2016 BOOKSELLER TOP TENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here they are! Our Top Ten favorite books of the year, now with bonus Seward Park lists! Remember, I don't limit these lists to books published in 2016, but all books must have been read in 2016.

Usually, when I compile this post, there are some clear favorites. Last year our obvious winner was Between the World and Me, with eight total votes. But this year our highest ranking book was Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, with only four votes. Not to imply that this year's books are only fair to middling, just that we had a lot more books with two and three votes, instead of any landslide victors. So while we couldn't solidly agree on one or two favorites, we sort of loosely settled on a whole slew of champions. And that means more options for you!

In light of our lack of focus, I give you our Fabulous, Fantastic, Fifteen Favorites of 2016!

• Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
• Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
• The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
• Children of the New World: Stories by Alexander Weinstein
• Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West
• White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
• Bitch Planet Volume 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick, Robert Wilson IV, Taki Soma, and Valentine De Landro
• Paper Girls by Brian K Vaughan
• After the Parade by Lori Ostlund
• Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
• The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter by Kia Corthron
• Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Check out our individual top ten list below for more of our favorite reads of 2016!
-Erin

Ryan's Favorite Books of 2015!!!!!

I've become better at starting early, and pestering my coworkers sooner, and thus producing the Bookseller Top Tens a little earlier with every passing year. Last year, I had them done on January 11th. The year before, on Jan 17th. And the year before that...February 26th. But this year, done on January first. Too good to be true!

And it was.

I forgot one. And this, after I berated and bullied people into getting me their lists on time. Ryan, in particular, asked me on the deadline day if he could write blurbs for his list. I said he could if he could get it to me by the end of the day, the end of the day being 15 minutes away.

He didn't write them.

But then I forgot his list.

So, here it is. Ryan's ten favorite books of 2015, complete with the blurbs I wouldn't let him write before.  Sorry, Ryan!

***

Ryan’s List of Books

Much like my life, there is no order to this list. So deep. And also, much like my life, this list is regrettably full of white men and very few women. There’s always next year.

• In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje - Prose from a poet's mouth, this book feels shrouded in fog and sepia toned. Ondaatje, known best for The English Patient, writes with understated poetic language that seeps directly into you. 
• Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr. - One of the first and most powerful books to give a voice to the people. Selby has an unmistakable way of writing a dirtbag so that you emapthize with them and their struggle. 
• The Soft Machine by William Burroughs - Madcap, grotesque, frustrating, and ultimately overly obtuse, Burroughs never fails to enrage. The Soft Machine is the first in his groundbreaking cut-up trilogy and while it may be inaccesible garbage to some, to the right reader it is somewhat accesible garbage. 
• The Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda by Pablo Neruda - "Leaning into the afternoons I cast my sad nets/ towards your oceanic eyes." The most influencial poet (and possibly writer) of South America, Neruda writes with the utmost emotional power. 
• A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn - Zinn rewrites the story of America, focusing on the laborers, women, slaves, natives, and all the "minorities" that were swept under the rug by the elite. This book should be required reading if only to get another narrative in the public consciousness. 
• Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion - In a quick series of essays Didion shines a light on her time in California in the early 60s. Didion quickly entrances the writer with her massive intelligence and piercing gaze, able to see through the flimsy disguises we as a nation erect. 
• The World Doesn’t End by Charles Simic - Prose poetry at it's height, Simic takes the ordinary and tweaks it until it is surreal. Simic draws on his Eastern European upbringing to highlight the absurdity of the everyday. 
• Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit - In a world where we should all be feminists, Solnit has created a manifesto. At times devestating in what it sheds light on, Solnit is able to perfectly outline the series of powers that opress and malign the women of the world. Stomp the patriarchy!...or at least acknowledge that it is there.
• David Boring by Daniel Clowes - This graphic novel is David Lynchian in its pace and plot and feels eerie in an indescribable way. Follow Boring as he floats through a nihilistic view of the world as a whole. Equal parts murder mystery and love story without the ethos of either. 
• Beneath the Underdog by Charles Mingus - Can a myth tell its own story? Mingus attempts to, blending fact and fiction to an uncertain and satisfying conclusion in this memoir of his life. When it begins with the telling of his birth from his perspective, you know you may have a less-than-reliable narrator on your hands. Jazz fans rejoice. 

