Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

In the afterword, the author mentions that it cost $9.80 in 1950 to write this novel, renting a typewriter one dime at a time. The result of those dimes is a classic story about censorship - "firemen" who start fires in the homes of anyone thought to be harboring a book. Guy Montag is one of those firemen, but early in the novel he has a rush of conscience brought to him by his seventeen-year-old neighbor Clarisse. After Guy sees one woman burn to death atop her library, and after Clarisse goes missing, Montag strikes back against the establishment. I have always enjoyed Bradbury, and this book works just as well more than sixty years after it was written.

Five Chiefs: A Supreme Court Memoir - John Paul Stevens

Justice Stevens served on the Supreme Court for 35 years, retiring in 2010, and this book is a different type of autobiography. Stevens traces his interactions with five Chief Justices - Vinson, Warren, Burger, Rehnquist, and Roberts - and offers highlights and thoughts on many opinions handed down through those Courts. It was an interesting read that wasn't written entirely in legalese, and at times offered real insight on how key opinions came to be. There was one section that made me chuckle, as Stevens spent the better part of two pages complaining how a few Justices moved a table without everyone's approval. Apparently those petty coworker issues exist everywhere, even in the highest court in the U.S.

Mission Flats - William Landay

I am in awe of this author's ability, having read an ARC of "Defending Jacob" a few months ago (it will be released on January 31st, and already has several awards awaiting its release). This is his first novel, and is absolutely brilliant. Ben Turman is a small-town cop who is brought into a major case when a Boston DA is found murdered in a nearby cabin. Truman travels to Boston to work with the police of Mission Flats and the local prosecutor. There are several back stories, some of which didn't seem important when I first contemplated them, but by the end of the book, everything came together in ways that I had not anticipated. I thought that I had this figured out several times, and I'm happy to say that I had it wrong. There is a bit of deceit on behalf of Truman as he fulfills his dual role as main character and narrator, but it is a satisfying deceit. Mr. Landay is destined to reach the top of every literary list, and that placement is well-deserved.

Fire in the Hole - Elmore Leonard

I enjoy the FX series Justified and finished a short story collection by this author last year. This is another of those collections, featuring Raylan Givens, Carl Webster, and Karen Sisco in a series of crime-focused short stories. Some are entertaining, but honestly, none of the stories really grabbed me. One is basically the first episode from Justified, with a necessarily-different ending. I have several novels by Mr. Leonard sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read in 2012, but they may wait a bit longer while I seek out more stimulating novels.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

One of my resolutions this year is to work in a few of the classics, and my first choice was this novel. Atticus Finch is a constant reference throughout law school, and somehow I have never read the book before now. I now understand the world's fascination with Harper Lee and her only novel - it was phenomenal! The story follows Scout, a somewhat precocious young girl as she puzzles over a reclusive neighbor and the social niceties of the 1930s South. The centerpiece of the novel is the trial of a young black man who has been accused of raping a white woman, and it falls to Atticus to provide for a fair trial in a community where prejudices are very likely to trump fairness. This is the major premise of the book, and the author did a fantastic job, but the overall story and writing were absolutely great as well. I will definitely return to read this book again, as I have definitely added it to my top ten.

Children of Paranoia - Trevor Shane

The premise here is somewhat strained, as we have two groups living within normal society who are at war with one another, yet no one engaged in the war knows why. As a result, kids are trained from the age of sixteen to begin killing for their side as soon as they turn eighteen. Joe is one of the assassins sent by faceless controllers for his side, and the story is literally told through his point-of-view as jotted down in a journal for his girlfriend Maria, who we meet halfway through the book. Joe doesn't know why he is fighting, which is why I didn't get to know as the reader, but that approach failed to hold me at times - it felt like someone in the book could have simply asked, "wait, wait, WHY are we killing each other again?" As soon as Joe shares the rule that children born to those under the age of eighteen are handed to the other side to raise (yeah, random killing but a solid accord, right?), I was pretty much able to guess where this was going. I was right. It's not a bad story, but as the first in a trilogy, I'm not likely to be a continuing reader.

2011 Reading Recap - Todd

Alright - 59 books completed in 2011 against the ever-distant goal of 100. The goal is somewhat non-realistic, as it really means I need to finish a book every 3-4 days. That's fine in the cold months - I think I finished four books in the first week of 2011 - but harder when the lawn needs mowed, the office gets demanding, and my own writing is begging for attention.

The shortest book in 2011 - Of Mice and Men at just 100 pages. I'm not certain what the longest was, as I don't track pages read. Like Jason, there were a few books that I put down after they failed to grab me - one of those was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - let the complaint emails commence.

My goal in 2012 is to actually have my own novel ready to pitch by July 1st in time for ThrillerFest, but I'm still going to strive for a high reading count in 2012 as well. I'm setting a goal of 78 books - 1.5 books per week. I do want to focus on a few of the classics this year, but am surrounded by books on my must-ready shortlist as well.

Here's to good reading in this new year!