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
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
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
-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
Dennis Lehane was a
new writer for me but after reading
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
-
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
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
My choice for 2006 is
Swanson’s Manhunt, the story of the
days immediately following
-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
-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
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
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
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
devoted to living off the grid.
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
Best reads of 2006: Stephen King's
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
-Camille Brignac
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
The World is Flat (revised edition)
History of Old
Cloverdale
-Lynn Beshear
Sara Gruen's "Water for Elephants
-Nancy Anlage
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
A Winter's Tale is a mystical story set in and around
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
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
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
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,
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
** Annie
Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral (Kris Radish)
** Gods in
** 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
Edward Rutherford: THE
PRINCES OF
Stephen Greenblatt: WILL IN THE WORLD
Thomas Friedman: LONGITUDES AND ATTITUDES
Tony Hendra: FATHER JOE
Frank Delaney:
Martin McDonagh: THE PILLOWMAN (Play)
E.L. Doctorow: CITY OF
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
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
"Rising Tide"
by John M. Barry: A history of the great
"In the Company
of Heroes" by Michael J. Durant: This is Durant's personal account of
his shoot down and capture in
"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
"Bury Us Upside
Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret
"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
"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
"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
-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
-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
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
-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
Happy New Year!
-Sonya Boyd
Columbus,
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
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.
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 evidence, a history of bad
convictions on the part of the prosecutor... These are Grisham's tools and he
does a great job crafting his story. This may be my favorite book he has
written.
-Amanda Cullum
I publicly confess to reading To Kill a Mockingbird this year for the first time. I do hope most of you will continue to speak to me. I don’t know how it happened I had never read it, but there is a part of me that is glad I waited until, now, as a grown woman (if not grown-up) to experience the amazing adventure. The South I know, and live in, and the South Nell Harper Lee wrote of are different—and yet fit together like frayed pieces of an old puzzle. I interact with a wide variety of folks, and as I read I recognized the characters in the book in the personalities that I know as friends and foes (sometimes in the same person). I hear many stories, and as the novel’s story unfolded I sadly perceived in modern society that the issues that are confronted in the tale are alive and well --not only race, but also violence against women, the social gulf poverty creates, and the ability to assign blame for the problems to those trying to solve the problems. Since I live in a historic home and am an advocate of preservation, I went in search of the street, of the homes of Scout and Dill, and found a rubble of a brick foundation, a historic marker, and an ice cream shop. My companions on the quest, Tim, Nils, Sweeney Lou ( my dog), and I sat on the brick and ate ice cream. The iconic, renovated courthouse still grandly resides in the square. The ladies keeping the gift shop graciously allowed Sweeney Lou to come in and visit. We have a great photo of Sweeney Lou in the witness chair. The book also inspired inner adventures. I guess all these years everyone but me has understood the how and why of Harper Lee’s title and main characters having bird names. That realization led me to bird iconography & mythology and a whole feathered, flighted universe hither to unknown to me. But I made a discovery in those pages that I have yet to see mentioned—the plants. As a gardener in this phase of my life, I felt as if Nell Harper Lee was speaking to me like she and I were side by side digging Cannas. I made a list of the plants from her pages and am planting the blooms and boughs she writes of so casually and yet so importantly. (By the way, does anyone know where I can get a “snow-on-the mountain”?) So—if there is anyone else out there who has not had the honor and joy of reading To Kill A Mockingbird—the good news is you have a mystical, lyrical true-heart adventure waiting for you. And you don’t have to publicly admit to anyone you have never read it.
-Karren Pell
I enjoyed “Lay of the Land.”
Like a slow, pleasant morphine drip. Also enjoyed “Manhunt,” “Consider the Lobster” and “The
Blind Side.”
-Monte Burke
Cheryl and Thomas,
I have to admit that
the Bone Woman really kept my
attention and I have recommended it to lots of folks
especially young people looking to find themselves. I am very interested in
human rights and the violation of them and this was a very
unexplored angle. Although the book was about forensic anthropology, the recent
violations affected current peoples and cultures. I really “could not put it
down!”
