Saturday, December 22, 2007

Best of lists

It's the end of the year, and all the "best of" lists are arriving. Here are some of the lists -- do you agree? What was your favorite book of 2007?

The National Book Critics Circle's most recommended books for 2007:
Nearly 500 voters--from John Updike and Robert Hass to Carolyn Forche, Anne Tyler, Julia Alvarez and Cynthia Ozick--answered the call as to what book they truly loved in 2007. Here is the list, with the five top vote getters in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry listed in order of votes received.

Fiction:
1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
2. Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
3. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
4. Exit Ghost by Philip Roth
5. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

Non-Fiction
1. Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
2. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
3. The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
4. Schulz and Peanuts by David Michaelis
5. Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner

Poetry
1. Time and Materials: Poems 1997-2005 by Robert Hass*
2. Collected Poems: 1956-1998 by Zbigniew Herbert*
3. Gulf Music by Robert Pinsky*
4. Next Life by Rae Armantrout
5. Elegy by Mary Jo Bang

*There was a three-way tie for first place in poetry.

Other Lists:

The Year in Books : Slate Picks the Best Books of 2007

Best Books 2007 from Library Journal

100 Notable Books of 2007 from the New York Times (registration required)
The 10 Best Books of 2007 from the New York Times (registration required)

The Joy of Reading: Favorite Books of 2007 from the Los Angeles Times

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