NY Times Notable Books 2005 - 2008

I totally stole this list from 3M. I let her do the hard work, then I just copy and paste - she's such a good friend to let me mooch from here. I like this idea, keeping track of the NY Times recommended books for the year. Some have been good, some not so good. I've bolded the ones I've already read, I've italicized the books I own and am waiting to read, and the little star* beside the ones that I am interested in, some day. Here's the link to the most recent list, and past years.

2009 ( 5 of 45)

1. Amatuer Barbarians by Robert Cohen
2. American Rust by Philipp Meyey
3. The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker
4. The Art Student's War by Brad Leithauser
5. Asterios Polyp by David Mazzuchelli
6. Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon
7. Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It by Maile Meloy
8. The Case Book of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd
9. Chronic City by Johnathan Letham
10. The Confessions of Edward Day by Valerie Martin
11. Dearest Creature by Amy Grestler
12. Do Not Deny Me: Stories by Jean Thompson
13. Don't Cry:Stories by Mary Gaitskill
14. Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada
15. Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower
16. Family Album by Penelope Lively
17. Follow Me by Joanna Scott
18. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorri Moore DNF
19. Generosity: An Enhancement by Richard Powers
20. Half- Broke Horses: A True Life Novel by Jeannette Walls
21. How It Ended: New and Collected Stories by Jay McInerney
22. In Other Rooms, In Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
23. Invisible by Paul Auster
24. Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi by Geoff Dyer
25. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
26. Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips
27. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
28. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
29. Love and Obstacles: Stories by Aleksander Hemon
30. Love and Summer by William Trevor
31. The Museum of Innocence by Orham Pamuk
32. My Father's Tears: And Other Stories by John Updike
33. Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazou Ishiguro
34. Nothing Right: Short Stories by Antonya Nelson
35. Once the Shore: Stories by Paul Yoon
36. One DOA, One on the Way by Mary Robison
37. Sag Harbour by Colson Whitehead
38. A Short History of Women by Kate Walbert
    
39. The Sky Below by Stacey D'Arasmo
40. The Song is You by Arthur Phillips
41. Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro
42. Typhoon by Charles Cumming
43. A Village Life by Louise Gluck
44. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
45. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

2008 ( 4 of 48 read)

1. AMERICAN WIFE. By Curtis Sittenfeld.
2. ATMOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES. By Rivka Galchen.
3. BASS CATHEDRAL. By Nathaniel Mackey.
4. BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN. By Charles Bock.
5. BEIJING COMA. By Ma Jian. Translated by Flora Drew.
6. A BETTER ANGEL: Stories. By Chris Adrian.
7. BLACK FLIES. By Shannon Burke.
8. THE BLUE STAR. By Tony Earley.
9. THE BOAT. By Nam Le.
10. BREATH. By Tim Winton.
11. DANGEROUS LAUGHTER: Thirteen Stories. By Steven Millhauser.
12. DEAR AMERICAN AIRLINES. By Jonathan Miles.
13. DIARY OF A BAD YEAR. By J. M. Coet­zee.
14. DICTATION: A Quartet. By Cynthia Ozick.
15. ELEGY: Poems. By Mary Jo Bang.
16. THE ENGLISH MAJOR. By Jim Harrison.
17. FANON. By John Edgar Wideman.
18. THE FINDER. By Colin Harrison.
19. FINE JUST THE WAY IT IS: Wyoming Stories 3 . By Annie Proulx.
20. *THE GOOD THIEF . By Hannah Tinti.
21. HALF OF THE WORLD IN LIGHT: New and Selected Poems. By Juan Felipe Herrera.
22. HIS ILLEGAL SELF. By Peter Carey.
23. HOME. By Marilynne Robinson.
24. INDIGNATION. By Philip Roth.
25. THE LAZARUS PROJECT. By Aleksandar Hemon.
26. LEGEND OF A SUICIDE. By David Vann.
27. LIFE CLASS. By Pat Barker.
28. LUSH LIFE. By Richard Price.
29. A MERCY. By Toni Morrison.
30. MODERN LIFE: Poems . By Matthea Harvey.
31. A MOST WANTED MAN . By John le Carré.
32. MY REVOLUTIONS. By Hari Kunzru.
33. *NETHERLAND. By Joseph O’Neill.
34. OPAL SUNSET: Selected Poems, 1958-2008. By Clive James.
35. THE OTHER. By David Guterson.
36. OUR STORY BEGINS: New and Selected Stories. By Tobias Wolff.
37. THE ROAD HOME. By Rose Tremain.
38. THE SACRED BOOK OF THE WEREWOLF. By Victor Pelevin. Translated by Andrew Bromfield.
39. THE SCHOOL ON HEART’S CONTENT ROAD. By Carolyn Chute.
40. SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT: A New Verse Translation. By Simon Armitage.
41. SLEEPING IT OFF IN RAPID CITY: Poems, New and Selected. By August Kleinzahler.
42. TELEX FROM CUBA. By Rachel Kushner.
43. 2666. By Roberto Bolaño. Translated by Natasha Wimmer.
44. UNACCUSTOMED EARTH. By Jhumpa Lahiri.
45. THE UNFORTUNATES. By B. S. Johnson.
46. WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS? By Kate Atkinson.
47. THE WIDOWS OF EASTWICK. By John Updike.
48. YESTERDAY’S WEATHER. By Anne Enright.

