So starting with the five nonfiction titles, these are the books I most enjoyed reading in 2008:
Nonfiction Favorites
1. This Republic of Suffering - Drew Gilpin Faust - a detailed look at the psychological impact that the bloodbath known as the American Civil War had on Americans of the time and those of today
2. River of No Return - Jeffrey Buckner Ford - the surprisingly frank biography written by the oldest son of the man forever known as Tennessee Ernie Ford
3. In the Land of Invisible Women - Qanta Ahmed - a rare inside look at Saudi Arabian society and attitudes about the West written by a British female doctor with a foot in both worlds
4. Jimmie Rodgers - Nolan Porterfield - written in 1979 but probably still the definitive biography of Jimmie Rodgers, one of the most influential singers of all time
5. Sing Me Back Home - Dana Jennings - the history of country music from the very personal viewpoint of a man whose family lived the stuff of country music songs
Fiction Favorites
1. Resistance - Owen Sheers - an alternate history of World War II that sees a German invasion of Britain and what happens in an isolated section of Wales
2. Atonement - Ian McEwan - a terribly sad World War I misunderstanding recounted by a young English girl - with an ending that some love and some detest
3. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen - a drama-filled account of circus life in a second rate circus during the Great Depression
4. Sweetsmoke - David Fuller - a remarkable slave, during the American Civil War, tries to identify the murderer of the freed black woman who secretly taught him to read and write
5. Wild Nights! - Joyce Carol Oates - wild stories about the last days of Poe, James, Hemingway, Twain and Dickenson - unforgettable images
6. The Wolfman - Nicholas Pekearo - a monster story in which this vigilante wolfman is actually the hero of the piece - by an author who was killed in the line of duty prior to the book's publication
7. Finding Nouf - Zoe Ferraris - an intriguing murder mystery set in Saudi Arabia and investigated by a male/female investigative team that functions well despite all the Saudi restrictions on women
8. Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay - a World War II story about the French roundup of Jews in Paris, a book whose first half is so good that its ending can be forgiven and forgotten
9. In Memory of Central Park: 1853-2022 - Queenelle Minet - a dark vision of what the world just might be like in 2050, a fantastic but believable look at New York City's future
10. A Grave in Gaza - Matt Beynon Rees - a terrific atmospheric mystery set in Gaza and featuring middle-aged good guy and detective Omar Yussef - one of a series
The Wolfman was so good, it's such a shame the author won't be writing a series and just a tragedy about his early death.
ReplyDeleteI love book lists! Thanks for doing this and adding to my TBR list :)
ReplyDeleteResistance will be on my top ten list, too.
ReplyDeleteAtonement, yes!
ReplyDeleteWhat a grand novel.
Of all your selections, the only other one I have read in 2008 is Water For Elephants, and as I myself think of posting my own List of Favorites for 2008, I am not sure I would include this one, even though it was indeed, quite good.
But I was given the Oates book Wild Nights! as a gift in 2008 and have yet to read it. Your list encourages me to pick it up, and READ!
It was very unusual, wasn't it, Carrie? I wish there were more in the series...
ReplyDeleteSamantha, I hope you find something that you like from the list...maybe something for your top reads of 2009. :-)
ReplyDelete"Resistance" really surprised me, C.B. I'm always on the lookout for alternative histories but this one proved to be much more than that...very thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteCip, I have to warn you that "Wild Nights!" is very unusual. I felt so many different emotions reading those stories...even to disgust...that the book will be long remembered. It is not typical of Oates as I see her, but it is so unusual in overall theme that I find it to be one of those I will never forget.
ReplyDelete