What is the Best Book you've read so far this year? April 2008

I guess mine would be A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

And mine would be The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Outlander!!!!!!!!

I did enjoy too. Well I don't know 'enjoy' is quite the right word, it was really well written. I have also just finished Half a Yellow Sun, which is excellent, but also grim reading. On a lighter note I enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale, not classic literature, but a good read.

City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer.

It's a little hard to choose because I've been reading some great books in the last few months, but I guess I'd have to say The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell was the best.

It ended up being Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, although it took a while to get into the story.

For me, so far, it was That Night by Alice McDermott. She evokes a particular time, place and people so clearly that you can not only see what is going on but smell and feel it too. This was an NPR 'You Must Read This', and I am so glad I did.

I use a 5-star rating on another site for books I've read. I haven't rated any novels 5 stars yet this year, the closest is Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.

I did, however, give Haruki Murakami's The Elephant Vanishes short story collection full marks, and Raymond Carver's personal selection of his stories Where I'm Calling From, which I started last year and finished this, also got 5 out of 5.

Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee wasn't necessarily an enjoyable book but I'm glad I read it. Even though I finished it a few weeks ago I still think about it almost daily, it was very powerful.

non-fiction in anthropology: Writing Women's Worlds. Abu-Lughod is an amazing writer. She breaks down a lot of the "canonical" terms in the discipline to show how they work in real life, with actual people.

fiction Name of the Wind, it was such a great debut for a new author (Patrick Rothfuss). I am impatient for the sequel but I don't think it comes out until next year.

Boy, that is a hard question to answer because I have read some truly wonderful books since the beginning of the year, but I guess since it is the most recent one, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon gets my vote.

#13 alcottacre I loved Shadow of the Wind too when I read a couple years back. It is in my top 10 books of all time.

My best book so far this year is Pope Joan. Read it for book club and we all liked it very much.

I've read lots of good books so far this year, but the absolute best so far is The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

The Last Queen: A Novel by C.W. Gortner. I just finished the ARC and it was fantastic. Those who are interested in historical fiction should check it out. The release date seems to be set for the end of July.

Unfortunately I haven't read that many non-school books yet this year, but of the ones I read so far, my favorite one is I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.

The current 2008 short list includes Jane Austen's Persuasion, Daoud Hari's The Translator, Alison Weir's The Children of Henry VIII, and Nancy Goldstone's Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe.

My shortlist of favorites from 2008 would include:

The Calligrapher by Edward Docx
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury
The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

But that's just the fiction...

My two favorites so far this year are Freddy and Fredericka and Interred with Their Bones.

Because I cannot bear to choose between them, I'm going to list two: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, and The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles.

For me its a tie between White Teeth and Ignorance

Only one? I don't think I can do it.

It's between Special Topics in Calamity Physics, Hotel du Lac, and Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell. All three were wonderfully written (yes, I know about the overabundance of metaphors and similes in special Topics, but it worked for me), all left me thoughtful, and all made me want to reread them right away.

If I had to chose just one, I'd guess it would have to be Special Topics if only because, a couple of days after I finished it, I bought a copy for my daughter and couldn't help but reread parts of it that night before I sent it to her in her birthday package.

So far, Willy Vlautin's The Motel Life

Going back to my list in the Top Five Books First Quarter of 2008 thread, I would have to say it's a four-way tie between Unforgiving Years by Victor Serge, Lush Life by Richard Price, and The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano, which I read in the first quarter, and Fifth Business by Robertson Davies which I read earlier this month.

Middlemarch by George Eliot. I seem to be a little in love with it, actually. I'm reading other things, but my mind keeps going back there ...

I haven't read a book that has really drawn me in this year. However, the one that came closest is World Without End by Ken Follett, the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth. The sheer dramaticism kept me pushing to the next scene, in that quintessential good book quality that makes you keep asking 'What's going to happen next?!'.

My top book this year has been Howards End (E.M. Forster).

The Life & Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson.

Delightful trip down memory lane - growing up in the 50's (Canada, in my case, but a recognizable experience).

Possession by A.S. Byatt - a literary extravaganza with dual time period settings.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green would be pretty up there on my list of favourites this year, although I've read quite a few great books.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes the 6th in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I loved it so much. Even it's length was awesome I hope the last one will be a huge volume because I will be story to see the story end.

#32 kiwiflowa: I cannot wait to see how Diana Gabaldon makes Jamie and Claire live forever!

