Best of 2006: Reading lists for adults and children

It's typical of the weeks that end the old year and begin the new that everyone who can commit a thought to a shareable medium compiles a list of the best [whatevers] of the year. Libraries, readers, reviewers and bloggers have been thinking back over the year's best reading and posting their lists of the best. Here's a (non-exhaustive) selection:

• American Library Assoc.: Notable Books, 2006
• Assoc. for Library Service to Children (ALA): 2006 Notable Children's Books
• Cybils: The 2006 Children's and YA Bloggers' Literary Awards, including
  • Fantasy and Science Fiction
  • Fiction Picture Books
  • Graphic Novels
  • Middle Grade Fiction
  • Non-fiction (Middle Grade and YA)
  • Non-fiction Picture Books
  • Poetry
  • Young Adult Fiction
• The Economist: Books of the year 2006
• Library Journal: Best Books 2006 , including:
  • Best Genre Fiction 2006 (Mystery, Thriller, Romance, SciFi &Fantasy)
  • Best How-To 2006
• MotherReader: Top Picks for 2006 (So Far)
• New York Times: The 10 Best Books of 2006
• Publishers Weekly: 100 Best Books of the Year (multiple adult and child genre divisions)
• The Seattle Times: Best books of 2006
• School Library Journal: Best Books 2006
• Time Magazine: 10 Best Books
• Washington Post: our editors reveal their favorite reads of 2006
• Young Adult Library Services Assoc. (ALA): Best Books for Young Adults 2006 and Teens' Top Ten

See something on these lists that you'd especially like to read? Stop by the library, call, email or leave a comment here on the blog to see if we've already got it in the collection or to ask to add it to our list of potential additions to the collection.

12/23: New at the library this week

DVDs:

The big valley (Season one)

A song for the season

The Christmas shoes

Cricket on the hearth

The original television Christmas classics (Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, Frosty the snowman, Santa Claus is comin' to town)

The retrievers

The Ponderosa: Comes a horse & The lesser of two evils

The Ponderosa: Brother against brother & Treasure

The tangerine bear

Frankie and Hazel

I was a rat

By dawns early light

The treasure seekers

Franklin's magic Christmas

Return to the secret garden

The penny promise

Rigoletto

Escape from Wildcat Canyon

A fariy tale Christmas

Summer of the monkeys

The princess stallion

Pit pony

A family for Joe

Books:

