Top Ten Books from 2008

I am only creating another list because ohamanda is spreading a little reader love. So here are my top ten reads from last year, and last year only. If I had to go back much further right now my brain might explode with the effort:

1. Persuasion by Jane Austen. It is difficult for me to believe that until this year I had never read any Jane Austen. This year I read three. Three was enough because while her writing is lovely and whimsical, it is all the same. I will finish the other three this year.

2. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I could not put this book down. It was such a page turner. I read the entire old testament while I was in high school (because obviously I had nothing better to do)and while the bible was not page turning, the stories were fascinating. I have to admit that 15 years later they are mostly vague memories, which probably made this book better.

3. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. I shocked myself by jumping on the bandwagon. I talked myself into it out of curiosity...my whole workplace was crawling with this series. I read them all in a matter of hours. Separated only by the fact that I borrowed them from a friend and had to wait for other people to finish them. As far as teen literature goes, they were above average. The second book was my favorite. I am a Jacob fan. Sorry to the Edward fans.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Written in first person by Death in Germany during the Second World War but following one little girl more specifically. Brilliant in it's subject, stunning in it's structure. I was a little disappointed by I am the Messenger which Zusak had written before The Book Thief but only because he had set the bar so damn high.

5. Stones From The River by Ursula Hegi. The story of a Dwarf living in Germany during the Second World War. Hmmm. I am seeing a trend here...especially since my favorite book of 2009 so far is The Spanish Bow, also written in this time period.

6. Lost City Radio by Daniel Alarcon. If this list were in order this would most definitely be number one. I can't stop thinking about this book. The prose was beautiful. Crisp and clear. The story absolutely compelling and it did not end well. I have real respect for authors who avoid wrapping up with a nice, neat happy ending. And I borrowed this book from the library. So if you need a gift idea for me...

7. The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu. The story of an Ethiopian immigrant trying to find his American Dream in Washington, DC. Like the book above this is a first novel for this author and WOW. The bar is high.

8. Deniro's Game by Rawi Hage. Filled with angst, this book won the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award which I believe (possibly incorrectly) is the biggest award for fiction in the world. And there is a reason why this book won. The story of a Lebanese boy named Bassam surviving a war torn country in the 1980s and 90s. Wow, I am humbled.

9. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. Oh no. Another world war two book. Only this one was written at the beginning of the war. Carted around the world by her daughters who survived the war. She did not. Fiction but devastating knowing what became of the author. This book makes it very clear to me the cost of war. Had she lived, surely many beautiful works would have followed, instead the world is without.

10. The Assasin's Song by MG Vassanji. The story of Karsan, a young Indian boy who is the son of Shiva, a Hindu god and lives in a shrine with a lamp that burns eternally. It follows Karsan through his life and explores his relationship with his family and with religion. Beautiful. But not for the average reader. I am in love with any author that opens their novel by quoting Rilke. Can't help it, I'm a sucker.

So that's it. The best of 2008. I am looking forward to 2009. And planning a series or rereads. I am going to start next month trying to reread one book a month. I need to make the list of the worthies and get rid of the rest.