standout reads from 2008
I finished I Know This Much Is True, a 900-pager by Wally Lamb in just days, and I have to say: I don't know if it was the length, or what, but I've never had the impulse to clap after finishing a book. I've never worried about whether a book would wrap up well or not, not wanting it to end, and then been so satisfied with the answers that it put me in a good mood all morning. I may write a fan letter.
Other stand-out reads:
Our Town, Thornton Wilder. I simultaneously feel I know and don't know what happens to Emily at the end. If I don't understand it, I don't really want to.
The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen. Kinda like This Much I Know Is True; excellent book about the complexities of family.
Empire Falls, Richard Russo. This is another one that I didn't want to end. Very believeable, characters you can root for.
Holy the Firm, Annie Dillard. May be the weirdest book you've ever read, but just go with it. You'll get sucked into her epiphany mindset.
The Pilot's Wife, Anita Shreve. I read it for class, and found myself going through it very quickly. I include this one because it was a smart pageturner, and I haven't been gripped by the pageturning bug in quite some time.
What were your favorites?