Books inContext Coordinators Will Read in 2012

As promised, Marina and I share a list of books we will read in 2012. Many of them we’ll write about in subsequent posts here at inContext. The books are listed in random order and are just a few from the piles we each keep at our bedsides, on our desks, on bookshelves and in our bags as we go about our days.

1. Habibi by Craig Thompson (Pantheon, 2011): Every review I’ve seen raves about Craig Thompson’s latest graphic novel. If it is half as good as his debut, Blankets (Top Shelf, 2005), then it will be amazing. Habibi is described as covering everything from love to religion to global socio-economic disparity, all through the lens of a gorgeously illustrated story.

2. Plastic: A Toxic Love Story by Susan Freinkel (Houghton Mifflin, 2011): Toxic chemicals from plastics have found their way into our bodies and are passed through breast milk. They include estrogen-like compounds, which give new meaning to the term “feminization.” This non-fiction coverage by a woman author should provide valuable insights on an important topic.

3. Catherine de Medici by Leonie Frieda (Harper Perennial, 2006): This is a biography of the Renaissance Queen of France, which portrays her heroism during a cruel and violent time period in history. The book takes back the real story of a queen who was incredibly influential, especially for her time.

4. Denial: A Memoir of Terror by Jessica Stern (HarperCollins, 2010): When I heard about this book, I was intrigued. It is the author’s story of coming to terms with her own violent past, which was denied any resolution until someone suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) recognized the author’s symptoms, and asked her about them. Ms. Stern has a successful career as a specialist in terror. The basis for her extraordinary vocation is explored as her story is told.

5. Ugly Beauty by Ruth Brandon (HarperCollins, 2011): This book chronicles the empires of Helena Rubinstein and Eugene Schueller of L’Oreal and examines the drastic differences between these iconic figures in the beauty industry. What is most interesting is that Rubinstein viewed cosmetics as a path for women to work outside the home.

6. Lit by Mary Karr (Harper Perennial, 2010): This is a memoir about the author’s motherhood, divorce and writing. It is hailed by everyone from Publisher’s Weekly to Stephen King as fine writing. It should make a great combination for consideration in inContext.

7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Doubleday, 2011): I’ll admit I started reading this in 2011, but haven’t finished it yet. The story captivates—characters are slowly introduced so that we must guess at their ultimate roles in the tale. It has a definite fairytale-like quality reminiscent so far to me of The Stolen Child (Keith Donohue, Anchor, 2007) and I can’t wait to finish it!

8. When Everything Changed by Gail Collins (Back Bay Books, 2009): This book explores the period from the sixties through the turn of the Century through the eyes of feminism. I started the book already, and I’m fascinated by the profiles of women presented. I’m reminded of the significance and importance of feminism and of the ways in which feminism has changed and is changing society.

9. All of the books written by Alice Hoffman: Since reading The Story Sisters (Crown, 2009), Marina fell in love with Hoffman’s writing. She claims “it’s edgy and poetic at the same time.” See Marina’s discussion of The Story Sisters here. Her 2012 goal is to read everything by Hoffman.

10. On Moving: A Writer’s Meditation on New Houses, Old Haunts and Finding Home Again by Louise DeSalvo (Bloomsbury, 2009): DeSalvo examines her own reaction to a major move and explores what moving and home meant to literary figures from Eugene O’Neill to Virginia Woolf. With my own desire to move (yet again) in 2012, I hope this will help me gain perspective on my motives and goals before I put my life into cardboard boxes for the 8th time in my adult life.

Let us know if you’ve read any of these books and what you thought of them. Feel free to write to us or post in the comments section any books you’d like inContext to consider in 2012, as well. What books are you carrying around or reading before bed?

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