THE BEST READS OF 2006

Here’s the (mostly) unedited collection of our customers’ Favorite and Not So Favorite Reads of 2006.

If you’d like to add your own favorites, just email them to us.

One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Any book by Lee Childs!!!!!!!

-Joyce Franz

My favorite book this year was The Tender Bar.  It is one of the best memoirs of a 'non-famous' person I've read.    I also enjoyed The Buffalo Soldier, Digging to America, and By the Lake.

-Mary Beth Hundley

Thank you for being such good friends during this past year. I always feel like I have done very little to deserve such folks. I do hope that you had a very Merry Christmas and will have a very prosperous New Year!!! You do have a wonderful neighborhood bookstore with charm and personality. I think, without doubt, for me the most captivating novel I read this year was Sea of Gray by Tom Chaffin. This novel takes the little boy in all of us and propels him along a path with such intrigue and adventure that it's hard to put the book down, especially if you are a civil war buff!!

Without question the novel White Shadow by our old friend Ace Atkins, is another work of a very convoluted mind. I had to read several chapters twice to maintain continuity with my read. He spins a great yarn but is so very determined to color the characters down to the genome, that one must pay careful attention or be lost forever!! Reminds me a little of Angelina Jolie !!!:)
Thanks for the space to air my linen,
With Warmest regards,
-Doc Hudson

My favorite reads for 2005 was "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "The Queens Fool" by Philippa Gregory.  My favorite author is Carolyn Haines and her two new books "Penumbra" and "Judas Burning" will keep you on the edge of your seat.  They were great. Her Bones books are great to relax with and always a good laugh.  I wasn't sure about "Kite Runner" so I delayed reading it for a time.  I shouldn't have because it was very good.  I'm looking forward to your list for 2006. 

-Barbara Bazzell

Just like the year when I read The Lovely Bones, this has been a year when I’ve read a book which I felt compelled to share with everyone on the planet.  The book was The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.  Touching, maddening, full of great characters with very human imperfections.

I had not read The Kite Runner until this year and adored it as well.  Another story of terrible decisions made and their resulting consequences.  The Afghan setting was wonderful – so necessary for us in the west to get a view of these battle zones as someone’s neighborhood.

I’m a total sucker for anything that Jodi Picoult writes, although I’ve only read Vanishing Acts, My Sister’s Keeper and The Tenth Circle.  All deal with really tough issues and difficult relationships. 

Marley and Me was terrific fun since I grew up in south Florida and knew most of the locations.

Dennis Lehane was a new writer for me but after reading Coronado I will have to read Mystic River.

While I did not read Ian McEwan’s books this year, I strongly recommend Atonement and Saturday to everyone.  Atonement makes my Top Twenty of All Time list – and for someone who gobbles up a couple of books a week that’s saying something!  The story is compelling, a page-turner, and the climax is completely unexpected. 

David Sedaris’ – Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is hysterical, I’m eager to read his sister Amy’s book.

I’m a new convert to Jason Fforde’s Nursery Crime series, The Fourth Bear and The Big Over Easy, and also loved The Eyre Affair.  Just the ticket for those of us who majored in English and had no idea what to do with our degrees; his books are full of literary inside jokes – very funny and challenging.  I got The Well of Lost Plots for Christmas and can’t wait to jump in.   

Happy reading for all in 2007.

-Diane L. Christy

You asked and here they are. Some are our neighborhood Book Club choices and some are ones we loved and passed around up and down the street. Favorites: Debbie Macomber's Shop On Blossom Street and A Good Yarn, Khaled Hosseini's Kite Runner, Elizabeth Musser's Swan House, Francine Rivers' Redeeming Love, Cassandra King's Same Sweet Girls and Fannie Flagg's Can't Wait to Get to Heaven. My least favorite and most depressing to me was Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. (My neighbor loved it!) We decided a lot of what you get from a book is reflected on what is going on in your life at the time. I can't wait to see what other people list as favorites. Wishing you a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

-Lynn Chromey

Amici in literae:
I think Cormac McCarthy is the greatest living novelist, and one of the five or six best American writers of all periods. His novel THE ROAD is
my nomination for best book of the year. Its searingly bleak plot, situation, and theme of mankind's endless capacity for destruction is in keeping with much of his dispassionate judgment of the human (and, indeed, overall natural) condition, but this book is different from most of his others in two ways.
First, while his diction and style remain erudite, precise, and masterful, they are simpler, more straightforward in THE ROAD than in the body of his work -- more Hemingway than Faulkner. Secondly, the horror of the book is softened by the enduring love a father bears for his young son -- a love which suffuses an uncharacteristically (relatively) positive conclusion.
This may not be McCarthy's best book, but it is certainly among his best four or five. And the two unusual elements described above make it more accessible to a wide readership than most of his work; It may indeed become his most commercially-successful work. Since there is some possibility is his swan song, I hope it gains the popular achievement which has generally eluded him.
-Rick Anderson