#32 kiwiflowa: I've read A Breath of Snow and Ashes a few times and am now listening to it again on audio CD. Not one of my favorites due to all the awful stuff that happens to Clarie, but it's probably my 3rd favorite in the series. I love all her books. An Echo in the Bone will not be the last in the series, DG says there will definitely be another after it, btw, but I'm sure it will still be a long one - they're getting longer and longer with each book.

It's a tie:

Afterwards by Rachel Seiffert. She does such a wonderful job of getting inside the heads and hearts of her characters. It's an incredibly moving story about the aftereffects of war on two men. One is the grandfather of the young woman at the center of the novel, the other the man with whom she has fallen in love.

The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle. A series of stories about the new immigrants to Ireland, many of whom come from Africa or Eastern Europe. Some are hilarious, others terrifying, but all of them are incredibly moving and insightful. They are as much about what the Irish learn about themselves through their interactions as about the immigrants' adjustment.

The book I've enjoyed the most this year (so far) has been The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

#28, CorinnaAllen, Howards End is one of my all-time favorite books.

I think I'll go with The Hobbit from J.R.R. Tolkien.

I think mine would have to be the Ptolemy's Gate, the last book in the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, or Rebecca, which was a reread but still excellent.

So far the books that I have listed that I've read this year with the highest score (only 4 stars) include:

The Discovery of France by Graham Robb
The Stones of Florence by Mary McCarthy
The Dog Says How by Kevin Kling

Nothing has blown me away yet.

There were two series I've discovered since the beginning of the year that I really, really loved. I guess the Nightrunner books (adult fantasy) by Lynn Flewelling have to take first place because it is the first time in ages I've gone back and immediately re-read a book(s) after finishing, all the time telling myself I really should be moving on.

A very close second place are the first three Pagan books (YA historical) by Catherine Jinks. I simply adored the main character and the way his story was told.

Although I've enjoyed most of what I've read, the only one that seems to stand out is Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I guess because it is thousand pages long (and I read it in a short period of time) I was able to get really involved in the story.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Gripping.

The House of the spirits by Isabel Allende. this is the 3rd. book of hers I've read - they just keep getting better & better.

My favorite so far this year is Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. For non-fiction it is My Life in France the memoir of Julia Childs. This book is surprising with its candor and humor. I thought it would be rather boring but it was a really good read. I also listened to Memoirs of a Geisha and thought it was very good. I had been wanting to read this book and knew I would never get to it so I listened to it instead. It was great. The recording was done so well and I am now sorry that I hadn't read this one long ago.

Also I read Shadow of the Wind several years ago and loved it. I highly recommend it and can't wait until he gets the second in book published.

It's hard to pick a favorite for the year, but one I read recently that I really liked was A Trip to the Stars by Nicholas Christopher. It's the only one I've read recently that I wanted to jump back into and read again just to pick up on details I missed the first time through.

Your Inner Fish-very well written and interesting

I've read several really great books so far this year (and some terrible ones) but the best book I've read so far this year is Possession: A Romance. I loved the jumping back-and-forth in time, and the letters, and just about everything about it.

I think the one I was most impressed by this year was A Hundred Years of Solitude though there have definitely been some contenders.

I'd have to pick two: Anna Karenina and The Remains of the Day.

So far it would be Cinema Panopticum by Thomas Ott.

#49: I read it this year, too, and I think it'd probably fall third on my list. Just barely missed being mentioned--glad you did.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Patterson

#49 & #52 I've read a few of his shorter ones. Not been brave enough yet to try his more challening ones!

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

That I've read all the way through? Water for Elephants. That said, I'm pretty sure Middlemarch will replace it as soon as its finished.

I am currently reading Swann's Way which, if I finish it, will be the best. By far.

The best that I have finished is Affinity by Sarah Waters.

Alibi by Joseph Kanon, and The Man who knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel.

So far I'd say Tyrell by Coe Booth

58: Artic, I've read Swann's Way a couple of times, including the relatively new Lydia Davis translation, and it's always been a favorite.

It was the Lydia Davis translation that finally lured me into finishing Swann's Way and reading the entire In Search of Lost Time (different translators for different volumes). Of course it could have been because I had become old enough to appreciate it, but this was the first time I realized how funny Proust could be (and even more so in some of the later volumes, when he satirizes society parties, etc.).

