my faves of 2008

I keep track of my "best reads" of the year in a somewhat useless way--by making a small dot next to the title in a notebook. This is an improvement over the old method--that of depending on my memory. The old method usually left me announcing to friends and casual acquaintances, "Oh, I loved that book!" whenever they mentioned something I'd read. Later, I'd realize that all I meant was that the title was familiar.
And so, the dots.
This was a bad year for me, bookwise. Usually, I look back and find at least 10 dots, but not this year. In any case, here is a list of the books I enjoyed most in 2008, followed by a few honorable mentions to round out the list. It's conceivable that I'll love another book before the year is out, but this is a start.

(The list is more chronological than it is from best to worst).

Gods Behaving Badly, Marie Phillips.
Some critics found this story of Greek Gods living in London a tired (or tiring) gimmick, but I found it really funny. The whole "sun going out" bit was a little long, but Apollo as talk show host was funny.

Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen.
I was really late to the table on this one, partly scared off by the circus theme, but it was fantastic.

The House on Fortune Street, Margot Livesey
Not my favorite Livesey (that would be Eva Moves the Furniture), but I like her writing and I'm a sucker for multiple POV stories.

Lush Life, Richard Price
He captures a kind of life that I will never know, but it rings so true. I probably love best the throw-away scenes that just establish the neighborhood.

The Anglo Files, Sarah Lyall
A late entry, but I already blogged this so I won't go into how much I loved it. Though, I will add that it actually got me to purchase an out-of-print book that Lyall mentions, and tuck away for the future another book at the library.

Okay, a few others include

The Tenderness of Wolves, Stef Penney
Frontier Canada--trappers, Native Canadians, and European religious sects. Also, a good mystery.

Three Day Road, Joseph Boyden
This is from friend Liz's list from 2007. Canadian Indians in WWI trenches. Fascinating, though of course, sadish.

The Ghost, Robert Harris.
Not a great book, about the ghost writer for a thinly disguised Tony Blair, but Harris does something brilliant with the identity of his main character that takes about 70 pages to catch, (though my husband never noticed). Kind of a fun read.

If You are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris
always fun

When will there be good news, Kate Atkinson
Just because I waited so long for this, and she is a very good writer