• Runaways : Pride & joy / Brian K. Vaughan — All young people believe their parents are evil … but what if they really are? Meet Alex, Karolina, Gert, Chase, Molly and Nico – whose lives are about to take an unexpected turn. When these six young friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains, the shocked teens find strength in one another. Together, they run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives – vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy.
• Runaways : Teenage wasteland / Brian K. Vaughan — (Runaways Series, #2) (Age Range: Young Adult)
• Runaways : Missing: The good die young / Brian K. Vaughan — The world as we know it is about to end and the Runaways are the only hope to prevent it! But if our fledgling teenage heroes are going to succeed, they may have to become just as evil as their villainous parents. The Runaways have learned how their parents' criminal organization began, and now they must decide how it should end. As the Runaways' epic battle against their evil parents reaches its shocking conclusion, the team's mole stands revealed, and blood must be shed. Which kids will still be standing when the smoke finally clears? This is the story that changes everything (seriously!). (Runaways Series, #3) (Age Range: 12 and up)
• Runaways : True believers / Brian K. Vaughan — When a group of teenagers discovers that their parents are actually super-villains, they run away from home... but that's only step one! Now that the evil Pride is gone, nearly every bad guy in the Marvel Universe is trying to fill the power vacuum in Los Angeles, and the Runaways are the only heroes who can stop them! Plus: What does a mysterious new team of young heroes want with the Runaways, and which fan-favorite Marvel characters are part of this group? (Runaways Series, #4) (Age Range: Young Adult)
• Runaways : Escape to New York / Brian K. Vaughan — The team's lineup changes forever in the perfect jumping-on point for the series that Wizard said "could be the most original book to focus on teenaged super heroes since Spider-Man debuted all the way back in 1962!" When a dangerous alien invades Los Angeles, the Runaways' own Karolina Dean may be the only hero in the Marvel Universe who can stop him... but at what cost? (Runaways Series, #5) (Age Range: Young Adult)
• Gifts / Ursula K. Le Guin — When a young man in the Uplands blinds himself rather than use his gift of "unmaking"--a violent talent shared by members of his family--he upsets the precarious balance of power among rival, feuding families, each of which has a strange and deadly talent of its own. (Age Range: Young Adult)
• Voices / Ursula K. Le Guin — Ansul was once a peaceful town filled with libraries, schools, and temples. But that was long ago, and the conquerors of this coastal city consider reading and writing to be acts punishable by death. And they believe the Oracle House, where the last few undestroyed books are hidden, is seething with demons. But to seventeen-year-old Memer, the house is a refuge, a place of family and learning, ritual and memory--the only place where she feels truly safe. (Age Range: Young Adult)
• Nature girl / Carl Hiaasen — Honey Santana-impassioned, willful, possibly bipolar, self-proclaimed "queen of lost causes"-has a scheme to help rid the world of irresponsibility, indifference, and dinnertime sales calls.
• Naked / David Sedaris — Sedaris's message is pay attention to me. Whether he's taking to the road with a thieving quadriplegic, sorting out the fancy from the extra-fancy in a bleak fruit-packing factory, or celebrating Christmas in the company of a recently paroled prostitute, this collection of memoirs creates a wickedly incisive portrait of an all-too-familiar world.
• Three complete novels / Nelson DeMille — (Word of honor, Cathedral, By the rivers of Babylon)
• Our bodies, ourselves : a new edition for a new era / Boston Women's Health Book Collective — Read a sample chapter, Table of contents
• Arctic lace : knitting projects and stories inspired / Donna Druchunas — Qiviut, or musk ox down, is a world-class fiber--luxurious, warm, and lightweight. People who experience it become obsessed. Qiviut makes perfect hand-knitted lace, as demonstrated by the Alaskan artisans of Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers' Co-op. This book presents how-tos for knitting and designing lace, projects suited to new as well as experienced lace knitters, yarn sources, and comprehensive cultural background.
• A photographer's life : 1990-2005 / Annie Leibovitz —"I don't have two lives," Annie Leibovitz writes in the Introduction to this collection of her work from 1990-2005. "This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it."

12/16: New at the library this week

Books:

• 1001 books you must read before you die / Peter Boxall — For discerning bibliophiles and readers who enjoy unforgettable classic literature, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die is a trove of reviews covering a century of memorable writing. Each work of literature featured here is a seminal work key to understanding and appreciating the written word. The featured works have been handpicked by a team of international critics and literary luminaries.
• On Christmas Eve / Ann M. Martin — Eight-year-old Tess is convinced this is the year she will finally meet Santa, and experience "the Christmas magic." She also wishes with all her heart that her best friend's ill father will recover. Tess' faith in the season results in a Christmas Eve so wondrous, so sparkling, readers won't be able to help but feel transformed.
• Toys go out : being the adventures of a knowledgeable Stingray, a toughy little Buffalo, and someone called Plastic / Emily Jenkins — Together is best for these three best friends. Together they look things up in the dictionary, explore the basement, and argue about the meaning of life. And together they face dogs, school, television commercials, the vastness of the sea and the terrifying bigness of the washing machine. (Age Range: 6 to 9)
• Crispin : at the edge of the world / Avi — He was a nameless orphan, marked for death by his masters for an unknown crime. Discovering his name -- Crispin -- only intensified the mystery. Then Crispin met Bear, who helped him learn the secret of his full identity. And in Bear -- the enormous, red-bearded juggler, sometime spy, and everyday philosopher -- Crispin also found a new father and a new world. Now Crispin and Bear have set off to live their lives as free men. But they don’t get far before their past catches up with them. (Age Range: 9 to 12)
• The book without words : a fable of medieval magic / Avi — The Book Without Words appears to be a volume of blank parchment pages. But for a green-eyed reader filled with great desire, it may reveal the forgotten magical arts of making gold and achieving immortality. For generations, its magic has been protected from those who would exploit it. But on a terrible day of death and destruction, the Book Without Words falls into the hands of a desperate boy. (Age Range: 12 and up)
• I will hold you 'til you sleep / Linda Zuckerman — Here is the rare book that not only expresses a parent's love for their child, but offers a hope for what that love will become. It begins with a wish at bedtime, as parents hold their children tight and hope their love will cradle them, safe and sound. It continues through the day their children have grown up, proud and strong, and can pass that love on to someone else. This is a book that goes beyond a parent's "I love you" to the generous wish that our children will make the world a better place. (Age Range: 4 to 8)
• Gardening essentials / Barbara Pleasant — Gardening Essentials gives you essential ideas, knowledge, lists, instructions and projects you need to make better gardening decisions and meet your own personal gardening goals, be they big or small or somewhere in between.
• The gardener's bird book : a guide to identifying, understanding, and attracting garden birds / Tom Carpenter
• Solving garden problems : flowers / A. Cort Sinnes
• Perennials / Maggie Oster
• The gardener's butterfly book : a guide to identifying, understanding, and attracting garden butterflies / Alan Branhagen
• Plant propagation / Alan Toogood
• The big book of flowers / A. Cort Sinnes
• Better gardens, less work / Barbara Pleasant
• Shade gardens / Mimi Luebbermann