2015 Bookseller Top Tens!

I did it. The top tens before the end of January. And this year, in the format of one really, really, REALLY long post. We've got 28 lists of 280 (or so) great books for you. So, you have some reading to do.

Remember, our top tens do not have to be composed of books published only in the last year. If you read it this year, even if it was written and published 200 years ago, it can be on the list.

Also, new this year, I've consolidated all of our lists into one, giant, mega-top-ten list. The ten favorite books among all of us. Don't worry, all of our lists are available in their entirety after the jump.

The first four titles on the mega list had the most votes. The remaining six all had two votes each, as well as another nine titles. I chose the final six based on how much I heard coworkers talking about these books and what was said. For example, Ancillary Justice made the list over others based on the fact that I know two other booksellers who liked Ancillary Justice, just not quite enough to make their top ten. Negative comments overheard about books also factored in. It's a totally scientific, totally legit process. Trust me.

-Erin

Third Place Books' Definitive Best Books of 2015 

Colossal Top Ten List

1. Between the World and Me by Ta Nehisi Coates
2. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagahara
3. Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg
4. Barefoot Dogs by Antonio Ruiz Camacho
5. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
6. Eileen by Otessa Moshfegh
7. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
8. Ongoingness: The End of a Diary by Sarah Manguso
9. Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton
10. The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

Click through for all our other favorites!

Bookseller Top Tens Part III : Return of... (something clever and book related)

This is it. I'm pretty proud of how I managed to finish these before February. Part 1, here; Part 2, here. Enjoy our favorite books.

Sinead at Ravenna
Sinead is one of our newest booksellers (and my new favorite person). She's got crazy good, wildly interesting taste.

• Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell
• The Rings of Saturn by W. G. Sebald
• Runaway by Alice Munro
• Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles
• Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald
• Fair Play by Tove Jansson
• Blue by Pat Grant
• The Arrival by Shaun Tan
• State of Grace by Joy Williams
• Paris Stories by Mavis Gallant

Kalani at Lake Forest Park
Kalani wins for my favorite list. I love all the favorites..."favorite beginning," "favorite ending;" makes me want to redo my list. I'm also super impressed by the variety.

• The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mashima
• (Favorite Ending) One of the most hauntingly beautiful endings I've ever read. The reader understands what going to happen very early on in this short novel yet somehow the last page takes you by complete surprise.
• The Collective by Don Lee
• (Favorite Beginning) Asian-American characters have never been more multi-faceted than they are in this novel that defies racial stereotypes while giving us a glimpse of the struggles of being a starving artist. Our central character gets hit by a car and dies on the second page. It’s impossible to stop reading from there as we rewind several years back. 
• Open City by Teju Cole - 
• (Favorite Fiction) I find myself thinking about this introspective novel quite frequently. Like The Collective, this novel crushes cultural stereotypes and brings the reader deep into the psyche of a young Nigerian resident psychiatrist in New York City. 
• We Live in Water by Jess Walter - 
• (Favorite Short Story) Walter’s collection of stories brings the small-town Northwest region to life with an array of down on their luck characters (hobos, gamblers, thieves, etc.). The opening story, my favorite, “Anything Helps,” is about a homeless panhandler who wants to buy the new Harry Potter book. It’s funny but sad yet frighteningly realistic. 
• Gruesome Playground Injuries/Animals Out of Paper/Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo  3 Plays by Rajiv Joseph 
• (Favorite Play) All three of these plays are wildly different but absolutely fantastic. Do not make me pick a favorite. I would pay top dollar to see any one of these performed live (Yes, this is a local challenge). “Rajiv Joseph” will be a name to watch for a long time. 
• Big Little Man by Alex Tizon 
• (Favorite Bio) This is more a biography of an entire group of people rather than an individual. Alex Tizon writes about his life growing up as a Filipino-American, yet, it is a highly recognizable tale many Asian-Americans of today (like myself) can fully relate to. This bio becomes more of an investigative study on the concept of masculinity and a criticism about American culture. 
• Pieces for the Left Hand  by J. Robert Lennon 
• (Favorite collection) I recommend slow reading this book because each short short (100 in total) is packed with entertaining and bizarre fictional anecdotes from a small college town in upstate New York. 
• A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood 
• (Favorite Audiobook) This gets my personal “audiobook” of the year award. The Audie-Award winning narrator Simon Prebble actually makes Colin Firth’s film performance of the same role sound second-rate. 
• Spoiled Brats by Simon Rich 
• (Favorite Humor Book) This former SNL-writer is proving you can get big laughs without a TV screen. While the stories are frequently over-the-top silly, there is a nice blend of social commentary that make this collection uniquely funny and smart. 
• War of the Encyclopaedists by Christopher Robinson and Gavin Kovite 
• (Favorite Not Yet Released Book) I would not be surprised to see this book on similar top-10 lists by the end of next year. A fantastic coming-of-age/war story written by a pair of first-time writers. Captures the Generation-Y apathy in the early days on the Iraq War when “MySpace.com” ruled the internet.