2007 ( 12 of 50 read)

1. *THE ABSTINENCE TEACHER. By Tom Perrotta.
2. AFTER DARK. By Haruki Murakami. Translated by Jay Rubin.
3. THE BAD GIRL. By Mario Vargas Llosa. Translated by Edith Grossman.
4. BEARING THE BODY. By Ehud Havazelet.
5. THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS THAT HEAVEN BEARS. By Dinaw Mengestu.
6. *BRIDGE OF SIGHS. By Richard Russo.
7. *THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO. By Junot Díaz.
8. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME. By André Aciman.
9. CHEATING AT CANASTA. By William Trevor.
10. THE COLLECTED POEMS, 1956-1998. By Zbigniew Herbert. Translated by Alissa Valles.
11. DANCING TO “ALMENDRA.” By Mayra Montero. Translated by Edith Grossman.
12. EXIT GHOST. By Philip Roth.
13. FALLING MAN. By Don DeLillo.
14. FELLOW TRAVELERS. By Thomas Mallon.
15. A FREE LIFE. By Ha Jin.
16. THE GATHERING. By Anne Enright.
17. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. By J.K. Rowling.
18. HOUSE LIGHTS. By Leah Hager Cohen.
19. HOUSE OF MEETINGS. By Martin Amis.
20. IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN. By Hisham Matar.
21. THE INDIAN CLERK. By David Leavitt.
22. KNOTS. By Nuruddin Farah.
23. *LATER, AT THE BAR: A Novel in Stories. By Rebecca Barry.
24. LET THE NORTHERN LIGHTS ERASE YOUR NAME. By Vendela Vida.
25. LIKE YOU’D UNDERSTAND, ANYWAY: Stories. By Jim Shepard.
26. MAN GONE DOWN. By Michael Thomas.
27. *MATRIMONY. By Joshua Henkin.
28. THE MAYTREES. By Annie Dillard.
29. THE MINISTRY OF SPECIAL CASES. By Nathan Englander.
30. MOTHERS AND SONS: Stories. By Colm Toibin.
31. NEXT LIFE. By Rae Armantrout.
32. ON CHESIL BEACH. By Ian McEwan.
33. OUT STEALING HORSES. By Per Petterson. Translated by Anne Born.
34. THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST. By Mohsin Hamid.
35. REMAINDER. By Tom McCarthy.
36. THE SAVAGE DETECTIVES. By Roberto Bolaño. Translated by Natasha Wimmer.
37. SELECTED POEMS. By Derek Walcott.
38. *THE SEPTEMBERS OF SHIRAZ. By Dalia Sofer.
39. SHORTCOMINGS. By Adrian Tomine.
40. SUNSTROKE: And Other Stories. By Tessa Hadley.
41. THEN WE CAME TO THE END. By Joshua Ferris.
42. THROW LIKE A GIRL: Stories. By Jean Thompson.
43. TIME AND MATERIALS: Poems, 1997-2005. By Robert Hass.
44. *TREE OF SMOKE. By Denis Johnson.
45. TWENTY GRAND: And Other Tales of Love and Money. By Rebecca Curtis.
46. VARIETIES OF DISTURBANCE: Stories. By Lydia Davis.
47. THE VIEW FROM CASTLE ROCK: Stories. By Alice Munro.
48. WHAT IS THE WHAT. The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng: A Novel. By Dave Eggers.
49. WINTERTON BLUE. By Trezza Azzopardi.
50. THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN’S UNION. By Michael Chabon.

