Books Read in 2007

[ed: these are the books I read in 2007, with a short note for posterity; doing some blog housekeeping, collapsing overtly long sidebar material.]

1. The Whole World Over (Julia Glass)
Conversation with Books, 2007
2. Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen)
recommended by a coworker
3. Perils of Paella (Nancy Fairbanks)
foodie mystery
4. Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)
I'm the last person to read this
5. Blue Arabesque (Patricia Hampl)
book group selection
6. The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
audio
7. Fieldwork (Mischa Berlinski)
exotic setting, taboo sex, missionaries, and murder
8. Heat (Bill Buford)
fast-paced, mouth-watering account of professional kitchens
9. Girls of Slender Means (Muriel Spark)
Spark project
10. Cross-X (Joe Miller)
debate
11. The Courier (Jay MacLarty)
read aloud to Mr. Bibliotonic
12. Astrid and Veronika (Linda Olsson)
book group selection
13. Feet on the Street (Roy Blount, Jr.)
background reading for trip to New Orleans
14. A Brief History of the Dead (Kevin Brockmeier)
read in NOLA
15. Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)
journey of self-discovery in exotic locales
16. New Orleans Mourning (Julia Smith)
back from NOLA, can't get enough
17. Henry Huggins (Beverly Cleary)
read aloud to son #1; a classic
18. Henry and the Paper Route (Beverly Cleary)
read aloud to son #1; a classic
19. Henry and Ribsy (Beverly Cleary)
read aloud to son #1; a classic
20. Ramona the Pest (Beverly Cleary)
read aloud to son #1; a classic
21. Confessions of a Teenage Sleuth (Chelsea Cain)
Nancy Drew-esque
22. The Woods (Harlan Coben) [audio]
predictable thriller; Coben's Myron Bolitar series is my preference
23. Henry and the Clubhouse (Beverly Cleary)
read aloud to son #1; a classic
24. The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books (J. Peder Zane)
fun book of lists
25. 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (Peter Boxall)
another fun book of lists
26. Henry and Beezus (Beverly Cleary)
read aloud to son #1; a classic
27. It's Not about the Tapas (Polly Evans)
cycling, northern Spain, travel, humor
28. Momentum Is Your Friend (Joe Kurmaskie)
cycling, cross-country journey, father-son memoir; read aloud to Mr. Bibliotonic
29. The Year of Magical Thinking (Joan Didion)
mega award-winning memoir; a favorite author
30. Bangkok Haunts (John Burdett)
thriller set in exotic locale; series
31. Yiddish Policemen's Union (Michael Chabon)
amazingly crafted, highly imaginative novel
32. Austenland (Shannon Hale)
lighthearted novel
33. A Cook's Tour (Anthony Bourdain)
"re-read", audio
34. Angelica (Arthur Phillips)
Victorianesque novel; read for book group
35. Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows (J.K. Rowling)
culmination of series; read aloud to Mr. Bibliotonic
36. The Places in Between (Rory Stewart)
adventure/travel essay
37. Play It As It Lays (Joan Didion)
seminal novel by a favorite author
38. French Fried (Nancy Fairbanks)
cozy foodie mystery; palate cleanser from heavier fare
39. Bloodletting and Other Miraculous Cures (Vincent Lam)
impressive debut; story collection; read in San Francisco
40. Sweet Revenge (Diane Mott Davidson)
cozy foodie mystery
41. The United States of Arugula (David Kamp)
history of food trends/movements and restauranteurs
42. Mommy Tracked (Whitney Gaskell)
chick lit with substance
43. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Sherman Alexie)
National Book Award-winner for young readers; read for book group
44. The Uncommon Reader (Alan Bennett)
subversive and quick novel about books and the Queen; read in NYC
45. The Silverado Squatters (Robert Louis Stevenson)
account of Napa Valley in the 1800s
46. Bagman (Jay MacLarty)
second in series we started earlier in the year; read aloud to Mr. Bibliotonic
47. The Amateur Gourmet (Adam Roberts)
delightful foodie coming of age; writer by a fellow food blogger
48. Not a Girl Detective (Susan Kandel)
another Nancy Drew-esque mystery; read in Winner, SD
49. The Stupidest Angel (Christopher Moore)
darkly comic story for the holidays; audio
50. Feeding a Yen (Calvin Trillin)
Trillin's tales of local food specialties; a paean to his beloved late wife and adventure buddy, Alice