Michael at Ravenna
Here's another vote for Blood Will Out. Surprising dark horse of the TPB bookseller top tens. Also, The Farmer and the Clown is probably the greatest picture book of all time.

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 
• Loitering by Charles D'Ambrosio 
• Falling From Horses by Molly Gloss 
• Euphoria by Lily King 
• The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee 
• We are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas 
• Blood Will Out by Walter Kirn 
• Neverhome by Laird Hunt 
• Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson 
• When Aunt Mattie Got Her Wings by Petra Mathers

Emily A. at Lake Forest Park
More fabulous exposition. I really need to up my Top Ten game next year.

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 
• I'm totally cheating because I read this book as an advance in July 2013. But it wasn't published until May 2014, so I had to bottle up my enthusiasm for way too long. It was shortlisted for the National Book Award, and it should have won by a mile. (full disclosure: I didn't read any of the other shortlist books, but how could anything be better than this?) Beautifully written 
• Descent by Tim Johnston (due January 2015) 
• A perfect blend of literary fiction and heart-pounding suspense. 
• A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
• In Ove's ideal world, everyone would follow the rules, act with integrity at all times, and drive a Saab. Unfortunately, the rest of the world has other ideas. Hilarious, heart-wrenching, and a little absurd, this novel won me over on the first page. The short chapters make this an ideal book to keep in your bag for spare moments here and there in waiting rooms or on your transit commute. I didn't want it to end. 
• All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
• Beautiful, frank, honest, and funny - this is Toews at her best. 
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
• According to my notebook I finished this book on December 28, 2013, but I'm including it here anyway because it has stuck with me all year and was too late to include on last year's best-of list. I have gone back and started re-reading it twice while between books, and I've been pleasantly surprised at how compelled I was to continue. The 
• Remedy for Love by Bill Roorbach
• Even in the modern world, nature can still exert its will. In this thoughtful story, two people are brought together, surprising each other and themselves as they become acquainted. Gnashing, clashing, and surviving together, the protagonists fight memory and fantasy in an attempt to overcome the past and move into the future (preferably one with heat and plumbing). 
• Boy on Ice by John Branch
• While telling Derek Boogaard's story, Branch also ties in the history of the NHL enforcer, the league's expansion into the American South, and a look inside the unsteady life of a minor league athlete. He exposes the systemic failure of team doctors and coaches to acknowledge a fatal combination of concussion symptoms and substance abuse, even as Boogaard was ostensibly being monitored by the league. I hope this book will get the attention of parents and coaches in all contact sports so that they will be better equipped to recognize symptoms in athletes and prevent further tragic losses. 
• Glow by Ned Beauman (due 1/20/15)
• Compelling characters, a shifting plot, and a gritty, vivid London setting kept me engrossed, but brilliant sentences are also lurking in this literary page-turner. 
• The Weirdness by Jeremy Bushnell
• Barely holding on to his job as a deli sandwich slinger, drinking too much, and worrying about making the rent, Billy Ridgeway is a loveable loser. One morning, he peers through the haze of a hangover to find a well-dressed stranger in his apartment, launching him into some serious Weirdness. In spite of himself, Billy even grows a little on his wild ride. 
• The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman 
• If I were someone who highlighted books, I would have marked several wonderful passages about books and libraries in the early chapters. This mosaic tale of an unorthodox childhood follows a cast of eccentric characters in a delightful coming-of-age quest for identity.