2006 (13/50 read)

1. ABSURDISTAN. By Gary Shteyngart.
2. AFTER THIS. By Alice McDermott.
3. AGAINST THE DAY. By Thomas Pynchon.
4. ALENTEJO BLUE. By Monica Ali.
5. ALL AUNT HAGAR’S CHILDREN. By Edward P. Jones.
6. APEX HIDES THE HURT. By Colson Whitehead.
7. ARTHUR AND GEORGE. By Julian Barnes.
8. AVERNO. By Louise Glück.
9. BEASTS OF NO NATION. By Uzodinma Iweala.
10. BLACK SWAN GREEN. By David Mitchell.
11. BROOKLAND. By Emily Barton.
12. COLLECTED POEMS, 1947-1997. By Allen Ginsberg.
13. THE COLLECTED STORIES OF AMY HEMPEL.
14. THE DEAD FISH MUSEUM. By Charles D’Ambrosio.
15. DIGGING TO AMERICA. By Anne Tyler.
16. THE DISSIDENT. By Nell Freudenberger.
17. THE DREAM LIFE OF SUKHANOV. By Olga Grushin.
18. EAT THE DOCUMENT. By Dana Spiotta.
19. THE ECHO MAKER. By Richard Powers.
20. *THE EMPEROR’S CHILDREN. By Claire Messud.
21. EVERYMAN. By Philip Roth.
22. FORGETFULNESS. By Ward Just.
23. GALLATIN CANYON: Stories. By Thomas McGuane.
24. GATE OF THE SUN. By Elias Khoury. Translated by Humphrey Davies.
25. GOLDEN COUNTRY. By Jennifer Gilmore.
26. HALF OF A YELLOW SUN. By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
27. HIGH LONESOME: New & Selected Stories, 1966-2006. By Joyce Carol Oates.
28. THE INHABITED WORLD. By David Long.
29. *THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS. By Kiran Desai.
30. INTUITION. By Allegra Goodman. (2012)
    
31. THE KEEP. By Jennifer Egan.
32. LAST EVENINGS ON EARTH. By Roberto Bolaño. Translated by Chris Andrews.
33. THE LAY OF THE LAND. By Richard Ford.
34. LISEY’S STORY. By Stephen King.
35. NEW AND COLLECTED POEMS, 1964-2006. By Ishmael Reed.
36. OLD FILTH. By Jane Gardam.(2012)
37. ONE GOOD TURN. By Kate Atkinson.
38. ONLY REVOLUTIONS. By Mark Z. Danielewski.
39. THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ISLAND. By Michel Houellebecq. Translated by Gavin Bowd.
40. THE ROAD. By Cormac McCarthy.
41. SKINNER’S DRIFT. By Lisa Fugard.
42. SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS. By Marisha Pessl.
43. THE STORIES OF MARY GORDON. By Mary Gordon.
44. STRONG IS YOUR HOLD. By Galway Kinnell.
45. SUITE FRANÇAISE. By Irène Némirovsky. Translated by Sandra Smith.
46. TERRORIST. By John Updike.
47. THE TRANSLATOR. By Leila Aboulela.
48. TWILIGHT OF THE SUPERHEROES. By Deborah Eisenberg.
49. THE USES OF ENCHANTMENT. By Heidi Julavits.
50. *A WOMAN IN JERUSALEM. By A. B. Yehoshua. Translated by Hillel Halkin.

2005 (3/39 read)

