Best Books Special: Spring 2008

Jim Schumock hosts a look at the best books of the past year with local booksellers Nina Rodda of St Johns Booksellers, Karen Ana of Looking Glass Books, Sally McPherson of Broadway Books and Michael Keefe of Annie Bloom’s Books. Special Membership offers and great literary reviews.

1. Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories, by Tobias Wolf (Jim’s favorite book of the year)
2. The Raw Shark Texts, by Steven Hall (A first novel)
3. The Age of Shiva, by Manil Suri
4. The American Idea: The Best of the Atlantic Monthly, by Robert Vare
5. The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild, by Craig Childs
6. As the World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial, by Derrick Jensen and Stephanie McMillan (Graphic novel)
7. Bearing the Body: A Novel, by Ehud Havazelet
8. Super Crunchers: Why Thinking by Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart, by Ian Ayers
9. The Principles of Uncertainty, by Maira Kalman (A visual memoir)
10. Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman’s Skiff, by Rosemary Mahoney
11. Dreamers of the Day: A Novel, by Mary Doria Russell
12. KNOCKEMSTIFF, by Donald Ray Pollock (A short story collection)
13. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie (Young adult memoir)
14. The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein
15. World Changing: A Users Guide for the 21^st Century, by Alex Steffen, Al Gore, and Stefan Sagmeister  
16. A Mirror of the Arab World: Lebanon in Conflict, by Sandra Mackey
17. Let Me Stand Alone, by Rachel Corrie (A collection of journal entries)
18. Living Like Ed: A Guide to Eco-friendly Life, by Ed Begley Jr.
19. The Encyclopedia of Northwest Native Plants for Gardens and Landscapes, by Kathleen Robson, Alice Richter, and Marianne Filbert
20. The Father of All Things: A Marine, His Son and the Legacy of Vietnam, by Tom Bissell
21. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces the Shape Our Decisions, by Dan Ariely
22. The Diary of a Bad Year: A Novel, by J.M. Coetzee
23. Beyond Bullets: The Suppression of Dissent in the United States, by Jules Boykoff
24. Rock On: An Office Power Ballad, by Dan Kennedy (memoir)
25. Gods Behaving Badly: A Novel, by Marie Phillips
26. Windy City, by Scott Simon
27. The Painter of Battles: A Novel, by Arturo Perez-Reverte and Margaret Sayers Peden
28. Mafeking Road, by Herman Charles Bosman
29. The Waitress Was New, by Dominique Fabre
30. The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman
31. The Tattoo Artist: A Novel, by Jill Ciment
32. Beautiful Children: A Novel, by Charles Bock
33. The Boat, by Nam Le (short stories)
34. The Hearts of Horses, by Molly Gloss
35. Kockroach; A Novel, by Tyler Knox
36. Gardens of Water: A Novel, by Alan Drew
37. The Bastard of Istanbul, by Elif Shafak
38. Blubberland: The Dangers of Happiness, by Elizabeth Farrelly
39. Oil on the Brain: Adventures from the Pump to the Pipeline, by Lisa Margonelli