Librarians pick the potential sleepers. . .

For the last few years in our booth at OLA, my colleague and I have invited librarians to enter our Sleepers' Contest. We each pick five recent or upcoming books that aren't obvious bestsellers but books we believe have the potential to be sleeper hits. We ask the librarians to read a brief descriptive blurb, and then write on a ballot the titles of the three books they would most like to read themselves. We randomly pull entries out of the box and the winner gets the books they have picked.

Lahring and I always have fun tallying up the votes to see which books spark the most interest (and I'll admit to a friendly rivalry as to which of our picks comes out as number one) and I thought people might enjoy reading the results. Every year that we've held this contest all the books have received multiple votes and this year was no exception - so there is definitely something on this list to recommend to each of your different library patrons.

Before we get to the winners, here were the contenders:

Bits of Me Are Falling Apart: How We Get Older and Why by William Leith

Blood and Ice by Robert Masello

Blood Safari by Deon Meyer

Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant

The Dark Volume by Gordon Dahlquist

The Local News by Miriam Gershow

The Love Potion Murders in the Museum of Man by Alfred Alcorn

The Missing by Tim Gautreaux

Nose Down, Eyes Up by Merrill Markoe

The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball

And congratulations to the top 3 vote-getters as chosen by the librarians:

The Missing by Tim Gautreaux (my pick! my pick!)

The Local News by Miriam Gershow

The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball

P.S. I thought Lahring was very sneaky to go for the heartstrings and put a dog novel on the list. I immediately countered with a book featuring an opinionated tortoise and I'm happy to report that while neither made it into the top three, the tortoise did beat the dog by one vote.

Get Your Holds On -- New Mysteries. . .

Over the next few weeks I'm going to try and highlight some of the great new books being published this spring and early summer. Avid readers - your local libraries will already have many of these titles on order, so start placing your holds early. I'm going to start this spring preview with mysteries; not only are these library favourites but they have also formed a good chunk of my reading over the last few wintry weeks. So here are my picks for the best of the spring crop:

Old Favourites Return With New Cases:

Two of my current favourite mystery writers have new books out this spring. Fred Vargas's The Chalk Circle Man is actually the first in the Adamsberg series, but the fifth to be translated into English. So if you've never read her, this is a great place to start. And you are in for a treat - Vargas is terrific at original and quirky plotting and the dialogue between her characters is highly entertaining. Blue chalk circles are popping up on the sidewalks of Paris enclosing odd, mundane objects. The city is amused until a woman's body is found in one of them. Adamsberg has only just arrived in Paris and his colleagues aren't quite sure what to make of him and his propensity to take long walks. Some of the suspects are equally strange: a rude blind man; a woman who likes to follow strangers at night and has very definite ideas about what one should do on certain days of the week; and an elderly woman who loves to answer lonely hearts classifieds. I read this in almost one sitting - just loved it!

Arnaldur Indridason's mysteries feature Erlendur of the Reykjavik police - possibly the only Icelander, fictional or otherwise, who prefers the winters to the summers (keep in mind that Iceland only gets about two hours of daylight during the dead of winter). He is a good detective, but an unhappy man - divorced and estranged from his children, although he keeps trying to build a relationship with his drug addicted daughter. He's also continually haunted by the childhood trauma of losing his young brother during a blizzard. In his latest case, Arctic Chill, a young Thai boy is found murdered near his home and the ensuing investigation brings out some of the racial tensions brewing in Icelandic society. The title is apt - the identity of the killer will indeed be chilling. I've read four previous Erlendur mysteries - this is my favourite to date.

I'm so far behind in this next series, but can you believe that Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is ten years old this year? And gosh darn it all, the tenth book also comes out - again with a wonderful title: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built. Raise your china cups and crook your pinkies to Mma Ramotswe! (P.S. I digress, but McCall Smith also has a stand alone novel out this spring that I have read. La's Orchestra Saves the World is not part of any of his many detective series', but is a warm tale about a woman living in the English countryside during WWII who brings the eccentric characters of the village together when she organizes an amateur orchestra to keep up morale. For the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society fans among you.)

