No matter how hard you try and fight it, 2010 will be remembered as Franzen’s year.  Freedom is the book that everybody talked about whether they were hating on it, or planning on making it the only book they were going to read.  Whether it be Oprah embracing him after his public shunning of her endorsement for The Corrections, or Lev Grossman’s profile on him making the cover of Time (we talked to Grossman about that here), Franzen left his stamp on all 365 days of the year that was.

We liked Franzen just as much as the next guy, but there were ten works of fiction we liked a whole lot more.

1. The Instructions by Adam Levin (McSweeney’s)

We loved The Instructions for reasons beyond the fact that it was over a thousand pages.  Levin’s book is #1 on our list because it’s a debut novel that was epic, ambitious and a hell of a lot of fun to read.

2. The Collected Stories of Deborah Eisenberg by Deborah Eisenberg (Picador)

This was more than a collection, it was a blessing considering that Deborah Eisenberg is possibly the greatest living short story writer in the English language.

3. Everything Here is the Best Thing Ever by Justin Taylor (Harper Perennial)

Justin Taylor is like the Luke Skywalker of Jewish writers: he’s the next great hope, and this collection of short stories was a perfect introduction for what might be in store.

4. The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer ( Spiegel & Grau)

Langer, who is on a book-a-year tear, gives us his best work yet with this Thieves.  It was hard to put down this highly entertaining and stylish literary caper.

5. The Ask by Sam Lipsyte (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

2010 will hopefully remembered as the year Sam Lipsyte became formerly recognized as one of the greatest fiction writers with this fantastic comic novel.  [Read our interview with Lipsyte]

6. The Melting Season by Jami Attenberg (Riverhead)

Attenberg got to the heart of so many different things with this novel: self-liberation, the dynamics of female friendships, letting go, and hitting the open road.

7. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart (Random House)

Shteyngart gave us the the years best novel on the subject of a future where people don’t like books.  Encouraging?  No.  Great book?  Yes.

8. What He’s Poised to Do by Ben Greenman (Harper Perennial)

What Greenman was poised to do in 2010 was put out this collection of stories (as well as the hilarious Celebrity Chekov) and leave us asking what he’s poised to do next?

9. Something Red by Jennifer Gilmore (Scribner)

Family and country are the themes of Gilmore’s second novel; how those things can let you down are also themes.  [Check out our video interview with Gilmore and Gal Beckerman]

10. Bad Marie: A Novel by Marcy Dermansky (Harper Perennial)

An ex-con attempting to adjust to post-prison life becomes the nanny to a two-and-a-half-year-old.  We have to admit that we were lured in by the tag of “wickedly nihilistic,” but were sold by the time the book was closed.

Also of note: Witz by Joshua Cohen, Skippy Dies by Paul Murray, A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

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2010, Harper Perennial

Edited by Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor

Tattoos, once worn by sailors, bikers, and later by punks, thugs, and other outcasts as marks of allegiance to cultures outside of the norm, have become ubiquitous throughout every social circle. The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide, edited by up and coming young writers, Eva Talmadge and Big Jewcy alumni Justin Taylor, showcases the inked literary sect, including over 150 color images of tattoos that pay homage to works by authors as diverse as Blake, and Bukowski, Joyce and Sendak.

The tattoos featured in The Word Made Flesh vary vastly in terms of style and content. There are quotes paired with children’s book illustrations—some crude and some beautiful and vivid. There is a beautifully rendered Franz Kafka sleeve with a portrait of the author, skulls, quotes, bugs, and books. Alongside wolves and apples signifying a mother’s love for the Twilight series, there are “wild things” and stacks of books tattooed on English teachers. There is Katharine Barthelme’s tribute to her father, and Tao Lin’s tattoo of the creatures he signs his books with.

There is a profile of author Mary Shelley’s project, “Skin,” in which volunteers have randomly selected words from Shelley’s story tattooed on them. She began the project in 2003 and, since then, over 10,000 people have volunteered to have assigned words tattooed on them to spell out a 2,095-word story on their bodies. When those bearing the words die, the story does as well.

This mortality of the flesh as opposed to the enduring quality of text makes an interesting statement on the permanence of tattoos. Perhaps the most intriguing part of tattoos, and that which continues to imbibe them with a sense of rebelliousness is their permanence. Many of the stories and poems the tattoos featured in The Word Made Flesh pay tribute to have and will continue to endure well after the tattoos and those who wear them have come and gone.

The post Reviewed: “The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide” appeared first on Jewcy.

This week we were bummed to learn that Justin Taylor would no longer be blogging over at HTML GIANT.  He didn’t really give any specifications as to why, but I’d have to guess the guy just got a little too busy with his forthcoming novel coming later in the winter.  Whatever the case, I still hold tight to the claim that he’s one of the best young writers around, and I’m excited to see what he has coming up.

One writers widow discusses another: Norris Church Mailer talks about the late Harold Pinter’s wife Lady Antonia Fraser at The Daily Beast.

Over at The Millions, some discussion about Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson.

Bookslut has an interview with Ben Greenman.  The picture used of the author is pre-beard.

Our pal Largehearted Boy has started his list of other peoples “Best of 2010” lists.

At Tablet, Joshua Cohen reviews the latest translation of Doctor Zhivago.  It’s quite long (would you expect anything less from Cohen?), but well worth the read.

The post The Weekly Yiderati: Justin Taylor, Norris Church Mailer, Howard Jacobson, Pre-Beard Ben Greenman and More appeared first on Jewcy.