(P.S. my largest dog
found the paperback to be quite “delicious” as well.)
Thanks
-Carole King
My favorites were rising tide
and the looming tower...I've got to
read more fiction....
-Laurie Weil
It wasn't published in 2006, but here's mine:
"Memories of My Melancholy Whores"
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (2005)
-Foster Dickson
Here's my list of 2006 Favorite Reads:
My Life in France-Julia Child and
Alex Prud'Homme
The Thirteenth Tale-Diane Setterfield
Telegraph Days-Larry McMurtry
The City of Falling Angels-John Berendt
A Good Year-Peter Mayle
Dog Heroes of September 11: A
Tribute to America's Search and Rescue
Dogs-Nona Kilgore Bauer
-Suzanne B. Nicholas
2006 provided a lot of fiction fun for this reader. Alexander McCall
Smith's Professor Dr. von Igelfeld books (Portuguese Irregular Verbs,
The Finer Points of Sausage
Dogs) had me laughing out loud. Randy Wayne White's Doc
Ford novels (The Mangrove Coast,
Ten Thousand Islands,
Shark River)
taught me a lot about
On a more serious note, my favorite nonfiction read of the year was Neal
Bascomb's The
Perfect Mile, about track and field's quest for the four-minute
mile, especially the contest waged 1952-1954 among Australian John Landy, American Wes
-
Ok, I went through
my reading log, and here is my list of favorites in the order in which I read
them:
The Grace that
Keeps the World by Tom
Bailey
Marley & Me by John Grogan (laughter and tears)
The Kindness of
Strangers by Katrina Kittle
An Unfinished
Life by Mark Spragg
The Hard Way by Lee Child (I like everything Lee Child
writes!!)
Digging to
America by Anne Tyler
(always one of my favorite authors)
The Whistling
Season by Ivan Doig (I love the western landscape—also in An Unfinished
Life)
The Lincoln
Lawyer by Michael Connolly (I found out why it got so many good reviews!)
The Road by Cormac
McCarthy (devastating and uplifting)
The End of
California by Steve
Yarbrough (now I have to go back and read all the other books by him that are
on my shelf)
The Other Side of
the Bridge by Mary Lawson
(as good as her first one,
Now I can’t wait to
read what everyone else liked!
-Ann M. Boles
Whoops, I left one
off my list—please add:
Looking for
Alaska by John Green (a
young adult book, very well written)
-Ann
Hello!!
These are the ones that stand out in my mind! Mostly new ones, but some old stuff too!
Thank you for all you do for books!
“Sufficient Grace” by Darnell Arnoult
“Rise and Shine” by Anna Quindlen
Everything Nick Hornby has ever written including the non-fiction
“Summons to
“On Beauty” by Zadie Smith
“If You Want me to Stay” by Michael Parker
“On Mystery and Manners” by Flannery O’Connor and her book of letters
-Patti Meredith
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
The Pearl Diver, The Samurai's
Daughter, and Zen Attitude by Sujata Massey
The Salterton
Trilogy by Robertson Davies
Through the Children's Gate by Adam Gopnik
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Messenger of Truth: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear
-Tess Ware
The bulk of my reading this
year has been Katrina-related books. By far the best of the growing pile
is Jed Horne’s Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great
American City, a careful
and insightful account of the storm’s effect on
The personal stories of Katrina
are still being written, but an invaluable rough draft by a particularly honest
and perceptive observer is Chris Rose’s 1 Dead in Attic, a raw collection of Rose’s
post-Hurricane columns for the Times-Picayune. The
collection Love,
-Randal
Dear Thomas & Cheryl,
I found a new favorite author in December of 2006 when a friend loaned me a Lee
Child book, "Without Fail."
Since then John and I both have read, in addition to that first one, "One Shot" and "Persuader." Today I bought "Killing Floor" and "Tripwire." I think that
leaves three, possibly four titles yet to go. Jack Reacher
is the perfect hero--a blurb on one of the books says, "Women love him;
men want to be him." He will surely keep you up most of the night!
