Top 5

Frank suggested I do a top 5 list of my favorite books I read this year. I expanded that into 5 fiction and 5 non-fiction, in no particular order.

Top 5 fiction of 2007:

1. Lamb by Christopher Moore (quite possibly my favorite book of all time)
2. The Girls by Lori Lansens (I forgot the characters weren't real)
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (Wow!)
4. The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue (Excellent debut novel)
5. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows by J.K. Rowling (The end of an era of lovingly crafted, smart fiction for young and old alike)

Top 5 non-fiction of '07:

1. American Shaolin by Matthew Polly (about the author's trip to the Shaolin temple and his training in martial arts in early 1990's China)
2. Mommies Who Drink by Brett Paesel (like having coffee with a friend)
3. Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet (amazing memoir that gives insight into the mind of a person with Asperger's)
4. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller (loved her use of language - very poetic)
5. She's Not There by Jennifer Finney Boylan (Thoughtful, witty memoir of the author's journey from James to Jennifer)

These lists could've easily morphed into top 10, 15 or 20 but I had to restrict myself. Overall, there were very few duds read this year. Some were just ok and others knocked my socks off.

Here's to a 2008 full of excellent books!