The Top Ten Books of 2007 Lists are out in force these days, and while it's mind-boggling that people can even do this (no one read all the books published in 2007... so how in the heck do they decide?)..... let's just go ahead and compile our own best-of list, shall we?
So you tell me: what was the best book you read that was published in 2007?
Aside from my books by my clients, my favorite book of '07 was.............
THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie. Just a really awesome, touching, funny novel.
There are still so many books from 2007 I want to read... I'm not ready for '08! Slow down, time!!!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ... the perfect ending to a wonderful series. I'm still sad it is all over.
On Chesil Beach ...how can you not love Ian McEwan? It was beautiful.
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer ...Such a fun series.
Lastly, I also loved Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I laughed, I cried, and I learned so much. Great, great story.
Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning and Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. Both were beautifully written and absolutely incredible to read.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, by M.T. Anderson.
This list should come in very handy for vacation, thanks!
I second Harry Potter, the writing quality was far above the previous books. Except, perhaps, the Battle of Hogwart's chapter and the Epilogue.
SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU by Peter Cameron. Amazing voice and brilliantly woven text.
I only read five books from 2007 this year, among the 40+ books I've read so far this year. Of those four, it's hard to pick a favorite.
Deathly Hallows is a good choice for favorite, though. It was a nice finish to a fun series that almost lost me after the fourth and fifth books. The fourth wasn't bad, but should have been shorter and was sometime irritating. I disliked the fifth enough that I seriously contemplated giving up on the series. 6 and 7 made me a fan again, though.
I also really enjoyed a book of local history my friend Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg wrote about a family and their farm in her part of NW Massachusetts, A Sense of Place: The Story of the Williams Family Farm. It's nicely written and draws me into the history of the farm and the people who lived there.
Speaking of friends, my pal Kimpei Ohara published his co-translation of Demon Lake by Izumi Kyoka this year. It was my introduction to Kabuki drama and was a fascinating read.
I also read two excellent new books about writing, Hooked by Les Edgerton and Spunk & Bite by Arthur Plotnik, both of which should be in every writer's library, well-read, dog-eared, and tattered.
Foreskin's Lament by Shalom Auslander.
Probably Making Money by Terry Pratchett. I didn't read many books published in 2007, but even if I had read them all, it's likely this one would still be at the top of my list.
Though I read as many books as usual this year, many of them were older books retrieved from my library's stacks, because I found the books published this year disappointing.
I have read a couple of the books on the NYTimes best books list, and had to conclude that the people who picked those books as "bests" hadn't actually read past the first couple chapters.
Of the new books I read this year, my vote goes to Good Germs, Bad Germs by Jessica Sachs, which made a complex and important topic--the interdependence of humans and bacteria--highly accessible to readers.
Deathly Hallows for sure. :) Wicked Lovely and The Luxe were excellent, too.
The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman.
Hmm. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss; Night Lost by Lynn Viehl; Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (I read it in Jaunary, the pback version JUST came out, does that count?)
Red Carpets And Other Banana Skins, The $64 Tomato
Power Play by Joseph Finder - a beautifully crafted thriller.
Notable mention goes to Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, and Down River by John Hart.
I have yet to read The Deathly Hallows. Knowing how incredible Rowling is, it's likely she would have gotten my vote.
Notable disappointment: Spook Country by William Gibson. I had high hopes for that one.
My favorites:
PIECES OF MY SISTER'S LIFE (Elizabeth Joy Arnold): A beautiful page-turner, about identical twins growing up in Rhode Island.
AWAY (Amy Bloom): A wonderful novel, with such a unique story and protagonist--I went back and bought her first novel and a collection of short stories after reading this.
RUN (Ann Patchett): My second-favorite Patchett novel, after Bel Canto.
Biggest disappointment? The Amost Moon (Alice Sebold): What a piece of trash. Not that the writing wasn't good, but honestly, I couldn't get past the 4th chapter.
The Zero by Jess Walter
http://www.amazon.com/Zero-Novel-Jess-Walter/dp/0060898658
I'm waiting for The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray to come out. Then I'll pass judgment.
THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN’S UNION, by Michael Chabon,
followed by THEN WE CAME TO THE END, by Joshua Ferris,
LIKE YOU’D UNDERSTAND, ANYWAY: Stories, by Jim Shepard
and THE OVERLOOK, by Michael Connelly.
Nonfiction wasn't as purely enjoyable, mostly because the subjects were so bleak, but I liked IMPERIAL LIFE IN THE EMERALD CITY: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone, by Rajiv Chandrasekaran,
and THE NINE: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, by Jeffrey Toobin,
and HOW DOCTORS THINK, by Jerome Groopman.
Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes
I didn't read a whole lot of new books this year, what with college seeping up all my time, but I would definitely say:
A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
I loved The Kite Runner and was not at all disappointed with his second novel. I also read Deathly Hallows this summer, but while I love the series, I don't really feel like her writing is that great. Just my opinion.
