Books I’ve Read in 2007

Inspired by this list, I’ve decided to keep a list of books I’ve read in 2007.  I’ll more than likely be doing less individual reviews and just updating this list as I finish books.  Anyway…enough of the rambling explanations, on to the list.

Last book finished:

30.  Atonement by Ian McEwan. (Finished 12 Dec 07)

 

See the Complete List below the cut (its starting to get long):

  1. The Silent Cry by Kenzaburō Ōe.  Ōe won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1994.  I picked this up because of Murakami.  Ōe was one of Murakami’s harshest critics before The Wind-up Bird Chronicles. The Silent Cry is widely considered to be one of his best works. (Finished 24 Jan 07)
  2. The Poetry Home Repair Manual by Ted Kooser.  (Finished 1 Feb 07)
  3. Bashō’s Haiku by Matsuo Bashō (translated by David Landis Barnhill).  Bashō inspired the more modern form of haiku (though technically his “haiku” are all hokku).  (Finished 1 Feb 07)
  4. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk.  Pamuk was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006.  I had read his latest book Snow last year and enjoyed it.  I wanted more and this novel was one his more celebrated ones. (Finished 28 Feb 07)
  5. You Suck by Christopher Moore.  A quick fun read.  A sequel to his earlier book Bloodsucking Fiends.  (Finished 3 Mar 07)
  6. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss.  Simply Amazing.  I’m still speechless after just finishing the book.  I want to hug everyone and tell them how much I love them all. (Finished 4 Mar 07)
  7. the namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. A beautiful tale about a first-generation family in America. Center’s around the first-born son of an immigrant couple from Calcutta. (Finished 6 Mar 07)
  8. Man Walks Into A Room by Nicole Krauss.  Her first novel.  It was good, but not as amazing as her second one. (Finished 14 Mar 07)
  9. interpreter of maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.  A collection of short stories.  She won the Pulitzer Prize for this book. (Finished 21 Mar 07)
  10. Pseudo Dionysius: The Complete Works. 5th or 6th Century writer that influenced Western Spirituality.  Also defined the concept of heirarchy. (Finished 21 Mar 07)
  11. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.  2006 Booker Prize Winner.  A book dealing with the conflict/consequences of the mingling of East and West in India. (Finished 30 Mar 07)
  12. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.  2005 Pulitzer Prize Winner.  Towards the end of his life, a father writes a letter to his young son. (Finished 14 Apr 07)
  13. The Road by Cormac McCarthy.  An apocolyptic tale done only the way McCarthy could.  Won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize (after I started it). (Finished 23 Apr 07)
  14. Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut.  Some friends and I decided to pick a Vonnegut book to read in memoradum.  Galápagos is told by a ghost, a million years in the future, after humanity has dwindled to a small colony on the Galápagos Islands. (Finished 26 Apr 07)
  15. After Dark by Haruki Murakami.  Amazon.com was nice enough to deliver Murakami’s new book a day early, which made it easy to finish by its release date. A short novel, and a little different, but still I enjoyed it greatly. (Finished 08 May 07)
  16. My Story as Told by Water by David James Duncan.  From the author of The River Why and The Brother’s K.  Part memoir, part literature, part activism.  (Finished 17 May 07).
  17. A New Reformation: Creation Spirituality and the Transformation of Christianity by Matthew Fox.  In the spirit of Martin Luther’s actions in 1517, Matthew Fox posts a new set of 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany. (Finished 22 May 07).
  18. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson.  Her first novel.  Was shortlisted for a bunch of stuff.  Then it was almost 25 years before her follow-up came.  This was a story of transience. (Finished 28 May 07).
  19. The Drowned Book by Bahauddin The Father of Rumi.  Translated by Coleman Barks & John Moyne.  Ecstatic and Earthly Reflections from Rumi’s biggest influence outside of Shams. (Finished 31 May 07).
  20. Dear John, Dear Coltrane by Michael S. Harper. Harper’s first published book of poems.  (Finished 2 Jun 07).
  21. The LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka Reader.  A collection of his poems.  (Finished 8 Jun 07)
  22. The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English.  Translated by Geza Vermes.  (Finished 27 Jun 07)
  23. From Politics to Piety: The Emergence of Pharisaic Judaism by Jacob Neusner. (Finished 9 Jul 07)
  24. From Text to Tradition: A History of Second Temple & Rabbinic Judaism by Lawrence H. Schiffman. (Finished 18 Jul 07)
  25. The UnGospel: The Life and Teachings of the Historical Jesus by Stephen S. Carver. (Finished 18 Jul 07)
  26. The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.  (Finished 10 Oct 07)
  27. Granted by Mary Szybist.  Recommended by my friend Carolyn.  Much Appreciated.  (Finished 19 Oct 07)
  28. Pinball, 1973 by Haruki Murakami.  Early Murakami, only published in English in Japan. (Finished 21 Oct 07)
  29. Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart.  (Finished 2 Dec 07)
  30. Atonement by Ian McEwan. (Finished 12 Dec 07)

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