2008 Books

I'm going to depart from my normal post format to talk about books:

I love to read and I love the Goodreads website because it allows me to keep track of what I've read and remember what I liked and didn't like about a book. 2008 is the second year that I've kept track of all of my books via Goodreads, so I thought I would reflect on my year in books and see which books were the best I read in 2008. Click on the titles to read my Goodreads reviews.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: This was the best book I read in all of 2008. I loved it and can't wait to read it again. I'm not sure where to start with why this is a Great Book. The unique writing format, the characters, the setting and the story are all extraordinarily well done. I read this book in June and still remember the characters with such fondness (and a touch of pain).

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini: Not as painful a read as The Kite Runner and impressive because the male author truly captures a female viewpoint (something I think few authors can do well).

Summerland by Michael Chabon: Chabon writes extremely well and this book places you in a well conceived alternate world. While this book is technically "young adult," the writing and storyline will keep adults compelled as well.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks: One of those books that is written in such a unique format that you can't help but admire the author. I loved that we don't know the full story of each character in the book, leaving lots of potential for the reader to fill in the blanks.

Blue Balliet's Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3 and The Calder Game: I'm cheating a bit to list these as one entry since they are three separate books, but they are fun reads. While these are young adult books, the combination of math, art and mystery makes for a great read. Books like these are a great way to get children (and adults) to think about art outside the bounds of a museum's walls.

John Twelve Hawk's The Traveler and Dark River: Two books in a trilogy that imagine an alternate reality not so very different from our own. I'm not sure when the third book is coming out, but I will definitely read it when it's published!