Adam at Lake Forest Park

Here's another one of my favorites Adam is never short of something unusual and interesting to recommend. Though it is a little bit of a tease when he recommends something to me, and I can't get my hands on it because it's out of print.

1. God Transcendent by J. Gresham Machen
2. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
3. Spiritual Warfare in a Believer's Life by Charles H. Spurgeon
4. The Wicked Enchanment by Margot Benary-Isbert (out of print)
5. Barbarian Lord by Matt Smith
6. Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask by Anton Treuer
7. The Silent Gondoliers by William Goldman
8. Winter is Coming by Tony Johnston
9. Shane by Jack Schaefer
10. The Thanatos Syndrome by Walker Percy

Henry at Lake Forest Park
One of our Used Book Buyers. My theory is that they have the best taste because they see ALL the books coming into the store.

• The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho 
• Olive Kitteridege by Elizabeth Strout 
• The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill 
• Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway 
• Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway 
• Breaking Ships by Roland Buerk 
• August Heat by Andrea Camelliari 
• Light Years by James Salter 
• Sometimes the Wolf by Urban Waite 
• Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

Annie at Lake Forest Park
I will always remember Annie's 2014 list for including The Animorphs Series. And now I will always remember her 2015 year because she's already read one of her favorites three times...this year!

• Clariel by Garth Nix
• I have actually read this book three times since receiving an early copy over the summer. I'm a giant fan of Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen, and this prequel is an amazing addition to the series. Plus, Nix says he is writing more books in the Old Kingdom series! Huzzah! 
• Silverblind by Tina Connelly
• The final book in Connelly's Ironskin trilogy is, I think, the best of them all! The first two, Ironskin and Copperhead, are worth the read just to get to Silverblind. 
• Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
• Another final book in a Young Adult romantic trilogy that I really, really enjoyed. Perkins' writing is wonderful! 
• Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
• Told through a series of emails, this book is seriously funny. But also very human in it's telling. Definitely worth picking up! 
• Dove Arising by Karen Bao
• This book doesn't come out until February 2015, but when it does come out, be sure to grab a copy! Set in a futuristic colony on the moon, Bao's debut is incredibly wonderful! 
• Cuckoo's Calling/Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
• I don't usually read mysteries, but I'll read anything by JK Rowling... I mean Robert Galbraith. The attention to detail in these books is awesome, and I am thoroughly looking forward to the third book in the series. 
• My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins
• A wonderful, seasonal, romantic compilation of short stories by some of the YA genre's greats. Readers should find a warm fire and a mug of hot chocolate to devour while enjoying this anthology. 
• Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
• Afterworlds is the story of both an author and her first book, and the book itself, told in alternating chapters. I loved this book because we got both the author's and protagonist's stories! 
• Because of Mr. Terupt/Mr. Terupt Falls Again by Bo Buyea
• This charming duo will take each and every reader back to their elementary school days. Mr. Terupt is that teacher we all wish we had for every grade: inspiring, authentic, and fun. 
• War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
• One of my absolutely favorite books, I decided 2014 would be a good year to revisit it. I'm so glad I did, my reread completely reaffirmed my love for this book!

Greg at Lake Forest Park
Such a cool list! And TWO authors named Michel!

• Texas: The Great Theft by Carmen Boullosa
• The Street of Thieves by Mathias Enard
• End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck
• The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
• The Tsar's Dwarf by Peter H. Fogtdal
• Harlequin’s Millions by Bohumil Hrabal
• Neverhome by Laird Hunt
• Diary of the Fallby Michel Laub
• La Grande by Juan José Saer
• The Forbidden Kingdom by Jan Jacob Slauerhoff

Lish at Lake Forest Park

Drum roll! Here it is, our last list of Top Tens for 2014. And it's a doozy. Her commentary on The Story of Owen is probably the greatest thing from any of these Top Tens.

• Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo - A solid end to an excellent series. 
• Cress by Marissa Meyer - While Scarlet continues to be my fave, this is another solid entry into the series. 
• Saga Volume 3 by Brian Vaughn and illustrated by Fiona Staples - Clearly I'm into series this year. I think Saga made it onto my list last year, too. 
• Greenglass House by Kate Milford - I'm still reading this one, but it's a cool book (Smuggler's inn, role playing games, stories in stories and MYSTERY!) and I can tell I'm going to love it all the way through. 
• Iron Night and Tainted Blood by M.L. Brennan (books 2 and 3 of the Generation V novels.) - Funny paranormal fantasy. The main character, Fortitude Scott, is a nerdy, awkward film major who recently became vegetarian to stave off becoming a vampire. 
• Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop - Third book in what is quickly becoming one of my favorite series. 
• The Story of Owen : Dragonslayer of Trondheim by EK Johnston - This book is excellent. You should read it. Dragons! Corporate dragon slayers! Set in Canada! 
• The Shrike : Pretty Deadly Volume 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick and illustrated by Emma Rios- Lush, creepy and savage. 
• Visions by Kelley Armstrong - Apparently I only read series books and graphic novels. 
• Mortal Heart by Robin Lafevers. Who doesn't love assassin nuns?

That's all she wrote. Thanks for humoring our need to classify and order what we read last year!

Bookseller Top Tens (part 2)

More great lists! Part one is here if you missed it.

Eric at Lake Forest Park
The first three titles on Eric's list sound like a really awesome, post apocalyptic, epic poem. Someone should write it.

• Faces in the Crowd by Valeria Luiselli
• Praying Drunk by Kyle Minor
• It Will End With Us by Sam Savage
• Dublinesque by Enrique Vila-Matas
• Dream of My Return by Horacio Castellans Moya
• 6 Drawing Lessons by William Kentridge
• Talking to Ourselves by Andres Neuman
• Ways of Going Home by Alejandro Zambra
• Sidewalks by Valeria Luiselli
• Trip to Echo Spring by Olivia Lain

Jane at Lake Forest Park
Excited to see The Goldfinch again!

1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
2. Under the Egg by Laura Fitzgerald
3. Tibetan Peach Pie by Tom Robbins 
4. Silkworm by Robert Galbraith 
5. Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie 
6. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman 
7. The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell 
8. What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada 
9. Sandrine's Case by Thomas H. Cook 
10. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Alex at Ravenna
Alex says his list is in no particular order, but then he numbered them, which seems like a very particular order. Here it is...in order.

1. Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J Wiebe 
2. A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka by Lev Golinkin 
3. The Unspeakable by Meghan Daum 
4. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying-Up by Marie Kondo 
5. Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer 
6. Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir 
7. Mathematicians Shiva by Stuart Rojstaczer 
8. The Lions of Al Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay 
9. The Melancholy of Mechagirl by Cathrynne Valente 
10. An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine

Chelsea at Lake Forest Park
Another newbie  to the Bookseller Top Tens...looks like a natural to me.

• The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac by Sharma Shields
• Natural Histories by Guadalupe Nettel
• The Kept by James Scott
• Henna House by Nomi Eve
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
• While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell
• The Bloodletter's Daughter by Linda Lafferty
• The Arsonist by Sue Miller
• The Farm by Tom Rob Smith
• Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Abraham at Lake Forest Park
I spy some classics! Woolf! Nabokov! Stevenson! How can you go wrong?

• The Children Act by Ian McEwan 
• Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov 
• F by Daniel Kehlmann 
• Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 
• The Sea by John Banville 
• The Antiquarian by Gustavo Faverón Patriau 
• Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson 
• Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes 
• The Trip to Echo Spring by Olivia Laing 
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Patti H. at Ravenna
Looks like Patti might have a new favorite author. I don't blame her, Rainbow Rowell is pretty amazing.

• Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell 
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
• Landline by Rainbow Rowell 
• The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wrecker 
• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart 
• Peanut Butter and Cupcake by Terry Border 
• Jackaby Raymond William Ritter 
• 150+ Screen Free Activities for Kids by Asia Citro 
• Take Away the A by Michael Escoffier 
• Sidekicks by Dan Santat

BOOKSELLER TOP TENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (part 1)

It's time! You know the drill. These are our ten favorite books of the year. No rules other than it must have been read in 2014. Some booksellers have applied a number ranking, and others have not. Here we go!

Robert at Lake Forest Park
Robert gets top billing this year. Because his list is the most informative. Also, he's in charge, so it only seemed right.

