Designated “Highly Recommended”

Readers may have noticed that I occasionally – very occasionally – end a review post with the words “Highly Recommended.” This phrase indicates not just that I liked the book or thought it was good – many other books reviewed meet that standard – but that I found the book particularly outstanding. It reached out and grabbed me, pulled me in; it was an exciting discovery, a “wow” experience. Below I list the books (all fiction) that I have recently designated as “Highly Recommended,” as well as a few that I should have so designated (but didn’t, because I wasn’t yet consciously and consistently using this term for the very best books). Because I posted my list of “Ten Favorite Books of 2010” on 12/9/10, I only include here books that I have reviewed since that time. The dates indicate when I posted about each book.

12/12/10 “The Imperfectionists” by Tom Rachman
12/21/10 “The Bigness of the World: Stories” by Lori Ostlund
12/24/10 “Selected Stories” by William Trevor
12/28/10 “World and Town” by Gish Jen
1/15/11 “If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This: Stories” by Robin Black
1/28/11 “The Empty Family: Stories” by Colm Toibin
3/2/11 “Clara Mondschein’s Melancholia” by Anne Raeff
4/9/11 “Marry or Burn: Stories” by Valerie Trueblood
4/16/11 “Seven Loves” by Valerie Trueblood
4/22/11 “Binocular Vision: Stories” by Edith Pearlman
5/1/11 “Swim Back to Me: Stories” by Ann Packer
5/17/11 “Emily, Alone” by Stewart O'Nan
5/21/11 “Pulse: Stories” by Julian Barnes
6/20/11 “The Lemon Table: Stories” by Julian Barnes
7/14/11 “The Bostons: Stories” by Carolyn Cooke

A few points about the above list:
1. Fifteen “Wow” books in a little under eight months is pretty good!
2. I am surprised to see how many of these books -- 10 out of the 15 on the lists -- are collections of short stories. As I wrote on 7/24/11, despite novels’ having always been my first reading love, I seem these days to be reading and appreciating short stories more and more. I don’t know if this tendency is a coincidence, something temporary, or something more long-range.
3. Six of these books are by writers I was already familiar with and whose new books I watch out for; nine of them are either first books, or by authors I was not familiar with before reading the current book. I am pleased with this, because it means that while I honor and continue to read and enjoy the work of established writers, I am continuing to “discover” new authors, and because it indicates that the state of fiction is still healthy, with more and more new writers being published.