Admit it. Those end-of-the-year "best of..." lists are a guilty diversion. Whether they're about movies or celebrity scandals, such compilations gathered by various panels of experts (and the term may be used advisedly) have the ability to buoy our spirits by confirming our good taste, prescience, or general savoir-faire. On the other hand, they also teem with the possibility for outrage when our choices don't make the cut or, sadly, end up on the "worst of..." list.

So, in the spirit of the season (and while there still is a season), I've decided to assemble the "First Annual Read@SCPL Best of the Year" reading list, and I'm looking for input. What was the best book you read in 2007?

Notice I said "read" and not "published in." What I'm looking for were the best reading experiences of the year gone by.

For instance, early in the year I read Richard Ford's The Lay of the Land (2007) and
was so enraptured that I went back and re-read the previous two books in his trilogy starring the hapless Frank Bascombe -- The Sportswriter (1986) and Independence Day (1995).

I love memoirs and 2007 was a banner year, beginning with Michael Perry's whimsical and wise Truck: A Love Story (2006), followed by Elizabeth Gilbert's peripatetic quest for inner peace, Eat, Pray, Love (2006), and Carolyn Radziwill's tragic and haunting What Remains (2005).

You can see where I'm going with this, right?

Of course, my idea is not novel. (They never are.) BookPage magazine polled its readers for their favorite reading experiences of 2007. The results, from various years, are as follows:
1. A Thousand Splendid Suns >by Khaled Hosseini
2. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows >by J. K. Rowling
4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
5. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
6. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
7. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
8. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich
9. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
10. The Quickie by James Patterson

Following suit, I'll round out my list of ten "best reads" by giving a nod to Michael Pollan's eye-opening The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006); Don Delillo's evocative novel of September 11, Falling Man (2007); and Lydia Millet's piercing "what-if" novel about the atomic bomb, Oh Pure and Radiant Heart (2005).

But, a la David Letterman, my favorite book of 2007? Well, wishy-washy as I am, it's a tie. Oprah's disappointing interview with the reclusive author notwithstanding, Cormac McCarthy's picaresque tale of a father and son's trek
through post-apocalypic America in The Road (2006) was one of the most emotional reads of the year. For sheer inventiveness and timeliness, I was completely taken with Moshin Hamid's powerful The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which, as irony would have it, just so happens to have been published in 2007. Obviously, I'm not holding that against it.

So...agree? Disagree? Write us back. We'd love to know what's on your list?
CH

Just three months ago the New York Post announced that a new book deal had been struck between HarperCollins and Benazir Bhutto. The working title was said to be "Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West." I wonder now if we will ever hear these final words from this courageous woman who was twice Prime Minister of Pakistan.

In light of her tragic assassination, many of us realize that there is much we still don't know or understand about Pakistan and its neighbors. Those who have read the recent bestseller Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, about the building of a school in an impoverished Pakistani village, have gained a sense of the country and its people. Here is a selection of some other resources available at the Library if you would like to learn more about the history, religion, politics and culture in this tumultuous part of the world:

On the Road to Kandahar: Travels Through Conflict in the Islamic World (Jason Burke) - A veteran foreign correspondent takes readers with him as he talks with ordinary Mideast people and observes modern Islamic radicalism.

In the Line of Fire: A Memoir (Pervez Musharraf) - the current President of Pakistan in his own words.

Pakistan: In the Shadow of Jihad and Afghanistan (Mary Anne Weaver) - a look at the critical role played by the second-largest country in the Islamic world.

Breaking Links (Razia Ahmad) - this English translation of the Urdu novel is a fictional account of the unhappy state of Pakistan in and around 1971.

In the Name of Honor: A Memoir (Mukhtar Mai) - the powerful story of another strong Pakistani woman who stood up against oppression.

No Shame for the Sun: Lives of Professional Pakistani Women (Shahla Haeri) - the voices of six middle- and upper middle-class Pakistani women open a window on the complex lives led by educated, professional Muslim women.

Pakistan: Eye of the Storm (Owen Bennett Jones) - a study of the country and its history.

Historical Dictionary of Pakistan (Shahid Javed Burki) - although an older title, St. Charles Library cardholders can read this eBook online from home to gain some of the historical context and background of Pakistan.