Hey, I've already sent you my pick, but I'd like to add a second choice: SMONK. Despite its violence and graphic realism, I think it was the funniest book I read all year. Tom Franklin's command of style and diction is to be savored.
-Rick

Here are a few of my favorites for 2006:
March--Geraldine Brooks
The Widow of the South--Robert Hicks
Brighten the Corner Where You Are--Fred Chappell
The Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster --Kaye Gibbons
The City of Falling Angels--John Berendt
The World Made Straight --Ron Rash ( I love this man's writing.  All his books are great!)
River Jordon--Augusta Trobaugh
Swan--Frances Mayes
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven--Fannie Flagg
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down--Anne Fadiman (interesting book about the Hmong)
Between, Georgia--Joshilyn Jackson
An Atomic Romance--Bobbie Ann Mason
The Broker--John Grisham
The Slow Moon--Elizabeth Cox
Choices--Mary Lee Settle
Peace Like a River--Leif Enger
As you can see, I prefer Southern authors.
Thanks,
-Lou Fuller    

South Pittsburg, Tennessee

Good morning, I hope all is well with the two of you and that you had a pleasant holiday. My resolution for 2006 was to read only books I really, REALLY, wanted to
read and, for the most part, I've succeeded. My favorite read was Joan Didion's collected works, WE TELL OURSELVES STORIES IN ORDER TO LIVE. She's a great stylist, has an amazing vocabulary, and can write with intelligence about any subject. Spending time with Richard Ford's Frank Bascombe, in THE LAY OF THE LAND, was also a pleasure. Francine Prose's READING LIKE A WRITER is a book I expect to read repeatedly. Her writing is graceful and seeing her influences reminded me of how much I loved reading the "classics." I went back to a few of them and spend many happy hours with "old friends."
I also liked Claire Messud's THE EMPEROR'S CHILDREN; John Updike's THE TERRORIST (which sent me back to re-read the Rabbit novels in the Everyman
Collection); and Philip Roth's EVERYMAN. I'm embarrassed to admit that the only poetry on my list is in c.d. form -- maybe next year's goal should be to seek out and read more poets.
Take care,
-Pam Kingsbury

Florence, Alabama

My choice for 2006 is Swanson’s Manhunt, the story of the days immediately following Lincoln’s assassination. I also thoroughly enjoyed Thunder of Angels by Donnie Williams and Wayne Greenhaw which gave a well-documented account of the Montgomery bus boycott. Although it was published in 2004 and just got around to John Feinstein’s story about the life of Red Auerbach titled Let Me Tell You a Story

-Andy Hornsby

My favorite reads in 2006 were also my favorite reads in 2004, 2002, 2000.....  When I find a wonderful book I want to relive the pleasure of it again and again.  Also, as I am getting older I find that I'm drawn towards books of humor.  Wanting to laugh at things other than my mirror, perhaps.  Probably my all-time favorite is All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot.  I've read the whole collection of these books but this one is the best.  Siegfried's eccentricities and Tristan's shenanigans had me laughing out loud uncontrollably, waking up husband in the process many times. Another cause for my husband's not having a good night's sleep was the book Three Men in a Boat, To say nothing of the Dog, by Jerome K. Jerome.  I, obviously, am drawn to British humour.  Three men and a pet dog take a "leisurely" trip down the river.  Their adventures are quite interesting, their personalities (even the dog's) are priceless, and the writing is delightful. On a different note, We Could Almost Eat Outside, by Philippe Delerm, is a book full of 2-3 page stories of calm observations of life's small pleasures - very relaxing and enjoyable. This was a bestseller in France, so I've read, though Americans can relate to pleasures of ice cream sundaes, reading on the beach, etc., as well.  These were a few of my favorite things this past year - enjoy! 

