LitMinds Blog and Interviews

The New York Times and the Washington Post have released their top ten book lists for 2006.  As the books are still in hardcover, I have also added the 2005 top ten list from the New York Times, as I believe most of them are in paperback now.  Incredibly, two books are found on both lists – Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower.

If you want some more reads to dig your teeth into, here is a link to the “100 Notable Books of the Year” selected by the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/books/review/20061203notable-books.html
Of particular note was the 50-50 split between fiction and nonfiction in contrast to last year when there were 69 nonfiction books and 31 fiction books.

So much to read, so little time!

The 10 Best Books of 2006 – The New York Times, Sunday Book Review

Fiction
ABSURDISTAN by Gary Shteyngart
THE COLLECTED STORIES OF AMY HEMPEL by Amy Hempel
THE EMPEROR’S CHILDREN by Claire Messud
THE LAY OF THE LAND by Richard Ford
SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS by Marisha Pessl

Nonfiction
FALLING THROUGH THE EARTH: A MEMOIR by Danielle Trussoni
THE LOOMING TOWER: AL-QAEDA AND THE ROAD TO 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
MAYFLOWER: A STORY OF COURAGE, COMMUNITY AND WAR BY Nathaniel Philbrick
THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA: A NATURAL HISTORY OF FOUR MEALS by Michael Pollan
THE PLACES IN BETWEEN by Rory Stewart

For the synopsis and review of each book, visit:
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/books/review/20061210tenbestbooks.html?ref=books


Book World’s 10 Best of the Year – The Washington Post

Fiction
AFTER THIS by Alice McDermott
ALL AUNT HAGAR’S CHILDREN by Edward P. Jones
THE DREAM LIFE OF SUKHANOV by Olga Grushin
THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy
SHAHNAMEH: THE PERSIAN BOOK OF KINGS by Abolqasem Ferdowsi

Nonfiction
THE CLASSICAL WORLD: AN EPIC HISTORY FROM HOMER TO HADRIAN by Robin Lane Fox
FIASCO: THE AMERICAN MILITARY ADVENTURE IN IRAQ by Thomas E. Ricks
THE LOOMING TOWER: AL-QAEDA AND THE ROAD TO 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA: A NATURAL HISTORY OF FOUR MEALS by Michael Pollan
STRAVINSKY: THE SECOND EXILE – FRANCE AND AMERICA, 1934-1971 by Stephen Walsh

For the synopsis and review of each book, visit:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/30/AR2006113001839.html

The 10 Best Books of 2005 – The New York Times, Sunday Book Review

Fiction
KAFKA ON THE SHORE by Haruki Murakami
ON BEAUTY by Zadie Smith
PREP by Curtis Sittenfeld
SATURDAY by Ian McEwan
VERONICA by Mary Gaitskill

Nonfiction
THE ASSASSIN’S GATE: AMERICA IN IRAQ by George Packer
DE KOONING: AN AMERICAN MASTER by Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan
THE LOST PAINTING by Jonathan Harr
POSTWAR: A HISTORY OF EUROPE SINCE 1945 by Tony Judt
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING by Joan Didion

For the synopsis and review of each book, visit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/books/review/tenbest.html?ex=1165640400&en=c44d6da4912ed9e4&ei=5070