I've kept a book journal since 1997, and every January I tally up the just-passed year's reads. I read 87 books in 2005, only 22 of which were re-reads (mostly in the bathtub and never library books).
In 2005 I finally became a professional librarian, which means more and more people ask me to recommend good books, which means I end up reading more and more excellent books so I can make sure I'm recommending worthwhile reads.
So, since I read so much this year and so much of it was wonderful, and since so many of you ask me for reading recommendations, here are ...
Librarianna's Top 25 Reads of 2005*
The novels that knocked my socks off:
- A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby
- The Smallest Color - Bill Roorbach
- The Well of Lost Plots - Jasper Fforde
- Ireland - Frank Delaney
A triad of dystopian novels about the dark side of cloning:
- Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
- Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
- My Sister's Keeper - Jody Picoult
Historical fiction so real you're there:
- The Night Inspector - Frederick Busch
- Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
- The Beekeeper's Apprentice - Laurie R. King
And historical non-fiction so compelling you forget it's real:
- The Devil in the White City - Erik Larson
- Assassination Vacation - Sarah Vowell
A one-two punch to blow your mind by making sense of our world:
- Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond
- The World is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman
Young Adult novels set in our own world:
- Rats Saw God - Rob Thomas
- Whale Talk - Chris Crutcher
- The Adrian Mole diaries - Sue Townsend
... and in worlds almost like our own:
- The His Dark Materials triology - Philip Pullman
- The Dark is Rising sequence - Susan Cooper
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
Graphic Novels to inhale in a single sitting:
- Abarat - Clive Barker
- Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi
And Newbery Award Winners that made this grown-up laugh and cry:
- The Tale of Despereaux - Kate DiCamillo
- The View from Saturday - E.L. Konigsburg
- Kira-Kira - Cynthia Kadohata
* only a handful of these titles were published in 2005, but 2005 is when I read them all, and all for the first time!
7 comments:
Um.
Anna, thanks for the insight into your reading list.
Wow.
You know, I read all the time (much like your partner) but... I also read the same sort of stuff as your partner.
The only thing on that list that I've read is the Dark-Materials Trilogy. I read it back in 2004 (Got it for my B-day pres in Jan 2004) in England.
I've read, probably, 80-120 books in the past year...
And, chances are, as a marvellous "Library-English-Fancy" type... You'd never want to read any of them.
Ever read Tom Clancy, James Patterson, John Sanford, Patricia Cornwell, or on the other side, Mercedes Lackey, David Gemmel, Stephen Lawhead, or anything FUN?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?
Just curious.
-- Tuckmac
I do actually read "fun" books, they just didn't make the top 25 -- Nelson DeMille's my favorite for the guys running around trying not to die while finding time for lots of sex and beer kind of books. :)
I love David Gemmel. For my money one of the best writers in SF/Fantasy today.
Okay.
Just making sure.
And I want to repeat that I'm really in awe of your reading list.
I attempt to read a "serious" novel, and I never get past the first or second chapter. It's the reason I dropped out of my English degree. I took a course at the UofM called "Contemporary American Novels" and I read six of the most horrible books in my life. Then, in the following year, discovered they were all in the "top" levels of award-winning American novels.
I decided at that point that literary people were insane, and that I would never read stuff like that again.
Now... It sounds as though I'm being back-handed... I'm not... I really DO admire you. Obviously there's a reason these books are so amazing, and that all the biggy people agree that they're amazing... My brain just isn't as well formed as all of you folks, or something!
Again... Thanks for being brilliant. Our world needs more people like you!
And "pat" yeah... David Gemmel is amazing! I like when people agree with me! ;-)
-- T
There's something about boys and their fascination with fantasy. I always told Pat he needed to read more books in other genres. Sheesh!
Anyway, thanks for all your recommendations. The ones posted and the ones offered when I send you a pleading e-mail ;). I love having a librarian friend!
So erm,
I haven't heard of a lot of the books that you've read (being a brit). I'm a serious reader of non-fiction but Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy ranks highly as an all time favourite foray into fiction. I read them nearly four years ago. I have a suspicion that they came out a lot earlier in Britain than over here. Another recent fav, Super Cannes by J.G Ballard (the bloke who wrote 'Empire of the Sun'), the book was so deliciously depressing. Tucmac can't understand my love of depressing novels; I swear it's a cultural difference, even British comedies are bitter sweet. Librarianna can you suggest some truly depressing American authors for me to read? I've already read Paul Auster and Brett Easton Ellis!
Hi Fi -- I don't share you love for depressing novels either, but I have read a fair few.
See if these Americans bring you far enough down:
Jonathan Safran Foer
Michael Chabon
JD Salinger
Carson McCullers
Alice Hoffman
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