__ The Michigan Daily- Weekend,.etc. N TiCirin da.ily - WPPlbd.cPtc _Magazine - ThirA krniirv 11. 2001 a a a: s a _- -- V-w w w w- bb 1 11WVII icniga(L Ludkiy YMCIWUl CLt-. t:ta,5aufIV # Itfu«ua-ja!iua,7 -L-L, 4-%4%Js ,! : -- -1w NNP- -Iqw- lw IRV Books editor pages through the year's literary gems Eight great releases that escaped popula By Lisa Raft Books Editor The \\r1iter Saul Below once claimed that, '.With a novelist, like a sturgeon, you have to get a feeling that \ rOU'vCfallen inO tood hands -some- one from whom you can accept anes- thetic with confidence." Keeping this quote in mind. 1 set about the task of selecting nmy favorite books from the year 2000. Good books should alternately break our hearts and make us laugh. All of the works of fiction mentioned below did jdust that. often combining sophisticated wiigwt simple sto- ries. As they were each so differcnt I could not find it within myvself to rank them: They arc li sted in n() par-ticular order. Consider this list a mere sample of the books from 2000 that are wvorthy of your time, It is by no means condot- siv c. as I certainly do not claim to hav e read every g{ood book that w~as wvritten this past year. 110lowever., should you like to fall into the hands of some of the year's most capable literary "sur- ocons," here are the places to begin. Sit back and relax, let the anesthetic take hold: "Anth rop~ooov, by Dan Rhodes: A simple concept: 101 stories, in alphabetical order. 101 words each. Some stories tic into others, some stand alone. all are hilarious and clever. These tiny little vignettes embody themes of infidelity, death, insanity and insecurity, providing a window into the world of dating and sex that is at times crystal-clear, at times a bit fogey. Those with short attention spans take note: I i-cad the book in about liked it so muchY that I actually e mailed the author and found that he is a really niec Englishman w~ho eagerly a\\ait his "[The Feast of Love" 1w Charles Baxter: Yes, you're reading correctly: This book was w\ritten by the E.nivecrsity'5 0\\'11 Charles Baxter. Author Joyce Carol Enog Iish professor the world of Marily and 'rational "Blonde." Book Aw\ard n0om- inee. The best pait of this book is the range of' characters that populate it: Well-dev eloped, complex and thor- ouglv human, the narrators of this book range from a teenage coffee-shop enloyee to an elderly philosophy pro- fessor'. Filled with surprises, each nair- iator tells a story that weaves into the otheirs. often with an unldetCricrnt of humor rippling just below the surface. A surprising bonus is thlat thle book is set in good old Ann Arbor. "Getting Over It" by Anna Nlaxted: This is. withlout a doubt, one of thle funniest books I hlave ever read. I lauglled copi- ously. Out l01ud, in public. Thlis novel follows ill thlefoot- steps Of thle popular -Bridoect Jones Diary'' series, ill that it recordls thle trials and tribulations ill thle life of a hip, Urball t\Veltv-SOill- tllilg . It's a typical cou : , E . s love story and