• Neverhome by Laird Hunt - An exquisitely spare and powerful novel with an unforgettable main character.
• The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs - My heart still aches thinking about Robert Peace. The author takes you deep into this young man’s world in a way that reminded me of the journalistic power of Katherine Boo’s Behind the Beautiful Forevers.
• 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write by Sarah Ruhl - Here reknowned playwright dives right into the heart of the creative process. I've reread many of these short pieces a few times already.
• All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld - This novel probably lived with me the longest after I finished it. Such a smart and masterfully executed structure. Maybe my favorite novel of the year.
• American Innovations by Rivka Galchen - How this didn’t end up on the National Book Award Longlist for Fiction, I’ll never understand. Galchen is the American heir to Borges.
• Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle - I can’t think of a better recommendation for this book than Austin Grossman’s “like Darnielle set out to adapt an old Iron Maiden t-shirt as a literary novel and succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.” 
• Tennessee Williams by John Lahr - The sections of this book that center around the creation and production of Williams’ plays are amazing. The access Lahr had to the voices of the people who were there at the time make this book a true landmark of American Theater history.
• Marshlands by Matthew Olshan - I love when novels refuse to tell the story you think they are going to. This novel set in the Iraq marshlands does that beautifully.
• Blood Will Out by Walter Kirn - What a ride! Besides being and incredibly gripping story about a bizarre con-man, this book is a fascinating look inside the mind of a writer. Kirn's own culpability about being duped and what that says about writers and the human psyche is the real engine that drives this book.
• We are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas - This is an immersive very moving book about family and love that will probably make you tear up more than once. In the end, however, it is a story of hope.

Deborah at Lake Forest Park
Behold. The Queen of Mystery. What I mean is that she's the Queen of Mystery Books...not that she's necessarily mysterious. Though, come to think of it, she is.

1.  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
2.  The Wolf by Mo Hayder
3.  Blackhouse by Peter May
4.  The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen
5.  Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
6.  To Dwell in Darkness by Deborah Crombie
7.  The Accident by Chris Pavone
8.  Blue Labyrinth by Preston and Child
9.  I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
10.  Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel

 

Mark B. at Ravenna
I love this list! Fiction! Non-fiction! Male and female authors! Plus a couple of books that I also loved this year. Mark's got good taste.

• Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin 
• Blood Will Out by Walter Kirn 
• The Dinner by Herman Koch 
• Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross 
• Black Moon by Kenneth Calhoun
• Against Football by Steve Almond 
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 
• All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld 
• Neverhome by Laird Hunt 
• Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty 

Patti J. at Lake Forest Park
Patti's list is a great list for all of you out there seeking fantastic kid's books. From itty, bitty babies to angsty teens, Patti's got you covered!

• Seattle Seahawks ABC by Brad Epstein
• Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan
• Red Knit Cap Girl and the Reading Tree by Naoko Stoop
• Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
• The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm
• Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chirs Grabenstein
• Dash by Kirby Larson
• Incommunicado by Randall Platt
• The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak

Wes at Lake Forest Park
Wes is a first timer on our Top Ten Lists. He says about making his list, "I feel like a preteen filling out a Tiger Beat questionnaire." He's not wrong.

• Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet
• There Must Be Some Mistake by Frederick Barthelme
• The Unspeakable by Meghan Daum
• A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres
• All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
• Love Me Back by Merritt Tierce
• Last Last Chance by Fiona Maazel
• Falling in Place by Ann Beattie
• Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe by Philip Gefter
• The Essential Ellen Willis by (wait for it...) Ellen Willis

Erin B. at Ravenna
This person obviously has the best taste. Just kidding, it's me.

• Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran 
• The Short and Tragic Life or Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs 
• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 
• The Charioteer by Mary Renault 
• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander 
• The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy 
• The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath
• Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin 
• All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld 
• The Infatuations by Javier Marias

Erin K. at Lake Forest Park
Another Erin with fabulous taste. Obviously it comes with the name. Love this list.

• The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck 
• History by Elsa Morante 
• Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville 
• All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld 
• The Horned Man by James Lasdun 
• Natural Histories by Guadalupe Nettel 
• The Snows of Yesteryear by Gregor von Rezzori 
• Silences, Or a Woman's Life by Marie Chaix 
• The Sea by John Banville 
• Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill

Ray at Lake Forest Park
His name isn't Erin, but it's still a pretty great collection of books. I personally can't wait to read Shirley.