1. BEYOND BLACK. By Hilary Mantel.
2. A CHANGED MAN. By Francine Prose.
3. COLLECTED POEMS, 1943-2004. By Richard Wilbur.
4. EMPIRE RISING. By Thomas Kelly.
5. ENVY. By Kathryn Harrison.
6. EUROPE CENTRAL. By William T. Vollmann.
7. FOLLIES: New Stories. By Ann Beattie.
8. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. By J. K. Rowling.
9. HOME LAND. By Sam Lipsyte.
10. THE HOT KID. By Elmore Leonard.
11. HOW WE ARE HUNGRY: Stories. By Dave Eggers.
12. IN CASE WE’RE SEPARATED: Connected Stories. By Alice Mattison.
13. INDECISION. By Benjamin Kunkel.
14. KAFKA ON THE SHORE. By Haruki Murakami.
15. LUNAR PARK. By Bret Easton Ellis.
16. MAPS FOR LOST LOVERS. By Nadeem Aslam.
17. THE MARCH. By E. L. Doctorow.
18. MEMORIES OF MY MELANCHOLY WHORES. By Gabriel García Márquez.
19. MIGRATION: New and Selected Poems. By W. S. Merwin.
20. MISSING MOM. By Joyce Carol Oates.
21. MISSION TO AMERICA. By Walter Kirn.
22. MOTHER’S MILK. By Edward St. Aubyn.
23. NATURAL HISTORY: Poems. By Dan Chiasson.
24. NEVER LET ME GO. By Kazuo Ishiguro.
25. *NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. By Cormac McCarthy.
26. *ON BEAUTY. Zadie Smith.
27. OVERLORD: Poems. By Jorie Graham.
28. THE PAINTED DRUM. By Louise Erdrich.
29. PLEASE DON’T COME BACK FROM THE MOON. By Dean Bakopoulos.
30. PREP. By Curtis Sittenfeld.
31. *SATURDAY. By Ian McEwan.
32. THE SEA. By John Banville.
33. SEVEN TYPES OF AMBIGUITY. By Elliot Perlman.
34. SHALIMAR THE CLOWN. By Salman Rushdie.
35. SLOW MAN. By J. M. Coetzee.
36. STAR DUST. Frank Bidart.
37. THE SUCCESSOR. By Ismail Kadare.
38. TOWELHEAD. By Alicia Erian.
39. VERONICA. By Mary Gaitskill.

2004 (4/42 read)

1. ALOFT. By Chang-rae Lee.
2. *THE AMATEUR MARRIAGE. By Anne Tyler.
3. AMERICAN SMOOTH: Poems. By Rita Dove.
4. BANDBOX. By Thomas Mallon.
5. A BIT ON THE SIDE. By William Trevor.
6. CLOUD ATLAS. By David Mitchell.
7. COLLECTED POEMS. By Donald Justice.
8. THE CURSE OF THE APPROPRIATE MAN. By Lynn Freed.
9. THE DARLING. By Russell Banks.
10. THE FALLS. By Joyce Carol Oates.
11. THE FIRST DESIRE. By Nancy Reisman.
12. FOUR SOULS. By Louise Erdrich.
13. GILEAD. By Marilynne Robinson.
14. THE HAMILTON CASE. By Michelle de Kretser.
15. HARBOR. By Lorraine Adams.
16. HEIR TO THE GLIMMERING WORLD. By Cynthia Ozick.
17. I AM CHARLOTTE SIMMONS. By Tom Wolfe.
18. THE INNER CIRCLE. By T. Coraghessan Boyle.
19. THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB. By Karen Joy Fowler.
20. JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL. By Susanna Clarke.
21. THE LEMON TABLE: Stories. By Julian Barnes.
22. THE LINE OF BEAUTY.By Alan Hollinghurst.
23. LITTLE CHILDREN. By Tom Perrotta.
24. MAGIC SEEDS. By V. S Naipaul.
25. *THE MASTER. By Colm Toibin.
26. MEN AND CARTOONS: Stories. By Jonathan Lethem.
27. NATASHA: And Other Stories. By David Bezmozgis.
28. OBLIVION: Stories. By David Foster Wallace.
29. OUR KIND. By Kate Walbert.
30. THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY. By Tony Eprile.
31. THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA. By Philip Roth.
32. THE PRODIGAL. By Derek Walcott.
33. *RUNAWAY. By Alice Munro.
34. *SNOW. By Orhan Pamuk.
35. *THE STONE THAT THE BUILDER REFUSED. By Madison Smartt Bell.
36. SWEET LAND STORIES. By E. L. Doctorow.
37. TRANSMISSION. By Hari Kunzru.
38. THE TYRANT’S NOVEL. By Thomas Keneally.
39. AN UNFINISHED SEASON. By Ward Just.
40. VILLAGES. By John Updike.
41. WAKE UP, SIR! By Jonathan Ames.
42. WAR TRASH. By Ha Jin.