-Elizabeth Ferguson

My favorites in 2006:
I might have read this in 2005, after I purchased 3 copies from you (when FTH autographed them in the store for me), but I loved Frank Turner Hollon's Point
of Fracture.  He's got a bit of that quiet dread quality that I love so much in Patricia Highsmith working for him, but he's an Alabama author, too. Ashley Gordon and Cheryl turned me onto the Elizabeth George mysteries, which I loved for the first eight or so books, but I've had to break up with her because she has a bad mommy complex.  Love her characters and their very real quirks.  The mystery in each novel is really secondary to the main characters' lives, which makes the George books work very well.  I include her among my faves because I'm probably the only person who would get bogged down in the mom thing. I have enjoyed Jennifer Weiner's novels as she's matured as a writer and Goodnight Nobody was swell.  I think she truly improves with each book. Finally, a must-have children's book for little kid
you know is Little Pea, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.  I have a stack in my closet that will be kid gifts.  The simple tale is hilarious (the kindy class I read it to
screamed with laughter) and Jen Corace's lovely illustrations compliment the story perfectly. -Stephanie Hill, who is about to read Don DeLillo's White Noise

We asked for more info re the “bad mommy complex,” and we received this very funny note in reply:

In, I think, books 6 and 7, the mother was the murderer, and in book 8, the mom wasn't the murderer, but she was a real jerk and treated her child horribly. I can deal with bad mommy once or twice, or even every other book, but when the mom is a bad guy for whatever reason in three books in a row, that's it for me.  Get a new schtick, Elizabeth George! (on a funny note, I gave all 8 books, incl the bad mommy ones, to my own mommy) heh
-Steph

My favorite book of 2006 was The Memory Keeper's Daughter, a beautiful, interesting, and suspenseful story told in such a gentle, loving way that I just wanted to keep on reading.  And, unlike many other books, the ending was not a letdown but a satisfying conclusion to the story. Another - unexpected - favorite was the true story of Teddy Roosevelt's journey down one of the tributaries of the Amazon - I don't recall the name of the book, maybe Dark River? or River of Darkness?  But the story was so interesting, and the author wove the details together like a novel, I could hardly put the book down.  At some point I'll want to read something else by
this author. Happy New Year!

-Cathy Hegji

Howdy! Hope you guys had a good holiday. Okay, here goes--as if you didn't see this coming: Pynchon's Against the Day. This book is so crushingly good, I've
forgotten just about everything else I've read this year, including some of the things we've published. When Pynchon is reviewed and discussed, it's always his post-modern symbolic horseplay that takes front-and-center, and it's rarely remembered the guy can flat out /write/ like nobody else. This new monster is a great showcase for all his abilities, but it contains some of his most breathtaking prose to date. Oh, and the jokes are pretty funny, too. Runner up: the new Penguin Classic translation of The Count of Monte Cristo. This was my summer reading. My entire summer, that is.
-Jim Gilbert

I got to the end of 2006 and was surprised and even disturbed to realize that four of my favorite books this year were Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild," Rory Stewart's "The Places in Between," Tracy Kidder's "Mountains Beyond Mountains," and Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Last American Man." All are about highly self-sufficient young men compelled to undergo self-conceived challenges so intense most other people would consider them at least half-crazy. I discovered these books independently of each other, not consciously trying to seek out such material. And yet a pattern emerges. If I'm not just living such a life vicariously, which is likely, but instead considering exactly how I want to go about it, 2007 may be one hell of a different year for me. "Into the Wild" is Krakauer's account of Chris McCandless' journey into the Alaskan wilderness, from which the idealistic McCandless did not return alive. You may remember news accounts that made McCandless sound like a nut case who blundered, silly and ill-prepared, into the bush and rather got what he deserved. Krakauer, a distinguished nature writer and adventurer, investigated McCandless's life and his fatal exploit in far more detail and develops a much more respectful, sympathetic, nuanced and complex picture of his life and the likely and surprising cause of his death. "In Between" is Stewart's account of his walk across Afghanistan, from Heart to Kabul, in the winter of 2002. It was not the best year or the best season for a Westerner (a Scot) to be taking such a journey, and as Stewart writes, "I'm not good at explaining why I walked across Afghanistan." In fact he
scarcely tries to do that, which seems to make the book even more intriguing than if he had. But he does a wonderful job describing and respecting the often-baffling complexity of the territory and the cultures and individuals he encountered. Having just finished the book, I'd like nothing better now than to ask Stewart all the questions I have, starting with "Why in the world didn't you freeze to death?" Other travelers did, as the book makes clear.

"Mountains" is Kidder's story of Dr. Paul Farmer, who has devoted his life to treating the sick in what we used to call the Third World, a term invented in the Cold War context by Philip Sauvy, but now typically used to describe the poorest or "least developed" countries in the world. Farmer's abstemious passion for his objective and his commitment to the way he views our obligations to each other, as well as his considerable physical courage, are what remind me of these other books described here. The accounts of Farmer's work in Haiti are particularly compelling. "The Last American Man" is a story of Eustace Conway, a young man completely
devoted to living off the grid. Conway walks the Appalachian Trail (accompanied much of the way by Montgomery's Frank Chambless, brother of the architects) as a challenge, and settles down in the Carolina mountains to hew a settlement and preserve out of the utter wilderness. Naïve but also deeply canny, and intensely focused, he reminds me of what I suppose the Mountain Men were like. Author Gilbert's description is highly admiring on several levels but near the end she comes to realize that among other characteristics, Conway would be impossible to live with for long, for many of the same reasons that make him so admirable: an utter inability to
compromise his self-sufficient ideals and bafflement that anyone else would fall short of them. In the end, he seems almost a kind of extremely intelligent and perceptive wildlife: if half a man, maybe the better half.

