NY Times Top Ten of 2009

The New York Times has just announced its annual Top Ten Books of the Year, an announcement that is never without controversy. The list will be published in the December 13th issue of the New York Times, but in the interim you can find it online. So, a little drum roll please....Here are the selections:

Fiction:

• Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, Maile Meloy
• Chronic City, Jonathan Lethem
• A Gate at the Stairs, Lorrie Moore
• Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel, Jeannette Walls
• A Short History of Women, Kate Walbert

Nonfiction:

• The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science, Richard Holmes
• The Good Soldiers, David Finkel
• Lit: A Memoir, Mary Karr
• Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World, Liaquat Ahamed
• Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life, Carol Sklenicka

Well, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? I'm a HUGE Lorrie Moore fan, so I'm happy to see her on the list. Definitely are some that I'm surprised not to see. No way could I ever pick a top ten list for myself. Just too many good books out there. Especially this year. I just finished reading Kim Barne's new novel, A Country Called Home, and enjoyed it greatly. It recently came out in paperback, so give it a whirl. The list has definitely inspired me to get to reading some of these that have been calling to me.

Don't forget that if you want to try some of these novels that are still in hardback, Broadway Books is offering 25% off ALL HARDCOVER FICTION IN THE STORE this weekend (Dec 4-6) as part of our Lights on Broadway celebration. That pretty much brings the price down to the paperback price, without having to wait. The discount doesn't apply to books we order for you, so come early to get the best selection; I'm sure we'll sell out of some of our hardcover novels before the weekend is out.