2008 Favorites
I’ve waited until the last possible minute to get my “best of list” post up and as usual I always struggle with figuring out which books deserve to go on here. For various reasons these are the books that really made my year.
Fiction
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
Life Studies by Susan Vreeland
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
Capote in Kansas by Kim Powers
Out by Natsuo Kirino
The Glimmer Palace by Beatrice Colin
YA
Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky
Leonardo’s Shadow by Christopher Grey
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Mystery
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
The Serpent and the Scorpion by Clare Langley-Hawthorne
In the Woods by Tana French
This Dame for Hire by Sandra Scoppettone
Graphic Novels
One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry
French Milk by Lucy Knisley
I almost hesitate to post this because I know as soon as I do I’ll think of just one more to add. And, then I think of all the others that I did enjoy too. Anyway, thank you to all of you who are sharing your best of lists. I love reading them and of course adding more books to the ever growing wish list.
Here’s to a great 2009. Happy New Year!
Eva http://astripedarmchair.wordpress.com
January 1st, 2009 at 1:03 amI’m waiting until the last minute too! lol
christine http://snapshotsunmade.typepad.com/csny
January 1st, 2009 at 1:27 amGreat list! Have you seen the new trailer for the film version of Coraline?
Have a Happy New Year!!
Katherine http://agirlwalksintoabookstore.blogspot.com
January 1st, 2009 at 1:54 amGreat list! Miss Pettigrew was a fantastic little book; I’d forgotten about it when I went to make my list.
Have a happy new year!
Stefanie http://somanybooksblog.com
January 1st, 2009 at 2:03 amIt’s hard to pick favorites, isn’t it? But you have a nice list. Happy New Year!
danielle http://www.danitorres.typepad.com
January 1st, 2009 at 2:06 amHappy New Year Iliana! You have a great list of books–I’m glad you liked the Laurence, too, and added it to your list. I also loved Miss Pettigrew and the Maisie Dobbs and Ursula Marlowe mysteries–all great choices. And I just ordered French Milk today! Best wishes to you!
Dawn – She Is Too Fond Of Books http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com
January 1st, 2009 at 2:07 amNice list, Iliana! You’ve got great discipline to be able to categorize your favorites, too. I haven’t written a “year in review” post for 2008, maybe I’ll get to it sometime in January!
Happy New Year to you.
Lezlie http://booksnbordercollies.blogspot.com
January 1st, 2009 at 2:52 amHappy New Year!
Lezlie
Andi http://estellasrevenge.blogspot.com
January 1st, 2009 at 3:23 amExcellent list! I’m especially interested in those graphic novels. Great titles!
Literary Feline http://www.literaryfeline.com
January 1st, 2009 at 5:30 amIt can be difficult to narrow the lists down, can’t it? I’m so glad you liked Dame for Hire. I want to read that one. My husband wasn’t too thrilled with it when he read it, but he does think I’ll probably like it.
jenclair http://bookgarden.blogspot.com
January 1st, 2009 at 5:37 amThe reason I love lists is that they provide so many good titles to look for! Happy New Year!
tanabata http://tanabata.blogspot.com
January 1st, 2009 at 9:05 amGreat list! I have a couple of those on my ‘to-read-soon’ stack. And a few others already on my wishlist.
Happy New Year, Iliana! May the new year bring you lots of books and time to read them in!
Melody http://www.mel-reading-corner.blogspot.com/
January 1st, 2009 at 11:32 amGreat list, Iliana! I hesitated to write about my favourites books too but I can’t resist doing it anyway, LOL. Thanks to your reviews, I’ll be adding some of the books you read on my wishlist.
Happy New Year to you!
Kailana http://myreadingbooks.blogspot.com
January 1st, 2009 at 3:39 pmI never know what to put on these best of lists, to be honest. Especially when there are not a lot of books that I really hated in the year. It makes it really hard to choose! You read a great list of books, though. Happy New Year!
Bookgirl http://www.bookgirl.net
January 1st, 2009 at 4:21 pmEva – Because you just never know if that last book will be the one right?!
Hope you guys had a great New Year!
It’s fun to do this and compare to previous years. My reading tastes tend to be the same but every once in a while there are surprises!
Have a great reading year!
Christine – I have and I can’t wait to see the movie. The book was so creepy and so good.