On another theme completely, I finally read "The Prize," Daniel Yergin's vivid 1991 history of the world oil markets. Besides reminding me yet again of the surprising fact that John D. Rockefeller, by furnishing the world's lamps with a substitute for whale oil, became the richest man in the world well *before* the first automobile rolled off the assembly line, Yergin describes and explains the changes in the world balance of economic political and military power due to changes in the oil markets over the years since our Civil War. You may not believe that reading about the lives and careers of oil executives and field engineers would be very entertaining, but try this book: you'll never be tempted to read  about Paris Hilton, K-Fed or their ilk again. Aspiring but frustrated writers will be heartened to be reminded that James
Joyce's "Dubliners," a collection of the most remarkable short stories in English including the nearly miraculous "The Dead," was essentially a personal collection by Joyce of all his stories publishers kept rejecting for over a decade. "The Dead" closes the book. It was almost literally transcribed for the screen by John Huston in a 1987 movie treatment so wonderful it led me to Joyce's story for the first time. Irishman Huston directed it, his last movie, often lying on a stretcher and wearing an
oxygen mask. His daughter Angelica co-starred and I can't read the story without seeing her face, but that is OK with me. (I re-read Dubliners in 2006. Does that count?)

-Jim Upchurch III

Here are my favorite books that I read in 2006. Not all of these are recently published but sometimes it helps to hear of books that may have fallen off the radar. Since I am not a writer or a book reviewer read the book jackets or ask your bookseller to find out more.

-Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross: historical fiction about a young woman in the 9th century who disguised herself as a man so that she might continue to learn and study. In this story she eventually becomes the Pope amidst the political and religious struggles of the times. Intriguing and informative.

-The World Made Straight by Ron Rash: Read anything Ron Rash writes! He always portrays human emotion so clearly, so passionately. Another great Southern novel about family and the affect of the past on the present.

-The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield: Fascinating story about two authors and the mystery of their lives!

-When the Heart Waits, subtitled Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions by Sue Monk Kidd: She writes of the experience of her spiritual journey at a time when "her life seemed to have lost meaning..."

-The Garden Angel by Mindy Friddle: a good story of family and friendship and  in a small Southern town. Filled with quirky characters and laughs.

-The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: outstanding historic fiction about the legend of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula)! I must say I was not so interested when it was recommended to me. Once I started it I could not stop reading.

-The Refuge by Dot Jackson: Another great Southern tale of a strong woman, her family and "the need to find one's place in the world - and the price paid to remain there."

-Maisie Dobbs and Birds of A Feather by Jacqueline Winspear: her first two books with the main character, Maisie Dobbs. These books take place in post WWI England. Great mysteries!

Anything written by these three authors: Michael Connelly, Lee Childs and Greg Isles.

-Elizabeth Baucom

South Carolina

Best reads of 2006:  Stephen King's Dark Tower series.  Some people are just born storytellers and S.K. is one of the best.  The story follows Roland the gunslinger on his quest to find the Dark Tower and whatever promise of hope and redemption it holds for him.  Sort of a Harry Potter for grownups, this epic tale is 6 or 7 volumes, some the length of the Holy Bible, and the themes are classic ones that S.K. has explored before in novels like The Stand, but the characters and the story are entirely original and Roland's world is fascinating.
Worst reads of 2006:  Left Behind series by Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins.  Although I left this series behind several books ago, the mention of Stephen King brings to mind the stark contrast in writing ability.   These guys need to stick with nonfiction and leave the storytelling to those who can.  If you want to read about the end times, read Daniel's Book of Revelation.  If you just want to read a good story, read Stephen King.

-Scarlett Gamache

I attended the 2006 Alabama Book Festival in Old Alabama Town and had the pleasure of hearing Rick Bragg and Homer Hickman.  I couldn't wait to read my autographed copies of Rick Bragg's Ava's Man and Homer Hickman's The Keepers Son.  Both turned out to be two of my favorite reads of 2006.  Pat Cunningham Devoto was also at the festival, although I didn't have time to hear her....MY LOSS.  Her book, Out of the Night That Covers Me, is the best book I read  thisyear.  I am ready to adopt John. By the way, the Alabama Book Festival is April 21, 2007.  I can't wait to meet more authors.  

