Years ago, I became interested in keeping track of both the number of books I read annually, and the number of pages, when Steve Duin of the Oregonian newspaper challenged his readers to do just that. Duin no longer hosts the event, but it’s become an annual activity for me.
In 2019, I discovered that the way to shatter a reading record is to shatter an ankle, which I did Dec. 28, 2018. Robbed of mobility for several months following my fracture, I began devouring books while convalescing, surpassing my previous annual reading record (12,234 pages read) with a whopping 21,103 pages.
In addition to counting the pages I read, I also note how much fiction, and how much non-fiction, I read. Most years, non-fiction books win, but this year I consumed 23 novels and 17 non-fiction books. (I don’t count the books I read for Spanish class, although our new homework assignment might be a record breaker. Thus far we’ve read 620 pages of our current selection “El laberinto de los espiritus,” with 300 pages left to go!)
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Laid up with my ankle for months and unable to drive or leave my house without assistance, I couldn’t personally visit my favorite sources for reading material — Waucoma Bookstore and the shelves of the Hood River County Library.
Thank goodness for friends, Waucoma’s prompt ordering system, and LEO (Libraries of Eastern Oregon website) books came to me at home, either via visitors or through the internet and my e-reader.
Friends and family were wonderful about sharing some of their favorite books. My mother-in-law loaned me Willa Cather’s “My Antonia,” which I liked so much I went on a Cather bender for a few weeks, reading several of her other titles. Michelle Obama’s wonderful memoir “Becoming” was another friendly loan. After reading the book, I checked out the audio version (read by the author) from the library, which proved even better than the printed book. My friend Nancy loaned me Amy Maroney’s “The Girl from Oto,” a fascinating novel set in 16th century Iberia; months later I continued in this series with “Mira’s Way.”
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I love biographies and memoirs. This year’s list included “The Good Neighbor” (About Mr. Rogers); “Frances Perkins: The Woman Behind the New Deal;” and “The Promise of the Grand Canyon” about explorer John Wesley Powell. I also enjoyed several novels that feature real people as central characters. Author Christina Baker Kline’s “A Piece of the World” based on the woman Andrew Wyeth painted in “Christina’s World,” and Elise Hooper’s “Learning to See” about photographer Dorothea Lange, are two memorable favorites.
My husband, my brother and I are all fans of non-fiction writer Hampton Sides. When we see his name authoring a book, we read it. His newest book, “On Desperate Ground: The Marines at the Reservoir, the Korean War’s Greatest Battle,” definitely falls outside my comfort zone, but it’s a riveting, though gory, story that will stay with you (I recommend you refrain from reading it during a snow storm).
I don’t normally find myself attracted to books about crime and criminals, but Fox Butterfield’s “In My Father’s House” is a fascinating profile of how crime and incarceration is a “generations-long legacy” for one Oregon family. Other favorites from this year’s list are “When the Emperor Was Divine” by Julie Osaka, a novel about Japanese internment and “One Day —The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary 24 Hours in America.” Writer Gene Weingarten delves into Dec. 28, 1986, a date that he randomly selected to research. From the introduction: “That Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s turned out to be filled with comedy, tragedy, implausible irony, cosmic comeuppances, kindness, cruelty, heroism, cowardice, genius, idiocy, prejudice, selflessness, coincidence, and startling moments of human connection.”
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As the year comes to a close, two book grace my nightstand: Bill Bryson’s “The Body” and Anna Quindlen’s “Nanaville,” both checked out from our wonderful public library. Years ago, I was asked to introduce Bryson at a bookstore reading in Portland; I’ve read almost all his books. It’s fitting that Quindlen also appears here by my side; I’ve never met her, but I feel I know her. Her book about being a new grandmother really resonates with me as I celebrate my grandson’s 2nd birthday. Quindlen has found a place on my annual list of “favorite” reads for many years. Both her novels and essays are worth time and attention.
In 2018, her book “Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake” landed on my list as a favorite read. In that book, I love what she writes about reading:
“What’s so wonderful about reading is that books and poetry and essays make us feel as though we’re connected, as though the thoughts and feelings we believe are singular and sometimes nutty are shared by others, that we are more alike than different.”
— Anna Quindlen, from “Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake”
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