"Top Ten" for 2007
That would be my own personal list of top ten favorite books I read in 2007. This should be understood from the beginning to be a reflection of the connection between reader (me) and book at a given moment, and not a reflection on the merit of any book. I just started looking over my reading for 2007, so this is the preliminary round, and I will narrow this down to just ten favorites, but I will be choosing the ten from among these.
In no particular order:
The Time of Green Ginger by Armstrong King (Also here and here.)
Lost in Translation by Eva Hoffman
The Secret by Eva Hoffman
Sala's Gift by Ann Kirschner
The Beginning by Chain Potok
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Remembering by Wendell Berry
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
The Approaching Storm by Nora Waln
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Digging to America by Anne Tyler
My apologies that all of these books don't have nice reviews, either. The ones I read during my little blogging hiatus didn't get fair treatment here!
One interesting thing I note is that none of the audio books I've listened to (and I've listened to quite a few) made this list--only books that I read with my own eyes. I think this is partly because I choose audio books almost exclusively for their entertainment value, and not to make me think or concentrate deeply. When I listen to audio books, I am doing other things, and I don't have enough attention to devote to anything too heavy, but my favorite books are always those that give me something to think about (whether I agree with them or not).
When I browse the catalog at Librivox, Right Ho, Jeeves is going to beat out Poetics by Aristotle every time. (And just in passing, I will say that the male reader for the "Jeeves" books at Librivox is brilliant, and a real pleasure to listen to!)
I promise to narrow the list down to 10, and provide a better review for any book that makes the list if it doesn't already have one.
posted by Karen G. @ 2:12 PM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
Allow me to return some thanks with a recommendation of the best audiobook I heard all year, RESTLESS by William Boyd. Beautiful book and fabulous reader. I loved it so much that I took a break between it and the next audiobook, just because I was so engrossed in the story and the voice.
Best wishes for the holidays,
Ann Kirschner
author, SALA'S GIFT
I like to read your blog with pen in hand, taking notes on these wonderful books you mention. I have a potential list of 15 to begin in 2008. Thank you for your reviews.
~ The Correspondent
I forgot that you had also read The Thirteenth Tale. I really liked it as a story, as characters etc.; I thought it was terrifically done; but at the same time I don't want to go around telling people to read it because of the few disgusting/immoral things that you can't skip. I mean, it was obvious that those things were MEANT to be immoral and disgusting, because it showed just how evil and twisted and disturbed a couple of the characters in the story were; but I think some people would find just reading those parts too disturbing.
And to be honest, I had less patience for and interest in the angst of the main character (the bookseller) than I did for the story-within-the-story. I have to admit I was completely taken in and never saw it all coming. But I don't usually figure out the ends of mystery books either.
Great list. The Book Thief was my favorite this year and I usually don't have favorites. You have several books that I have read and enjoyed and some I plan to read. Now I'm just looking forward to them more.
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