Katherine – There is just something about that book that I love. Now that I’ve made the list I realize I left off one or two books that I should have added but oh well
Stefanie – It is hard but fun too
Danielle – I think you’ll really enjoy French Milk – you’ll feel like you just spent some time in France yourself
Dawn – Oh do write a year in review post
Lezlie – You too – read lots of great stuff
Andi – I bet you’d enjoy those. I hope you’ll check ‘em out!
Literary Feline – I thought it was wonderful but I remember reading one review saying that the author tried too hard to make it sound authentic or something like that. I guess I could see that but for me it worked – I hope you’ll like it and I’ll be looking forward to that review
jenclair – Indeed!
tanabata – You too! I hope you find lots of goodies too to take back home after your trip
Melody – That’s the best part of seeing the lists right… giving the wish list tons more new books
Kailana – Sometimes I do want to add a lot more because honestly I won’t struggle with a book I hate so most of the books I read I did enjoy quite a bit. So I can relate
bookworm http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
January 1st, 2009 at 7:08 pmGreat list of books read! I really liked Coraline. I’m looking forward to the movie.
Carrie K. http://booksandmovies.today.com
January 1st, 2009 at 9:03 pmI loved Life Studies, too – then listened to The Passion of Artemisia on audiobook – Vreelandis quickly becoming a favorite author.
Happy New Year!
Nymeth http://thingsmeanalot.blogspot.com
January 1st, 2009 at 10:36 pmThank you for reminding me that I really want to read One Hundred Demons.
Lots of great books on your list!
Joanna http://lostinagoodstory.blogspot.com/
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:58 amGreat list! And so many more to add to my TBR list…
Out is next to be read for me, I really hope I enjoy it as much as you did!
Matt http://mattviews.wordpress.com
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:59 amHappy New Year, Iliana!
You must have written the most organized and detailed year-in-review post in history! I have Out on my list, since it’s recommended by you and another cafe friend of mine. Like you, I decided not to look at my list after I was thorough.
I bow out of the Man Booker Challenge with just one book short because I couldn’t get into neither of the remaining selections. I’m going to be more cautious with reading challenges this year. I might chime along and pick up a few books but probably won’t overdo it. I like to be spontaneous.
In 2009 I would like to relate my reading and writing experiences through blogging. Until i started blogging, both reading and writing have been very private, keeping to myself in the Moleskine notebook. Blogging forces me to make the connection between my random skeins of thoughts into making them coherent and readable to other readers.
I plan to tackle a few epic chunksters this year like Les Miserables and Gone with the Wind. I try to find at least one reading partner to read these giants. Also I would like to get out of my comfort zone of fiction to see more essays, memoirs and non-fiction.
Tara http://booksandcooks.blogspot.com/
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:12 pmI loved reading your list! Coraline was so great – I’m looking forward the film version coming soon. I really want to get to Half of a Yellow Sun. And was glad to see In the Woods on your list, I can’t remember now if you’ve read The Likeness??
booklogged http://www.readfromatoz.blogspot.com/
January 4th, 2009 at 12:43 amI love reading everyone’s ‘bests’ lists, too. Still need to post mine.
ravenous reader http://ravenousreader.wordpress.com
January 4th, 2009 at 4:33 amGreat list, Iliana! I just saw the movie, Miss Pettigrew, and now I must read the book.
Happy new year!
Les in NE http://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com
January 5th, 2009 at 1:46 pmI enjoy seeing everyone’s lists and you’ve got some great titles on yours. Glad to see Into the Woods (French) is a favorite; my f2f book group is reading it this month. I’m getting my copy today and am quite anxious to start in on it tonight!
Happy New Year and happy reading!
Anna http://diaryofaneccentric.blogspot.com
January 8th, 2009 at 3:06 pmWishing you a happy new year! Capote in Kansas was the only one on your list that I’ve read, and I agree it was great.
A Life In Books » Blog Archive » Sweet and Delicious http://www.alifeinbooks.com/?p=325
January 12th, 2009 at 11:15 pm[...] I’ve read a few ‘best of 2008′ lists over the past few weeks, and one of the books that caught my eye was Lucy Knisley’s French Milk, which Iliana listed as one of her favorites of last year. A few days after reading that post, I happened to be in a bookstore with a gift card burning a hole in my pocket and saw a copy of French Milk on the new non-fiction shelf. I read the back blurb, which described it as “not only a sweet and savory journey through the City of Light but a moving, personal look at a mother-daughter relationship.” How could I resist? [...]
Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit) http://savvyverseandwit.blogspot.com
January 15th, 2009 at 3:33 amI had a hard time narrowing it down to my favorites…and the ones I disliked.