Mine is definitely The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

Next up would be People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.

Anyone ever read, or considered reading, Proust's In Search of Lost Time?

#64 Yes, see my #62 above. I tried it in my teens, 20s, and 30s, and never progressed beyond Swann's Way, but read it a few years ago (my 50s) and loved it. I spread it out over a little over a year, mixing it up with other books.

Do you recall what motivated him to write such a long work?

You might want to check out the Proust group for more info than I can provide.

The best I've read this year is In Cold Blood

Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges. My first read by him and I'm seriously looking forward to reading more!

(Though I would like to point out that Tolstoy (War and Peace when I finish it) is in serious danger of knocking Borges off the top spot...)

Good idea. Thanks.

The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch. One of my favourite books which draws me in, every time I read it.

I've read the Scott Moncrieff translation of Proust's In Search of Lost Time twice. The first time it took me 2 months and 4 days, and the second time it took about 2 weeks longer. In the last 3 years, I've also read the new translations of the first 4 books.

You probably know this, LouisBranning, but if you're interested in reading the new translations of the remaining books, you can order them from amazon.uk even though they won't be published here in the US for years.

to #48

I am listening to Possession: A Romance and really like it. I have had it on my TBR list for ever and finally got around to it because I bought a cassette tape recording at a second hand book store. I find myself sitting in the car listening to it long after I have stopped driving. That's not good for the environment but great for my mental environment. At the rate this one is going it is going to replace Memoirs of a Geisha as my top recorded book of the year. I was surprised to find that the book is almost twenty years old. I think Possession is one of those timeless novels.

For me, it's a tie between The Kite Runner and Middlesex.

jfetting #48 and benitastrnad #74:
Possession was also my favorite so far this year (#30). I was fascinated by Byatt's fluidity through poetry, prose, Victorian themes, and the life of the intellect. She's brilliant - she has written other books and short stories - any recommendations?

# 76
I've only actually read Possession, but I just picked up The Virgin in the Garden at a used book fair today. I'll let you know how it goes! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Byatt's writing. I had seen the movie first (I know, I know!) and liked it, and then was completely blown away by the book.

I'm assuming rereading doesn't count? (Anyways, if it did my list would be too long)

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

#39, littlebookworm -- I loved the Bartimaeus Trilogy, those are among my all-time favorites!

Reread Life if Pi and loved it just as much this time as I did the first few times I read it!

Possession is my all time favorite book. As I read it, I couldn't believe the story and the poetry came from one mind. Fabulous! I so love the book, I had to buy the British first Edition. It is one of my most prized "possessions." Try reading Angels and Insects. Another twisty kind of novel set in 19th century England. Have fun!!

There seems to be a preference for fiction here, but I will give a couple of nominees: 1491 is very good indeed. How the Irish Saved Civilization is also very fine, a history that really breathes the people: Augustine, Patrick, and the monks who liked to put earthy Irish rhymes in the margins of the manuscripts they copied.

I just found this group and I'm enjoying it so much. My TBR list has doubled. I finished The Size of the World by Joan Silber last week (an ER snag) and it was great, but Man Gone Down by Michael Thomas is still my best of the year.

>78 bell7: bell7 - I don't know why re-reads wouldn't count. 'We don't need no stinkin' rules!'

Many good books in the last couple books, byt I would choose to highlight Joe Sacco's Safe Area Gorazde. A wonderful book, and a good introduction to graphic novels if you're looking for one.

#81 jmcgarve: I love How the Irish Saved Civilization. It is the best book in Cahill's series, IMHO.

So far, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - but it might be about to be beaten by The Emperor's Children.

Its an older book 1998/9? but a great little read..The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi

Also This Night's Foul Work by Fred Vargas - she's getting weirder by the book.

I don't count rereads in my Best Of lists, so my favourite so far was The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson.

If I did count rereads, it'd be Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay, with some surprisingly stiff competition from Lord of Emperors, by the same author.

Oh, xicanti ~ I'm reading Tigana now, and it will definitely be on my top ten list for 2008. On your recommendation, my next Kay will just have to be Lord of Emperors. Is it also a stand-alone? Now that I think of it, I can't remember ~ does Kay even do series?

Lord of Emperors is the second half of The Sarantine Mosaic, his one duology. It's definitely best to start with Sailing to Sarantium; the two books are really more like one very long book in two volumes.