Others to check out:
The Redeemer - Jo Nesbo's fourth book in his Harry Hole thriller series. I'll admit my palms sweat too much while reading him and his books are not for the faint of heart, but my god, can he tell a story!

Joe Gores has guts - he takes on a literary icon by writing the prequel to Dashiell Hammett's Maltese Falcon. To get the back story on Sam Spade, check out Spade & Archer.

And finally, José Latour brings us more international intrigue set in the world of design, with his latest mystery - Crimes of Fashion.

New Detectives On the Case:

I'm extraordinary proud of Vintage Canada's World of Crime series - the editors are always on the prowl for the best international mystery writers and I've been introduced to so many great reads as a result (Vargas and Indridason, just being two of them). Their latest discovery is Deon Meyer, one of South Africa's best selling thriller writers. Blood Safari is the story of a freelance body guard hired to protect his beautiful female client when she gets too involved with trying to clear her brother of a murder. It promises a lot of action and witty dialogue set among the current racial, economic and ecological problems facing South Africa.

For fans of Slumdog Millionaire or Alexander McCall Smith, comes a new series set in India written by Tarquin Hall and featuring The Most Private Investigator, Vish Puri. In The Case of the Missing Servant, Puri has to find a young female servant who has disappeared, presumed dead, but may be an important witness in clearing a man accused of murder. At the same time he has to avoid being shot himself. But perhaps his greatest challenge is to stop his inquisitive, pushy (and annoyingly effective) mother from meddling in his cases. I've read the manuscript and I would compare Puri to a modern day, Indian, Hercule Poirot, complete with brains and ego, but with better technology at his disposal. And Hall is definitely great at evoking the sights, sounds and smells of busy Delhi.

Another debut series coming this spring is The Crossing Places, by Elly Griffiths which features Ruth Galloway, a salty-tongued forensic archaeologist. She's called upon to date the bones of a child's skeleton that is found in the marshes of Norfolk, in the hopes that it will clear up the ten year old case of a missing girl. The bones turn out instead to belong to the Iron Age, and are 2,000 years old but the case isn't quite yet closed. . .

And for pure fun, try The Love Potion Murders in the Museum of Man by Alfred Alcorn. Two academics who hated each other, are found with arms entwined and hearts definitely still, murdered in the Museum of Man. The murder weapon is a powerful aphrodisiac being developed in a genetics lab. Director Norman de Ratour has to solve the murder in this humourous, black comedy. Academics behaving badly - my favourite kind of murder mystery.

The Stand-out Stand Alone:

Iain Pears is back! I almost want to categorize this book separately in a future blog devoted to some of the great fiction en route this spring, but there is a murder at the heart of it, so if you're a fan of An Instance of the Fingerpost, or Sarah Waters' Fingersmith, you must pick up Stone's Fall. I'm a third of the way through this and am loving it. Probably because it's partially set during one of my favourite historical periods - the Edwardian era. Matthew Braddock is a young, cocky journalist who is hired to write the biography of John Stone, a recently deceased business tycoon and arms dealer who fell (or was he pushed?) out of the window of his study. Matthew also has to track down the child that Stone left money to - a child no one ever knew existed. The novel moves chronologically backwards from 1909 London, to Paris in 1890 and Vienna in 1867 as secrets are gradually revealed. It's a long but riveting and juicy novel; I'm completely hooked.

And the Come-back Classics:

Vintage U.S. continues their re-issues of Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö's Martin Beck series from the 1960s and 70s. I've read the first three of the ten books that form the Story of Crime and I want more. It's refreshing to read about solid, old-fashioned detection work in the pre-computer, pre-DNA testing days and it's hard and lonely slogging. More than any other series, this one demonstrates why so many policemen and detectives are alcoholics or just plain gloomy and miserable. And it was the prototype for so many contemporary crime writers today, many of whom are contributing introductions to these new editions. Books #3 and #4, The Man on the Balcony and The Laughing Policeman respectively, have just come out this month. Look for the next two - Murder at the Savoy and The Fire Engine That Disappeared in June.

