Toni Morrison found more “Love.” William Boyd took readers on an unforgettable journey inside “The Human Heart.” This hour On Point, we’re talking about the best books of the year. Blockbusters. Surprise gems. And those that are just plain fun to read. We’re turning the pages with some of the sharpest minds in the book business and asking them to share their lists of the year’s best.
Reads of the Year
Charlotte Abbott, Book News Editor at Publisher’s Weekly.
Fiction:
1. “The Book of Salt” by Monique Truong
2. “Ten Little Indians” by Sherman Alexie
3. “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown
Nonfiction:
1. “Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx” by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
2. “Monster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind” by David Quammen
Illustrated books:
1. “Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same” by Sloane Tannen
2. “Elephant House, or the Home of Edward Gorey” by Kevin McDermott
Lev Grossman, Book Editor at Time magazine’s picks
Fiction:
1. William Boyd, ANY HUMAN HEART
2. Jonathan Lethem, FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE
3. Jhumpa Lahiri, THE NAMESAKE
4. Neal Stephenson, QUICKSILVER
5. Nicholson Baker, A BOX OF MATCHES
Non-fiction:
1. David Lipsky, ABSOLUTELY AMERICAN
2. Simon Winchester, KRAKATOA
3. Roger Angell, GAME TIME
4. James McManus, POSITIVELY 5TH STREET
5. Augusten Burroughs, DRY
Carole Horne, Head Book Buyer at the Harvard Book Store
Fiction
1. LOVE by Toni Morrison
2. THE KNOWN WORLD by Edward Jones
3. FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE by Jonathan Lethem
4. OLD SCHOOL by Tobias Wolff
5. THE DOGS OF RIGA by Henning Mankell
Non-fiction
1. MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS by Tracy Kidder
2. READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN by Azar Nafifi
3. THE GREAT UNRAVELING by Paul Krugman
4. GOYA by Robert Hughes
5. W.B. YEATS: A LIFE: II: THE ARCH-POET, 1915-1939 by R. F. Foster
6. CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR by George Crile
Guests:
Charlotte Abbott, Book News Editor, Publisher’s Weekly
Lev Grossman, Book Editor Time magazine
Carol Horne, Head Book Buyer for the Harvard Book Store
