What do you think was the BEST BOOK of 2004?

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Kings of Infinite Space by James Hynes

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Blowout by Catherine Coulter

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The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood

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The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates

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Definitely My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

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Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

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The best book of 2004 has to be Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Chernow reveals Hamilton in all his depth and complexity, just as David McCullough did for John Adams, another largely forgotten founding father.

Linda Caldwell
The best book that I've read in 2004 is the The Coal Tattoo by Silas House.

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The best book of 2004 for me is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It embodies all of the elements of a literary novel weaving the story from a book read by the main character with his life showing their similarities and pointing the way for him to make decisions at crucial times. The abundance of descriptive passages and the inner thoughts and speculations by the characters and the intrigue of a "who-done-it" are reminiscent of novels from an earlier era.

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Night Fall by Nelson DeMille was the page-turner that I was waiting for all year long. I couldn't put that book down. Love that Nelson!!

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My vote has to go to Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. This author just keeps getting better and better.

J.P. in Michigan
My pick for best book of the year is Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It was something different, both humorous and thought-provoking. Lots of levels of interest and the footnotes were a delight.

Kent Graham, Grosse Pointe, MI
Good News, Bad News by David Wolstencroft

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Without a doubt, for me the absolute best book of 2004 was S. J. Rozan's Absent Friends.

Gaye V.
A wonderful discovery was first-time author Bonnie Marson and her book, Sleeping with Schubert. What a wonderful premise and creative plot she designed to take me on a ride! And I so enjoyed discovering Jodi Picoult and was enthralled with My Sister's Keeper, a book that I literally could not put down. Thanks for the trip down memory lane with my book friends.

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The Best Book of 2004??

Fiction: The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. Philip Roth's The Plot Against America would be a close second.
History: American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies by Michael W. Kauffman
SF/Fantasy: The Runes of the Earth by Stephen R. Donaldson
Humor: America (The Book) by Jon Stewart and Co.
Late Addition: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Tough to make this one The Book of 2004 because it's so new, but it is also soooo good.

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Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors has my vote for the best book. If I had a second choice, it would be Holy Fools by Joanne Harris.

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The best book of 2004 that I read was Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett. It is the beautifully, almost poetically, written true story of the love (not sexual) and friendship between very oddly [mis]matched women. The best books in my mind are those that stay with me long after the covers are closed, and this one has joined my short list of those.