-Camille Brignac

Selma, Alabama

When I received your request, I realized the need to start a reading diary.  I've read a good bit this year but nothing stands out as really memorable.  I did enjoy both of Mary Kay Andrews newest books, SAVANNAH BREEZE and BLUE CHRISTMAS.  Most disappointing were James Patterson's co-written books.  He needs to concentrate on quality rather than quantity.  My husband discovered Ace Atkins and read everything he's written.  He particularly liked THE WHITE SHADOW.  For those who like cookbooks, I highly recommend TABLE OF CONTENT, the new Birmingham Junior League cookbook.  I've collected cookbooks for years and this one has so many different, user friendly recipes along with beautiful color photography.  I'm looking forward to your list so I can start my reading list for this year.

-Mary Earle Adams

Dothan, Alabama

The World is Flat (revised edition)

History of Old Cloverdale

-Lynn Beshear

Sara Gruen's "Water for Elephants

-Nancy Anlage

Mobile, Alabama

My favorite for 2006 was not a new title but a re-read, THE TIPPING POINT.  It's the best I've ever encountered to demystify how trends are established, buzz created, etc.  The scariest stat from the book, for me as a REALTOR, is one that stated the tipping point for neighborhoods is 20%, i.e., when a neighborhood becomes 20% or more minority, White flight ensues.  How sad!!

-Sandra Nickel

A Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin tops my list of favorite reads in 2006. It is not new, but one of the best books that I have ever read. An excerpt from Helprin's biography gives clues as to why he is such a gifted writer:

"Born in 1947, Mark Helprin was raised on the Hudson and in the British West Indies. After receiving degrees from Harvard College and Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, he did postgraduate work at the University of Oxford, Princeton, and Columbia. He has served in the British Merchant Navy, the Israeli infantry, and the Israeli Air Force. He was published in The New Yorker for almost a quarter of a century, and his stories and essays on politics and aesthetics appear in The Atlantic Monthly, The New Criterion, The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, The New York Times, The National Review, American Heritage, Forbes ASAP, and many other publications here and abroad."

A Winter's Tale is a mystical story set in and around New York City that spans the entire 20th Century. It is a long book ... almost 1,000 pages and I relished every page and read each one slowly because of the beauty of the writing. It is a difficult book to describe, so I have excerpted a brief summary from Helprin's website: "Though immensely complicated, the story is centered upon Peter Lake, a turn-of-the-century Irish burglar, and Beverly Penn, a young heiress whom he encounters in robbing her house, and who eventually will die young and in his arms. His love for her, and a gift of grace, will allow him after the most extraordinary and painful explorations and discoveries to stop time and bring back the dead. To follow him, his predecessors, his inheritors, and his companions is to experience one of the great stories of American literature."

I am looking forward to rereading the book soon and I heartily recommend it.

-Cathy Gassenheimer

Hi Cheryl:

I can’t remember if I “contributed” or not, but first of all (in a self-serving manner) I loved Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl. What a pleasure it was seeing it make the NYT list for a first novel! The other book I am enjoying a lot is the new Pynchon, Against the Day. It takes some patience but has been infinitely rewarding.

A few other (non-Penguin) books I loved this year were Black Swan Green by David Mitchell and Everyman by Philip Roth.

Happy New Year!
-Dave Kleigman

Alpharetta, Georgia

Best novel was undoubtedly "Water for Elephants," a beautifully written cleverly plotted novel (with a DOUBLE surprise ending, no less) that came out of nowhere and took independent booksellers by storm.  It is by far the easiest handsell I've ever come across--you can give it to practically anybody. 

Honorable mentions....well, I can't say Dan Simmons' "The Terror" because it's just coming out now, but it's definitely going to wind up as one of my 2007 favorites.  Others: "A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore, "Lisey's Story" by Stephen King, "World War Z" by Max Brooks.

Nonfiction:  I was blown away by Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma."  First of all, it's quite timely, since a lot of us, me included, are starting to think about where their food comes from and the effect that has on the world at large.  Plus, Pollan's structure (building the book around four different meals) was exceedingly clever.  But what really got to me was the strength of Pollan's writing.  Unforgettable.  Somehow, I missed his earlier "Botany of Desire," so that's next on my pile.

Honorable Mention: the new Joy of Cooking, "Theories of Everything" by Roz Chast, "Staring at Sound" by Jim DeRogatis, and "Please Kill Me" by Legs McNeill.