And coming soon are three re-issues of Gladys Mitchell's Mrs. Bradley mysteries. Some of you may have seen the BBC series that has run on PBS a number of times, starring Diana Rigg as Adela Bradley, the multiple divorcee with an interest in Freud and a chauffeur sidekick. Mitchell had a very prolific writing career starting in the 1920s and was a member of the Detection Club that included Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie. Much of her work is out of print, so maybe this is the start of a revival. I've certainly never read any of these mysteries but this is my favourite era of crime writing, so I'll definitely be digging in. The Saltmarsh Murders, Tom Brown's Body and When Last I Died will all be out at the end of May.

Happy sleuthing!

Germany at the Oscars. . .

Gearing up for the big awards ceremony this Sunday, I have to say that even though I'm not too excited by most of the nominations, I will nevertheless be glued to the TV and will be watching two awards in particular - rooting for Slumdog Millionaire to take Best Picture and for Kate Winslet to finally win an Oscar for her performance in The Reader.

This latter film is of course based on Bernhard Schlink's bestselling novel. I was recently lucky enough to interview him for our Booklounge.ca website and you can watch a brief video clip of him talking specifically about The Reader and his post-war German generation. You have to sign up to be a member with your e-mail, but it's absolutely free and you'll get access to book information and the opportunity to win books and enter various contests. Once you've signed up, click on the "Audio and Video" tab at the top and you can watch a number of other author videos as well. Due to time constraints, only about 5 minutes of my interview is on the clip but we also chatted about his latest novel Homecoming (which I highly recommend if you enjoyed The Reader and are interested in the same themes of the next generation of Germans coming to grips with their Nazi past) and his Gerhard Self detective novels (Self's Punishment and Self's Deception). I hope to find the time shortly to transcribe the rest of the interview and then I'll post it on this blog.

If you are interested in post-war German history, then also up for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category is Germany's The Baader Meinhof Complex about a group of students in the late 1960s who started out peacefully protesting the Vietnam War but ended up becoming bombers, arsonists and murderers under the name the Red Army Faction. The leaders were eventually arrested and convicted but the violence continued as supporters kidnapped the president of the German Employers' Association and later hijacked a Lufthansa jet. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Stefan Aust, who has done the definitive book on the subject and it looks to be a fascinating read; I had never previously heard anything about this group. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie as well.

Just some really cool books. . .

With the best of intentions, I've had dozens of spring preview blog posts twirling in my mind, because honestly, there are some really terrific books coming in the next few months. And I'm working on it, even though it's now already the middle of February - where does the time go? Ah, well, good books coming in the summer too. And in the fall, which seems to be hitting my desk with some regularity each day. Some days blogging just takes a long time. . .

While I try and pull the best out of tons of catalogues (stay tuned) and organize them into coherent categories, here - appropos of nothing - are three just really interesting books that have recently been published. The fact that their covers all contain a bluish hue is entirely accidental.

It's pretty strange to think that kids today may grow up without writers' bumps and possibly not being able to read cursive handwriting, though they will have really great texting thumbs. But what are they going to make of letters and manuscripts in museums, or even in their own family attics? Kitty Burns Florey shows what they are missing in Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting - an ode to the lost art of penmanship.

Which begs the question: with so many beautiful notebooks, diaries and stationary available in retail stores everywhere, who is still writing? Or are we a nation of blankbook packrats?

Well, here's another use for blank paper. If you (or kids you know) can handle an exacto knife with ease, or are origami enthusiasts, then The Paper Architect: Fold-it-Yourself Buildings and Structures is just the coolest thing ever. The authors have provided templates and instructions to create twenty, three dimensional replicas of famous landmarks from the Eiffel Tower to the Taj Mahal, The Golden Gate Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and the Colosseum. Each project is graded for difficulty from easy (the Parthenon) to advanced (Gaudi's Sagrada Familia). Hours of fun and papercuts await.

