2008 was an exciting year for me. I got lots of reading done and more importantly I jumped into the world of blogging. With the creation of That’s the Book! I got to meet lots of people that are more obsessed with reading than myself and sometimes I don’t think that’s quite possible but you’re out there and you know who you are. And on the note of book blogs I think it’s important to note the loss of a great reader and dedicated book blogger Dewey, she will be missed by everyone and by nobody more than her family.
Outside of that I’ve moved back to Canada and since moving back I haven’t had the time to get all the reading I’d like to get done. And as a result I haven’t been posting on here as much as I like. Just being in a country where I have more options for spending time and living with a few other people make reading a challenge. But I hope to get more done in this new year than I have since moving back to Canada. And I hope that being part of a book club again helps me keep on top of my reading.
I’ve read quite a few books this past year and it’s difficult to pick the top book of the year. Part of that is because I was introduced to the wonderful world of graphic novels and now that I’ve started it’s hard to set them aside for the traditional novel. But some of the books that top the ones I’ve read this year include:
I Am America (And So Can You) by Stephen Colbert – this is perhaps the best when it came to humor this year. I laughed so hard reading this book and once you have Colbert doing something you know it’s going to be good.
An honorable mention for humor goes to David Sedaris for Me Talk Pretty One Day. I wish I could be a part of his family because they sound like a riot.
The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean get top marks for graphic novels. It’s a wonderful story about a boy coming of age. As much I dislike coming of age stories this is one that could read over and over again. If the story isn’t good enough for you the novel is extreamly visually stimulating.
Honorable mention goes to Chester Brown’s Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography. Riel is a huge character in Canadian history and particularly Manitoba (as founding father of that province). Riel is contriversial and this book really brings to light who Riel was and does a decent job of presenting the two views of the man.
Best novel that I read in ’08 would have to be Edward P. Jones’ The Know World. I had different expectations for this novel but was pleasantly suprised by the book. If you haven’t read it you should pick it up. Another one well worth the read would be Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. A love story that takes place during the Second World War.
I’d like to hear from you. What was the book that you enjoyed the most in 2008? Leave a comment so I have a good list consider for ’09.
That's the Book! 
I recently read your post about Irène Némirovsky and wanted to let you know about an exciting new exhibition about her life, work, and legacy that opened on September 24, 2008 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage —A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City. Woman of Letters: Irène Némirovsky and Suite Française, which will run through the middle of March, will include powerful rare artifacts — the actual handwritten manuscript for Suite Française, the valise in which it was found, and many personal papers and family photos. The majority of these documents and artifacts have never been outside of France. For fans of her work, this exhibition is an opportunity to really “get to know” Irene. And for those who can’t visit, there will be a special website that will live on the Museum’s site http://www.mjhnyc.org.
The Museum will host several public programs over the course of the exhibition’s run that will put Némirovsky’s work and life into historical and literary context. Book clubs and groups are invited to the Museum for tours and discussions in the exhibition’s adjacent Salon (by appointment). It is the Museum’s hope that the exhibit will engage visitors and promote dialogue about this extraordinary writer and the complex time in which she lived and died. To book a group tour, please contact Tracy Bradshaw at 646.437.4304 or tbradshaw@mjhnyc.org. Please visit our website at http://www.mjhnyc.org for up-to-date information about upcoming public programs or to join our e-bulletin list.
Thanks for sharing this info with your readers. If you need any more, please do not hesitate to contact me at hfurst@mjhnyc.org
Hannah: Thank you so much for this information. I’ll be in New York at the end of January and if things go as planned I’ll be sure to get to the Museum of Jewish Heritage. It’ll be great to see what I can learn about Suite Francaise and Irene Nemirovsky while I’m there.