I know I've been terribly derelict, but I've been trying to finish not one but two books. I went to Mesa Refuge in Point Reyes, the most gorgeous writing retreat, and just powered through.

The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich

Louise Erdrich’s world is reliably lovely and strange.

The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer

It’s so incredibly delightful when a book just nails it, you know?

Olive Kitteridge by elizabeth Strout

This book transported me. Completely.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

She writes such delightfully confident prose.

No One You Know by Michelle Richmond

This book will keep Michelle on the terrific trajectory her last book put her on.

Cost by Roxana Robinson

Oh God. I haven’t not been able to get this book out of my mind. What a terrifying object lesson.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Why the hell didn’t I read this earlier? This book. God, this book.

The Wild Palms by William Faulkner

How ridiculous is it that I forget every time how much I love Faulkner?

City of Refuge by Tom Piazza

This book taught me so much about Katrina. It’s amazing how fiction manages to teach you something new, no matter how much news you read.

A Curious Earth by Gerard Woodward

A lovely little novel.

Travels with Alice by Calvin Trillin

I cried pretty much the whole time I read this, when I wasn’t laughing.

Time Will Darken It by William Maxwell

Perfect prose.

The Spare Room by Helen Garner

Every once in a while a writer just comes out of nowhere. I mean, she’s been writing a long time, but she came out of nowhere to me.

Stealing Buddha’s Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen

Terrific memoir.

I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

Funny little essays. Sweet.

Art & Ardor by Cynthia Ozick

These essays are so brilliant I can’t believe it. Bogglingly brilliant.

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron

Reread this for my nonfiction book. Always funny.

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace

This man is to footnotes what the raised glaze is to donuts. The best every.

Consequences by Penelope Lively

This book lost me in the end, although I liked it very much for a while.

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth

I reread this for the music for my novel. Far more detailed than I could ever be.

The Best American Essays by David Foster Wallace

His essays are better than any of these.

Changing Places by David Lodge

Lord, I do love David Lodge.

The Great Man by Kate Christensen

I liked this, but I wanted, I don’t know, something more.

Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell

I love Gaskell, but in the end what she lacks is humor.

Nice Work by David Lodge
Good lord this man is the most incredible writer.

Growing Up by Russell Banks
Awfully sweet memoir.

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown

I tried to write this novel and failed. I’m glad Brown succeeded.

Persepolis: The Story of A Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

Amazing, blah blah blah, but the casual references to evil Zionists freaked me out.

The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

Oh give me a break! Misery misery misery, I get it. Get over it already.

Saturday by Ian McEwan

This book was even better the second time. Knowing what was coming made it much more fun to watch it unfold.

December by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop

An interesting young writer.

Triangle by Katharine Weber

I wasn’t particularly enamored of the mystery at the heart of this novel (far too easy to figure out) but I loved reading about the seamstresses.

The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer

Another brilliant novel by this brilliant writer.

Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler

So here’s the question...do I watch the movie or not?

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

Remember when a novel written by a woman about a woman could win the Pulitzer Prize? Yeah. No more.

Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler

Reading for tips on how to construct a novel.

If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler

It’s incredible to watch Tyler take essentially the same main female character and put her through various scenarios in book to book.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I’m not really into the whole meditation thing, but this book provided great “how to write a memoir” guidance.

The Book of Getting Even by Benjamin Taylor

Taylor’s a terrific writer, but this book’s breakneck pace was a bit exhausting.

The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd

I could not stop reading this book. I absolutely gobbled it up.

Her Last Death by Susanna Sonnenberg

This memoir was beautifully written and often riveting.

The Innocent by Ian McEwan

I’ll never tire of reading and rereading McEwan. I just wish he’d write as fast as I read.

The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley

What a discovery! I love this guy.

The Short History of a Prince by Jane Hamilton

She is an amazingly talented writer, and this character broke my heart.

The Peoples Act of Love by James Meek

I guessed the big secret right away, but I liked the book very much despite that. I felt like I learned some seriously creepy stuff. Very cool.

The Family Markowitz by Allegra Goodman

Another reread. It’s just a pleasure to read this author’s prose.

What, really, is the point of a website that gets updated every two months, and then only with the books I'm reading? I'm violating every rule of proper website maintenance. Oh well.

The Indian Clerk by David Leavitt

I love a good historical novel, and this one is awfully fun, even with the math.

Bridges of Sighs by Richard Russo

I liked this book until about halfway through. Then I started getting annoyed. I just didn't buy that Sarah would throw her entire life away. I didn't buy that an artist of her presumed talent would bury all that. And then the end of the book, when this whole host of new characters was introduced, I lost all semblance of interest.

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

The first time I read this I left disappointed. I wanted more. But you now what, this time it felt exactly right to me. Perfectly constructed.

When Madeline Was Young by Jane Hamilton

Terrific and terrifically creepy premise.

The Senator's Wifeby Sue Miller

Sue Miller always just nails you, right at the end. I love her.

The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit by Lucette Lagnado

I wonder how many people even know about all the Jews from Arab and other middle eastern countries who ended up displaced. It's just so heartbreaking.

A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo

This book was just downright delightful.

Run by Ann Patchett

I think I'm just too sour a person for this book. I'm too much of a bitch to like such nice people.

Foreskin's Lament by Shalom Auslander

Honestly, if I had a David Rakoff and an Auslander with me at all times, I would never be bored.

Matrimonye by Joshua Henkin

Despite the fact that this guy so CLEARLY has a chip on his shoulder about my husband, I still enjoyed this novel.

Yellow Cake by Ann Cummins

Ann is a marvelous writer.

The Whole World Over by Julia Glass

You know what? As much as I love my own dog, I really REALLY don't want to read about yours.

A Long Way Gone by Ishamel Beah

I avoided this book for the longest time because I figured after the brilliant What is the What that there was no point. But there was something remarkable about the way he told his story. And of course his story was remarkable itself.