Oh, I've heard of Sailing to Sarantium. My first Kay was The Lions of al Rassan, which was brilliant and almost as much a favorite as Tigana is turning out to be. I guess I like 'em long, when they're as well done as Kay does them. :)

Lindsayg:

I read the Sparrow a few years ago. It has haunted me since. I found it disturbing, yet beautifully written.
A friend highly recommended this book to me and she and I had many conversations re. the religious/spiritual undertones of the book.

Thus far in 2008, I've read about 12 books and I'd have to say The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander is my favorite to date.

I've also read 12 books so far this year. I narrowed it down to 3 favorites (it's been a good year): The Time Travelers Wife, Then We Came to the End, and Unaccustomed Earth.

#93 - I read Alexander's The Kitchen Boy a few years ago and loved it. I'll have to try your favorite!

The Time Traveler's Wife was terrific, definitely top 3. I also loved Duma Key much more than I expected to.

>83 teelgee: teelgee -- if rereads count than I add (not replace, mind you) The Queen of Attolia, The Truth about Forever, and Just Listen.

I've read a lot of books so far this year, and narrowing it down is hard.

Hands down it's Peace Like a river by Leif Enger. In fact, it is one of the best books I've ever read. I also loved Water for Elephants. The most revelatory book would have to be A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. Lots of good books already this year!

to #97

I have been comtemplating the purchase of Peace Like a River on CD becuase another friend recommended it. With two recommendations I may have to cut loose with the money and buy it.

I thought Water for Elephants was good but not exceptional.

Crime and Punishment.

Right now, Echo Park by Michael Connelly. It was very suspensful and I can read anything by Connelly and know it will be a winner.

The year's not quite half over and I've read a lot of great books so far but as of right now I'm going to put Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong in the top slot. The book is many things. A allegorical comment on China, a cautionary ecological warning, an anthropological tale of a way of life that lasted for thousands of years disappearing in a couple of generations, but above all the wolves and their behavior was obviously written by someone that really respected and cared about their fate.

VisibleGhost, I've just started Wolf Totem, so I'm encouraged to read your enthusiastic recommendation.

Skeleton's At the Feast by Chris Bohjalian. Awesome read.

Probably Gentlemen Of The Road. I can't decide just yet! It's too much pressure!

103 - I've got about 100 pages to go in Skeletons At the Feast and I agree - it's a great story. I just want to slow down and savor it.

I just can't answer that. I am pulled in too many directions. I could say To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It took me some place like Dorothy was taken to Oz. But I am seduced by some books where the authors are still alive and want to discuss them. So that is not fair. Would I still like the books if I couldn't email the author? I think so because some authors like Louisa May Alcott left detailed letters to answer my questions even today. I think I am just rambling on a Sunday morning.

The Other Boleyn Girl. It was like a good soap opera.

My top read so far is People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks...I think about it all the time.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. It's the 6th book in her series and my favorite so far. It is by far the greatest story I've ever read.

The Heaven Tree trilogy by Edith Pargeter, it was like I entered the Middle Ages --she is a writer that takes you not only into the story but into the whole time period. BTW I started to write a review, but was too overwhelmed. It is not one book, but three bound together, & a review of one would contain spoilers for the others.
If you enjoyed Ken Folletts Pillars of the Earth you will
want to read The Heaven Tree Trilogy.

Two exceptional reads so far - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (I know, I'm about a year behind everyone else reading that one) and The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff, through the Early Reviewer program.

MarianV ~ Wasn't The Heaven Tree trilogy just wonderful! Have you read Bloody Field by Shrewsbury yet? It's also excellent ~ about the trouble between King Henry IV & his son Prince Hal and their good friend turned enemy Hotspurs (Harry Percy). Pargeter and Penman are my absolute favorites in the historical fiction genre.

How was The Time Travelers Wife? I've had it on my to-be-read list for a while now.

The best book I've read this year has to be The Sweet Far Thing.
Twilight comes in near second along with New Moon and Eclipse.

So far I'd have to say my favourite book I've read this year is Neverwhere, although that might be because I finished it yesterday and it's still fresh in my mind. It made me laugh out loud on public transport :-)

It's a tough choice for me as I've had some really great books on my list this year. Here are my three top picks: The Human Stain, A Farewell to Arms and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It might not be fair to put Midnight on the list, as I just finished it last night (review here), but I thought it was amazing.

Now that I think about it, that order is probably right, with The Human Stain at the top.

