Before taking a brief break for the New Year, I have to post my own "best of" list.
Unfortunately, my best of 2007 will not compare to The New York Times'. Since I lack the Times’ resources, my list won’t be the best books published in 2007. Instead, it includes the best books I’ve read in 2007.
As of today, I've read 82 books this year. Here are my favorite ten:
10. Death of a Maid/The Good Husband of
9. The Shadows of Ghadames: I read Joelle Stoltz’s award-winning book before starting this blog. The book gives a glimpse into nineteenth-century Libya as a young girl conspires with her mothers—and defies societal rules—to hide an injured man on her rooftop.
8. Into the Wild: I may not agree with Chris McCandless's choices, but his life fascinates me almost as much as it does Jon Krakauer.
7. A Room with a View: Lucy Honeychurch is no feminist ideal. But she and George Emerson have a delightful love story.
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: I am not a Harry Potter fanatic, but I wanted to read this final installment as much as the next person. I just hope J.K. Rowling can finally put the series to rest and let the books speak for themselves.
5. Fieldwork: For a debut novel, Fieldwork is charming. Berlinski is truly talented if he can make a book about murder and cultural imperialism so delightful.
4. Over a Thousand Hills I Walk with You: I bombarded myself with books about genocide this year. Over a Thousand Hills stands out from the rest because this biography of the
3. North and South: I am still in love with John Thornton, even three months after finishing North and South. I will definitely be reading more Elizabeth Gaskell in 2008.
2. Deogratias: Few books affect me the way Deogratias does. Graphic novels may not appeal to most readers. However, the format is key to making this story about the Rwandan genocide the most emotionally-shattering book I read this year.
1. The Book Thief: I actually made this list so I could once again sing The Book Thief’s praises. I recommend this book without hesitation to any reader. It is by far the best book I read in 2007.
Now that I’ve shared my list, what books are on your top ten?
5 comments:
Glad to see another bookworm has "The Book Thief" as number one!
http://my-reading-journal.blogspot.com/
I am sad to say I have only read twenty books this year. (Unless you count the twenty-five Junie B. Jones books I read with my daughter.) I must make a goal to read a lot more, and a lot deeper books, in 2008.
My top books this year:
1. Atlas Shruggged
2. Interpreter of Maladies
3. Spindle's End
4. The Well of Lost Plots, Thursday Next, and Something Rotten
5. The Big Over Easy
6. Spindle's End
7. Tears of the Giraffe
Most addictive reads this year:
1. Twilight Series
2. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series
Oh, must add Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Wanna-be, if you included all the children's books you read with your kids, your list would be huge. And keep in mind, half my books are young adult novels. I also think you win because you read Atlas Shrugged--something I have not and probably never will.
Vanessa, thanks for linking to your blog. I've put The Book of Lost Things on my "to read" list.
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