In a more literary vein, I really enjoyed "The Tender Bar" by J.R. Moehringer,
an autobiography that describes how the men in a neighborhood bar in
An old friend of mine, Robert Hicks, published a first novel in 2005: "Widow of the South." Robert
lives in
-Sunshine Huff
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the 25th anniversary edition of Kindred on a plane ride to
-Anne Kilgrow
I read many books last year from political tomes to juvenile
fiction. Many were excellent—some were superior—and a few were the type that
makes one wonder who paid for this tripe. My favorite of all the books I read
was the Grace that keeps this World by Tom Bailey. This novel, based on a news story that Tom read,
is the story of a family living a hardscrabble life in
Not
a sentence is wasted, and even the chapters that seem to have nothing to do
with the central characters tell us something about them. Sometimes it just
takes a few pages for us to realize what we’re being shown. From the opening
prologue with its image of geese flocking and flying away on the first fateful
day of deer hunting season to the concluding image of pairs of gloves on a
truck dash, this is a novel where the characters, events, and emotions land and
stay with us. Ultimately, this is a story of profound love–and the
myopia that sometimes clouds it.
-Randy Foster
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
-Tess Ware
Friends,
If it's not too late, I'd like to recommend "Anansi Boys" a novel by Neil Gaiman. It's modern mythology with humor. My wife and I enjoyed it and passed it along to our daughter.
-Coke Ellington
The Upchurches--
Favorite Reads--
Caesar's Way -- Cecil Milan
Finding Fish --Antoine Fisher
Three Weeks With My Brother--Nicholas Sparks
The Bookseller of Kabul by _Asne Keirgard (a female Norwegian News Reporter)
The Kite Flyer by ???
One I am reading now that is not new but is very very good: Anne Morrow Lindbergh by Susan Hertog.
I also read a couple of other non fiction books by the guy who was originally a fiction writer--the one who wrote 1776. I guess one I read was John Adams. I also read a biography of Benjamin Franklin and one about Thomas Jefferson, as well as one about Alexander Hamilton. (Dick Morris??
I prefer non-fiction but I like it to be well-written and readable, like the books by the author of John Adams.
I sent a copy of the Dave Barry Christmas book to my brother-in-law--
-Barbara Wilkerson
Thomas and Cheryl,
Congrats on your 28th anniversary!
Here are my favorite reads of 2006
White Shadow (Ace Atkins) Though a
bit dismayed Nick Travers will not be
taking us on new adventures, Ace's storytelling continues. The story of
Charlie Wall (Fact based, but a work of fiction) takes you thru the streets
of
read, DO IT! Ace could have a second career reading for Books on tape.
ANYONE who has spent time in the swamp hunting, fishing or just communing
with God, will enjoy reading it. It wouldn't surprise me if you don't
recognize some of the characters in the book, especially Constable Sanders!
A Sound Like Thunder (Sonny Brewer)
Mr. Brewer is a wonderful storyteller. A
coming of age book set in
vivid realism, it is hard to believe this is not an
autobiography.
-Thom Sikes
Leaving Church
Barbara Brown
anything by Wendell Berry
The Perfectionist
- Life and Death in the World of Haute Cuisine - can't remember
author's name
I can't remember the book or author's name, but the book by the guy who
read the Encyclopedia Brittanica is wonderful.
I enjoy your suggestions and newsletter! I wish I could be there
for the Sweet Potato Queen - I like her books.
-Linda Land
"The Memory Keeper's Daughter" is the best book I read this past year. I continued to think about the book long after I completed it. I liked its unique story and the how the author presented the manner in which the characters dealt with unexpected challenges and certainly unexpected consequences.
I also liked "A Team of Rivals" by Deloris Kearns Goodwyn. This book was not only about Abraham Lincoln--but also about the people (his former rival) that he brought into in cabinet. It was excellent.
