Best Books of 2005

[verbminx]

It being nigh-on December, the Best Books of 2005 lists are starting to come out. They're posting them at Bookslut as they find them, and I'm going to compile 'em right here.

Book that seems to pop up often or most (but that wasn't one of the Booker nominees) is Hilary Mantel's Beyond Black... it's on my "to read" list but quite a lot is ahead of it. Maybe I should bump it higher on the list. Also want to read Barnes's Arthur and George.

The New York Times Notables

London Times

The Guardian *

Christian Science Monitor


* note annoying pretentiousness of Chuck Palahniuk contribution. I Am Jack's Complete Lack of Surprise.

Comments

[audesapere.livejournal.com]

I thought Arthur & George was only okay, if my opinion counts any - killed an afternoon adn made me vaguely interested in Sherlock Holmes but it was a bit heavy-handed and glib.

[monkeyman.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you can just hear the subtext, "And that is where all my books would reside." Pretentiousness with a huge dollop of ego.

It's like the moment in Dante's Inferno, where the occupants (mostly great philosophers and artists, as I recall) of the comfiest circle of 'hell' say to him, "You'll be here with us some day."

[brocade-city.livejournal.com]

Hilary Mantel's memoir, "Ghost of a Chance," (that sounds like the right title but maybe it's not) that came out a couple years ago seemed pretty good, but I never bought it. I keep turning down opportunities to buy Flud, too. She always strikes me as interesting if overrated.

[bizetsy.livejournal.com]

Wow, on the NYT list, I'm currently reading Garbage Land, but that's the only one I've touched. So much to read, so little time!!

Do you have any personal recommendations?