And finally, there's Simon Critchley's The Book of Dead Philosophers which on the surface may look to be a downer, but is actually a fascinating series of entries on the various bizarre and frequently ironic ways in which philosophers met their end. To get a flavour of the book, you can read his list of top ten philosophers' deaths here.

Me and Kaminski and Daniel have a future date. . .

Here's something to look forward to. The team behind the movie Goodbye Lenin (highly recommended if you haven't seen it) is making a film of Daniel Kehlmann's very funny novel Me and Kaminski (one of my fall Dewey picks). It'll also star Lenin's Daniel Brühl. The novel details the relationship between a young, arrogant and over-confident but slightly desperate journalist and the reclusive artist he sets out to interview. The movie will start shooting this fall. Can't wait.

Spud reading. . .

Okay, this is an odd little list, but I do love a good potato. Honestly, is there any better comfort food on the planet?

John Reader, author of The Untold History of the Potato, has compiled a list of his ten favourite potato books. Yes, really.

Bits and bobs and books. . .

It's been a crazy, busy time lately, so here are just some of the book news, links and recommendations that have been rattling around in my brain over the last little while . . .

Evergreen shortlist announced. . .

The nominees for the 2009 Evergreen Award were announced last week at the OLA Superconference. This award is given to a favourite adult book written by a living Canadian author and voted on by Ontario library patrons (how thrilled am I to see Christopher Plummer included!) The winner will be announced at next year's OLA. Congratulations to the 2008 winner, Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes and to this year's shortlist:

Apples to Oysters: a Food Lover’s Tour of Canadian Farms by Margaret Webb
The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
Coventry by Helen Humphreys
Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott
In Spite of Myself: A Memoir by Christopher Plummer
The Killing Circle by Andrew Pyper
The Outlander by Gil Adamson
Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth by Margaret Atwood
Ragged Company by Richard Wagamese

And Speaking of Canlit. . .

I came across a great blog called Roughing It in the Books. Kudos to these two readers who are making their way through the entire New Canadian Library collection of Canadian classics and blogging their reviews. So far, they've tackled Frederick Philip Grove's Over Prairie Trails, Morley Callaghan's Such is My Beloved, Stephen Leacock's Literary Lapses, Sinclair Ross's As For Me and My House, and Gabrielle Roy's The Tin Flute. They also post biographical information about the author. Every used bookstore in Canada has several incarnations of NCL's - they've been around for over fifty years. Recently, they've been updated with brand new covers and grown into a larger trade paperback size. You can see an exisiting list at the NCL website located here.

Best Translated Books of 2008 shortlist announced. . .

If your new year's resolution is to read more international fiction, then you could do a lot worse than start with these ten shortlisted books from last year. The blog Three Percent has posted reviews of all 25 longlisted books as well. I've read four of the shortlisted ten - The Post-Office Girl by Stefan Zweig, translated by Joel Rotenberg, and Unforgiving Years by Victor Serge, translated by Richard Greeman were both Dewey picks of mine, so I'm thrilled to see them make the final cut. I also read Roberto Bolano's 2666, translated by Natasha Wimmer over the holidays (really, how can this lose?) and really loved the deliciously exquisite Bonsai by Alejandro Zambra, translated by Carolina De Robertis (part of Melville House's terrific Art of the Contemporary Novella series - more about this soon).

Also check out The Lost in Translation Reading Challenge blog where participants vow to read at least six books in translation during the year and to blog about their experiences. There are some great reading suggestions and reviews on this site.

R.I.P John Updike. . .

There has been lots of media coverage of John Updike's death last week and you can easily find obituaries such as this one from the Guardian online if you want a brief overview of his life. He was a prolific writer and if the tributes have inspired you to dip into some of his work, may I suggest starting with the short stories - a genre that he absolutely excelled in. You can find examples in almost any literary anthology, or pick up his collection The Early Stories. At over 800 pages, this collection will certainly whet your appetite for more of his work. For novels, his Rabbit Angstrom books are the most famous, but give his Henry Bech novels a try - they portray the life of a writer, somewhat similar to Updike's own, over several decades. And if you want a writer's appreciation and a very funny read to boot, do pick up Nicholson Baker's hilarious U and I, a memoir about not quite meeting his literary idol. Recommended reading for Alain de Botton and Geoff Dyer fans and a hoot even if you're not a fan of Updike himself (though I bet Baker will convert you.)