-Mary Frances Bruce
Mathews,
One of the best books I read last year was "You've Got To Read This Book: 55 people
tell the story of the book that changed their life," by Jack
Canfield. It was inspiring to read the stories of people whose lives had
been changed just by reading a book. It also gave me 55 more must read
books! I try to read at least one or two classic books each year that I
haven't gotten around to reading before. I read "
-C. Wilson
Technically, Andrew
Carnegie by David Nasaw, is not a book I read in 2006,
but one I began reading in 2006, since I received
it as a Christmas gift. It is an engrossing story about a personal hero. If you
like American history, and if you feel you owe a love of books to childhood
experiences with libraries, which Carnegie helped to establish through
philanthropy (in places like
-Linda Fisher
The Kite Runner
-Donna Pleasant
Low Brow Readers would like to suggest the following books. They
were not all published in 2006, however, we are procrastinators as well as low
brow.
Our number one favorite book of all time is SMONK, Tom Franklin.
We also loved Wideacre, Philippa
Gregory
Fallen, David Maine
A Short History of Almost Everything,
Bill Bryson
A Girl Named Zippy, Haven Kimmell
Snowflower and the
Secret Fan, Lisa See
Thank you for all your suggestions to us.
-Kappes McGough
A couple of folks sent
us a list of everything they read in 2006!
This one’s from Amanda Cullum:
I have really
enjoyed being able to look at my book list and see what I read over the past
year. I plan to keep a list every year from now on. I wish I'd started sooner; I'd
love to see what I was reading 10 years ago. A friend of mine wrote a summary
of every book she read last year and I thought I might try that myself. If it doesn't get too overwhelming....
-Amanda Cullum
|
ABC Books Read |
||||||
|
Title |
Author |
Genre |
Date Finished |
Letter Grade |
Rating |
Best? |
|
French Leave |
South, Sheri Cobb |
Romance |
|
A+ |
Wonderfully Brilliant |
|
|
Miss Darby's Duenna |
South, Sheri Cobb |
Romance |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Saving Fish from Drowning |
Tan, Amy |
Fiction |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
Flipped |
Van Draanen, Wendelin |
YA |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Aunt Dimity's Death |
Atherton, |
Mystery |
|
A- |
Brilliant |
|
|
Earthly Astonishments |
Jocelyn, Marthe |
YA |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Sleeping at the Starlite Motel |
White, Bailey |
Nonfiction |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
Children of Green Knowe, The |
|
YA |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
March |
|
Fiction |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Village Centenary |
Read, Miss |
Fiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations |
McCall Smith, Alexander |
Fiction |
|
A+ |
Amazingly Brilliant |
* |
|
Penny for Your Thoughts, A |
Clark, Mindy Starns |
Fiction |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Reviving Ophelia |
Pipher, Mary |
Nonfiction |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Lost in Rooville |
Blackston, Ray |
Fiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Secret Life of Bees, The |
Kidd, Sue Monk |
Fiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Veritas Project, The: The Hangman's Curse |
Peretti, Frank |
YA |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
Mr. Popper's Penguins |
|
YA |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
|
Read, Miss |
Fiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Down the Rabbit Hole |
Abrahams, Peter |
YA |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Treasure of Green Knowe, The |
|
YA |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
Enemy at Green Knowe, An |
|
YA |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Veritas Project, The: |
Peretti, Frank |
YA |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory |
Dahl, Roald |
YA |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
After Many Days |
|
Fiction |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Golden Road, The |
|
Fiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
?? |
|
Note, The |
Hunt, Angela Elwell |
Fiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl |
Jacobs, Harriet |
Nonfiction |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
84, |
Hanff, Helene |
Nonfiction |
|
A+ |
Stunningly Brilliant |
* |
|
Duchess of |
Hanff, Helene |
