It's been a slower year for me. Between giving up books for Lent, having a second baby, and being on the road for a good chunk of time, I barely hit 100 books this year, counting kids' books and comics. (Non-kid fiction and non-fiction were probably around 23 or so.)
So, first I'll give my kids' book recommendations:
Picture books: Pezzettino by Leo Lionni is a cute book about being yourself. The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan has some striking illustrations and confirms Tan's place on my list of favorite kids' book artists. Mommy? by Arthur Yorinks, Maurice Sendaks and Matthew Reinhart is one of the most amazing pop-up books I've ever come across.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo is a gorgeously illustrated book about a porcelain rabbit. The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin is charming book about growing up Chinese. And for the older kid, McSweeney's Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs ... collection of stories is an excellent introduction to a bunch of great writers.
In the world of comics and graphic novels, I finally read some of the Adventures of Tintin (Volumes 1, 2, and 7) and enjoyed those quite a bit. The Flight anthologies also introduced me to the work of many newer talents. I read a few things by Warren Ellis, but my favorite was probably his Ministry of Space, an alternate history about a British space program. The Complete Calvin & Hobbes, of course, belongs on any "best of" list (and my wish list, too!). And, finally, just barely making it in 2006, my favorite comic-book nerd, Scott McCloud with Making Comics.
Finally, fiction:
It may have been the year of the dog, but in my reading world it was the year of the rabbit. Two rabbit-related books top my list (not to mention Edward Tulane above): The Year of the Angry Rabbit, a hilarious Australian satire, and Watership Down, a classic and still one of my favorites. I finally got around to Neil Gaiman's American Gods, which is indeed excellent, and reread C. S. Lewis' Space Trilogy. (The last, That Hideous Strength, is the best of the three.) And, finally, I discovered a silly new series starting with Pirates! In an adventure with Scientists, about a bumbling ship of fools who aren't really much good at anything but making me laugh.
I did read some non-fiction this year, but none of them really stand out as a "best" book. Maybe next year.
Happy reading in 2007!
Fed to jonathan's brain | December 31, 2006
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