I may have only read two books published in 2007 this year - one I read this weekend and one I'm reading now - but seems I've made some pretty great choices. These two are among the best novels I've read - ever! Robert Harris' THE GHOST, and Jean Hegland's INTO THE FOREST.
I listed my Top Ten on my book review blog enduringromance.blogspot.com on December 4th. I'll list the Final Three tomorrow and my Book of the Year on December 31st.
Interestingly, I just realized today that half of my Top Ten were debut novels.
Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon.
Deathly Hallows.
Nearly impossible expectations met and surpassed.
Harry Potter did it for me too, I'd say. I also really enjoyed Ally Carter's CROSS MY HEART -- very fun!
Novel: The last Harry Potter.
Non-fiction: The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. Brilliant.
Ironic that you should ask this question today of all days, because today I met the author of the book I'm about to say: Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. Still haven't read Kristen Britain's The High King's Tomb, though. I have a feeling that one's gonna be good.
I'm with Brian. It was Peter Cameron's SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU.
Deathly Hallows! Although JKR is still not my favorite prose stylist, it was a smasho ending to the whole adventure.
I find the question overwhelming. I've read almost no book from the year 2007, except for one, which I just reviewed at my own blog:
http://tbdeluxe.blogspot.com/
Man, I am sooo out of it . . . .
I know I already stated mine, but I was torn so I'm also adding Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box - buying a ghost on ebay - fantastic.
Like a lot of the comments indicate, though I read a lot I didn't read that many from 2007...
I did like Deathly Hallows, I thought it was a really great finale for a wonderful series...
Lottery by Patricia Wood was fabulous, even better than my expectation when I picked it up (and it was highly recommended by some blogging friends)...
Another one I really liked was Interred with their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell - I'm a huge Shakespeare fan, but she manages to both pepper the novel with the bard's work and still make it accessible for readers who are not that well versed.
By a wide margin:
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Hmmm..... if it has to be published in 2007, then I have to say, "A Welcome Grave" by 20-something writing phenom, Michael Koryta.
You can read a review of this book on my blog, and like Kimber An, I'm going to be doing my own "Year in Review - Books" posts, starting next week.
Right now, I'm working on the best and worst things I've heard this year at my writers groups meetings.
Nathan, if you ask what was the best book you read all year, I'll bet you'll get very different answers.
Interesting so many people have gone with Deathly Hallows! I'll have to second (or third?) some of the previous nominations:
PIECES OF MY SISTER's LIFE: An amazing, stunning debut that made me laugh and cry. I couldn't put it down.
NINETEEN MINUTES: Everything Picoult writes is gold, and this is no exception. Read this after the VTech shooting, which made it resonate even more.
ON CHESIL BEACH: Just a gem. Can be read in an afternoon, but as most of you are writers, I'd recommend reading much slower, to absorb every single sentence.
The Overlook by Micheal Connelly
Aloha,
I must echo Lisa...
A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini is a book that all Westerners should see, taste, feel, and breathe.
It's nice to get a new perspective on that broken fingernail crisis or perhaps that ghastly missed job opportunity or Saturday's missed freethrow.
Favorite book published in '07? Fiction: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (great ending to a wonderful series) or Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg -- a different direction for this underrated writer and a serious piece of fiction in genre. Nonfiction: The Discovery of France, a Geographical History, by Robb -- an unusual take on history and a grand travel book, all in one, beautifully written.
ANTHEM OF A RELUCTANT PROPHET by Joanne Proulx.
I have to say I enjoyed it more than DEATHLY HALLOWS and more than ECLIPSE.
(Maybe in 2008 I'll start reading books about people over 20...)
This book has perfect voice and the details are rich. It's totally unexpected and even though it deals with some gritty tragedy, it's full of hope. I love this book.
Ha! I did read a book about someone over 20 this year!
LOTTERY by Patricia Wood. Another book with excellent voice.
Also, like my super-top-favourite (Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet) a female author writing in a guy's first person POV.
I'd have to say the Children of Hurin by JRR Tolkien, even though it is incredibly depressing.
Aloha again,
Forgive me...I guess I wasn't quite through...
A Thousand Splendid Suns
It made me want to give a large hug to womankind!
Ken Follett, World Without End
Pure genius! I waited so long for the follow-up to Pillars of the Earth, and this is brilliant.
Fiction? I'll break it into two categories.
FAVORITE PLOT: I'd say The Thirteenth Tale, which I couldn't put down.
BEST WRITING: Pieces of My Sister's Life.
Non-Fiction I'll also break into two:
MEMOIR: Brother I'm Dying.
A BOOK TO IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS WITH: Proust Was a Neuroscientist.
Monkey Love by John Paul Allen. A Real sneaky horror novel put out by Biting Dog Press. Masterfully written.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Eclipse by Stephnie Meyer
Love is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison
Gentleman's Alliance 1-3 by Arina Tanemura
=^..^=
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
World Without End by Ken Follett
Most of what I read this year was pre-2007, but I believe that this year was a very good year for YA. I found several excellent books, but Deathly Hallows was my favorite. No surprises there.