Nonfiction |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Sisters Grimm, The: Fairy Tale Detectives |
Buckley, Michael |
YA |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
In the Grip of Grace |
Lucado, Max |
Nonfiction |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Jane Addams: World Neighbor |
Gilbert, Miriam |
YA Nonfiction |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Vanishing Acts |
Picoult, Jodi |
Fiction |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
In Her Steps: Women of Courage and Valor |
Siino, Denise Marie |
Nonfiction |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Pride and Prescience (Or, a Truth Universally Acknowledged) |
Bebris, Carrie |
Mystery |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Suspense and Sensibility (Or, First Impressions Revisited) |
Bebris, Carrie |
Mystery |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Long Winter, The |
Wilder, Laura Ingalls |
YA |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
Little Town on the Prairie |
Wilder, Laura Ingalls |
YA |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
These Happy Golden Years |
Wilder, Laura Ingalls |
YA |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
First Four Years, The |
Wilder, Laura Ingalls |
YA |
|
B- |
Slightly Good |
|
|
Rick & Bubba's Expert Guide to God, Country, Family & Anything Else We Can Think Of |
Burgess, Rick & Bill "Bubba" Bussey |
Humor |
|
A+ |
Amazingly Brilliant |
* |
|
Bad Behavior |
Clark, Mary Higgins (editor) |
YA Mystery |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Plain Truth: A Novel |
Picoult, Jodi |
Fiction |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Steps to the Altar |
Fowler, Earlene |
Mystery |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
Five People You Meet in Heaven, The |
Albom, Mitch |
Fiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
House |
Peretti, Frank and Ted Dekker |
Fiction |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Pictures of Hollis Woods |
Giff, Patricia Reilly |
YA |
|
A+ |
Remarkably Brilliant |
* |
|
All Over but the Shoutin' |
Bragg, Rick |
Nonfiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Two Little Girls in Blue |
Clark, Mary Higgins |
Mystery |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Persuasion |
Austen, Jane |
Fiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
|
Picoult, Jodi |
Fiction |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Devil's Other Storybook, The |
Babbitt, Natalie |
YA |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
Anne of Green Gables |
|
YA |
|
A+ |
Astoundingly Brilliant |
P |
|
Paper Moon |
Brown, Joe David |
Fiction |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
Anne of Avonlea |
|
YA |
|
A |
Brilliant |
P |
|
Anne of the |
|
YA |
|
A |
Brilliant |
P |
|
Anne of Windy Poplars |
|
YA |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
P |
|
Anne's House of Dreams |
|
YA |
|
A |
Brilliant |
P |
|
Anne of Ingleside |
|
YA |
|
A |
Brilliant |
P |
|
|
|
YA |
|
A+ |
Sparklingly Brilliant |
P |
|
Rilla of Ingleside |
|
YA |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
P |
|
Road to Yesterday, The |
|
YA |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
P |
|
Playing for Keeps ( |
Brooks-Simon, Barbara |
YA |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Dark Thirty, The: Southern Tales of the Supernatural |
McKissack, Patricia |
YA |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Giver, The |
Lowry, Lois |
YA |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Daddy's Little Girl |
Clark, Mary Higgins |
Mystery |
|
A |
Brilliant |
P |
|
Hey! Listen to This: Stories to Read Aloud |
Trelease, Jim (editor) |
Children's |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
On the Street Where You Live |
Clark, Mary Higgins |
Mystery |
|
A |
Brilliant |
P |
|
Witch of Blackbird Pond, The |
Speare, Elizabeth George |
YA |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Light from Heaven |
Karon, Jan |
Fiction |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction |
Raabe, Tom |
Humor |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven |
Flagg, Fannie |
Fiction |
|
A+ |
Breathtakingly Brilliant |
* |
|
Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion |
Rostenberg, Leona & Madeleine Stern |
Memoir |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Sophie's Heart |
Wick, Lori |
Fiction |
|
A+ |
?? Brilliant |
P |
|
|
Picoult, Jodi |
Fiction |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Elizabeth Gail and the Mystery at the Johnson Farm |
