Saturday, January 06, 2007

2006 READING IN REVIEW

I just compiled my list of top-ten mysteries read in 2006 (as oppsed to published in 2006) for DorothyL. It's one of my favorite parts of that listserv--the annual listing of subscribers' favorite mysteries. Sometimes I get great books out of the process, sometimes I look at a list and know from the titles it's not for me.

As I looked back at my record of books read last year, I broke them down into genres, just for the interest of seeing if I'm completely unbalanced in my reading. Lots of people on DorothyL read mysteries almost exclusively. I am not one of them, though they do figure largely.

NON-FICTION: 22

MYSTERY: 46

GENERAL FICTION: 19

YOUNG ADULT FICTION: 15

SCI-FI/FANTASY: 9

Out of 111 books read, there wasn't a simple majority in any category (except that fiction beats non-fiction by a mile.) No surprise there, being the lover of stories that I am. I'm also posting my list of favorite mysteries, though I've included the 3 that were on my preliminary list for the top 10 and had to be cut.

TOMB OF THE GOLDEN BIRD, Elizabeth Peters
THE GHOST ORCHID, Carol Goodman
THE STRANGER HOUSE, Reginald Hill
HALF BROKEN THINGS, Morag Joss
TO THE POWER OF THREE, Laura Lippman
ALL MORTAL FLESH, Julia Spencer-Fleming
WHAT CAME BEFORE HE SHOT HER, Elizabeth George
THE LIGHTHOUSE, P.D. James
THE HEADMASTER'S WIFE, Jane Haddam
ON BEULAH HEIGHT, Reginald Hill
DIALOGUES OF THE DEAD, Reginald Hill
THE CONSTANT GARDENER, John le Carre
NO NIGHT IS TOO LONG, Barbara Vine

But my three favorite books of the year are not on this list. One is historical fiction, one is literary fiction (though I could argue for it being a mystery) and one is loosely sci/fi.

HERE THERE BE DRAGONS, Sharon Kay Penman
POSSESSION, A.S. Byatt
THE SPARROW, Mary Doria Russell

Happy reading to all of you in 2007!

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