NYT ’08 Notable List

It’s that time of year, for one of my favorite book round-ups. The New York Times has published its annual “100 Notable Books of 2008.”

Credit: New York Times

I’ve only read a couple this year, but do think that The Night of the Gun by David Carr earned its spot. I was less impressed with Netherland, by Joseph O’Neill. After reading a glowing write-up, I had high expectations, but wasn’t as impressed as the reviewer. Once in paperback, it will do well as a book club read, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of my 2008 list.

At the front of my queue from the rest of the NYT picks – Nonfiction: American Lion, Factory Girls, Hot Flat & Crowded.        Fiction: American Wife, Beijing Coma, A Mercy.

We’ll see soon which ones made the Top 10!

David Carr Reinvents the Memoir

“Memories may be based on what happened to begin with, but they are reconstituted each time they are recalled — with the most-remembered events frequently the least accurate,” writes David Carr in his book, “The Night of the Gun.”

By challenging the foundation of a memoir, memory itself, The New York Times media columnist and culture reporter Carr has reinvented the genre. In “The Night of the Gun,” Carr applies investigative reporting skills to his own life, revisiting the people, places and events that comprised his time as a crack cocaine addict.

One of my favorite books this summer was David Carr’s The Night of the Gun. My review of the memoir ran online in today’s Summit Daily. Check it out.