• Dead Mountain:The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar
• I Remember You: A Ghost Story by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
• The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer
• Shirley: A Novel by Susan Scarf Merrell
• Love Me Back by Nerrutt Tierce
• Stupid Children by Lenore Zion
• Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh
• The Troop by Nick Cutter
• Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
• Where the Moon Isn't by Nathan Filer

Andrew at Ravenna
YAY! Andrew's back! And he's brought his fabulous reading taste with him!

• The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss 
• The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss 
• Altered Carbon by Richard K Morgan 
• The Likeness by Tana French 
• The Black Company by Glen Cook 
• Last Night at The Lobster by Stewart O'nan 
• The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg 
• Stoner by John Williams 
• Tenth of December by George Saunders 
• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Emily M. at Ravenna
It's one of our Ravenna Children's  Wizards. Emily always has the perfect recommendations for the middle reader crowd.

• Perfectly Messed Up Story by Patrick McDonnell 
• Half a World Away by Cynthia Kadhota 
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 
• Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell 
• Pure Cure by Sharyn Winters 
• 100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake 
• Little Elliott Big City by Mike Curato 
• A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip Stead 
• Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones 
• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 

This is just the beginning! Stay tuned for more top ten lists!

2013 Bookseller Top Tens Part Three!

Alright, here are the last of the 2013 bookseller top tens.  And before the end of January.  Yay!  Part one is here and part two is here.  Since I began posting these, I have read two books from the various lists (Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell) and both were excellent.  I hope these lists lead to equally good reading fortune for you!

Terry at Lake Forest Park
What a diverse and equal opportunity list!  Maybe the only list in the whole bunch that has an equal number of fiction and non-fiction titles.  Great job, Terry!

Fiction
1. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman
2. City of Bohane by Kevin Barry
3. Tumbledown by by Robert Boswell
4. Aiding and Abetting by Muriel Spark
5. Mr. Lynch's Holiday by Catherine O'Flynn

Non-Fiction
1. His Excellency George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis
2. Wolves in the Land of Salmon by David Moskowitz
3. Desire of the Everlasting Hills by Thomas Cahill
4. The Gathering of Zion : the Story of the Mormon Trail by Wallace Stegner
5. Elwha : A River Reborn by Lynda Mapes

Emily at Ravenna
One of our genius kids' books booksellers, Emily's list is jam packed with tons of great kids' books.  All across the spectrum too.  Middle readers, picture books, poetry.  More great diversity!  Here it is.

Breathing Room by Marsha Hayles
Rocky Road by Rose Kent
North of Nowhere by Liz Kessler
The Last Present (and rest of Willow Falls series) by Wendy Mass
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Big Snow by Jonathan Bean
Poems to Learn by Heart edited by Caroline Kennedy
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Mark at Ravenna
When Mark gave me his list, he numbered his books, as if there was an order to how much he liked which book.  Then he wrote at the end of the list, "In no particular order."  But they are in a distinctly particular order.  They're numbered.  So I was confused but that's not a difficult thing to do.  Here's Mark's list which is in a particular no particular order.

1. Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright.
2. Fiend by Peter Stenson.
3. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
4. Barabbas by Par Lagerkvist
5. Harvest by Jim Crace
6. At the Bottom of Everything by Ben Dolnick
7. Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible by Bart D. Ehrman
8. Samedi the Deafness by Jesse Ball
9. Man in the Woods by Scott Spencer.
10. The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton

Bookseller Top Tens Part Two!

I didn't forget about this.  It's just that putting together these lists takes an inordinate amount of time.  So, instead of fitting all the rest of the lists into this post, I'm just going to give you what we have so far.  Wouldn't want you to lose interest.  Besides, you may have already read everything on Part One!

Jessica at Lake Forest Park
Jessica has great taste.  I remember saying this last year too.  Her list this year only confirms it.  I LOVE Kavalier and Clay and I can't wait to try a few of these others.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson
Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick
Relish by Lucy Knisley
The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison

Lish at Lake Forest Park
Lish has got some great little blurbs for why the books on her list rock.  And she is so right about Hyperbole and a Half.

