> On Mon, Jan 12, 2009 at 5:57 AM, Udhay Shankar N <[email protected]> wrote: >> I'm trying to get some recommendations, and further disturb the balance >> of the TBR pile on my shelves. What were the best books you read last year? >> >
These are my favourites from what I read last year: 1. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto: A very slim book that gets to you about death and mourning. 2. The Ballard of Halo Jones by Alan Moore: I liked it better than Watchmen or V for Vendetta. 3. What is the What: A very "shaking the foundation" kind of book that you must read to understand what is happening in Sudan. 4. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett: HILARIOUS! 5. The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon by Sei Shonagon: I found myself dreaming of living in such palaces with such societies long after reading it (possibly appeals only to the romantics!) 6. Africa: A Biography of the Continent by John Reader: The best introduction you can get to Africa right from the origin of humans to the late 60s. 7.Lord of the Flies by William Golding: A very terrible but (I think) realistic view of humanity. 8. The In-between World of Vikram Lall by M. G. Vassanji: Story of the violent struggle for independence, the silent rise of corruption after that in Kenya through the eyes of a boy of Indian origin. - divya
