Top fiction 2000-2009

Same thing as the non-fiction--not a strict Top 10. Just in order of when I read them.

1.) The Brothers K by David James Duncan. I'm a huge baseball nut and when an old co-worker told me this was the best baseball novel she'd ever read I was skeptical. The true shocker, however, was that baseball is the over-riding theme in the novel. A fantastic look at brotherhood and siblings and family in general. How choices impact those around us.

2.) In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje. This is basically the prequel to the much more famous "The English Patient." Three characters pop back up in EP and much of their stories are resolved. Yet I love this book more for its usage of voice and narrator. You are swept through Toronto in the 1920's and the people who helped to build it. Carravagio, to my mind, is a near perfect character.

3.) One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by AleksandrSolzhenitsyn. I tend to really like small novels with very exacting prose or larger, more sprawling works. This is one of the best examples of the former in both length and scope. Of course, it is literally one day in a life of extreme hardship in a work camp. But the feeling echoes much larger than a day.

4.) Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem. A funny and imaginative novel based on a crackpot personal investigation team. Some people say they don't like detective fiction or postmodern novels. Well, this book breaks out of those stereotypes. Lionel Essrog, in particular, our main character with Tourette's is lovable and determined and fun to spend some time with.

5.) Miniatures by Norah Labiner. This book really did change the way I viewed fiction. What are chapter titles for? Who gets to tell the story? Who do we trust? It is also a book that is great fun to re-read in the same way that beloved movies get better over time. There is always a sentence I somehow missed. Some humor or insight I didn't really get. Coffee House Press provided the world with a stunner here.

6.) The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard. This was her first novel in more than 20 years and you can see in its style what the waiting was for. Her language is classic and nuanced. But she also will tip sentences on their heads or work them backwards in a way that takes a little getting used to. Once you get your footing, it is a wonderful ride. Good characters are involved but this prose is so of its own time and style that it, the words themselves, steal the show.

7.) The Time of Our Singing by Richard Powers. It's almost blasphemous to say but I think this book has as much to say about race in America as anything Baldwin or Ellison ever did. Two brothers, of mixed race, are classically trained singers. All kinds of preconceived thoughts must get tossed aside. Powers shows his rare gifts for creating characters of varying temperments and ideas. A long book that I never wanted to end.

8.) The Gangster We Are All Looking For by lê thi diem thúy. This is a fragmented novel told in portions that I fight to handsell whenever possible. It's about a mother, father and daughter who have come by boat to the United States. So it's about family and water. It's also about war and assimilation and what gets left behind. It's about generations having to change and children teaching parents. I wait and wait for this young woman to publish another book.

9.) Brief Encounters With Che Guevara by Ben Fountain. I hear all the complaints about stories. They don't mean anything. Nothing happens. It's all smoke and mirrors. There is no plot development. The characters aren't fully formed. And I learned long ago that you cannot change some people's minds about things they won't try. This guy's stories are the real deal. They visit such a broad range of locations both mentally and geographically. Malcolm Gladwell did a great profile on him and his long road to publication.

10.) Zoli by Colum McCann. I'm very happy that his most recent book, "Let the Great World Spin" won the National Book Award. And it's hard for me to pick a favorite of his works. But this one kept me from answering the phone or wanting to sleep. I don't even want to talk about it too much. Just do yourself a favor and read it.

My top non-fiction titles of the past decade

There are all kinds of interesting ways to do this. One book published or read in each year of the decade. A thematic list. But I'm going to be pretty vanilla and just go with ten books that moved me, taught me, fascinated me or simply have stuck with me most. This is only listed in the order I read them. I have to say what a fun experience it is to look over such a period of time and remember various books for whatever reasons. If you keep any kind of reader's log or journal I advise looking back--even if you don't make any kind of list. But if you do, please post responses.

1.) "Down in My Heart" by William Stafford. He is mostly known as a poet and rightly so. But this little book(94 pages) is a treasure. From 1942-1945 Stafford was held in a conscientious objector's camp for his refusal to join the U.S. Army. This is no silver spoon youth whining. His stance is measured and his beliefs often do waver--but never fully break.

2.) "A Book of Reasons" by John Vernon. After the death of his brother the author is left to sort his things. What follows is the full discovery of his brother as a recluse. The items found become a part of who this man was and interspersed with the personal narrative is a brief history of certain items. There are lots of sad family books--and this one is sad--but it is also ultimately a story of one brother's love for another both in life and death.

3.) "Mystery and Manners" by Flannery O'Connor. This is her lone book of non-fiction and it is a collection of essays, speeches and articles. Her main topics and issues have been discussed critically ad nauseum. She is the queen of southern gothic. Yet she possessed humor and tenderness that are often overlooked. The essay on the peacocks she kept as pets is worth the price alone.

4.) John McPhee, is to me, the perfect non-fiction writer. His topics are widely varied. He does research that influences his work but does not overtake it. He's both funny and profound. He lets the subjects speak for themselves. I will not go on. I could pick almost any of his books but I've decided on "Levels of the Game" which is micro-story at its finest. This is, ostensibly, an account of one tennis match between Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner in 1968. The two could not have been more different in background, style or temperment. So the book is about sports, yes. But it is also about competition and psychology and, like all fine journalism, much more.

5.) "Bury Me Standing" by Isabel Fonseca. I like books on outsider culture of all kinds and gypsy culture could be the most 'outsider' of all in that even its members don't fully conform to one set of ideas or ethnicity. Fonseca has written something that isn't so much a history as a partial glimpse. The very fact that she was given any access at all into these people is a testament to her tenacity and good faith. Gypsies have been mistreated and feared across the globe. Who they are is a genetic and cultural tangle. Fonseca's is the best of the many books on this topic I've read.