Stahl, Hilda |
YA |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
Elizabeth Gail and the Secret Box |
Stahl, Hilda |
YA |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Elizabeth Gail and the Teddy Bear Mystery |
Stahl, Hilda |
YA |
|
B |
Good |
P |
|
Elizabeth Gail and Trouble at Sandhill Ranch |
Stahl, Hilda |
YA |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
Elizabeth Gail and the Terrifying News |
Stahl, Hilda |
YA |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Elizabeth Gail and the Strange Birthday Party |
Stahl, Hilda |
YA |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
North by Northanger, or The Shades of Pemberley: A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery |
Bebris, Carrie |
Mystery |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
|
Mason, Jane & Sarah Hines Stephens |
YA |
|
D |
Deplorable |
|
|
Come Thirsty |
Lucado, Max |
Nonfiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee |
Shields, Charles J. |
Biography |
|
B |
Good |
|
|
Traveling Light |
Lucado, Max |
Nonfiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
|
|
Dancing in the Dark |
Clark, Mary Jane |
Mystery |
|
C+ |
|
|
|
Jeffrey's Latest 13: More |
|
Nonfiction |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott |
Alcott, Louisa May |
Fiction |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Southern Christmas Book, The |
Kane, Harnett Thomas |
Nonfiction |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
|
|
Christmas with Anne and Other Stories |
|
Fiction |
|
A+ |
|
P |
|
Redbird Christmas, A |
Flagg, Fannie |
Fiction |
|
A+ |
|
P |
|
He Sees You When You're Sleeping |
Clark, Mary Higgins |
Mystery |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
P |
|
Gideon's Gift |
Kingsbury, Karen |
Fiction |
|
A |
Brilliant |
P |
|
Sarah's Song |
Kingsbury, Karen |
Fiction |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
P |
|
Shepherds Abiding |
Karon, Jan |
Fiction |
|
B |
Good |
P |
|
ABC Books Read |
||||||
|
Title |
Author |
Genre |
Date Finished |
Letter Grade |
Rating |
Best? |
|
All Through the Night |
Clark, Mary Higgins |
Mystery |
|
B |
Good |
P |
|
Birds' Christmas Carol, The |
Wiggins, Kate Douglas |
YA |
|
A+ |
Inspiringly Brilliant |
* |
|
Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The |
Robinson, Barbara |
YA |
|
A |
Brilliant |
P |
|
Deck the Halls |
Clark, Mary Higgins |
Mystery |
|
B+ |
Very Good |
P |
|
Christmas Stories for Your Heart |
Grey, |
Inspirational |
|
A- |
Moderately Brilliant |
|
|
Rick & Bubba's Expert Guide… |
Burgess, Rick & Bill Bussey |
Nonfiction |
|
A+ |
Amazingly Brilliant |
*/P |
|
Christmas Thief, The |
Clark, Mary Higgins & Carol Higgins Clark |
Mystery |
|
B |
Good |
P |
|
Innocent Man, The |
Grisham, John |
Nonfiction |
|
A+ |
Intensely Brilliant |
* |
And this one is from her husband, Jonathan Cullum:
|
JAC Books Read 2006 |
||
|
Title |
Author |
Date Finished |
|
Flipped Young love, thoughtfully explored. All the ups and downs of teenage romance, cleverly presented from both sides. |
Van Draanen, Wendelin |
|
|
Christmas Carol, A Crisp prose that still crackles like a winter fire. |
Dickens, Charles |
|
|
Stuart Little Underneath it all, more subversive than I would have imagined. But a good read. |
White, E.B. |
|
|
My Life So Far Fonda’s story is fascinating and well-delivered. At over 500 pages, the longest book I read in 2006! |
Fonda, Jane |
|
|
Heavenly Date and
Other Flirtations My introduction to McCall Smith. Hit and miss, but intriguing in balance. |
McCall Smith, Alexander |
|
|
Wrinkle in Time, A Unique, not quite what I was expecting. Bizarre. |
L'Engle, Madeleine |
|
|
Blue like Jazz I don’t agree with Miller on everything, but this book is deeply thought-provoking. Miller is a wordsmith like few others. |
Miller, Donald |
|
|
Women Leaving the
Workplace |
Burkett, Larry |
|
|
To Own a Dragon: Reflections
on Growing Up Without a Father The book I’ve been waiting three decades for someone to write. Slightly askew, because not all absent fathers are absent by choice. However, there’s some powerful observation here. Miller is about as insightful as they come. |
Miller, Donald |
|
|
84, |
Hanff, Helene |
|
|
Pictures of Hollis
Woods |
Giff, Patricia Reilly |
|
|
Purple Cow: Transform
Your Business by Being Remarkable |
Godin, Seth |
|
|
Searching for God
Knows What |
Miller, Donald |
|
|
Golden Age, The Nostalgia
for childhood mixed with plentiful wit.