Seize the Day by Saul Bellow. I recall the novel numerous times a week.

My favorite so far is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini but Someone Else's Child by Nancy Woodruff is one of the best this year

The Road. Visions in my head have haunted me every day since I finished reading it 3 months ago.

What a tough question! I'll give a top three, but it could change tomorrow. The Gargoyle is definitely there. The Shadow of the Wind also...and perhaps Love in the Time of Cholera

#118 That book did that for me, too. IMO, the sign of a great book!

Best book this year: As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann. I've posted a review on my Historical Novels website at www.HistoricalNovels.info. I've reviewed some other novels mentioned in this thread also: Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, Geraldine Brooks' People of the Book and Donna Cross's Pope Joan - all excellent books, but As Meat Loves Salt just had that something extra for me. I haven't reviewed Edith Pargeter's Heaven Tree trilogy yet, but that's one of my all-time-favorites - read years ago, and treasured for rereading every few years.

Favorite so far is probably The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak. Favorite read aloud so far: The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson.

#118 & #120

I finished The Road just before the 1st of the year (Christmas present), & it is still haunting me, too.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant and No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. Can't decide between the two, they were both fantastic.

For me it's a toss-up between The Return of Philip Latinowicz and Closely Watched Trains. Both left me wanting to read them again.

Two novels I imagine will "live within me" forever:

To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
and
Middlemarch by George Eliot.

Two wonderful stories written by two magnificent authors.

so far....Skeletons at the Feast

My favorite book this year is The Lace Reader. It totally captured my heart and made a place for itself on my keep forever shelf. I will always have two copies, one to read and one to loan.

Lucky me - I can't seem to narrow it down to less than three:

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
They were all very different (although the 2nd and 3rd certainly had some connections) and I'm so glad I found them!

I agree with #129! It's tough narrowing it down to one. In fact it wasn't easy listing 3 but here are my favorites,so far:
"Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
"Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides
"Then We Came to the End" by Joshua Ferris

mckait: I love your method to keep one for yourself and one to loan--there are a few books I need to do that with!

I can't wait to see my favorite of the year so far (The Gargoyle) out on shelves next week. I'll definitely be buying it in hardback since I'm giving away my ARC (visit me in Readerville to enter), and I may have to buy an extra for sharing. So good!

The Lace Reader is now also on my short list.

#131

The Lace Reader looks really interesting. I have been waiting for The Gargoyle myself.

#130
I love all your choices.

I've requested The Gargoyle from the library and am close to the top of the list, but it may be awhile before they get any copies. Looking forward to reading it ~ I've heard such good things about it!

>126 kjellika:: Kjellika, those are two of my faves as well. I had to read To Kill a Mockingbird in school and ended up reading it three times before the semester was over. As for Middlemarch, well, I still can't adequately put into words how great I think it is. If I could take only one mid-19th century English novel to a desert island, that would probably be it.

#134

What did you like so much in To Kill A Mockingbird that made you reread it three times? I love it too. Middlemarch is on my list to finish this summer.

My husband introduced me to To Kill A Mockingbird. I highly doubt that I would have picked that book to read. I loved this book. I only read books once, only because there are so many out there that I need to read.

My husband thought I would enjoy the movie too. I was disspointed in the movie. It wasn't near as good as the book.

If one hasn't read To Kill A Mockingbird you have to read it. Really you do.

Oops I almost forgot...I kist finished reading Greely's Cove by John Gideon.

This book was given to me. I was told if I like gorry I would like this one.

I don't really like gorry but I thought I would give it a go. The first 3/4 of the book was interesting and not all the gorry but the last 1/4 sure made up for the lack of gorry.

Now with that book out of the way I have started Bogeyman by Gayle Wilson. Already on page 14 and so far so good.

Just picked up Lace Reader and can't wait to read and reserved a copy of The Gargoyle at Borders for next Tuesday's release. Looking forward to that one as well.

Right now I'm reading A Room with a View. I figured that after Vixen 03 and Moonraker I should get back to something a bit more intelligent.

I've read so many books and lots of good ones its hard to choose but the most memorable for 2008 is War and Peace by Count Tolstoy

The next book in my "to be read pile" is The Lace Reader. Brunonia Barry will be at one of my favorite bookstores on Sept 7th (my birthday!) and I plan on going. I love signed first additions.

