It's That Time of Year Again!

That's right, people, the holidays are approaching and so is 2009! What does that mean for you, dear reader? Best Books of 2008, that's what!
Last week, amazon.com released their Top 100 Books of 2008 (editor's picks). Take a look here.

Some of my favorites from the list:

#5. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

#6. The Likeness: A Novel by Tana French
I chose this one not because I have read it, but because I just love Tana French. If you have not read the engrossing and fascinating mystery she wrote called In The Woods - READ IT!

#12. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (see my last post!).

#33. A big favorite at the moment at our library is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. Our patrons have loved this!

#38. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston - just ask Holley about this one!

#39. The Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri - love her. Love love love love love her!

#50. Paper Towns by John Green - because we love him here at EOL.

#54. Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain - again, just ask Holley!

#56. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson - aGaIn - HOLLEY!

#85. Ballistics by Billy Collins - is, I believe, the only book of poetry on the top 100 list. It got rave reviews for being so accessible a collection of poems!

#90. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton - like crumbling English houses and a gothic atmosphere? Then you need to read this one!

#91. Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh - here's the starred review off of amazon.com from Publisher's Weekly:
Diaspora, myth and a fascinating language mashup propel the Rubik's cube of plots in Ghosh's picaresque epic of the voyage of the Ibis, a ship transporting Indian girmitiyas (coolies) to Mauritius in 1838. The first two-thirds of the book chronicles how the crew and the human cargo come to the vessel, now owned by rising opium merchant Benjamin Burnham. Mulatto second mate Zachary Reid, a 20-year-old of Lord Jim–like innocence, is passing for white and doesn't realize his secret is known to the gomusta (overseer) of the coolies, Baboo Nob Kissin, an educated Falstaffian figure who believes Zachary is the key to realizing his lifelong mission. Among the human cargo, there are three fugitives in disguise, two on the run from a vengeful family and one hoping to escape from Benjamin. Also on board is a formerly high caste raj who was brought down by Benjamin and is now on his way to a penal colony. The cast is marvelous and the plot majestically serpentine, but the real hero is the English language, which has rarely felt so alive and vibrant.

What have been your favorites this year? Were they on my list? Let me know!
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