each other in our own stumbling, clumsy way. In You are My Only especially it's the art of food and the treasure of shared story that build bonds. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL BOOK and obviously it's a very personal read for me, but you should still read it. I don't really understand how it didn't win all the awards, tbqh.

You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

This stunning collection of short stories about life for military spouses has stayed with me to this day. I can still vividly recall certain scenes out of the collection, and I still recommend it every chance I get. The stories are connected in loose ways through one major event that takes place and seeing how that impacts the lives of various people at Fort Hood is an effective storytelling technique. While some stories might be a bit weaker than others, the writing is enjoyable and believable throughout the book.

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

I sat down and read Night Road in one day, I did not want to stop. It was such a satisfying read, because Hannah developed her characters so well and clearly laid out their paths. It was impossible not to become invested in their stories, to feel their loss, and celebrate their hard earned victories. I cried A LOT during this book and understood for the first time why Kristin Hannah is such a beloved author.

The First Husband by Laura Dave

Laura Dave's The First Husband is a smart, funny, and touching book about a woman who has to learn to choose what she can live with and what she can't live without. I loved following Annie's journey of facing down her fears, embracing freedom, and learning who she was. Months later and I'm still recommending it to everyone!

A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

This was a book for Faith and Fiction's Round Table last year that I found a complete chore to read. I think it took me something like three weeks to read and I was apologizing all over the place to the group for being so late. But it's not a bad book, just very difficult. And the ideas...so many ideas are raised in the book that are fascinating to contemplate. So even though this wasn't a book I had to read all at once, it has stayed with me since I read it and I realize that is a very good book, a book I'm really glad to have read and may even read again one day. A Canticle for Liebowitz is comprised of three novellas that take a look at a post-apocaplyptic society's attempts to rebuild itself over the ages.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

I have a thing for stories about people coming together in unlikely circumstances and creating something new together and Bel Canto fits that to perfection. Add in some tragedy and reverence for music and you pretty much have my ideal book. I loved this one a lot, and I anticipate the characters staying with me for a long time.

The Pirate Queen by Patricia Hickman

I remember being so surprised to discover this beautifully written book. Hickman masterfully creates the inner world of her protagonist so that you know exactly who she is. As she battles her own disappointment with her life and eventually learns to unearth the treasures all around her, it's hard not to feel hope bloom in your own heart. Loved it.

Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer

Hands down the best Amish book there is! I love how Cramer draws on his own family history to tell a story about a people who feel called apart but must come to terms with the way in which the world is colliding with their own. The very practical question of pacifism vs. protection is explored. And the women feeling stifled is actually addressed! And they are even forced to confront their racism. I don't know, I just loved that this book manages to depict the Amish with tremendous sympathy and fairness while also exploring the obstacles they face in trying to live out their faith. I have the second book in my possession now and I'm very happy about it!

This was kind of a strange reading year in that I didn't read many of the big titles and I flaked out on pretty much every commitment I tried to make for myself. I'll share more about that later, but these are the books I read that really made a big impression on me. I'm curious if I have ANY overlap at all with anyone else since it's kind of a strange list.

2011 -- The Year In TV

When I was getting ready to start writing about the year in TV, at first I was thinking it wasn't that great, but in actuality, it was really great. It's just that nothing has come along that fills the LOST void and I realize I'm still searching even though the truth is that I may never again love a show or the experience of watching a show like I loved LOST. IT'S SAD, Y'ALL.

Having said that there was so much to love on TV in 2011 for me. Starting with....

The Dan and Blair show.
Gossip Girl itself, while being an interesting show conceptually, consistently fails to live up to its promise. I was reading old blog posts a few weeks ago and laughing at myself for how many times I said I was hanging onto Gossip Girl by the thinnest of strands. And that was true last year as well but then Dan and Blair happened, and it was like a completely different show. I don't exactly know what happy accident created them, but they are the only reason I'm still watching this mess. And I've come to accept that Gossip Girl is a show I may not understand until it's over. Even so Dan and Blair are one of the most fun and cute TV pairings I've ever had the misfortune to fall in love with.

The Vampire Diaries

I have to admit I haven't exactly felt the show in the same way I did in the first season and beginning of the second, but even so this year has been a lot of fun. I really loved the progression of Tyler and Caroline's relationship until it turned into a plot driven mess recently, I enjoyed getting to know Elijah better and the introduction of Rebekah, and the Chicago 1920's episode is one of my favorite ever of the series. Ripper Stefan has been loads of fun! And I know I'm in the minority but I don't mind Klaus too much and sometimes think Joseph Morgan does quite a good job as him. In short, The Vampire Diaries is still a really engrossing hour of TV and I love that so many people watch it so it can be a lot of fun to talk about!

