Happy Three Kings Day!

I read alot of books this year -- most were for school, but the ones that really knocked me out were the following books, none of which were actually published this year, all of which I recommend heartily (and also with my other organs):
This Boy's Life, Tobias Wolff -- a master of prose writing, Wolff is the man to emulate when writing one's memoir, as opposed to James Frey, whose lies didn't offend me so much as his cheap Hollywood style
The Know-It All, by A.J. Jacobs -- the author reads the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica and recaps his quest in a book that is trivial and happy to be so; it's fascinating, funny, and a great substitute for actually reading the Encyclopedia yourself
Crossing the Line, by William Finnegan -- apparently, I was in a non-fiction mood this year. It's probably going to be hard to find this book (I know I had trouble), and when I heard it was about a white teacher in a black Capetown school, I figured it was going to be a heinously schlocky piece of trash. Instead, it's a beautifully-written, exceptionally honest monograph of Cape Flat life during apartheid, specifically among the children, and there's no "I'm a white teacher who saves himself by saving you" bullshit that one might expect. Don't let the length worry you; unlike many hefty tomes, Crossing the Line earns every page.
Watership Down, by Richard Adams -- occasionally, I felt I was going to overdoes on rabbitness, but it still made me cry; brilliant book, should have read it earlier, but glad I saved it til now.
Thank You For Smoking, by Christopher Buckley -- good, good book; a friend gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago, and, considering I didn't smoke and the cover was hideous, I took it as an affront and never read the book... and then the brilliant movie came out, at which point I realized yet again that I was an asshole.
An Embarrassment of Mangoes, by Ann Vanderhoof -- low-seas travelogue of literary types escaping Canada via sailboat for Caribbean, replete with real islander recipes, could scoot through the prep part in the beginning a bit faster but overall a real pleasure to read.

I read many fine books this year, but you don't need me to tell you to read One Hundred Years of Solitude, and anyhow, I'm in the middle of reading about eight books right now (when I should be writing my novel), so I think I'll give you a few months to take on these prime pieces of literature before I start rec'ing anything else.