The story of the two dolls is probably the funniest thing I read all
year. |
Grahame, Kenneth |
|
|
Girl Named Zippy, A:
Growing Up Small in Vignettes of growing up in a family of “characters” in |
Kimmel, Haven |
|
|
Old Books, Rare Friends:
Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion Come on, you know you all want to read this book! My love of book-hunting is validated! |
Rostenberg, Leona & Madeleine Stern |
|
|
Most Incredible Elvis
Presley Story Ever Told, The So weird, it must be true! A look into the singer Orion, who sang and dressed like Elvis after the King’s death. But were there really TWO Orions…..??? |
Giorgio, G.B. |
|
|
Politically Correct
Bedtime Stories |
Garner, James Finn |
|
|
Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese I miss Mystery Science Theater 3000. Reading Nelson’s takes on a variety of schlocky films helped stave off withdrawal symptoms. |
Nelson, Michael J. |
|
|
Sammy Keyes and the
Hotel Thief |
Van Draanen, Wendelin |
|
|
Little Guide to Your
Well-Read Life, The |
Leveen, Steve |
|
|
Complete Financial
Guide for Young Couples, The Probably the best financial book I’ve read. In other books, Burkett is sometimes a dry, slow read, but all of his best anecdotes and advice can be found here. |
Burkett, Larry |
|
And if you’re
still interested, here’s a recap of every book mentioned:
|
|
|
2006
Best Reads Recap |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mentions |
Author |
Title |
Price |
Pub Date |
|
5 |
Hosseini |
The Kite
Runner |
$14.00 |
2003 |
|
4 |
Edwards, |
The
Memory Keeper's Daughter |
$14.00 |
2006 |
|
4 |
Gruen, S |
Water for
Elephants |
$23.95 |
2006 |
|
3 |
Grogan, |
Marley
& Me: Life and Love wit |
$21.95 |
2005 |
|
3 |
Flagg, F |
Can't
Wait to Get to Heaven |
$25.95 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Grisham, |
The
Innocent Man: Murder and I |
$28.95 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Berendt, |
The City
of Falling Angels |
$15.00 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Nemirovs |
Suite Francaise |
$25.00 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Pynchon, |
Against
the Day |
$35.00 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Quindlen |
Rise and
Shine |
$24.95 |
2006 |
|
2 |
|
Digging
to |
$24.95 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Swanson, |
Manhunt:
The 12-Day Chase for |
$26.95 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Setterfi |
The
Thirteenth Tale |
$26.00 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Moehring |
The
Tender Bar: A Memoir |
$14.95 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Ford, Ri |
The Lay
of the Land |
$26.95 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Gregory, |
The Other
Boleyn Girl |
$16.00 |
2002 |
|
2 |
Hicks, R |
The Widow
of the South |
$14.99 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Enger, L |
Peace
Like a River |
$13.00 |
2002 |
|
2 |
Roth, Ph |
Everyman |
$24.00 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Eugenide |
Middlesex |
$15.00 |
2003 |
|
2 |
Barry, J |
Rising
Tide: The Great Mississ |
$16.00 |
1998 |
|
2 |
Atkins, |
White
Shadow |
$24.95 |
2006 |
|
2 |
Bailey, |
The Grace
That Keeps This Worl |
$13.00 |
2006 |
|
|
DeMille, |
Wild Fire |
$26.99 |
2006 |
|
|
Millan, |
Cesar's
Way: The Natural, Ever |
$24.95 |
2006 |
|
|
King, St |
Lisey's Story |
$28.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Friedman |
The World
Is Flat: A Brief His |
$30.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Walls, J |
The Glass
Castle: A Memoir |
$14.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Rombauer |
Joy of
Cooking: 75th Anniversa |
$30.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Lee, Har |
To Kill a
Mockingbird |