Switched at Birth

This show took me completely by surprise. I expected it to be a somewhat ridiculous Lifetime movie-esque show, but it's actually a lot of fun. And it has so much heart. I like that the primary characters are the girls and their mothers and that the show takes the time to explore the complexities in their evolving relationships, their sense of identity, and their roles within their families. And it doesn't hurt that there's so much representation. It's actually been pretty educational for me to read the reactions of people to the depiction of the deaf community. It's a show I consistently look forward to watching, and I'm so glad it's coming back January 3rd!!

The Walking Dead

Yay zombies! No seriously, it was fair to wonder if The Walking Dead could live up to its first season promise. I mean seriously what happens after you blow up the CDC? But I feel like the show did a great job in the first half of the second season by creating a dilemma between Rick and Shane and posing the question of who could better protect the group. And the ultimate manifestation of that was in looking for Sophia and the culmination of it took place when they found her. The addition of the characters on the farm and their quest to save the zombies was interesting as well and the episode where Shane and Otis went to the school and Shane killed Otis for his own survival was a chilling hour of television. I like the added drama, the increased human tension and conflict, and I'm very much looking forward to where the show goes next.

Breaking Bad

So I have to admit, I was impatient with the first half of season four in a way I haven't been impatient with the show in a long time. But then...halfway through things started to pick up the pace. And I have to say...watching the finale of Breaking Bad this year ranks up there as one of the best hours of television I have ever seen. I was so surprised and just blown away. I was completely surprised by everything that happened and I felt like every reveal was perfectly timed. Watching Walt and Jesse's relationship continues to be absolutely fascinating and I'm very curious to see how they start wrapping things up.

Downton Abbey

I arrived late to this gem and I have only seen the first season so far. I was so reluctant to actually watch it because I generally have an aversion to period pieces and it was also on Masterpiece which sounds like TV you should watch rather than TV you watch because you love it. I can't help it y'all, I still love The CW you know? I quickly watched the entire first season in two days, and loved it! I loved of course the soaptastic drama and most of the characters, but I also just really really love the look of it. I love the costumes and I got the book The World of Downton Abbey for Christmas and flipping through (it covers both seasons so I'm a bit hesitant to dig in quite yet) the photos are just stunning. It's so visually pleasing!

Parks and Recreation

Another show I was pretty whatever about watching as I generally don't enjoy comedies, but I'm glad I decided to watch because I love it. I haven't seen any of this season yet, but I quickly devoured the first three seasons. And I laughed! And I enjoyed the characters and I just love the friendship between Leslie and Anne. It really is a kind of humor I enjoy and now I'm trying to get everyone else I know to watch if they don't already.

The World Series

All of these shows were great and everything but nothing was as fun as watching the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers in the World Series. The season didn't necessarily start out great for the Cardinals but sometime midway through after making some staffing changes they started to gel and come together....all the way to the playoffs. And then all the way to the World Series. And it wasn't just any World Series, it was a closely matched one, filled with great drama all the way up until the sixth game which was...well it's the stuff a baseball fan's dreams are made of when the Cardinals came back not once, but twice in extra innings to eventually win the game. It was completely thrilling. I still get excited thinking about it. I was never happier to be a Cardinals fan!
In writing my year end lists I almost feel like TV was the best! I mean I haven't even talked about The Closer or Nikita which I also thought were top notch. But enough about what I like...what were your favorite TV shows and TV moments this year?

2011 -- The Year in Film

2010 was the year I went to the cinema like twice a week, and 2011 was the year I barely went at all. Seriously, I was trying to figure out if I've even watched enough movies this year--who cares what year they are from--that I liked well enough to make a post about them. I decided I have and alas 50% of them are not from 2011.

When it comes to popcorn flicks they really don't get much better than Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I was totally engrossed in this rebooted franchise in a surprising way and felt genuine feelings for Caesar and couldn't help but cheer on his clever antics. Even though it's just a fun action movie, it reminded me of how much animals deserve our respect and the complicated relationship between humanity and the animal kingdom. It was completely entertaining and a lot of fun.

High Noon is a classic western that I was surprised to love completely. I have to admit I generally have an aversion to old films, but many that have endured, have endured for a reason and High Noon is no exception. It's full of really great mystery and tension as Will Kane tries to rally people behind him to protect the town. As each person turns him down and his sense of defeat grows, it's hard not to wonder just why he's doing what he's doing. He's a very rootable character, his sense of integrity and justice make it so. And yet, there's still some interesting stuff in this movie to mine for me, such as his pacifist wife using the gun to protect him in the end. Is pacifism as an ideal completely impossible? In any case, Grace Kelly is lovely on screen and High Noon is a movie I can easily see myself revisiting.

The Landlord is an older movie that just came out on DVD for the first time this year and it's actually great. I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this somewhat unusual film about an young affluent white man who buys property in Park Slope with the hope of eventually building a luxury home for himself. He quickly begins to learn a lesson about the people who are already there. But not in any Hallmark movie sort of way, the movie feels full of the rough and raw pull of life. And it asks some pretty decent questions about race, identity, belonging, and home. The depiction of Elgar's rebellion against his parents way of life all while he still benefits from it is also interesting and well done. To top it off, the behind the scenes making of the film is fascinating stuff to read. The film was before its time in many ways and is well worth watching.

