I was thinking today about all the great books I've read lately. In fact, the last three years have been full of memorable reads. In that time I've read 112 books (June 2005 to June 2008). Here's my top 25 from this period. Understand please, that the Bible is always number one on the chart and number one in my heart.
1. The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer (MEMOIR) -- Fatherless child grows up defining himself by the men in his life, namely his uncle and the men from the local bar. An intoxicating read.
2. The Big Bam by Leigh Montville (BIOGRAPHY) -- The jaw-dropping life of Babe Ruth. He really was larger than life.
3. Manhunt by James Swanson (US HISTORY) -- A blow-by-blow account of Lincoln's assasination and the hunt for John Wilkes Booth.
4. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (NONFICTION) -- The odd characters of Savannah, GA come to life.
5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (LITERATURE) -- They call it a classic for a reason.
6. The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler (LITERATURE) -- A textbook character study on one of the all-time best, Macon Leary.
7. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (LITERATURE) -- A resonant story told in very few pages.
8. Crashing Through by Robert Kurson (BIOGRAPHY) -- Features one of the most unforgettable subjects in modern biography; plus the science of how this blind man learns to see.
9. Anonymous Lawyer by Jeremy Blachman (COMIC NOVEL) -- Think of Dr. House as an irrascible, but paranoid corporate lawyer.
10. The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen (HISTORICAL NOVEL) -- Rich portrait of mid-19th century medicine, with a very satisfying plot and wonderful characters.
11. Fat Girl by Judith Moore (MEMOIR) -- A tragic life, and the role food played in saving and ruining it.
12. Sense and Sensuality by Ravi Zacharias (NONFICTION) -- What if Oscar Wilde met Jesus before his death? A gripping debate on the compunction of sin.
13. Atonement by Ian McEwan (LITERATURE) -- Read this and experience the power of words.
14. Decider by Dick Francis (MYSTERY) -- A charming gentleman protagonist who wins over even the most skeptical of opponents on his way to bringing the peace.
15. Baseball by George Vecsey (SPORTS HISTORY) -- Brief but punctilious account of America's game; includes the real story of baseball's origins.
16. The Man in My Basement by Walter Mosley (NOVEL) -- Unemployed man gets an odd request from a strange visitor.
17. New Bedlam by Bill Flanagan (COMIC NOVEL) -- TV executive saves a fledgling cable company in Rhode Island.
18. Dead Cert by Dick Francis (MYSTERY) -- Great caper solved by the thinking man's amateur detective (and jockey).
19. The Ruins by Scott Smith (THRILLER) -- College students run afoul of Mexican natives, then discover even greater horrors.
20. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (MEMOIR) -- New York Times food critic takes to wearing diguises to find out how people are really treated at the finest restaurants.
21. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson (MEMOIR) -- Beloved travel writer tells of his 1950's childhood.
22. My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas (MEMOIR) -- Challenges and ideologies from the life of the supreme court justice made famous through his confirmation hearings.
23. Echo Park by Michael Connelly (MYSTERY) -- Detective Harry Bosch reopens an unsolved disapperance case that's baffled him for years.
24. The Innocent Man by John Grisham (NONFICTION) -- A man convicted then freed for a murder he didn't commit.
25. Born Standing Up by Steve Martin (MEMOIR) -- One of my all-time favorite personalities tells the story of his hey-day.
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