Sam's Best of 2006-Books

My listkeeping kind of fell apart late in the year so there might be a few titles I neglected to write down but here are my picks.

Eat Pray Love~Elizabeth Gilbert

I read the bit from the beginning of the book excerpted in O magazine and I was hooked. I remember pawing through some boxes to find it I was so eager. One of my guidelines for memoirs is 'do I want to be this person's friend?' and here the answer is definately yes. I was happy to go on this journey no matter where it led. I wish Elizabeth was my friend, I think she'd be good with the advice-she's certainly good with the writing. I think everyone at that crossroads time in their life should read this book.

The Frozen Ship~Sarah Moss

As a passionate fan of everything polar exploration I was the ideal audience for this book. Unfortunately, outside of a message board (polarfanz.com?), I can recommend it to no one. If you have read and enjoyed other books on the subject you too will love this one-a gossipy, academic, namedropping ball. I especially liked the parts that addressed the Poles' place in literature.

Three Dog Life~Abigail Thomas

A heartwarming, uplifting book in the best sense of those terms. An excellent recommendation for Mitch Albom fans who'd like to clear the treacle out of their craws. Thomas' husband suffered a head injury that destroyed his short term memory and this book examines, without sentimentality, her work in building a new relationship with him and a new life for herself. And if you are thinking I hate that kind of story then I say you definately need to read it. It was 2006's A Year of Magical Thinking.

The Whistling Season~Ivan Doig

Doig at his most charming-I laughed aloud several times during this one. Fans of Kent Haruf need to run, run to the bookstore and get this book. It's kind of like Sarah, Plain and Tall for grownups. A warm, well written book.

Love and Other Impossibilities~Ayelet Waldman

I only knew Waldman from the Oprah show regarding her mothering flap (she said in an article that she loved her husband more than her kids and, not surprisingly, she was taken to task for it) so this one was a surprise. She pulled off that trick you hear novice authors propose-writing some genre stuff (the Mommy Track mysteries in her case) then coming out with your big serious novel. Yes, I am a total sucker for the precocious kid characters but this story of a reluctant stepmom went far and above that. And yes, I did cry.

The Ruins~Scott Smith

This is one creepy ass book, it completely got under my skin. I still shudder just thinking about it and I read it last summer. A tip-do not, under any circumstances, read this one in a garden.

Hattie Big Sky~Kirby Larson

A young adult book inspired by the author's grandmother's struggle to prove up a homestead by herself during World War I. The 'battle at home' aspect added extra interest to this story with a great female protaganist.

Larklight~Philip Reeve

A children's book about Victorian England in space? Count me in. So fun and original with lots of cameos (Sir Richard Burton etc.) that kids might not get at all but had me smiling. Beware of the scariest spiders outside of Tolkien.

Water for Elephants~Sara Gruen

A fun novel for anyone who has ever wanted to run away and join the circus. Was it the Great American novel? No, but anyone looking for a good yarn will be happy they looked here. I've recommended it a lot and no one has come back disappointed.

True Adventures in Calamity Physics~Camille Pessel

A literate, whimsical read for book nerds only. If that isn't you you shouldn't even try this book, it will just piss you off. It got extra attention because of the author's youth and good looks which is all distraction. There's no question she's got the goods, the only question is it for you?

Shadow Thieves~Anne Urne

Two young cousins versus the bad guys of Greek mythology made this one a delightful read. Writing this list it seems like charming is a word that keeps coming up but this one definately fit that bill.

New Moon-Stephanie Meyer

I'm not usually a vampire/werewolf girl but the Meyer books are the exception. Reading them makes you feel like a teen again-yeah, not that I was dealing with the undead at that age but I was feeling alone and fearful, uncertain about the future and my place in it. Adults who dismiss these as genre are missing the bigger picture AND really good reads.