Book List 2007

This is not a best-of-2007 list, since almost all of these books are older. It’s just a list of every book I read in the year, with some notes on the books I liked. The list is alphabetized by the author’s first name (for you’re benefit, not mine) and the series (e.g. The Darren Shan series or The Dresden books) are listen in order.

The Accidental by Ali Smith
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Dead Even by Brad Meltzer
The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer
The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer
The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik
Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan
Already Dead by Charlie Huston
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan
The Vampire’s Assistant by Darren Shan
Tunnels of Blood by Darren Shan
Vampire Mountain by Darren Shan
Trials of Death by Darren Shan
Vampire Prince by Darren Shan
Hunters of the Dusk by Darren Shan
Allies of the Night by Darren Shan
Killers of the Dawn by Darren Shan
The Lake of Souls by Darren Shan
Lord of the Shadows by Darren Shan
Sons of Destiny by Darren Shan
The Fire-Eaters by David Almond
Prank Night by David Robbins
Creepers by David Morrel
Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz
Strangers by Dean Koontz
The Taking by Dean Koontz
Tick Tock by Dean Koontz
Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz
A Complete Lowlife by Ed Brubaker
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
King Dork by Frank Portman
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (2 Reads)
The People’s Act of Love by James Meek
1st to Die by James Patterson
2nd Chance by James Patterson
Restoration of Faith by Jim Butcher
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
Summer Night by Jim Butcher
Death Masks by Jim Butcher
Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
White Knight by Jim Butcher
The Fourth Hand by John Irving
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carre
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
The Golem’s Eye by Jonathan Stroud
Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud
Secret of the Sirens by Julia Golding
Atonement by Ian McEwan
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
Holes by Louis Sachar
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Chrichton
Airframe by Michael Chrichton
Congo by Michael Chrichton
Jurassic Park by Michael Chrichton
The Lost World by Michael Chrichton
Prey by Michael Chrichton (re-read)
Rising Sun by Michael Chrichton
Sphere by Michael Chrichton
Headlong by Michael Frayn
Spies by Michael Frayn
American Gods by Neil Gaiman (re-read)
The Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Good Omens by Good Neil Gaiman and Terry Brooks
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card
Treasure Box by Orson Scott Card
Perfume by Patrick Suskind
Eye in the Sky by Philip K. Dick
Mystery by Peter Straub
Slave Day by Rob Thomas
I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon
Abduction by Robin Cook
Tunnels by Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams
The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub
Cell by Stephen King
The Colorado Kid by Stephen King
Everything’s Eventual by Stephen King
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Hannibal by Thomas Harris

 

 

Some random notes on the list:

Michael Chrichton is a genius. He has his bad books but he’s the only mainstream author who deserves the attention he gets. Grisham, Archer, Cook and Ludlum are nothing compared to him. The Lost World contains the best written action sequences I’ve ever read, kept me on the edge of my seat…my bed? And Prey is the fastest read I’ve ever encountered, silly but greatly entertaining.

The Dresden Books are addictive as hell and seem to be custom-written for me, mixing noir, gothic detective-story atmosphere with every supernatural aspect out there. It’s unfortunate ever since his other series started, we only get one book a year instead of two. The Darren Shan saga were cheesy books written for kids while simultaneously being more mature than most books on the list. Badly written but again, very addictive. Chuck Palahnuik’s a twisted freak who should be locked up in a mental facility but also my idol. I read three books of his and all work twisted on their own levels but Haunting was a rare gem, balancing over-dramatic human emotions with black plots and twisted tales to fill the gaps in the middle. Brad Meltzer’s a fresher substitute for Grisham, his books are more up to date and relevant but besides The First Counsel, he had no more good books in him.

King Dork is the ultimate guide to rock n roll music and nothing less than a melodramatic geek bible. Atonement was a fantastic book combining everything I love about classic literature with themes not visited so frequently or directly in the old years. It read like Austen and was as rich as Wilde (without the wit). The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay was a horrendously slow read but a very satisfying book. Cell was a major disappointment while Boy’s Life was a wonderful coming of age story set deep down in the south, in a time where monsters could still live in the rivers and the corruption of innocence was unheard off. Orson Scott Card surprised with two great standalone novels (Treasure Box and Lost Boys) that had absolutely nothing to do with sci-fi.

Neil Gaiman is still my favorite writer and reading not one but two unread books of his this year was a rare treat, mostly because he hardly ever pops one out, although I’m still waiting for his next adult novel. But my favorite book by far was The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. Fantastic writing, wonderful characters and intelligent dialogues, this book was nothing short of a roller-coaster ride so well written that you felt you were there. I put my life on hold for two days as I read this and I urge everyone reading this post to do the same.

The list holds a total of 97 reads (I’m counting the re-reads and double-reads as well), 3 less than the number I set for myself. But the truth is I rushed a lot to meet the number and next year I’m just going to relax and read and re-read what I want to, starting off with the uncut and extended edition of The Stand by Stephen King and finally starting The Raw Shark Texts which I’ve been putting off for far too long.

 

Note: Putting in small descriptions of the books would’ve made the post longer than possible and much easier to lose interest in so this is all you get, enjoy

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Tags: 2007 list, top books in 2007

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