-Frazer Dobson

Charlotte, North Carolina

Hi Thomas and Cheryl, and Happy New Year! 2006 was the Year of March for me. Geraldine Brooks' book March was a fine look at the Civil War through the eyes of the absentee father of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Backlit by their story, it was an illuminating take on the horror of that long ago war as experienced by an idealistic and all too human man. And then there was The March, E.L. Doctorow's great fictional read about Sherman's march through Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. That's about it, off the top of my head.....I'll send along more once I can get home and actually remember what I read! -Alice Wertheim

Atlanta, Georgia

Thomas & Cheryl:
In the waning days of 2006, Sally and I have been overwhelmed by the beauty and dramatic power of Sara Gruen's marvelous tale of an elderly man recalling his life with a circus in the 1930s. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is a beautiful story, told with a poet's touch and a journalist's eye. It is terrific! Also, several months ago I read Eugene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff's enthralling book about the journalists who reported the civil rights movement in the South. It is a magnificent work from two highly respected and talented newspapermen. Hope y'all are well. Feliz Ano Nuevo!

-Wayne Greenhaw

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

I have so many faves from this past year!
I recently discovered Adriana Trigiani. She is amazing! I read Rococo and Big Stone Gap. Both VERY GOOD! Other faves: 

**Memory Keeper's Daughter (Kim Edwards)

** Running with Scissors    (Augusten Burroughs)     ----this book made me CRY from laughing so hard!! 

** Bastard out of Carolina (Dorothy Allison)

** Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral (Kris Radish)

** Gods in Alabama (Joshilyn Jackson)

** Suite Française (Irene Nemirovsky)

**The Other Boleyn Girl   (Philippa Gregory)

**Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Gregory Maguire)

** Confessions of an Ugly Step-Sister (Gregory Maguire)

**Any Bitter Thing (Monica Wood) 

I read The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger   in 2005, but it is still a HUGE favorite!

 -Carrie Fryer

Dear Cheryl and Tom,

Some favorite reads of the past 2006.Some first readings and some re-visits: 

Two by Thomas Cahill: SAILING THE WINE DARK SEA (WHY THE GREEKS MATTER) and THE GIFTS OF THE JEWS

Edward Rutherford: THE PRINCES OF IRELAND

Stephen Greenblatt: WILL IN THE WORLD

Thomas Friedman:  LONGITUDES AND ATTITUDES

Tony Hendra:  FATHER JOE

Frank Delaney:   IRELAND

Martin McDonagh: THE PILLOWMAN (Play)

E.L. Doctorow:  CITY OF GOD

Seamus Heaney:  ELECTRIC LIGHT (Poetry)

Heather MacDonald:  AN ALMOST HOLY PICTURE (Play)

Richard Russo: STRAIGHT MAN

Willa Cather:  DEATH COMES FOR THE ARCHBISHOP

Joe Simpson:  TOUCHING THE VOID

Thomas Merton: SELECTED POETRY

Happy New Year and thanks for all you do for the readers of the world!

Peace,

-Greg Thornton

I enjoyed SWAG --Southern Women Aging Gracefully!

-Julia Wilson

One of my favorite reads is The Glass Castle by Jeannette Wells, a story of an extraordinary family, extremely dysfunctional but with a spirit that gets them through. 

Thanks

-Betsy Nachman Wild

Woburn, Massachusetts

Okay, Tom/Cheryl, here are a few of my favorite reads for '06. Happy New Year.

"Two Sides of the Moon" by David Scott & Alexei Leonov: A history of the early space program during the cold war - a dual biography of one astronaut and one cosmonaut. Some great insights into just how difficult the early space flight was and how the race for space affected the future of both the US and the USSR.

"Rising Tide" by John M. Barry: A history of the great Mississippi flood of 1927. Great insights into the power of the river and the efforts to harness it.

"In the Company of Heroes" by Michael J. Durant: This is Durant's personal account of his shoot down and capture in Mogadishu, Somalia and his experiences as a prisoner of the Somalis. His story was also chronicled in Mark Bowden's book Black Hawk Down, also an excellent read.

"Manhunt" by James L. Swanson: Superb account of the hunt for John Wilkes Booth following the assassination of President Lincoln.

"Flyboys" by James Bradley: Great story of a lesser know WWII battle on the Island of Chichi Jima where nine American Flyers were shot down on bombing runs.... eight were captured and beheaded. One was rescued - President George H. Bush!

"Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail" by Rick Newman and Don Shepperd: Excellent account of Misty Pilot experiences and their frustrations in trying to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

"A Very Short War" by John Guilmartin: The definitive book dealing with the capture of the SS Mayaguez by the Cambodians and the fierce battle that took place on Koh Tang Island to rescue the crew. 

"Forever Flying" by R. A. Bob Hoover: If you like flying stories you'll love this personal autobiography by Bob Hoover, hailed as the best pilot in the world. I had the pleasure of a one-on-one lunch with Bob last June and got to hear some of the fascinating stories first-hand.

