Hudson Booksellers has released its list of Best Books published in 2008.
The books, chosen by a panel of the company’s professional booksellers and managers, were based on achievements including literary style and innovation, entertainment and readability, and timeliness and treatment of subjects and themes.
The list includes the 10 best fiction, 10 best non-fiction, five best children’s and five best business interest books. The book of the year was “When You Are Engulfed in Flames” by David Sedaris.
“Hudson Booksellers’ ‘Best Books of the Year’ display has been very well received by travelers,” says Sara Hinckley, vice president of book buying and promotions. “We are very selective about the titles that we highlight through signed recommendations and featured displays, in particular our ‘Great Read’ and ‘Best of’ selections. … We are proud to share our passion for our favorite books by directing travelers to the lists that will be prominently displayed in all Hudson Booksellers and large Hudson News stores, starting Dec. 1.”
The winning books are listed alphabetically by author:
Best Non-Fiction: “The Animal Dialogues,” Craig Childs; “Hot, Flat & Crowded,” Thomas Friedman; “The Ayatollah Begs to Differ,” Hooman Majd; “Out of Mao’s Shadow,” Philip P. Pan; “In Defense of Food,” Michael Pollan; “The Unthinkable,” Amanda Ripley; “Beautiful Boy,” David Sheff; “The Way of the World,” Ron Suskind; “The Post-American World,” Fareed Zakaria
Best Fiction: “The Hakawati,” Rabih Alameddine; “2666,” Roberto Bolano; “All About Lulu,” Jonathan Evison; “The Lazarus Project,” Aleksander Hemon; “The Hour I First Believed,” Wally Lamb; “The Given Day,” Dennis Lehane; “A Mercy,” Toni Morrison; “Lush Life,” Richard Price; “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” Garth Stein; “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle,” David Wroblewski
Best Children’s: “The Hunger Games,” Suzanne Collins; “Big Words for Little People,” Jamie Lee Curtis; “Little Brother,” Cory Doctorow; “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules,” Jeff Kinney; “Bats at the Library,” Brian Lies
Best Business Interest: “Predictably Irrational,” Dan Ariely; “Outliers,” Malcolm Gladwell; “Simplexity,” Jeffrey Kluger; “Earth: The Sequel,” Fred Krupp; “The Snowball,” Alice Schroeder