12/9: New at the library this week

Books:

• Rise and shine / Anna Quindlen — It's an otherwise ordinary Monday when Meghan Fitzmaurice's perfect life hits a wall. A household name as the host of Rise and Shine, the country's highest-rated morning talk show, Meghan cuts to a commercial break-but not before she mutters two forbidden words into her open mike. In an instant, it's the end of an era, not only for Meghan, who is unaccustomed to dealing with adversity, but also for her younger sister, Bridget, a social worker in the Bronx who has always lived in Meghan's long shadow. The effect of Meghan's on-air truth telling reverberates through both their lives, affecting Meghan's son, husband, friends, and fans, as well as Bridget's perception of her sister, their complex childhood, and herself.
• Judge & jury / James Patterson — Senior FBI agent Nick Pellisante is closing in on the notorious mob boss "The Electrician," when the scheduled sting goes spectacularly awry. Two FBI agents are dead, the boss is wounded, and Pellisante vows the Electrician's next move will be from a jail cell. Andie Echeverra, a part-time actress and a single, full-time mom, is assigned her next role as Juror #11 in the landmark trial against Mafia Don Dominic Cavello. Everybody is on edge. No one has ever crossed the man whose orders have made entire families disappear.
• Motor mouth / Janet Evanovich — A woman with a taste for speed and a talent for breaking the rules, Barney also knows a little too much about cheating. First there was Hooker and that salesclerk. Now she's convinced one of the competitors is up to no good on the track. Snooping to find evidence, Hooker and Barney "borrow" a NASCAR hauler. Turns out, the hauler is carrying two race cars and a dead guy. Now Barney and Hooker are facing multiple counts of grand theft auto and homicide.
• Triptych / Karin Slaughter — From Atlanta's wealthiest suburbs to its stark inner-city housing projects, a killer has crossed the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries, too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread- and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael's lover before she became his enemy. But unbeknownst to both of them, another player has entered the game: a loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer's trail in the most coincidental of ways- and who may be the key to breaking the case wide open.
• Thirteen moons / Charles Frazier — At the age of twelve, under the Wind moon, Will is given a horse, a key, and a map, and sent alone into the Indian Nation to run a trading post as a bound boy. It is during this time that he grows into a man, learning, as he does, of the raw power it takes to create a life, to find a home. In a card game with a white Indian named Featherstone, Will wins - for a brief moment - a mysterious girl named Claire, and his passion and desire for her spans this novel.
• Pirate Island adventure / Peggy Parish — Summer vacation at Pirate Island! Liza, Bill, and Jed can't believe their grandparents' wonderful surprise. The excitement begins even before they reach the island, as Grandpa gives the first clue to the unsolved mystery of a long-lost family "treasure." (Age Range: 7 to 10)
• Chomps, Flea, and Gray Cat (that's me!) / Carol Wallace — Jealous? Me? Well...maybe a little. My people got a new white puppy named Chomps. That's because he bits at everything, especially flies. What could a gray cat—me—want with a Scottish terrier, anyway? The little nipper got into some trouble with the big rats in the barn. It was partly my fault. So...I had to save him. Problem is, now I can't get rid of him. What am I supposed to do with a dog who's determined to get himself into trouble. (Thats Me Series; Age Range: 8 to 10) (read a sample chapter)
• Carlotta's kittens and the Club of Mysteries / Phyllis Reynolds Naylor — It is the coldest part of winter and all of the male cats in the Club of Mysteries — which meets over Murphy's garage — have one thing on their minds: Carlotta. Has anyone seen the she-cat that they all adore? Has she had her kittens yet? Because they all know that once Carlotta and her kittens appear, it will be their job not only to protect the young ones from the dangers of the world — including being discovered and taken to the pound — but also to teach them the skills they'll need to survive. (Cat Pack Series; Age Range: 8 to 10)
• The Van Gogh Cafe / Cynthia Rylant — The Van Gogh Cafe, located in Flowers, Kansas, has magic in its walls, causing strange and mysterious events to occur there. (Age Range: 8 to 12)
• Akiko on the planet Smoo / Mark Crilley — When fourth grader Akiko finds a spacecraft hovering outside her window one night, she begins the adventure of a lifetime. She is whisked off to the planet Smoo to lead a team searching for the King of Smoo's kidnapped son. Akiko the head of a rescue mission? She's afraid to be on the school's safety patrol! (what's a graphic novel?)
• The chameleon wore chartreuse : from the tattered casebook of Chet Gecko, private eye / Bruce Hale — Chet Gecko loves a good mystery. Almost more than he loves his fee —stinkbug pie. So when fellow fourth grader Shirley Chameleon asks him to find her missing brother, Billy, Chet expects the case to be as easy as pie. But Billy's disappearance is part of a larger plot, one that involves the Rat Sisters, a riddling junkyard dog, and a vicious Gila monster named Herman. If Chet doesn't solve the case fast, the entire school could be humiliated. Worst of all, Chet might not get his fee. And Chet's hungry.... (Chet Gecko Mysteries Series; Age Range: Young Adult)
• The trouble with Tuck / Theodore Taylor — Helen adored her beautiful golden Labrador from the first moment he was placed in her arms, a squirming fat sausage of creamy yellow fur. As her best friend, Friar Tuck waited daily for Helen to come home from school and play. He guarded her through the long, scary hours of the dark night. Twice he even saved her life. Now it's Helen's turn. No one can say exactly when Tuck began to go blind. Probably the light began to fail for him long before the alarming day when he raced after some cats and crashed through the screen door, apparently never seeing it. But from that day on, Tuck's trouble—and how to cope with it—becomes the focus of Helen's life. (Age Range: 9 to 12) (read an excerpt)
• The seven treasure hunts / Betsy Byars — Two boys make up a series of treasure hunts for each other, with disastrous and hilarious results. (Age Range: 9) (read an excerpt)
• Our only May Amelia / Jennifer L. Holm — It isn't easy being a pioneer in the state of Washington in 1899, but it's particularly hard when you are the only girl ever born in the new settlement. With seven older brothers and a love of adventure, May Amelia Jackson just can't seem to abide her family's insistence that she behave like a Proper Young Lady. Not when there's fishing to be done, sheep to be herded, and real live murderers to be captured! May is sure she could manage better if only there were at least one other girl living along the banks of the Nasel River. And now that Mama's going to have a baby, maybe there's hope.... (Age Range: 9 to 12) (read an excerpt)

