Hello to all the visitors to the BookGuide blog as we make our way into 2009!We don't often get a lot of comments posted on BookGuide blog posts, although we know there are a lot of visitors stopping by the site. We'd like to hear more from you. With that in mind, we encourage any and all visitors to leave a comment in response to the following question:
What were your favorite reads in 2008?
This can include both books newly published in 2008, or older titles that you finally got around to reading last year. You can leave a simple comment post with just one or more book titles listed, or you can be more verbose and tell us what you liked about those titles in more detail. You can remain completely anonymous, or leave your name at the end of your comments, or even link to your own blog if you'd like.
Help us celebrate a year of reading by letting us know what book(s) you enjoyed the most in 2008. We look forward to hearing what you thought!
Posts
9 comments:
I thought that "Dewey: the Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" was one of the most enjoyable books I read in 2008. I was pleased that our library ordered so many copies of it!
"The Dark Side" by Jane Mayer was the most interesting book I read in 2008. It shows how good intentions, unrestrained and misguided, can lead to horrific results.
My favorite reads of 2008
(Note-Not all of these were published in 2008)
The Professor Doctor Von Igelfeld trilogy (Portuguese Irregular Verbs, The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs and At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances) by Alexander McCall Smith-
Reading these hilarious novellas about a group of bumbling, pompous German academics is good, but listening to them in audio format is even better.
The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss
Rothfuss manages to bring new perspective and a fresh voice to the too-often formulaic coming-of-age fantasy genre. A beautifully written debut with both fast-paced action and depth. Unforgettable.
Legends of the Chelsea Hotel, by Ed Hamilton
A resident of the storied New York edifice, Hamilton created a blog to tell the Chelsea’s stories, which then evolved into this absorbing book. It’s like reading the biography of a building, with cultural references high and low and urban legends laced liberally throughout.
Twilight, by Stephenie Meyers
It may indeed be the successor to “Harry Potter” as the current pop-culture phenomenon, but at it’s heart, Meyers’ book is an intimate look at the soul-shaking power of first love. The fact that perhaps only one of the lovers in this tale possesses a soul only adds tension and depth to what could have been just another take on the “Romeo and Juliet” cliche.
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Though it features fairies, vampires and talking frogs, Marillier’s book utterly transcends the re-worked fairy-tale category. Gorgeous writing, a resourceful heroine and a tense plot make this story with old-world roots come alive for the modern reader.
A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley
This debut novel set in contemporary Botswana introduces us to fascinating and very likable sleuth Detective Kubu. The book is rich with scenes of Botswanan culture, but the mystery at its heart in never lost amid the details.
Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
In a year that saw the paranormal fiction genre explode in popularity, everyone seemed to be looking for the next big read. Twilight and Sookie Stackhouse had their legions of fans, but also emerging as a fan favorite was this series about shape-shifting Volkswagen mechanic Mercedes Thompson. They're not quite romances, and not really mysteries, though there are elements of both in each story. Mercy may be surrounded by werewolves, faeries, vampires and ghosts, but she's really just a young woman trying to survive and live her life on her own terms. Scary, fast-paced fun.
The Forgery of Venus, by Michael Gruber
Combining time-travel with a tale of international art forgery and adding details from the life of painter Diego Velázquez, Gruber gives us another great story of cultured people behaving badly.
Helping Me Help Myself: One Skeptic, Ten Self-Help Gurus, and a Year on the Brink of the Comfort Zone, by Beth Lisick
If you could take advantage of the wisdom offered by some of the world's top self-help gurus, meeting them and attending their seminars and therapy sessions, would your life really improve ? That was the question Lisick set out to answer, and following her on her quest may change the way you think about Highly Effective People, Chicken Soup for the Soul and even Richard Simmons. Funny, insightful and moving in unexpected ways.
Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Hirsi Ali is perhaps best known as the woman who collaborated with murdered Dutch director Theo Van Gogh on “Submission”, a short film critical of Islam's treatment of women. But, there is much more to her story. You will be saddened, appalled, amazed and ultimately inspired by her journey from oppression and trauma to hope and autonomy.
I loved "The Creative Family" by Amanda Blake Soule. A great title that I added to my personal craft/parenting collection.
I finally got around to reading two classics, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith and "Little WOmen" by Louisa May Alcott.
Of 2008 titles, I really enjoyed "Gluten Free Girl" and "The Good Girl Revolution".
My favorite memoir from 2008 was "Three Cups of Tea". What an amazing story of compassion!
The first book I read in 2008 -- Julia Child's "My Life in France" -- was also one of the best. I cried at the ending of "The Visible World" by Mark Sloaka, and then read it again. And I added Louise Penney to my favorite author list after reading "Still Life," the first of mystery trilogy set in Canada.
i really liked EPIC it was one of the best books ive ever read. THE MAGIC THIEF was a very awesome book as well. THE LORD OF THE RINGS was in my opinion even better than THE HITCHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALEXY. if you want to hear more, ive left reveiws on other books as fishgirl
My Favorite Book in 2008 was Nebraska Landscape: Images From Home Volume One by Michael Forsberg. This small book contains some of the most inspiring pictures of the Nebraska Landscape that I have ever seen.
Also, I seem to be viewing a lot of the libraries new feature length DVD'S. It's a GREAT collection. Is the library planing on putting up a "Best DVD's for 2008" page in the near future?
Great idea! I just posted a new thread for folks to discuss their favorite DVDs of 2008, too!
A couple of the most memorable books were The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Really loved the history and the time period of this one.
Also The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. This book was haunting and memorable and one I would read again and again because of the many layers.
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