Best Books of 2007

Fiction

1. Beneath a Marble Sky, J. Shors. Wonderful historical fiction about the building of the Taj Mahal.

2. A Thousand Splendid Suns, K. Husseini. Magnificent, heartbreaking story of women’s friendship.

3. Woman of the Silk, G. Tsukiyama. After hearing Tsukiyama speak this summer, I went back to the beginning. Great novel of women’s friendship during the silk trade in China.

4. Water: A Novel, B. Sidwha. Tragic, heartwarming story about Indian widow, on which the movie, “Water,” is based.

5. My Sister’s Keeper, J. Picoult. Another novel of Picoult’s that makes me look at things differently and from all sides.

6. Eye Contact, C. McGovern. Excellent murder mystery about an autistic boy who was present at the murder of a classmate.

7. The Girls, L. Lansen. Memorable, bittersweet story of a set of conjoined twins…a wonderful depiction of sisterhood.

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, JK Rowling. Excellent ending to a great rollicking tale!

9. Girl in a Box, S. Massey. Many of you know of my fondness for Massey’s novels. Another great one!

10. The Last King of Scotland, G. Foden. Disturbing story based on the life of a man who was Idi Amin’s physician.

11. As Hot as It Was You Ought to Thank Me, N. Kinkaid. Southern coming-of-age novel.

12. Everything Is Illuminated, J.S. Foer. Story of friendship between an American Jew searching and a Ukrainian man.

13. The Damascened Blade, B. Cleverly. Another in the series about murders taking place during the time of the Raj.

14. The Bondswoman’s Narrative , H. Crafts. The first novel written by a woman who used to be a slave, recently discovered.

15. The Dirty Girl’s Social Club , A. Valdes-Rodriguez. Interspersing stories of Latina women’s friendships in Boston.

16. The Tenth Circle, J. Picoult. Another thought-provoking, disturbing story from Picoult, this one about date rape.

17. Backpack, E. Barr. Shallow druggie travels the world and finds herself. Interesting “traveling” SE Asia background.

18. Final Jeopardy and Likely to Die, L. Fairstein. If you like “Law and Order: SVU,” you’ll like these mysteries.

19. Fabulous Nobodies, L. Tulloch. “Sex in the City” pre-Carrie Bradshaw. Shallow, hip, and fashionable. Not a typical read for me!

20. The Ivy Chronicles, K. Quinn. The Nanny Diaries for parents getting their kids into private school!

Nonfiction

1. Waiting for Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Two Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, an Oscar, An Atomic Bomb, a Romantic Night, and One Woman’s Quest to Become a Mother, P. Orenstein. The title says it all.

2. Shooting Water: A Memoir of Second Chances, Family, and Filmmaking, D. Saltzman. Daughter of director Deepa Mehta writes about her relationship with her mother and the troubled film making of “Water.”

3. Traveling While Married, M. Weisman. Enjoyable, light travel essays about traveling while married.

4. Blindsided: Living a Life above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir, R. Cohen. Story of living with multiple sclerosis.

5. Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent, M. Small. Fascinating look at parenting in a variety of cultures.

6. The Grizzly Maze: Timothy Treadwell’s Fatal Obsession with Alaskan Bears, N. Jans. If you were intrigued by “Grizzly Man,” read the book!

7. Are We There Yet?, S. Haas. NPR commentator writes about traveling with children—he’s a snob, but a good writer.

8. Copy This!: Lessons from a Hyperactive Dyslexic who Turned a Bright Idea into One of America’s Best Companies, P. Orfalea. Memoir of man who started Kinko’s.

9. Bait and Switch: The Futile Search of the American Dream, B. Ehrenreich. Gave me sympathy for job seekers.

10. The Gospel of Food: Everything You Think You Know About Food Is Wrong, B. Glassner. Thought-provoking treatise about food and the restaurant industry.