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Watermark's Best Reads of 2006

These are the Watermark staff's very favorite reads of the year:

 


Bruce Jacobs - Watermark founder.

His top ten:

 

Fiction:

  • The Echo Maker by Richard Powers.

  • A Disorder Peculiar to the Country by Ken Kalfus.

  • The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos.

  • Forgetfulness by Ward Just: Read review

  • Talk, Talk by T.C. Boyle.

  • Cripple Creek by James Sallis: Read review

  • Apex Hides the Hurt by Colson Whitehead.

  • Eat the Document by Dana Spiotta.

Poetry:

Non-fiction:

What's Bruce reading now?


Todd Robins - No-holds-barred bookseller

  • True Confessions by John Gregory Dunne.

  • The Zero by Jess Walter.

  • Intuition by Allegra Goodman: Read review

  • The Road by Cormac McCarthy: Read review

What's Todd reading now?

 

Beth Golay - Watermark's marketing manager.

What's Beth reading now?

 

Mark David Bradshaw - Wolfish bookseller, rapacious reader

Fiction:

  • Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb: Read review

  • Moral Disorder by Margaret Atwood.

  • Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Non-fiction:

  • Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel: Read review

  • The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back by Andrew Sullivan.

  • The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future by Vali Nasr.

Teen Fiction (12 and older):

  • Looking for Alaska by John Green: Read review

  • American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang: Read review

  • Runaways: Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan, illus. by Adrian Alphona, Takeshi Miyazawa, & Scottie Young.

Young-reader Books (9 to 12):

  • Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean: Read review

  • To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel by Siena Cherson Siegal & Mark Siegal: Read review

Kids' Picture Books (4 to 8):

  • How to Make Friends with a Giant by Gennifer Choldenko, illus. by Amy Walrod: Read review

  • Monsters are Afraid of the Moon by Marjane Satrapi: Read review

What's Mark reading now?

 

Anne Frey - Bookseller to the stars

  • Broken by William Cope Moyers.

  • The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls.

  • Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott.

  • Which Brings me to You by Steve Almond and Julianna Baggott.

What's Anne reading now?

Shelly Walston - Bookseller & Rough-n-Tumble Reader

Shelly says 2006 felt like a year for discovering new books and revisiting old favorites.


New Reads:

  • Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I'm a fan of dystopias, and this book is a nice twist on an Orwellian/Huxley tale.

  • Intuition by Allegra Goodman.

Todd and I both loved this book. I'm not really a "science" reader, but the ethics of this story can serve as a good discussion starter. Plus, Goodman's got a great knack for getting into various characters' heads and making them believable.

  • Adored by Tilly Bagshawe.

I know. I know. It's nothing tough or thoughtful or ethical, but it's a great soap opera between two covers.

  • Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Oscar's an endearing 9-year old narrator in search of the "key" to figuring out how his father died in the 9/11 attacks. Safran Foer expects his readers to piece together the stories, but it's worth the work.

  • Kite Runner by Hosseini.

Heart-wrenching but definitely worth it.

  • Devil in the White City by Larson.

Even though it's non-fiction and set in 1892, I had to read this with the lights on. Larson's depiction of Dr. H. H. Holmes is chilling.

  • Eat, Pray, Love by Gilbert.

I read this book for a book club discussion and it's seriously one of the best memoirs I've ever read. I enjoyed how Gilbert sees the big picture and knows what it's going to take to "cleanse" her life; she also depicts the little things in this world that amaze her.

  • Truck: A Love Story by Perry.

Beyond having a crush on Michael Perry (he came to Watermark and spoke in November), this book is utterly enjoyable. I like to think of his book as the male companion to Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. If you're looking for a great read or a great book, pair this book with a bottle of Red Truck wine, sit back, relax and enjoy Perry's descriptions of his not-so green thumb, his less-than-able truck maintenance skills, and his meticulous writing style.


Old Favorites that I reread and that are worth your consideration:

  • Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.

No matter how odten I read this novel, I'm captivated by the mother-daughter relationships everytime.

  • The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck.

Maybe I should call this section "Chinese Fiction I've Revisited". Hmm. Also a great read.

  • Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood.

After reading Ishiguro, I had to read this again. The two make a good pairing for those who want to read about the unraveling of the future.

What's Shelly reading now?

 

 

Were you keeping score?

 

Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love showed up more than once. Maybe Julia Roberts is on to something...

 

Also, Allegra Goodman's science-lab insider novel Intuition popped up a couple of times: that sounds like independent results.

 

See Our Best Reads of 2005

 

See Our Best Reads of 2004

 

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