Biographical information is also available online through our "Premium Search" databases - try starting with the Biography Resource Center or the Encyclopedia Britannica (remember you'll need your St. Charles library card number and PIN to access - please Ask Us! if you have any questions.)

marlise

One morning last week I caught Caroline Kennedy on one of the morning news/talk shows, promoting her new book, A Family Christmas. In presenting this varied collection of stories, poems, letters and essays that make up part of her family's holiday traditions, she is hoping to make literature a prominent part of others' holiday traditions as well. As noted in an earlier post, many of us have favorite stories that we read every Christmas. But Kennedy family traditions went beyond that, including such things as writing poems as gifts for family members, and putting on plays. This led me to wonder about others' favorite literature related gifts- either to give or to receive. Last year, one of the contributors to a newsletter that I receive online told about being the Book Elf. Each year the Book Elf would dig through her library's book sale to find books for her children and her nieces and nephews, to pass out at the end of their family Christmas gift opening. The books all had a special Book Elf stamp, and were wrapped in the same paper with a special Book Elf gift tag. Over the years, these gifts were cherished, and several recipients kept them together on a special book shelf. I loved this concept! I'd love to hear from others about more literature related gift ideas.

Trudy

Have you ever opened a library book and found something from a previous reader tucked inside the pages? Probably the most common items are library check out slips and due date cards, but sometimes it’s something more interesting. I’ve admired pretty bookmarks, turned in letters to the Library lost and found, and tried to contain my jealousy when I found an airplane ticket stub. Last week, however, was the first time I found a note which seemed to be specifically written to the next person to read the book!

The book, Now and Then, is the latest in Robert B. Parker’s long-running series featuring the street-smart Spenser, a private investigator in Boston. (If you’re not familiar with Parker, he has written more than 50 fast-paced mysteries filled with page-turning plots, memorable characters and just enough humor.) Long-time readers of Parker will know that he dedicates his books to his wife Joan, and the dedications are often quite poetic. But the dedication in Now and Then is to “Rose” and this unexpected deviation obviously upset the previous reader of the book because there on a piece of paper was the note “Who the heck is this ‘Rose’? What happened to his wife Joan?”

At first I just laughed, but as I finished the book over the weekend, I kept circling back to that note and started wondering myself, “yeah – who IS Rose?” and so I decided to try and do some sleuthing of my own. Parker is a popular author, and there are all sorts of book reviews and general commentary about him online, but I did start to find some clues. First, more than one person is wondering about that dedication; I found the question – and possible answers - in several different places. Next I stumbled upon a site that mentioned that one time the dedication was to “Jean” but that turned out to be a publishing mistake. Finally, on Parker’s own blog I found a clue that leads me to believe I may have found the answer. You can read it and see if you agree with me that Rose must be a generous donor to a worthy cause.

I wish I could reply to that earlier reader and let them know what I discovered. Perhaps they’ll read this blog and identify themselves (or at least get the answer to their question!). Have you ever found a note in a book – or left one – intended for the next reader? We’d love to hear from you!

marlise

The holiday season brings with it the renewal of many beloved family traditions, and in my home that means the re-reading of our favorite Christmas books. These beloved titles, regardless of their reading level, are still as much a part of our holiday rituals as putting up the tree or hanging our stockings for Santa. Of course our list includes such classics as The Night Before Christmas, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and the bible verse itself as it took place in Bethlehem. However, this magical time of year just wouldn't be the same if we didn't also snuggle up together and read some of the numerous more contemporary children's titles including:

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
Arthur's Perfect Christmas by Marc Tolon Brown
Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
Madeline's Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
The Christmas Ship by Dean Morrissey (A new addition to our collection this year)
Everybody Serves Soup by Norah Dooley
Petunia's Christmas by Roger Duvoisin

This last title is a personal childhood favorite of mine. I loved reading this one over and over and fantasizing about how the main character, a goose named Petunia, in order to save a handsome gander who is being fattened for Christmas, disguises herself as a monster, begs, and makes and sells Christmas decorations. I have to admit that when I read it from an adult's perspective now, I sometimes miss the magic which whisked me away so many years ago. But then again, that reaction always reminds me of just how precious the vantage point of a child at Christmas time really is. It is returning to that youthful state of mind and reliving those holiday memories that makes reading these seasonal favorites an absolute must. What's your holiday favorite? Happy Reading and Happy Holidays!

JDC