"An Innocent man" by John Grisham: Non-fiction account of an innocent man convicted for a crime he did not commit ....the story of the efforts to work within the "justice" system to free him is worth the read.

"The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson: Very interesting account of the building of the Chicago World's Fair at the turn of the century with a dual story line of a serial killer in Chicago.

"Thunderstruck" by Erik Larson: Again, Larson uses a dual story line of two men whose lives cross, one, Marconi and his invention and development of the wireless telegraph, and Hawley Crippen, a killer.

"Mostly Bob" by Tom Corwin: A tiny book which is essentially a letter that Mr. Corwin wrote to his friends following the death of his dog. I cried in the book store! 

"Wildfire" by Nelson DeMille: The only novel I read in '06. A farfetched (?) story of a plot to blow up two American cities to trigger a nuclear response to whip out the entire Middle East. Love the sarcasm of DeMille's main character, John Corey.

-Joe Panza

I thoroughly enjoyed The Cabinet of Curiosities by Preston Childs. I read it on a stormy night, and combined with such a suspenseful tale, I was startled a few times. It made me want to make sure the doors were locked. I was impressed by the research that went into the writing of the book, especially regarding the old underground of New York City.

-Susan Wilkinson

Favorite Read of 2006:  The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz

Originally, it was published in 1997, so not sure if it qualifies for your list, but I bought and read the paperback in 2006.  It is a BIBLE for good living, a Toltec Book of Wisdom.

-Ellen Clute

I think this was a 2006 read, but it still haunts me from time to time.  THE KITE RUNNER

-Jackie Chambless

Alright.  It's PERFUME, by Patrick Suskind.  This book is a story of 18th century France, and a very strange young man who becomes a perfumer.  One of those novels that makes no sense (or scents), and yet makes perfect sense.  It's haunting, scary, and will lull you into a fantasy land where even murder is tolerated in the name of science.  Soon to be a movie!

Also, on a self serving note, I just finished listening to the audio of my newest release, South Beach Shakedown, and I love the read.  I don't know the reader, but he does a wonderful job!

-Don Bruns

Lima, Ohio

My favorite “read” this year, unbelievably, is a cookbook. Before I tell you why, I should explain that I am a man with more than a passing knowledge of outdoor grilling and cooking. Through the efforts of my lovely wife, I have gradually moved from being “King of the Grill” to the “Clown Prince of the Kitchen”. Through it all, I have managed to develop a recipe for a “killer chili” and have had moderate success at soups. I digressed.

To make my chili tastier, I was told I needed to make my own tomato sauce and adjust the seasonings. Did I point out I am a man? At that moment, solving the riddle of the Sphinx seemed a bit more achievable.

However, on one of my frequent visits to Capitol Book and News, I found a cookbook that opened my eyes to the ease of making my own sauce. This treasure was entitled “The Rustic Table” written by Constance Snow. This book appeals not only to kitchen novices like me, but also appeals to those with more knowledge in the culinary arts.

This cookbook writes its recipes in such a fashion that everything is laid out for the novice, like myself.

If you purchase one cookbook this year make it “The Rustic Table” by Constance Snow.

-Jerry Baxley

My favorite read was "House" by Frank Peretti.  It was hard to put the book down!

-Susan Tudor

Water for Elephants,  

-Suzie Smith

I forgot – Teacher Man and Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen

-Suzie

Cheryl & Thomas –

No hesitation here: My favorite book of 2006 was A Woman in Jerusalem, by A. B. Yehoshua. Set in contemporary Israel and an unnamed former Soviet republic, the novel takes a familiar fact of life in the Middle East – terrorist bombings – and strips away the politics and preconceptions to examine the human repercussions of one violent death. In structure, the story unfolds like a fable, complete with a surreal quest, but the writing is so transparent that thoughts of symbolism or allegory never get in the way. Yehoshua simply plucks you out of Alabama (or wherever) and plants you among a small group of Israeli coworkers trying, with mixed results, to make sense out of senselessness. Imagine As I Lay Dying retold by Nadine Gordimer. On second thought, forget feeble comparisons and read the book.