Two of the best books I've read lately:

The Book Thief
The Time Travelers Wife

My favorite book that I've read this year is Artemis Fowl Eternity code by Eoin Colfer. It's my favorite book of the series . (SO FAR)

I just devoured People of the Book.

#142 I love the Artemis Fowl series! I'm so excited about the latest one and can't wait to read it. I've got it on reserve at the library, but I'm about No. 241 in line with only about 5 books available, so I'm thinking I'm going to have to go out and buy it.

ETA The name of the 6th Book of the Series is The Time Paradox.

My favorite book so far this year is also by Geraldine Brooks, I loved March!!
It is the sort of retelling of Little Women. She tells the story of what Mr. March is doing during the Civil War while he is away from his family.

My tops are still the same as when I posted message 41. I've read a lot of great books since then, but nothing to knock those series out of their respective "favorite" spots.

I just read Richard Russo's Bridge of Sighs, and it has ruined me for other peopls for the last week....nothing looks good after such an amazing book. It will definitely be in my list of favorites for the year, probably long-term.

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson - Amazing, without a doubt my favourite book of the year so far (I can't see anything beating it either).

my absolute favorite right now (since i'm such a music freak this completely works for me)

is Just Listen by Sarah Dessen.

i also love the harry potter and twilight series.
these are my favorite books i've ever read.

period. :)

The twilight series is my favorite series to. I think that her latest book Braking Dawn is definetly her best so far anyone els feel the same way.

This year, if I really have to pick just one it would be As She Grows by Lesley Anne Cowan. The book was real. It read real. It felt real. If you ever were in a situation like the one in this book you would know what I am referring to.

mine would have to be to young to die by lurlene mcdaniel it was a great book and it made me cry so did the second one

It has to be Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I just found it this year thanks to LT and it is my favorite book (series) of all time.

For me it's The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon. So satisfying on so many levels.

I'm not done with it yet, but I have really been enjoying The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene.

Other than that, it's probably something by Jeanette Winterson. Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit was pretty fantastic. And her YA novel, which I can't remember the name of right now (anyone know what I'm talking about? The main character was named Silver, I think, and the title is the name of her house).

I have changed my mind. The best book I read this year is one that I recently read by Agatha Christie And Then There Were None. For 40 years I wondered how it started and who did it. Now I know.

>157 callmejacx:
Sounds like you changed your mind to what it had just been. :)

Yes Anna...I just finished And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I waited for 40 years to read this book. Did I ever enjoy it! Aren't I allowed to change my mind? It's still 2008. I might even get one more in before the years end

A tie btween Anna Karenina and Angle of Repose - both truly works of art.

(#26 and others -- I felt the same way about Middlemarch which was my last year's and probably will remain and all time favorite)

jhowell

I'm glad to hear you like Anna Karenina so much. I have finally decided to tackle that one--I loved War and Peace when I read it years ago as a teenager--i guess i should read it again--but I have hesitated about AK, maybe because I know the ending. Someone told me when I was about to read it not too long after I read W&P and it spoiled it for me. But if you love Middlemarch--one of my all time favorites!--maybe we have similar tastes and I will like AK. I also liked Angle of Repose--another I would like to reread! Life is too short!

Oh, wait! My favorite for the year! This is really tough because I had a really GOOD year.

Fiction: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I'm picking this because this in the one that "haunts" me the most. It's beautifully written and a story I will never forget. So much detail packed in such a short book.

Nonfiction: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. This one "blew me away!" I had no idea of the reality of the lives of Muslim women, especially in fundamentalist countries.

A very close second was Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. In some ways this helped me get a more balanced view of Infidel and also offered hope for changes. Besides, this was just a ripping good story!

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Excellent read.

>159 callmejacx:
You sure? :)

#164...AnnaClaire.. One never really knows what their favorite book of that year until they have finished reading for that year. I can say...that I highly doubt there will be a better novel than And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, but thanks for asking.

#161 - I knew the ending of Anna Karenina, too -- but it didn't really spoil what really is an amazing novel. Better than War and Peace I think, but I was quite young when I read W&P so who knows.

i changed my mind the best book i have read so far is the vampire diaries it was so good like it as much as i like twilight and that's alot.

The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow.

First 3 books of the Outlander series were clearly the most enjoyable so far!
"Best" in a literary sense was Mother Night.

It's hard to pick just one book.

