Year-End Blah, Blah, Blah

I’ll click through a slideshow of Top Ten Bacteria, if someone bothers to post it to Facebook. But as a writer and editor, I’ve become increasingly frustrated with “best books” lists that ignore titles from smaller/university presses, tend to favor books and authors already touted by other reviews and publications, and generally seem to echo each other. Some lists attempt to counter that sameness, but are so expansive as to seem all-inclusive, which is not the point of a list.

The thing is, I’ve bought many of the books on the 2012 year-end lists: Beautiful Ruins, Billy Flynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Dear Life, Life Among Giants, This is How You Lose Her, et cetera, and I will read them. But not yet. I also dislike lists that champion “overlooked” titles, a designation which is always a backhanded compliment.

Here’s my own meager contribution to the noise.

Favorite novel: Myfanwy Collins, Echolocation

My wife, Victoria Barrett, published this book (Engine Books, represent!), and Ms. Collins has become a friend. Oh, you thought these lists were free of localized influence? I recently started working as an editor at Engine Books, too, so I am completely not biased, as you can tell. Whatever. I don’t care. It’s a great book, both elegant and disturbing, and should be made into a movie. I might write the screenplay if you send me some money, Hollywood.

Favorite novel by a writer I was *this* close to swearing off forever: Richard Ford, Canada

His post-Independence Day titles have been somewhat disappointing, none more so than The Lay of the Land, which I stopped reading and even removed from the house. Canada, however, is something of a return for Ford. It’s more like Rock Springs, for which I am thankful.

Favorite story collection: Eugene Cross, Fires of Our Choosing

He’s a great writer, and he’s damn sexy. These are just two reasons Eugene Cross makes me jealous. Read my review.

Favorite novel read in 2012 that was first published in 2008: Matthew Quick, The Silver Linings Playbook

I also enjoyed the movie (though the book is way better) and his YA novel, Boy21.

Short-story collections I might have chosen for Andrew’s Book Club this year: Michael Nye, Chad Simpson, Claire Vaye Watkins, Karen Brown, Jennifer Spiegel, Eugene Cross, Jensen Beach, Alix Ohlin, Ted Sanders, Fred Arroyo

2013 titles that I have pre-ordered or whose ARCs I hope will magically appear in my mailbox soon:

Robert Boswell, Tumbledown

Rus Bradburd, Make It, Take It

Michael Dahlie, The Best of Youth

*Bryan Furuness, The Lost Episodes of Revie Bryson

Elliot Holt, You Are One of Them

Owen King, Double Feature

Allison Lynn, The Exiles

Benjamin Percy, Red Moon

Matthew Quick, Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

Evan James Roskos, Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets

*Jared Yates Sexton, An End to All Things 

Laura van den Berg, The Isle of Youth

Paul Yoon, Snow Hunters

* Release date is 2012, but after today.