We're honoured and thrilled. . .

. . . that the Dewey Divas and Dudes are this year's recipient of the Ontario Public Library Association's Leadership in Adult Readers' Advisory Award. It's a tremendous honour for us and we thank the OPLA Readers' Advisory committee and all the libraries who have hosted us and welcomed us so warmly over the years (and have even baked us cookies!). As publishers, we know that there is no group within the industry that is more enthusiastic and passionate about books than librarians and we sincerely thank you for all you do to promote reading and great books every single day!

Congrats also goes out to Linda Ludke from London Public Library who won the OPLA's Children's Librarian of the Year Award and Dinah Gough from Oshawa Public Library who won the OPLA's Excellence in Youth Services Award.

The full list of OLA winners can be found here.

It's Superconference time again. . .

Sorry for the lack of blogging this month - we've all been busy with sales conferences, upcoming trade shows and trying to get a ton of reading done. Our biggest library show of the year - the Ontario Library Association Superconference - is happening at the end of this week. If you are attending, do check out our session on Thursday, January 29th at 3:45 (Session#619). We'll be talking about our favourite upcoming Adult books. We'll try and post our lists on this blog next week. And we'll all be at our respective publishers' booths in the trade show during both days of the conference, so do stop by and say hello.

Graphic Novel Collection resource. . .

My American colleagues at Random House U.S. have just created this marvellous catalogue of graphic novels and manga published by the various imprints we represent (Pantheon, DC Comics, Vertical, Titan Books, Villard and Del Rey). All the different series are highlighted and described, (and at the back of the catalogue all the volumes are listed), plus they are organized into YA and Adult categories. Any adult ones that are suitable for mature YA readers are starred. There are also some great collection development tips provided by Robin Brenner, a reference and teen librarian at the Brookline Public Library, and editor of the teen graphic novel review site No Flying No Tights.

You can access this catalogue online here (just scroll down to the bottom of the page) and either browse the PDF online or print it out. There's some great stuff here for public and school libraries alike.

The Charles Taylor Prize For Literary Non-Fiction Shortlist Announced!

The shortlist for The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction was just announced and I'm pleased as punch that one of our authors made the list- Ana Siljak for Angel of Vengeance: The 'Girl Assassin', the Governor of St. Petersburg, and Russia's Revolutionary World'.

Angel of Vengeance is one of three shortlisted titles selected by a jury comprised of previous Charles Taylor Award winner Warren Carriou; Globe and Mail national affairs columnist and officer of the Order of Canada Jeffrey Simpson; and recipient of the Governor General’s Award Shirley Thomson.
From the Jury on Angel of Vengeance:

RANGING FROM THE COURTS of St. Petersburg to peasant huts, this meticulously researched book tells the dramatic and little-known story of one woman’s act of political desperation and her very public trial. It is also a much broader portrait of ideological struggles in nineteenth-century Russia, revealing the devastating conflict between a society that could not find a way to change and those who demanded that it must. The author provides added contemporary resonance to the story by masterfully penetrating the minds of terrorists.

The other titles that have been shortlisted are Sugar: A Bittersweet History by Elizabeth Abbott (Penguin Canada) and Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great War, 1917 – 1918, Volume Two by Tim Cook (Viking Canada)

The winner will be announced at an awards luncheon Monday, February 8, 2009.

For more information about the prize you can visit the official website.

Seeing hexigons for the holidays. . .

