Here are some of my favorite novels this year:
***** A tour de force of a literary novel, The Art of Fielding combines two of my favorite topics: baseball, and real-life paralysis by analysis. I haven’t liked a book this much since The World According to Garp.
***** It’s hard to describe The Family Fang. But if you’re a reader, you will probably love this strange, heart-tugging tale of two young people who grew up as props in their artist parents’ conceptual art pieces.
***** I can’t tell you how beautifully written Gary Shteyngart’s Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel is, or how uncomfortably prescient it is in its depiction of an American run openly by corporations. You’re just going to have to read it for yourself.
**** Looking for a lighter read? You can’t beat the newest John Grisham, The Litigators. Class action suits against the bad guys always put me in the Christmas spirit!
**** Red on Red: A Novel is a great crime thriller, written by Edward Conlon, who used to be a NYC cop. He’s a skilled literary stylist in the tradition of Richard Price.
***** How could I forget Michael Moore’s “Here Comes Trouble”? It’s a wonderful book. Here’s a sample chapter.
