Book Business' The Best We Read 2012

Peter Beisser, Contributor

Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, By Sean Howe (Harper, 2012)

This tale of the popular funny book company bursts off the page as an epic story akin to the struggles between its heroes and villains. With the success of today’s film franchises launched from Marvel’s lengthy list of valuable intellectual property, it’s easy to forget where it all began—in the pages of their comic books. Sean Howe tells this 70-year story with an energetic “Pow.” What starts off with the oft-repeated tales of Marvel’s origins becomes a compelling read once Howe rolls past the 1960s. He exposes Marvel’s editorial upheavals, exploitations of creators, bankruptcy and revival. Sad and riveting.

Alexis Henderson, Director of eLearning

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
 (Knopf, 2007)

You may look at my pick and pass it by for a couple of reasons. One: You have to go to the “Young Adult” section to buy it (“I’m an adult! I do not read fiction written for teens!”). Or two: On the surface, it’s a story of a young girl in Nazi Germany (“Hm… sounds familiar.”). To these objections, I say: Do not be deterred. Please. This is the story of Liesel Meminger, a.k.a. “The Book Thief,” and how she came to be in Molching, Germany – living with foster parents who end up harboring a Jewish man in their basement – told from the perspective of the narrator... death. The end result is an incredibly intelligent, heart-swelling, sweep-you-away story. If you’re anything like me, you’ll laugh, cry, become hopelessly devoted to the characters, and find yourself picking this book up again and again.

Colleen Reese, New Media Marketing Manager

Zelda: A Biography, by Nancy Milford (Harper & Row, 1970)

My cousin’s wife lent me this really early on in January 2012. She gave me a hardback book with a green cover and no jacket that I’m relatively certain she “forgot” to bring back to a library (sorry, guys). Long story short, Zelda started for me what is now a love affair with biographies—specifically, Nancy Milford’s biographies. While Milford has been criticized for being too sympathetic a biographer, I’d argue that that quality helps create an emotionally accessible story for the reader.
Zelda is about Zelda Fitzgerald and her intense, confusing life as the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. He steals her prose, verbatim, and rarely gives her even partial credit. Scott resents Zelda for going insane and, in return, she continues to resent him for his literary success.
Milford does an extraordinary job coaxing the reader to invest emotionally in this rather tumultuous story, using correspondence and journal entries to build a unique and seamless narrative.