-Jim Carnes

I have been reading the classics this year.
I have fallen in love with the writing of Albert Camus
I read The Plague and it was so good I had to read The First Man.
Other reads this year have been Holy Fools by Joanne Harris
Gerald by Daphne du Maurier
I have quite a few of her books and started Jamaica but it was too intense. Like a Poe book.
A good short story is Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery.
I have read more this last year but these were my favs in 2006.
-Amanda Edwards

Hi. My favorite books are those by Julia Spencer-Fleming and our book discussion group at Saint Thomas Episcopal Church read and discussed four of those during 2006: A Fountain Filled with Blood, Out of the Deep I Cry, To Darkness and to Death and All Mortal Flesh. We are eager for her to write more in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Series. I am reading A Kudzu Christmas, which includes a forward by Julia.  I also read a series by Margaret Coel, again mysteries with a theological twist, taking place on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. I have read eleven of these, and they are very good. If you need more, I’ll be glad to submit other titles.
Happy New Year!
-Sonya Boyd
Columbus, Georgia

I haven't finished it yet, but I STARTED one in 2006 that is promising, if you can count it.  I decided (New Year's Resolution) to try and read all books awarded the Booker Prize.  I've started with Last Orders by Graham Swift (1996).  It is heavily laden with contemporary British slang though, almost to the point of needing a translator.  The basic plot involves a group of pub blokes reflecting on their lives and relationships after one of their group loses his life to cancer, and they go on a road journey of sorts to scatter his ashes.

-Beverly Johnson

Kosciusko, MS

Of our book club selections in 2006, the books that generated the most active and interesting discussions were:

Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks (non-fiction)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (fiction)
The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue (fiction)
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (fiction)
Thanks for putting together the Best of 2006 list. I'm
looking forward to reading the results.
-Anne Kimzey

Here's my favorite, lowbrow though it may be:
Paul Malmont's "Chinatown Death Cloud Peril" was one of my great joys of 2007.  It wasn't just an adventure novel that featured the great authors of pulp fiction,
but one which captured the joy, the suspense and the fun of the novels they created.  It took the pulp adventures of Doc Savage and the Shadow, the horror
classics of H.P. Lovecraft and some of the fathers of American science fiction and tied them together in a tale of surprising warmth.

- Rick Harmon

-

My suggestion is The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman. This title may not be exactly right but is close. This was a Christmas gift for me.

-Mac R. Holmes

Sooo... About this time last year, I read Cheryl's list and how she had set a goal to read 100 books in 2005. And I have to admit, I laughed a little. Ha! I can read 200 books in one year. Easy. As much as I love to read....
I would just like to say that it is a LOT harder than it sounds. MUCH harder. I did meet the 100 mark and pushed just beyond to 107. I would like to say that I don't think I'll be doing 100 books this year. It was sort of like running a marathon and I was much more worried about the quantity of what I read that enjoying the reading of the books. It was a fun experiment, but I don't think I'll do it again.
Meanwhile, my faves of 2006...
Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations by Alexander McCall Smith
I became a fan of the Precious Ramstowe in 2005 and I read every book in the series. While awaiting the next installment, I lucked up upon this collection of short stories. It was wonderful! The characters are vibrant and the stories are addictive. For the Alexander McCall Smith fan, it a true jewel.
84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
This one was loaned to me by a bookish friend and I loved it. It's a book about the correspondence between a book lover and a book seller. What more could a bibliophile want? It gets my vote as favorite book of the year.
Rick and Bubba's Guide to God, Country, Family, and Anything Else We Can Think Of by Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey
This book comes in a close second as my favorite book of the year. If you've ever had the chance to listen to their radio show, you know how funny and insightful (although, admittedly, that happens accidentally) they can be. The book is hilarious and covers just about every topic. It also has the distinction of being the only book I re-read the whole year. Rumor has it that there will be another book out in 2007 and I can hardly wait!
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff (Newberry Honor Book 2002)
As a social worker, this book touched my heart. It's about a foster child who remembers her families by the pictures she has taken of them. The writing is crisp and clean; very refreshing. Although it's a young adult book, anyone can appreciate the need to find a place that it truly your own.
The Giver by Lois Lowery (Newberry Medal Book 1993)
I can't believe that I somehow missed this book when I was younger! It's a futuristic book about how far society will go to protect itself. Would you be willing to give up emotions? What about differences? Well written and intriguing.
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg
Fannie Flagg is one of my favorite writers. She has the ability to crystallize in a few chapters what it means to be Southern and from a small town. The relationships are rich and textured and the characters are your next door neighbors. This book is Fannie's take on Heaven and while I'm none too sure about her theology, I can say wholeheartedly that I'd love to go!
The Bird's Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggins
Ms. Wiggins is best-known for Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm; I hate to admit that I didn't even know she had written anything else until I stumbled across this jewel at our local used book store. This is the story of a young girl who is committed to making her Christmas merry by bringing joy to others. A truly heart-warming read.
The Innocent Man by John Grisham
This book barely squeaked into the list. It was a Christmas present and I just did finish it in time. This is Grisham's first foray into the world of nonfiction (he has also said it will be his last, much to my disappointment) and he does a brilliant job. The story could easily be fiction. Two wrongfully convicted men, questionable eviden