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The Best, In Our Book

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By KEVIN WALKER and KAREN HAYMON LONG, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 30, 2007

Updated: 12/29/2007 04:22 pm

TAMPA, Fla. - This year, the Tribune had two book editors. Kevin Walker held the job until September, when Karen Haymon Long took over.

Of the two, Kevin's the list maker. He keeps track of the books he reads because he finds it interesting to look back. For example, 2006 was dominated by books about philosophy and religion. This year, it's economics. This means Kevin is fully prepared to discuss the time value of money and the impact of monetary policy throughout the ages on political leadership, religious movements and schools of philosophical thought. Pity people who have dinner with him.

Karen, who jokes that all her favorite authors are dead men, enjoys classics more than contemporary novels. Her system for going back through last year's books involved going through the stacks on and around her nightstand and in her guest room.

At any rate, and despite their varying methodology, this is not an attempt to list the very best books of 2007. These are, instead, the best books read by two people who do this sort of thing for a living. Maybe you'll see a book or two you want to check out. Ultimately, the only best-of list that counts is your own.

FICTION

The Big One

Well, "the big one" in terms of sales and hype. To be honest, we're still not even sure we liked J.K. Rowling's final installment in the Harry Potter saga, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." All that "who controls the wand" mumbo jumbo near the end proved baffling and boring, as did the "he's dead, he's not" section. But we loved Severus Snape's final gift, and while much of the charm was missing from this installment, it's hard to find fault with a woman who realizes her imagination that clearly on the page.

The Return Of Some Old Hands
This year saw new books from Michael Chabon ("The Yiddish Policeman's Union"), Don DeLillo ("Falling Man") and Ian McEwan ("On Chesil Beach"). Of the three, "On Chesil Beach" is the easiest to recommend because a) it's a shorter book that is an introduction to the skills of a great writer and 2) the story has stuck with us the longest.

McEwan's little book is about the power of choice and how one decision can change the course of your life, especially one involving sex on your wedding night. Yes, there are quite a few pages of awkwardness here - McEwan definitely makes you understand why this couple is approaching their first sexual experience with great trepidation. There's also a great deal about how this wedding night, in 1962, came in the waning days of strict moral codes that were eventually swept away by the decade's cultural revolution. Most sadly, anger, resentment and repression lead the two main characters to say and do terrible things, and regret comes far too late.

It could be "Falling Man" has faded a bit because events surrounding the subject matter - the ramifications of the Sept. 11 attacks on a New York City couple - are not pleasant to recall.

DeLillo's stylized writing maintains some intellectual distance, although it has lines that bring back that terrible day. Like this one from the husband: "The second plane, by the time the second plane appears ... we're all a little older and wiser."

Of these three writers, Chabon may be the best, if you enjoy his blend of high and low culture. He's also got a wild imagination that leaves this book standing atop the genre of Jewish crime noir conspiracy theory supernatural alternative history novels.

Two Writers Not Enough People Know

Overlook continued its program of re-releasing Charles McCarry spy novels from the 1970s. This time, it's "Christopher's Ghosts," and, as with "The Miernik Dossier" and "The Secret Lovers" before it, McCarry demonstrates a mastery of both the spy game and human behavior.

The other is Arturo Perez-Reverte's "The Sun Over Breda," in which he continues his series featuring 17th century Spanish soldier and adventurer Captain Alatriste. It's every bit as good as the first two ("Purity of Blood" and "Captain Alatriste") in that Alexander Dumas sort of way. Which means one of the best ways ever.

Reverte also had one of the best lines from any book this year, about the celebration in a town after a battle ended: "There was wanton disregard of the Ten Commandments, and few theological or cardinal virtues were left inviolate. ... Or, as the veterans put it, we could have been in Italy."

Speaking of Dumas, a new novel of his was discovered this year, but we have yet to read it (to Kevin's shame. He plans to read it during his next long vacation).

Talented Newcomers (Or, At Least, New To Us)

"Then We Came to the End" is the first novel by Joshua Ferris, and it's easily one of the best of the year. It could be this book resonated so much because of the layoffs that happened this year in our office. Still, Ferris' depiction of a Chicago ad agency facing layoffs is worthwhile for its humor and insight into how office life affects us all in positive and negative ways.