I've found my new craft project for the holidays and it's this knit and fabric afghan pictured on the cover of Erika Knight's Classic Knits at Home. I should preface this by saying I'm not a very good knitter; a simple scarf is the most complicated thing I've ever attempted. But I do like to quilt (which just takes forever) and I was immediately intrigued by the look and multiple textures of this cozy throw. It may not be clear in the photograph, but it's actually constructed with hexigons that alternate between six different knitted patterns and ones cut out of men's wear fabrics. Now knitting patterns usually terrify me - yes, I can do a basic knit or purl, but counting stitches or rows, increasing, decreasing, trying to keep track of where I am in the pattern - it's all very stressful. However, I had a bit of wool left over from a previous project and so I thought I'd try one of the simpler hexigons. And lo and behold, it actually worked out. I've now tried three of the six patterns and I am hooked. The secret for me is to write out the pattern of every single row on a cue card and then cross it off when I've completed it. I'm doing mine in different colours - using light gray, a darker charcoaly gray-purple, creamy white and then a pale yellow. I'll go shopping for some fabric with browner tones than the bluey-gray used up above once I've knitted up all the hexigons. Other projects in this book include floor pillows, a rug, a yoga mat and planter covers, and honestly, if I can follow the instructions, anyone can. Here's some of what I've done so far.

Happy holidays to all. Keep warm. Keep reading.

For book lovers. . .

I blogged awhile ago about two biographies that were trying to get at their subjects (Oscar Wilde and Adolf Hitler) through a perusal of their libraries. Now Ali Smith, one of my favourite writers (if you haven't yet read Hotel Room or The Accidental, well, you know what you can ask Santa for. . .), gives us a personal glimpse into her's. The Book Lover is a new anthology of writing that has been an major influence either on her writing or her life, and it's packed with terrific stuff from well-known writers like Atwood or Plath, to some surprising inclusions such as Billie Holliday. This is a fun idea and a great collection to browse through and be inspired by. A great gift for your bookish friends who already seem to have read everything.

Favourite Reads of 2008 - A Librarian's Picks Part Eight. . .

In the last of our series, we're happy to welcome back a former Dewey Diva and founding member of our little group, Maureen Johnson, now manager of the Westdale Branch of Hamilton Public Library. Thanks to everyone who contributed - these lists have been a lot of fun to read and have certainly inspired some gift ideas and added several books to my must read list. Here are Maureen's favourite reads of 2008:

While in Edinburgh this spring, I wandered into Waterstone's and lingered over the Local Authors section. I must have been in a fairly dark mood as I chose two books that examine the power of evil. The Cone Gatherers: A Haunting Story of Violence and Love by Robin Jenkins is set during the Second World War and is based on Jenkins' own experience as a conscientious objector working in the forests of Argyll. Two brothers, Calum and Nell, are cone gatherers, moving through the large estates of Scotland gathering seeds to preserve and maintain the forests. Their simple life together provides stark contrast to the life at the estate house. The brothers' light and warmth is threatened by the madness and obsession of Duror, the gameskeeper. This is an obsessive read where the outcome is foreshadowed and inevitable but the reader cannot look away. Jenkins (1912-2005) also wrote The Changeling, Happy for the Child and Guests of War.

The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson tells the story of a Presbyterian minister with no faith in God. The story is presented as a manuscript, mused over by a publisher and fact-checked by an investigator. Gideon has very little issue with his lapsed faith until he tumbles into a ravine called the Black Jaws. Believed dead, he resurfaces three days later with an alarming tale. He has spent the last three days in the company of the devil. Shunned by church, town and friends, Gideon must deal with his disturbing new reality.

And while in London at yet another Waterstones, I finally picked up Barbara Pym: Excellent Women and Jane and Prudence. High comedy is set amongst the churchyards, jumble sales and rose madder of 1950's Britain. Pym plumbs the domestic with a penetrating eye. Her characters make the reader squirm with self-recognition. This is delicious fiction. If you like EF Benson's Mapp and Lucia series or Cold Comfort Farm, read Pym.

