Gloria
This true story traces the exploration of a previously un-navigated tributary of the Amazon River by Theodore Roosevelt, accompanied by his son Kermit. The trip was extremely dangerous, and Candice Millard tells the story with detail that makes you cringe while at the same time compels you to turn the page to see what happens next. By the end, I felt I really knew the men on the expedition and had gained a much deeper understanding of and respect for the Amazon region.
Dennis
Is your skull too small for your brain? Tired of swallowing the media-ocre and being told it's a sundae? (Re)discover J. R. "Bob" Dobbs and let him show you the way to destroying consensus reality. And remember, you can't enlighten dead wood, but you can burn it.
Jeremy
1. Seeing by José Saramago
Yet another brilliant work from Portuguese novelist José Saramago, Seeing is the allegorical tale of an election gone awry. Blank ballots and bureaucratic bungling form the basis of a novel which, despite being a fantastic work of fiction, seems eerily prescient given the global political climate of 2006. As always, Saramago's ardent command of language adds volumes to what is already a magnificent story.
Bolton
Brilliantly suspenseful, almost unbearable in places. Scott Smith imbues his characters with wonderfully complicated personalities and gives his horror an existential darkness that will linger long after you've closed the book.
Faatz
This is a fabulous book for anyone obsessed by the literary culture of our country. It shares snippets of the story of James Laughlin, legendary founder of New Directions Publishing, the man who single-handedly brought us Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Kenneth Rexroth, and countless other literary titans of the 20th century. The Way It Wasn't is a scrapbook of Laughlin's life, arranged alphabetically, and including an amazing array of letters, photos, and random thoughts.
Seth
1. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
The fact that it was written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett should speak for itself, really. However, if you need more enticement than that, Good Omens is a comedy of errors centered on an attempt to thwart Armageddon. The unlikely perpetrators are an angel and a demon who have, over the years of passing useful bits of information back and forth (think Cold War spies), become rather fond of our little planet. When you combine this with the "nice and accurate prophecies" of a 17th-century witch, the bungling misadventures of the last two witch hunters on earth, the four Harley-riding "horsemen" of the apocalypse and their less famous tag-alongs, and an 11-year-old antichrist (or maybe not the antichrist...) it all makes for a bizarre and hilarious read that has earned Good Omens the top place on the highly prestigious list of Seth's favorite books from 2006.
Adam
This book is a near miracle, especially considering it's a debut by a non-native English speaker. It somehow manages to be both a rumination on the anguish of lost love and on the nature and means of storytelling, neatly packed into a novel, experimental style, without losing any of its weight or readability. It just might top my list for several years to come.
Doug C.
1. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Alison Bechdel, creator of the Dykes to Watch Out For comic strip, uses the cartoon form to tell the story of her coming out and the discovery of her father's sexual orientation. The title refers to the funeral home where she grew up, and her parents were certainly as dysfunctional as anyone on Six Feet Under. This is a great example of cartooning as memoir.
Tavis
From the wind-swept desert of Burning Man, to the Bwiti ceremonies of Gabon, to sipping ayahuasca in Brazil, Pinchbeck takes the reader on a psychedelic journey to discover just what in the universe is happening — and will happen — on December 22, 2012.
Stesha
Dave White (of Movies.com, among other sites) is my favorite movie reviewer, and when I heard he had written a book about his move from Texas to Hollywood I had to read it. "Exile in Guyville" is a collection of his emails home to family and friends, describing the vast array of colorful characters that he at first loathed but came to love as part of the landscape that is uniquely L.A. This book is as much fun as White's movie reviews, with that beautiful snarky wit I love so much.
|
 |
Because fifty Top 20 lists would be too much eye strain for even the most dedicated book lover, we've whittled our favorites down to five apiece. Take a look at our favorite books of 2006 and find some excellent recommendations for gifts or your own library.
Browse Page 2 of our Top 5s of 2006
See also: Staff Top 5s from 2005
Kevin
Michelle Tea, a long-time favorite with streetwise memoir readers, proved she could pull off a novel with Rose of No Man's Land. It's like Freaks and Geeks with lesbians. Tea's writing dazzles and hurts in all the right places and her comic timing has never been better.
Phil
1. Perilous Power by Noam Chomsky and Gilbert Achcar
Gilbert Achcar, a Lebanese-born journalist who has been covering the Middle East for almost 20 years, and Noam Chomsky, America's leading critic of U.S. foreign policy, take part in a debate moderated by Stephen Shalom that tackles both the sordid history and possible future of the Middle East. Perilous Power is one of the most readable and enjoyable histories of the Middle East that has come out in recent years. It ranks among Robert Fisk's Pity the Nation and David Hirst's The Gun and the Olive Branch as one of the best political and historical works on this often misunderstood region of the world. For those who haven't yet read Noam Chomsky's works, or aren't familiar with Gilbert Achcar, Perilous Power is a fantastic introduction to both authors' ideologies and their hopes for peaceful resolution to the various conflicts plaguing the region.
Doug B.
String theory has been very popular in the physics community in recent years, despite the lack of a solid mathematical or evidentiary foundation. The Trouble with Physics provides a sober overview of the current state of string theory and physics in general, and of the groupthink that pervades some branches of physics. The last part of the book is an interesting discussion of just what science is. Recommended to anyone interested in science.
Carla
Beautiful — full of magic, love, books... and apples. Finish the book then buy an apple (heirloom if you can find it); it couldn't possibly be as good as Appleton's Fairest, but it will have to do.
David H.
If you enjoy complete strangers fighting for survival in a setting that may or may not be the red planet, then this will certainly be your cup of tea. A fast-paced page-turner, The Crimson Labyrinth is equal parts Running Man, Lord of the Flies, and Battle Royale with a malicious behind-the-scenes presence pulling the strings.
Brian B.
Finally returning to print from the fine folks at Creation Books, this collection of graphic interpretations of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft by notable illustrator and designer John Coulthart marks the finest visual interpretation yet committed to page. Certainly a "must have" for any fan of Cthulhu mythos or macabre art.
Robin F.
This is a must have for fanatics of pop-up books and Elvis alike. See what you look like in Elvis's costly sunglasses, flip through his record collection, check out his narcotics officer's badge
(compliments of President Nixon). I've bought a lot of wonderful books this year but this is my favorite treasure.
Frances M.
The content is shocking, the writing beautiful. The truths this book reveal are enough to change the way you eat forever. Read this book and you'll never be the same.
Dave W.
I read The Collected Stories in order, over the course of a single week. My long overdue introduction to Amy Hempel — it was a very good week, indeed. Some of her stories contain only a few lines; few run longer than ten or twelve pages. None rely on high-concept mechanics or lofty language. She demands very little of her readership, and then delivers in spades. Hempel has been called a miniaturist — fair enough — but if her stories tend to be small in scale, they drill as deep as fiction goes. Emotionally charged, fantastically precise, an Amy Hempel story is a miracle of articulation.
|