1. Saga (1 and 2) by Brian K. Vaughn - This graphic novel has been one of my vary favorite things this year. The problem with graphic novels is that sometimes I like the story and not the art or vice versa, but in this case, I'm all over both. And just a head's up--it definitely puts the *graphic* in graphic.
2. Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore - How did I miss this author? Humor, adventure, fantasy, horror, all rolled into one. Definitely right up my alley. I loved it so much I went back and read everything she's ever written. So much fun.
3. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson - There's a reason this book has sold so well. She makes me laugh so hard I choke on my own spit. Which leads me to...
4. Hyperbole and a Half:  Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened  by Allie Brosh - This is a book I recommend to fans of Jenny Lawson (AKA the Bloggess) and vice versa. I've long been a fan of the website and I was thrilled to see this book come out. Again, she made me laugh so hard I choke on my own spit, which, I might add, is really, really attractive.
5. Locke and Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez - Another graphic novel series I got into. Again, this one is pretty graphic. And creepy. And awesome.
6. Shades of Milk and Honey Mary Robinette Kowal- it's like Jane Austen, but with magic. I finally read Pride and Prejudice this year (and I loved that, too) and this was a wonderful one to follow up with.
7. Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead- The title sounds more like a series title, and the cover looks pretty bland, but I really got into this one. I'm excited for the follow up. I lost a lot of sleep reading this book.
8. Hounded by Kevin Hearne - Usually I don't go for the "if your a fan of ___" blurbs, but this book said "If you're a fan of Jim Butcher" and they were actually peg on. Lots of humor, mythology and action...and an excellent dog named Oberon.
9. Written in Blood by Anne Bishop - This is the first book I've read by Bishop, and I loved it. It didn't seem to get much attention, but I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel.
10. Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers - Assasin nuns sired by death himself. You're welcome.
11. Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo- high vocab, great story, superhero poet squirrel. That is not a typo. Superhero. Poet. Squirrel.
12. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - Young Adult about kids that are naturals at profiling and similar skills being trained by the FBI to hunt serial killers. I read this in one night.

I'm stopping there. So many good books this year, I could just keep going...

Michael at Ravenna
Michael is Team Captain at Ravenna.  We love him.  And we love his reading taste.  You will too.

All of It by James Salter
The Maid’s Version by Daniel Woodrell
Benediction by Kent Haruf
The Andalucian Friend by Alexander Soderberg
The Two Hotel Francforts by David Leavitt
The Gods of Guiltz by Michael Connelly
The Tilted World by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly
Monument Road by Charlie Quimby
Ghostman by Roger Hobbs
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Jane at Lake Forest Park
Goldfinch. Again!??!  I swear I did not put Jane up to adding it to her list.  I don't have that kind of power.

1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
2. Frances and Bernard by Caroline Bauer
3. Havisham by Ronald Frame
4. Hold Fast by Blue Balliett
5. Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
6. The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell
7. Let Him Go by Larry Watson
8. Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield
9. The Vanishing Act by Mette Jakobsen
10. Revenge by Yoko Ogawa

Tess at Lake Forest Park
Tess could not be more right about Fangirl.  It's really, really good.  In fact, I can't wait to finish writing this so I can get back to reading it.

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
2. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt (ill. by Oliver Jeffers)
3. Journey by Aaron Becker
4. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
5. Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
6. Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner
7. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
8. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
9. The Egypt Game by Zylpha Keatley Snyder
10. Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

Katherine at Ravenna
Katherine refused to put The Goldfinch on her list because she knew that I was putting in on mine twice.  So, her list really has eleven books on it, and one of those books is The Goldfinch.

How Should A Person Be by Sheila Heti
Letters to Monica by Philip Larkin
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
Civilwarland in Bad Decline by George Saunders
Stoner by John Williams
Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner
Bluets by Maggie Nelson
Speedboat by Renata Adler
Gilgi by Irmgard Keun

Stan at Lake Forest Park
The titles of the first three books on Stan's list read together sound like a really awesome movie, or a super cool new band.  Stan should write the movie, or form the band.  That would be rad.

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiassen
Big Money by P.G. Wodehouse
Dead Lions by Mick Herron
Jeeves and the Wedding Bells by Sebastian Faulks
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Scott Anderson
The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
One Summer:  America, 1927 by Bill Bryson
The Sleepwalkers:  How Europe Went to War in 1914 by Christopher Clark
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
You and Me by Padgett Powell