Tuesday, January 02, 2007

2006 Top Reads

1. The Roth Trilogy (mentioned in last post). A story that still haunts me.
2. Don't Look Back, by Karin Fossum. Sparse, beautiful language.
3. Call the Dying by Andrew Taylor, part of the Lydmouth series. I've been reading one or two a year; I have one left until Taylor's next book (hopefully, he will continue the series!).
4. The Distant Echo by Val McDermid. As usual, a wonderful story by McDermid.
5. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Scholars on a search for Dracula that takes them through England, France, Amsterdam, Budapest, Istanbul, Bulgaria and, finally, to the U.S. An epic tale that was hard to put down.
6. Still Life by Louise Penny. Wonderful mystery set in a small town in Canada. Looking forward to her second book.
7. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. A great audiobook. Essentially, a love story that transcends time and death.
8. The Lighthouse by P.D. James. Even in a weak book, James can do no wrong. Her settings and characters are so richly drawn that I overlook other faults with the book.
9. The Dead Hour by Denise Mina. One of my favorite characters, Paddy Meehan, returns in this second book.
10. Black Dog by Stephen Booth. First book in a series, and I can't wait to read the rest. His detectives, Diane Fry and Ben Cooper, are two of the most interesting around!