And then read Mary Wesley. (Insert Maylin's excited endorsement - yes, yes, yes!) Wesley came to writing later in life, writing her first book at the age of seventy. Her style has been described as arsenic without the old lace. Filled with irony, compassion, honesty and sexuality, The Camomile Lawn has an unvarnished vitality that fairly leaps off the page. Wesley follows the lives of 3 families through the Second World War, setting up, and, in turn, satisfying and spoiling reader's expectations. Wesley's own, rather unconventional life, no doubt provided fodder. Which is why I am so looking forward to reading Wild Mary by Patrick Marnham. Wesley cooperated with her biographer asking that nothing be published before her death. Her son, Tony Eady, upon reading his mother's story, didn't speak to anyone for a week. Bravo Mary. (Wild Mary is a Diva Pick - thanks Maylin, I'm finally catching up with those lists!)

Favourite Reads of 2008: A Librarian's Picks Part Seven. . .

Today's list comes from Heather Brydon, a librarian at a public library in Beaconsfield, Quebec which is just outside of Montreal. I spent my early childhood in Beaconsfield and Heather works at the very branch where I got my first library card. Here are her favourite reads of 2008:

1. Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. I put this on any and every list; I read it when I'm having a bad day and it always makes everything better.

2. Run by Ann Patchett. I had read Bel Canto years agao and loved it, so snapped this one up as soon as it came out. I could not put it down; it's amazing that an author can write a whole book that covers a mere 24 hours!

3. When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson. I have devoured all of her other books about Jackson Brodie and this was no exception. I love the way her stories are interwoven threads and keep you guessing even after you finish the book.

4 - Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo. A beautiful, touching but not cheesy, Christmas story, and a a wonderful gift for older children or anyone with children. It's now been translated into French, and they did a great job.

5 - Scaredy Squirrel At the Beach by Melanie Watt. He is the funniest, most obsessive-compulsive character currently in children's books! And just as funny in French.

6 - Careless in Red by Elizabeth George. More of the fantatstic Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers, that always leaves you wanting even more.

7 - Dingo by Chrles DeLint. A great YA read. He's one of my favourite authors and does as good a job writing for younger audiences that with the rest of his more adult titles.

8 - The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester. I never read non-fiction. I fall asleep over it, but this kept me turning pages furiously. Informative without being overly didactic and a real-opener about China and its history.

9 - Sailing to Sarantium (Part I of the Sarantine Mosaic) by Guy Gavriel Kay. Magical and belivable and heart-wrenching and utterly fantastic.

10 - The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coehlo. The thing I liked the most about this book were the last few pages...

Best Movie, Best Book?. . .

The Golden Globe nominations were announced today and what is interesting about the Best Movie category is that all five films are based on literature (as opposed to an original screenplay).

You can read the full list of nominiations here. (The nominees for Best Actress are particularly terrific - go Kate Winslet!). Here are the contenders for Best Movie (and links to the books they were based on)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Frost/Nixon based on the play by Peter Morgan

The Reader based on the novel by Bernhard Schlink

Revolutionary Road based on the novel by Richard Yates

Slumdog Millionaire based on the novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup (you'll see the book also under the title Slumdog Millionaire).

I'm sure you know someone who will love this book, honestly. . .

Rosalyn and I had a good laugh about this book when it was still only a catalogue page, but I really love this book - Beautiful Sheep, by Kathryn Dun with photography by Paul Farnham. Granted, it's not for everyone, but I go on a lot of walking holidays and on them I see a lot of sheep, and now I will be able to distinguish between a Bluefaced Leicester and a Greyface Dartmoor and tell the difference between a Kerry Hill, a Hill Radnor and a Rough Fell. I also happen to believe that sheep have the most expressive faces and maybe rumours of their apparent stupidity are grossly exaggerated. Read Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann if you don't believe me. To me, sheep always seem to be laid back and smiling at you; they are the zen creatures of the animal kingdom. In Beautiful Sheep, an example of each breed is carefully groomed for their close-up and photographed against a professional backdrop. Opposite their glam photo is some useful information about their uses, the geographical location where they are found and some key features. It's heartening to know, for example that the British Bleu du Maine lambs, "have a strong desire to live". Sadly, they also have "good carcass qualities". Oh, I do love lamb so.