$6.99 |
1988 |
|
|
Goodwin, |
Team of
Rivals: The Political |
$19.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Gladwell |
The
Tipping Point: How Little |
$14.95 |
2002 |
|
|
Stewart, |
The
Places in Between |
$14.00 |
2006 |
|
|
See, Lis |
Snow
Flower and the Secret Fan |
$13.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Wright, |
The
Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda an |
$27.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Messud, |
The
Emperor's Children |
$25.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Picoult, |
My
Sister's Keeper |
$14.00 |
2005 |
|
|
Pollan, |
The
Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natu |
$26.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Kostova, |
The
Historian |
$15.99 |
2006 |
|
|
McCourt, |
Teacher
Man |
$15.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Lowry, L |
The Giver |
$6.50 |
2002 |
|
|
Burrough |
Running
with Scissors |
$14.00 |
2003 |
|
|
Larson, |
The Devil
in the White City: M |
$14.95 |
2004 |
|
|
Picoult, |
The Tenth
Circle |
$15.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Ruiz, Do |
The Four
Agreements: A Practic |
$12.95 |
1997 |
|
|
Hillerma |
The Shape
Shifter |
$26.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Updike, |
Terrorist |
$24.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Pessl, M |
Special
Topics in Calamity Phy |
$25.95 |
2006 |
|
|
McCarthy |
The Road |
$24.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Brooks, |
World War
Z: An Oral History o |
$24.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Maguire, |
Wicked:
The Life and Times of |
$16.00 |
2000 |
|
|
Brooks, |
March |
$14.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Connelly |
The
Lincoln Lawyer |
$7.99 |
2006 |
|
|
Kidder, |
Mountains
Beyond Mountains |
$14.95 |
2004 |
|
|
Larson, |
Thunderstruck |
$25.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Smith, Z |
On Beauty |
$15.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Andrews, |
Blue
Christmas |
$14.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Ruiz Zaf |
The
Shadow of the Wind |
$15.00 |
2005 |
|
|
Millard, |
The River
of Doubt: Theodore R |
$14.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Gilbert, |
Stumbling
on Happiness |
$24.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Child, J |
My Life
in France |
$25.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Prose, F |
Reading
Like a Writer: A Guide |
$23.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Chast, R |
Theories
of Everything: Select |
$45.00 |
2006 |
|
|
McMurtry |
Telegraph
Days |
$25.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Krakauer |
Into the
Wild |
$12.95 |
1997 |
|
|
Seiersta |
The
Bookseller of Kabul |
$12.99 |
2004 |
|
|
Nasaw, D |
Andrew
Carnegie |
$35.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Lehane, |
Coronado |
$24.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Gaiman, |
Anansi Boys |
$7.99 |
2006 |
|
|
Picoult, |
Vanishing
Acts |
$14.00 |
2005 |
|
|
Grisham, |
The
Broker |
$7.99 |
2005 |
|
|
Doctorow |
The March |
$14.95 |
2006 |
|
|
Doig, Iv |
The
Whistling Season |
$25.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Weiner, |
Goodnight
Nobody |
$15.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Child, L |
The Hard
Way |
$25.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Hornby, |
A Long
Way Down |
$14.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Flynn, V |
Consent
to Kill |
$9.99 |
2006 |
|
|
Butler, |
Kindred
(Anniversary) |
$14.00 |
2004 |
|
|
Fadiman, |
The
Spirit Catches You and You |
$15.00 |
1997 |
|
|
Radish, |
Annie
Freeman's Fabulous Trave |
$11.00 |
2006 |
|
|
Fforde, |
The Big
Over Easy: A Nursery C |
$14.00 |
2006 |
|
|