Hisham Matar's "In The Country of Men" is a devastating look at the impact of totalitarian governments on their people, in this case, in Libya.

"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," by Junot Diaz, is actually the author's second novel, but the first we read. He is a contemporary writer who, like Chabon, bends and twists the barriers between what is usually considered high and low art. Diaz also extends this to the mixing of cultures in the United States, particularly Dominican Republic immigrants living on the East Coast.

"The Raw Shark Texts" by British author Steven Hall is a strange yet somehow fulfilling novel. The jaw-dropping sheer inventiveness of the thing is amazing - it's about a man chased by a conceptual shark that eats memories - as is the fact that Hall somehow holds it all together. This is for that rare reader who loves complex and inventive tales.

Graphic Novels

"The Salon" by Nick Berrozi is a funny, bawdy thriller set in 1907 Paris. A group of modernist painters works to solve a mystery involving a demonic, blue-skinned female specter who is killing avant-garde painters. What does it all have to do with the disappearance of Paul Gauguin?

"Shortcomings" by Adrian Tomine is a great comedy about young love, with dialogue and insight into current youth culture that makes most filmmakers seem hopelessly behind. Ben has no equal in the department of negative, self-obsessed slackers, and, among literature's "best friend" characters, Korean lesbian Alice is a classic.

NONFICTION

Economics 101

As noted earlier, this was the year for economics for Kevin. It started with the paperback release of "The Undercover Economist" by Tim Harford, in which the witty author shows readers how to view the world through an economic lens. "Richistan" by Robert Frank is an eye-opener - the Wall Street Journal reporter offers a detailed look at the lives of the growing wealthy class in America. It will make you realize the rich truly do live in a different country.

(Kevin then went to the library and checked out an older book, "The History of Money" by Jack Weatherford, which is, strictly speaking, not supposed to be mentioned because it is not new, but, too late, we just did. And we did because it's good - it makes the argument that money is a fundamental ingredient of civilization. For those interested more in personal finances, Kevin also finally read the popular book "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas Stanley and William Danko. It provides a pretty good - but rigorous - plan for becoming at least a net-worth millionaire.)

Ian Ayres' "Supercrunchers" is another eye-opener, this time about how corporations and, increasingly, government are using large sets of statistics to govern everything from marketing strategies to how to teach in the classroom. And "The Age of Turbulence" by former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan is required reading for anyone who wants to understand how current fiscal policy works in Washington, as well as the dynamic and interlocking complexities of the global economy.

Food For Thought

Here's the perfect book for literary gastronomes - "Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink," edited by David Remnick.

M.F. K. Fisher, Calvin Trillin, Susan Orlean and other luminaries serve up some of the best food and wine writing you'll find anywhere. One of the most tantalizing short stories is "Taste," by Roald Dahl, best known for his beloved children's books "Matilda," "James and the Giant Peach" and other favorites.

Read it while drinking a glass of fine wine and you'll savor it all the more.

Math Made Captivating

Don't let the math scare you. "The Indian Clerk," about a humble math genius recruited from India to the rarified world of Cambridge, England, is one of the best novels of the year.

University of Florida English professor David Leavitt cleverly weaves the story of a low-level clerk struggling to adjust to the pressures of working with preeminent mathematicians in a world so alien from his own.

We can only liken this novel's excellence to that of another favorite, "The Kite Runner." Both lure readers into another world, one they miss when they finish the book.

Capote Revisited

If only Truman Capote embraced moderation instead of booze, drugs and spitefulness.

"Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote" reminds his fans what they miss so much about him: His genius for odd juxtaposition, fast-paced dialogue and quirky characters.

This is one of those books that you'll want to read again and again, then dig out your old copies of "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "In Cold Blood" and other Capote classics.

Kevin Walker can be reached at (813) 259-7975 or kwalker@tampatrib.com. Karen Haymon Long can be reached at (813) 259-7618 or klong@tampatrib.com.

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