Hands down, the best film I watched this year was The Tree of Life. It's not only that the acting and cinematography are outstanding, it's that somehow this unusual film beckoned me in and made me feel life in this really deep and experiential way. All of the moments of life, all of these tiny moments of life that shape and form us are captured and breathed into being on screen in a way that allows you to see how they are woven together to make the fabric of who we are. Seemingly insignificant moments are treated with beauty and dignity and celebrated as the miracles they are. And as innocence is lost, and the world loses its glimmer and becomes the hard place where we love and lose and wrestle daily against the heat of our own desires, you feel it in the movie. And you feel that hope, that indeed, one day "we'll understand all things" it's just..impossible not to cry? I don't know, I did. I thought this was a beautiful film that celebrates the sacredness and mystery of life.

One thing I noticed this year more than any other is just how many male narratives were being told to me. Every movie I listed above is about a man and told from his perspective. I saw Super 8, Captain America, and Crazy Stupid Love all about men. (I really really liked Crazy Stupid Love but the hammering home of the message that you should always fight for THE ONE keeps me from being able to love it wholeheartedly) and then when there was a movie with a strong female narrative, The Help (a great movie from that perspective in that it dealt primarily with the very many different ways women relate to each other) it's riddled with controversy. I just feel sad about this. There are probably some great indie films I missed this year, admittedly, I didn't see a lot, but there's definitely room for more blockbuster type films that tell great stories from the woman's perspective.

Alas, an honorable mention on this to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 for just being pure joy and a lot of fun to go see!
What were your favorite movies that you watched this year?

2011 -- The Year in Music

So the truth is that while I love music, I tend to listen to the same stuff OVER AND OVER again. I don't necessarily discover a lot of new music in any given year, because I listen to the same old stuff I've always been listening to. I will buy some new music, but honestly, I spent weeks at a time listening to old CDs like they were new ones. So only a few new albums every year join the collection of music that I anticipate continuing to listen to for years in the future or that I have some sort of insane love affair with for a period of time. This year more than any other seemed like there wasn't a lot of new music that I truly loved. I mean I loved Florence + The Machine's Ceremonials (which was later tainted by the racist video) and The Decemberists The King is Dead but they felt very much like in the moment albums I don't know how much staying power they will have for me. On top of that, there's a small stack of CDs that while I've listened to them, I haven't had the time to really sit with them. (Sara Groves, Shaun Groves, Ginny Owens, Jason Gray)

So after that rather ridiculous explanation/excuse here's what I heard this year that I loved, that I think I will still be listening to in 2012 and beyond.

The Civil Wars Barton Hollow is probably my favorite CD of the whole year. I love it, I love everything about it. When I first heard The Civil Wars, it had that familiar feeling that always accompanies falling in love with something...like you're finding something you've been looking for all along. Maybe it's the style of the music..a sort of pop/folk vibe, or the raw longing some of the songs convey, I don't exactly know. All I know is that some of the songs have a beauty that pierces me right in the heart. I was so addicted to this album for SO LONG and even now it's a pure joy to listen to it.

I've heard of Over the Rhine for awhile and just ignored them, but I finally gave in to buying this album when people were raving about it and I am so glad I did. Over the Rhine's The Long Surrender is a very beautiful very different sort of album for me. I really love it, though, and I hope to have the time to discover more of their music in the future. (I did download Snow Angels for Christmas) "Oh Yeah by the Way" is one of my favorite songs brimming over with sadness and...a kind of familiarity even if I don't share the exact same circumstances as the songwriters. "All my Favorite People" is probably my other favorite on the album, for some reason it feels like a church song.

I'm starting to sense a theme. I like melancholy stuff. And Feist's Metals is certainly that, it's very melancholy. And yet I listened to it for days on end. If there's sadness here, it's wrapped in a very beautiful package, the kind I can listen to again and again.

I was so pleasantly surprised the day this live CD of Andrew Peterson's was released. I figured we'd have to wait ages to get anything at all. I can never have enough of Andrew Peterson's music so this live recording was a great treat. It's mostly songs from Counting Stars but it also includes a cover of a Rich Mullins song which is fantastic and beautiful and "High Noon" which is like, my favorite Easter song ever. If you like deep, thoughtful, poetic, beautiful, Christian music than you should be listening to Andrew Peterson.

And...that's it. Like I said, there's still some music from the year that I feel like I haven't really spent enough time with and there's plenty that I have yet to buy and listen to. Oh, I also really liked David Bazan's Strange Negotiations but for some reason, I haven't really connected with it like Curse Your Branches--I mean, I had a very intense experience with Curse Your Brances I guess there was no way that could be replicated, I just expected to like it more somehow? But even so, I do really like it. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS MAKES SENSE.

So that's me and my year in significant music. What did you listen to and fall in love with this year?