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Recently we asked our reviewers to provide us with a list of some of their favorite books from 2005. Included is a mix of fiction and nonfiction titles, all published this year. Take a moment to read these varied lists of titles, and see if you agree with their selections! Please note that due to personal and professional commitments, some reviewers were not able to participate in this feature.
Alexis Burling
Adult Titles:
Teens/Kids Titles:
Tom Callahan
- THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING by Joan Didion
A beautifully written book by one of America's greatest writers.
- THE GIFT by Pete Hamill
Finally, back in print. This short coming-of-age novella is just as good now as it was when first released over three decades ago.
- ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING by Lawrence Block
Anytime Block releases a Matt Scudder story is a cause for celebration. And after three decades, this dark mystery series still keeps you on the edge of your seat.
- FIDDLERS by Ed McBain
The end of the year is also a sad time. And as hard as it is to believe, this must be the last 87th Precinct novel with McBain's death. But celebrate his life with a series that will be read as long as mysteries are written.
- HOUR OF THE CAT by Peter Quinn
Quinn writes great historical novels. He deserves more recognition and we deserve more books from him.
Curtis Edmonds
Robert Finn
Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
Maggie Harding
- COMFORT AND JOY by Kristin Hannah
A wonderful PG read that gives you an emotional workout yet allows you to fall asleep peacefully.
- BLUE SMOKE by Nora Roberts
This talented author combines the horrors wrought by a serial arsonist with the love and relationships of a warm family and a budding romance. I loved it.
- I'LL BE WATCHING YOU by Andrea Kane
Great combination of suspense and romance...fast reading, well-written.
- And, of course, the latest by some of my favorites: Lee Child, Stephen Cannell, Sidney Sheldon, Iris Johansen, David Baldacci and James Patterson.
Joe Hartlaub
- NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by Cormac McCarthy
McCarthy pens a full-fledged suspense novel without compromising his unique vision. Clarity so vivid and stunning that it needs to be read twice, in one sitting, to be fully appreciated.
- TRIAL BY FIRE by D.W. Buffa
Calling Buffa an author of courtroom thrillers is an oversimplification on the order of calling Joseph Conrad an author of adventure novels. Buffa, criminally underappreciated in the U.S., continues in TRIAL BY FIRE to masterfully ask subtle questions whose answers will keep you awake months after reading them.
- THE HEARTBREAK LOUNGE by Wallace Stroby
Stroby's dark nightscapes of south-central New Jersey and its inhabitants are unforgettable.
- BODY SCISSORS by Michael Simon
A dark, frightening voice in crime fiction. Haunting prose, complex and subtle storylines, and street characters from the hell that is down the block. Not to be missed.
- LOCKED DOORS by Blake Crouch
Crouch breaks many narrative rules, but always does so for a reason. The result is an unpredictable read that is by turns frightening and poetic but constantly compelling.
- THE BLACK ANGEL by John Connolly
Connolly's mammoth, penultimate Charlie Parker novel is worthy of a weekend all to itself. An enigmatic tale that explains a lot but asks much more. Terrifying, beautiful and riveting. Not for the faint or weak of heart or faith.
- THE DEATH COLLECTORS by Jack Kerley
Kerley is an unacknowledged prose master who is quietly building an impressive body of work. In four or five years, when he is a household name, new fans seeking out his backlist will wonder how they missed this one when it was first published.
- CREEPERS by David Morrell
The author who singlehandedly created an American icon shows yet again how the job is done in a strikingly different novel about urban spelunking gone wrong.
- SOLOMON VS. LORD by Paul Levine
A hilariously funny courtroom thriller, perfect in every way. Dave and Maddy as lawyers, but with funnier, sharper dialogue. Yes. I mean that. If you hate funny novels, this one will give you pause to love.
- SIDE BY SIDE by John Ramsey Miller
In a market and industry where publishing one novel in a year is cause for delirious self-congratulations, Miller in 2005 published three, featuring U.S. Marshal Winter Massey. SIDE BY SIDE, the third in the series, gets the nod for its villains, a realistic Dixie Mafia family whose members are cursed with a cruel streak but who, though clever, are not smart. Miller continues to demonstrate a talent for writing crime fiction that runs deep and long and true.
Stephen Hubbard
Marie Hashima Lofton
Bronwyn Miller
Norah Piehl
Colleen Quinn
Joni Rendon
Terry Miller Shannon
Andi Shechter
Mystery:
Best First Mystery:
Stuart Shiffman
- BLINK by Malcolm Gladwell
People may forget this book because it came out early in the year, but it is an outstanding analysis of how and why people make decisions both good and bad. The kind of book that makes people think.
- THE LOST MASTERS by Curt Sampson
The story of the Masters won by Bob Goalby when Roberto Devicenzo signed an incorrect scorecard. It is a story of sportsmanship, winning, losing, and grace under pressure. It is also a chronicle of the '60s, a tumultuous era in our history.
- BECOMING JUSTICE BLACKMUN by Linda Greenhouse
Anyone interested in the current political battles over the U.S. Supreme Court will enjoy reading about how one becomes a Supreme Court Justice and how a person grows and changes in that position. Written by the New York Times court reporter, it is an insightful and enjoyable book.
- AMERICA'S CONSTITUTION by Akhil Reed Amar
How the Constitution became the Constitution and what it means to us today. Well-written and easily read by lawyers and non-lawyers alike.
- BEYOND GLORY by David Margolick
The Louis-Schmeling fights and what they meant to the world. I love reading sports history that places the event in the context of history. This is one such book that boxing fans will love.
- FIDDLERS by Ed McBain
I mention this book because it was the last of McBain's books. He died this year after a 50-year writing career. His mysteries were classics, regardless of the style and characters he portrayed. He will be missed.
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