6.) "Newjack" by Ted Conover. He tried and tried to get a position as a CO(corrections officer) and it finally worked. This book is an in the life work portrait of a prison worker. A true behind the scenes look at life behind bars and the men who live on both sides.

7.) "Ghosty Men" by Franz Lidz. The infamous Collyer Bros. have gained new life in E.L. Doctorow's new novel "Homer and Langley". Hoarders of all stripes are getting attention on reality tv. Yet these two men, and their stories, are best told through this book.

8.) "Lone Wolf" by Maryanne Vollers. Eric Rudolph is both an obscene criminal and an anti-hero. He was the man behind the 1996 bombing in Atlanta during the Olympics and other, less known, attacks on gay bars and abortion clinics. Despite his identity being known by officials he was on the run for several years--living in seclusion in the Southeastern hills and mountains.

9.) "Danube" by Claudio Magris. I've lived near the mighty Mississippi for all of my life and am enchanted by waters. Magris takes the reader on a journey through, across and beyond this famed river. 

10.) "An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination" by Elizabeth McCracken.  This is a perfect bookend to the Stafford book. Another short personal essay about the loss of a child. That is dark, I know. But she puts things in perspective for both herself and the reader. In the course of her essay I found myself thinking about friendship and family and how I treat them.

11.) When I got to ten I realized I had forgotten one book. "Salt" by Mark Kurlansky is easily the one book I learned the most from. Without doubt.

The crush is on

This is the time when the shoppers can be frantic. They have procrastinated. Or, the recipient is very difficult to buy for(we hear this an awful lot). It is a whirlwind of sometimes tired, desperate and aggravated people. Much more often, thankfully, we get to see some of the best that this season and its spirit can bring. Shoppers are calm and enjoy their time browsing and frequently help one another and give suggestions. The books are whirling in and out of hands. It is fantastic fun.

2009 has been a challenging year for small businesses, retail in general and the world of books. Yet we've made it thanks to the support we get from loyal customers who've decided to put their money into stores they believe in. For that, and much more, we send our best to all of you.

I've been pressured to join the maelstrom of lists. And I've chosen to do so. Next week I'll be posting the best fiction and non-fiction I've read in the past decade. Until then--Happy Holidays.
Hans

This is our week(with Magers and Quinn)

I've talked before about this one-of-a-kind literary scavenger hunt and the final week has arrived. Go here to see the previous locations and the backstory of this great adventure. We have some promo materials, galleys, broadsides and other bookish giveaways for those who come our way and the correct answers to the trivia questions.

Biggest thanks must go to the brains behind this operation. The good people at Coffee House, Graywolf, The Loft and Milkweed put this into action and are the ones who have put together the grand prize. We're always thankful for the good work and great books that come from them.

Enjoy the hunt!

Event a week from today and odd sighting

Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl will be at Micawber's next Friday, 12/18, at 7 p.m. to discuss her new book "Drink This: Wine Made Simple" It's a fine guide for both beginners and those who know a little but want to know more. It's smart and fun and absolutely not intimidating. She's been a bright star in the Twin Cities food and wine scene for a decade or so and this book is a treasure.

Just this morning, while walking past one of our tables of sales books, a jacket caught my eye and I thought, "That doesn't belong there." Funny thing was, it did. But check out these covers.

Different designers. Civil war and wine. But artistic siblings, no?

Two very good things

For the locals--anyone who has been here in the last two months or so knows how difficult it's been to actually get here. MN DOT decided to play an evil joke on us and make it nearly impossible to drive within a mile radius of the store. However, both 280 and Raymond Avenue are now open and it is very easy to get here again. For this simple pleasure we rejoice.

Even better, we sold books this past Wednesday evening at the Barbara Kingsolver event. 1,127 listened to her talk that was insightful and fun. Both Dara and I got to speak with her briefly before the event and she was gracious and so down to earth. Anyhow, the good news is that we currently have 17 signed copies of her new novel "Lacuna" which has been getting great reviews.

For you? A treat. For someone special? A one of a kind, personal, gift.

Get em' while we got em', y'all.

The love of books

Today on Keri Miller's Midmorning show on MPR she hosted Allison Hoover Bartlett--author of "The Man Who Loved Books Too Much"

My impression, after reading the book, was that she intended to write a book on book thieves in general. However, she became so fascinated by one man, John Gilkey that it turns into his story. Like all career criminals there is no simple explanation for his obsession with books. Very rarely does the subject of a book agree to discuss his crimes and give details of the how's and why's. Find today's interview at mpr.org and then read the book, or vice versa. Fascinating stuff.

In less illegal terms, I have fallen head over heels for a new book and think it is the title I will champion from now through the holidays. I generally try to find a book from a small press or a book that will receive little to no press attention to push. I'm breaking my rules a little bit.

In 2005, Graeme Gibson had a book entitled, "The Bedside Book of Birds" and I remember we sold a lot of copies despite a price($37.50) that I found quite odd and a little high. So today when I saw his new book I immediately glanced at the price($35) and found myself pleasantly surprised. Then I got lost in it for about fifteen minutes--which is something I very rarely do. "The Bedside Book of Beasts" is a compendium of, yes, beasts. There are lots of collections out now that seem mish-mashed(is that a word?) together and lack cohesion or any sustained theme. This book makes sense and has quotes and art from around the globe. The color and quality of the images is really what makes the book in my mind. Mythology, cultural history, biology, poetry, religious thought all weave into the narrative. This is the kind of book you buy to give away and end up keeping for yourself. My words do not do it justice--stop in and have a look.