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My Favorite Books of 2009

Yes, it’s off-topic and yes, this really is the Valet Reader’s territory, but since I know my readers are a pretty smart bunch, I’m hoping at least some of you might be interested. Also, this blog is really supposed to be about my life – and, despite what my wife might say – I think about and do things besides endurance sports.

Being unemployed/working for myself for most of this year gave me a lot of time to do things besides working, like train and read and hang out with Charlie. Obviously, I trained a ton. But I also read around 40 books. (My family members will scoff at that number, but I’m pretty damn proud of it.) The following is a list of my favorite books that I read in 2009. Two of these books have been out for years (or decades) but I didn’t find or read them until 2009. Some of them are well-known bestsellers; others are probably not on most people’s radar. Each of them meant something to me. Enjoy!

• The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell. I normally don’t seek out sci-fi. This book however is not only my favorite book of 2009, it’s among my all-time favorites. It’s a great story, wonderfully written. The book is about space travel and finding life on other planets. It’s also about dealing with tragedy and thinking about our existence, but not in an annoying or preachy way. After I finished the book, I re-read huge sections of it. And then thought about it for weeks. I didn’t want to let it go. It originally came out in 1996. I’d never even heard of it until my mom recommended it to me earlier this year. I put this one at the top of this list because it is my overall favorite. The rest are roughly in the order I read them during the year.
• Replay by Ken Grimwood. A crazy story about time-travel. It made me think about my future and past. This one was originally published in 1986. Again, I’m amazed I missed it for so many years.

• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. A touching story about a man struggling to live in a way he can be proud of. It’s told from the perspective of his dog, Enzo. Dog owners or lovers will dig Enzo’s voice and his perspective.
• Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I’m definitely not the target demo for this book, but I loved it anyway. It’s a fun, easy read, with drama, blood, violence and teenagers turned into bad-ass killing machines. It’s also got heart. I’m sure there’s a lot of stories similar to this out there, but I bet they’re not nearly as creative or well-written. The sequel, Catching Fire, was excellent as well.
• Playing the Enemy by John Carlin. You probably know this story by the name of the movie it was turned into, Invictus. It’s the true story of the 1995 Rugby World Cup and how new South African President Nelson Mandela was able to unite his divided country behind the Springboks. The movie had some good rugby scenes, but didn’t do justice to the emotion and the drama from the book. Even if you weren’t inspired by the movie, if the story interests you, don’t hesitate to read the book.
• The Forever War by Dexter Filkins. This is the best book I’ve read about our current wars and the overall conflict in the Middle East and one of the best about war I’ve ever read. To call him a war correspondent doesn’t do justice to much he sees and feels while deep in the midst of conflict. You might know Filkins from the New York Times. He writes about really tough subjects in an engaging, easy-to-understand way. Oh, and he’s a runner.

• Born to Run by Christoper MacDougall. I reviewed this book in October. The only running- or fitness-related book on my list. As I wrote in October, the book has great running history and science and also a fantastic story about two worlds of ultrarunning.

• Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. I love most of what Eggers writes, especially his non-fiction. In this one, he took the tragedy of Katrina (and post-9/11 national security) and humanized it in a way I hadn’t experienced before.

A lot of these books were recommended by the Valet Reader and you can find his reviews of many of them at www.valetreader.com. Thanks to everyone for suggestions this year!

I have a stack of books on the bedside table waiting to be read, and I don’t expect to get anywhere close to 40 books in 2010, but keep the recommendations coming!!

Brick – December 29
Total Time: 4:32
Bike:
Distance: 17.5 miles
Time: 1:21
Transition Time: 7:20
Run:
Distance: 2.25 miles
Time: 18:30
Course: Griffith Park
Conditions: Sunny and chilly start, warmed up into high 50’s
Notes: With Scott and Scott, cut run short b/c of achilles