THE EXCEPTION by Christian Jungersen.
Water for Elephants...which I know technically came out hardcover in 2006, but paper back came out in 2007.
I don't know if this counts. I don't think I've read a true 2007 at this time, but A Thousand Splendid Suns is on my TBR list.
World Without End by Ken Follett. I was as engrossed in this book as I was in Pillars of the Earth.
I have read 50 books this year and sometimes forget what I read!
Best Middle Grade book of 2007:
ALEX AND THE IRONIC GENTLEMAN by Adrienne Kress. It's funny and silly but has some very dark moments. It's a rare book that a 13 year old girl, 11 year old boy and their mother can all appreciate!
Best memoir:
PRISONER OF TEHRAN by Marina Nemat. A surprisingly hopeful story or torture and survival. I highly recommend it.
I had forgotten about the Children of Hurin. That was quite a good tragedy. Although the antagonist wasn't complex or devious enough, the dark protagonist was very well done.
Clearly, I must be the only person who truly hated Harry Potter. Oh well. Some of that comes from being a non-Christian and predicting that he would be a major Christ figure at that end of it, and thus being totally unimpressed that it was so very predictable (and outside of my own worldview).
Also, she needed an editor way bad.
Thousand Splendid Suns is my pick.
Oh, and Nathan, I'm going to get to Part-Time Indian as soon as I'm done with a project, thanks for reccomending it. It sounds great, and I wouldn't have heard about it if it weren't for you.
The only new book I read this year was Harry Potter whihc was well worth the cost!
99% of the things I read are from the library sale and it's hardly ever new things.
Jay Asher's THIRTEEN REASONS WHY. Great premise, and the writing sucked me right into the story.
I'm surprised at how many people picked Deathly Hallows. Everyone has different tastes, I suppose. Personally, I found it disappointing. It wasn't a bad book, but it didn't live up to what I was expecting. Nothing against JK Rowling, though. As much excitement as the end of the series caused, it would be impossible to please everyone. Oh, am I rambling? Sorry. Going to have to stop doing that. Maybe that'll be my New Year's resolution.
THE SAVAGE DETECTIVES got in my head like no book had in years.
Although it's not a 2007 title, SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN
Adult
ON CHESIL BEACH
YA (3-way TIE)
Thirteen Reasons Why
Blood Brothers
Wicked Lovely
MG
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little
the meaning of night by michael cox. set in victoria england, it's not a genre i have ever read. and i loved it.
the blood of flowers by anita amirrezvani would be a very close second. wonderful storytelling and gorgeous prose, set in 17th century persia. a debut novel for make me aspire to.
THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO, by Junot Diaz.
Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky's new translation of Tolstoy's WAR AND PEACE.
Because I read it most recently, Captain's Fury, by Jim Butcher. Closely followed by The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Another good one is Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg.
I would definitely have to agree with sophie w.--I cannot say 100% since the book comes out in 13 days(!), but I'm pretty sure A SWEET FAR THING by Libba Bray will top my list for the year.
Not so much posting about my fav book this year (though I could say Harry Potter, not so much due to its content but rather the whole experience, kind of a once in a lifetime thing), but since you love the Sherman Alexie book (of which I have an ARC but still haven't had a chance to read yet) I thought you might be interested in this little clip from the Texas Book Festival where actually I was lucky enough to be on the same panel as him. Someone filmed it and edited his answers together. They are really funny, and he also reads a bit from his book. It's cool, take a look!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NwiQb8OQ6dY
(and yes I did find this clip while googling my own name . . . so I google my own name, you got a problem with that Mr. Bransford?)
Did someone say google your name???
Lemonade Mouth, by Mark Peter Hughes. Lyrical, engaging and fantastic.
Gabrielle
Thanks for posting the link to the video, Adrienne! And it has to feel good that you made the list here. ALEX is on my Christmas wish-list.
lol! I hadn't read the list yet, I had planned to revisit it with pen and paper and write down a few titles! Yes it is very flattering, big thank you to Ms. Hick!
(glad you liked the link, he's a very charismatic person isn't he?)
Only three of the books I read this year were published in 2007: On Chesil Beach, Deathly Hallows, and Yiddish Policemen. Since I haven't actually finished Chesil yet, I have to go with Yiddish Policemen.
I'm about a year off; the best "new" book I read in 2007 was The Road. The best older one was To Kill a Mockingbird. Duh. That was easy pick.
THE RAW SHARK TEXTS by Steven Hall. Genius.
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
ANDDDDDDDD
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (aside from the atrocious, completely appauling and now infamous among Harmony shippers alike: The Epilogue.
Magic Lost, Trouble Found, by Lisa Shearin. Wonderful fantasy novel with a kick-ass MC, set in a world that reminded me of Venice, Italy.
Plus a hint of romance, too.
I'm looking forward to the rest in the series. :-)
~Nancy C. Beck
http://writelystuff.blogspot.com
With nothing better to do on a cold/wet Friday night I Googled myself here and found my novella, Monkey Love mentioned . . . cool.
:)
JPA
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