I experienced a real reading revival in 2005, which was almost as great a relief to me as surviving my scare at Seneca. The timing was similar for both events. I finally read all the Harry Potter books, got a bit closer to completing the complete works of Huxley & Vonnegut, as well as some of the Book Quiz books I haven't read yet. Here's what rose to the top in a good crop...
#1
The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger) ~ it seems the whole world has been discovering this tome in the last couple years, but everyone's discovery is a life-changing experience. I have to rework my top 25 of all-time to let this one in. It really is as good as everyone has said it is, & anything I could tell you about it would only spoil it. Just go read it. Now.
#2
Eyeless in Gaza (Aldous Huxley) ~ you know how it is with Huxley... he'll either put you to sleep or wake you up. This one is clearly a wake-up call, wherein Huxley embraces pacifism more explicitly than in perhaps any other book. If you're looking for any clear references to Gaza in the book, you'll lose out, but if you're looking for an explanation of why Gaza & the rest of the world seem eyeless now, this is the winner.
#3
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J.K. Rowling) ~ the stand-out among the Harry Potter works, the middle book shows a move towards the more difficult times without things getting utterly hopeless. I think this one is the best of the set for me so far since I relate so closely to so much of it. So many scenes, conversations, interactions, & ideas reflect my own high school existence that I couldn't help but love it. Y'know, except for the dragons and mermaids.
#4
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) ~ I know it's breaking Emily's heart that this only registers fourth on the list, but as you can see this is a tough crowd of books. I wasn't at all sure that it would make the list in any slot, but the ending I found to be quite powerful and moving, launching it much higher in my estimation. Clearly well-written and interesting, it does read a bit more like a rollicking adventure tale than a hotbed of meaning. The magical realism is nifty, though.
#5
Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons (Kurt Vonnegut) ~ I guess this is technically a non-fiction book, which would make it the first non-fiction book not by Gandhi to get recognition from me in ages. But it's only barely non-fiction. As with any collection of short works, some are amazing and others are so-so. As with any Vonnegut work, it is at once insightful and inciteful.