But recently I read Paul Sussman's The Lost Army of Cambyses, and I thought it was really good, I liked that it bounced between characters.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig is also intoxicating and witty, with a unique story line.

Incantation by Alice Hoffeman is teen book that's a short read but its story is sad yet inspiring.

Are we now looking at 2009? For me a toss up between Tim Flannery The Future Eaters and Bill Bryson A Short History of Nearly Everything.

Definitely La mort du Roi Tsongor by Laurent Gaudé. I only got the translation but it was great already.

DEFINITELY Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy. Any feminists on here should pick it up.

No contest: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Hmm, as of today it's The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

I loved every page of Water for Elephants!

Speaking of Elephants Footfall.
Or maybe Inferno

These two books were fun and entertaining.

Strange. I didn't even notice that the heading is for 2008. I just check this group periodically to catch up on what titles people are reading and didn't notice that we should have changed years. Is there some way to end this thread and force people to go to the 2009 entries?

I loved The Thirteenth Tale!

The best book ive read this year would have to be Sold by Patricia McCormick. Its very toucing and makes you realize that theres always someone else in the world who has it worse than you. Its more like a diary than anything but still really good.

so far the best book this year is the truth about ruby valentine but watch the content

Umm....my bet is on "Go kiss the world" by subroto Bagchi, a truly inspiring novel.

If u r in a love then go for "Love story"....It touches ur heart believe me

Wow, that is hard to pick one. I had some good reads this quarter. I would likely pick The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer just for the pure joy of reading ~ loved it, laughed, cried, smiled, was sad when it ended.

Runner-ups would go to Mountains Beyond Mountains and Someone Knows my Name ...

I have two- Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center and The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Buriel Burbery

Eudora Welty has been one of my favorite quthors for years, but some how I missed Losing Battles. This was wonderfully revealing of family, sense of place and time period. I wonder how she knew so much about such common people. She really lived in a protected sort of environment.

In 2009, Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier would top the list. I also thought The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was impressive.

For pure reading enjoyment, three YA titles stick out: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

I also really enjoyed American Shaolin by Matthew Polly, especially his self-deprecating humor.

#186 jnwelch - wow, earlier this month I randomly picked up Night Train to Lisbon...I mean only because it has a cool title. Your comment is the first I've heard of it on LT Talk. I might have to get to it sooner.

I don't imagine I'll have read anything better by the end of the day tomorrow, so I'll have to say best of the first third of the year was The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, followed closely by The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende. I think Shaara's Civil War masterpiece will also end up on my top 10 of 2009, it was so good! And Allende has not disappointed yet!

Part of the time I was reading Night Train to Lisbon on a night train to Rome, dchaikin. I gave some serious thought to changing to a Lisbon-bound train, but couldn't convince my wife to let go of our vacation plans. :-)

Night Train to Lisbon was a really great book. However, I would warn people who are thinking of reading this one that there is another book by the same title. This Night Train is by Pascal Mercier and is wonderful. The other one is a spy novel about WWII. Not the same at all!

I read a lot, but my favorite book this year was probably Identical by Ellen Hopkins. The ending was so unexpected, and I love the way she writes.

Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale

Renate M. Bell lastest book "Chasing Bees" the book deals with telepathic persons and a Down syndrome child. Wonderful read by an unknown known author.

#186, Jnwelch

I'm reading Fire the prequel to Graceling and it's pretty good so far.

=====

*sorry couldn't find the appropriate Fire in the selection. **sigh**

thanks, Pam. How did you get your hands on Catching Fire? It supposedly comes out in September. Glad to hear so far so good.

62: I'm loving Proust, too, though in small doses, while reading other things.

I'm afraid the doses may have become too small, though, as I'm losing track of everything.

It's nice to see all the love for To Kill A Mockingbird here. I only read it a few years ago--after seeing the film "Captoe," I think, and had no idea that's what it was.

It became one of my all-time favorites. Long before it got to the court case, I adored it. That relationship of the three kids is so real, so moving. Priceless.

Definitely The Minotaur by Benjamin Tammuz. It was wonderful. It's closest competition was The Razor's Edge by Somerset Maughmam.
It has been a good year for reading at my house so far this year.

MESSAGE # 178;
I JUST FIGURED OUT THAT WE ARE POSTING TO A 2008 THREAD ALSO. PERHAPS SOMEONE KNOWS HOW TO CHANGE THE YEAR ON THE "THREAD HEAD".
IDK