The Star’s Top 100 Books of 2011
A year of magic and change
"This is the year when Borders went under, when e-books really took off, when a vacationing President Barack Obama picked up a three-in-one reprint of Missouri writer Daniel Woodrell’s earliest novels from the 1980s.
This is the year when protest erupted, when tablets became the rage, when vampires and zombies maintained their clutch on the pop-culture consciousness of a generation.
Yes, you can look at life in the bookish margins as a world of woe. Or you can see it for what it really is: a circus, a place of magic, a playground of invention, inspiration and collective introspection.
All of that and more is reflected within these pages. This is our annual roundup of the year’s best reading. These are the books — 100 novels, works of nonfiction, children’s titles and more — that made the most impression on our contributing reviewers and other professionals who do not fear to acknowledge that they spend a good amount of time consorting with the ideas, experience and escape that can still be found as fields of ink on paper and bound between two covers. ..."
General nonfiction
“Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: Seeking History and Hidden Gems in Flea-Market America,” by Maureen Stanton (Penguin Press). A skilled narrative writer immerses herself in the antiques and flea market worlds by tagging along with a knowledgeable, candid dealer.
See the rest of the list here: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/12/01/3297721/the-stars-top-100-books-of-2011.html#ixzz1fPr3SXtT"
One dealer's journey from the populist mayhem of flea markets to the rarefied realm of auctions reveals the rich, often outrageous subculture of antiques and collectibles.
Millions of Americans are drawn to antiques and flea-market culture, whether as participants or as viewers of the perennially popular Antiques Roadshow or the recent hit American Pickers. This world has the air of a lottery: a $20 purchase might net you four, five, or six figures. Master dealer Curt Avery, the unlikely star of Killer Stuff and Tons of Money, plays that lottery every day, and he wins it more than most. Occasionally he gets lucky, but more often, he draws on a deep knowledge of America's past and the odd, fascinating, and beautiful objects that have survived it.
Week in, week out, Avery trawls the flea and antiques circuit-buying, selling, and advising other dealers in his many areas of expertise, from furniture to glass to stoneware, and more. On the surface, he's an improbable candidate for an antiques dealer. He wrestled in high school and still retains the pugilistic build; he is gruff, funny, and profane; he favors shorts and sneakers, even in November; and he is remarkably generous toward both competitors and customers who want a break.
But as he struggles for a spot in a high-end Boston show, he must step up his game and, perhaps more challenging, fit in with a white-shoe crowd. Through his ascent, we see the flea-osphere for what it truly is-less a lottery than a contact sport with few rules and many pitfalls. This rich and sometimes hilarious subculture rewards peculiar interests and outright obsessions-one dealer specializes in shrunken heads; another wants all the postal memorabilia he can get. So Avery must be a guerrilla historian and use his hard-earned knowledge of America's past to live by and off his wits. Only the smartest survive in one of America's most ruthless meritocracies.
Killer Stuff and Tons of Money is many things: an insider's look at a subculture replete with arcane traditions and high drama, an inspiring account of a self-made man making his way in a cutthroat field, a treasure trove of tips for those who seek out old things themselves, and a thoroughly fresh, vibrant view of history as blood sport.