2006 best reading and gift book lists

The end of the year is notable for the publication on all sorts of summing-the-year-up lists, not the least of which are compilations of the year's best books. The Waterboro Public Library in Maine has published a great list of the best books of the year and best holiday gift books to get you started.

12/2: New at the library this week

Videos:

• The Alamo
• Open range
• The hunted
• Spy game
• Fascination
• North and south : Book 1 & Book 2

DVDs:

• The sea inside
• Vengeance valley
• Casablanca express/Swiss conspiracy
• Mystery woman
• Night of the living dead
• Paradise now

Books:

• Murder below zero / Ronald P. Lovell — Professor and sometime amateur sleuth Thomas Martindale leaves campus to sign on as a science writer for a research expedition to the Arctic for a change of pace from the often mundane world of the university. The work is unique: an attempt to study ice as a tool for national security. Soon after the members of the team board a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker for the journey to their base—a remote island in the Beaufort Sea—Russian scientists join the group with unpleasant consequences. (read a sample chapter)
• The end / Lemony Snicket — This book is the last in A Series of Unfortunate Events, and even if you braved the previous twelve volumes, you probably can't stand such unpleasantries as a fearsome storm, a suspicious beverage, a herd of wild sheep, an enormous bird cage, and a truly haunting secret about the Baudelaire parents. (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #13)(Age Range: 9 to 12) (read a sample chapter)
• The life and times of the thunderbolt kid / Bill Bryson — Bill Bryson's first travel book opened with the immortal line, "I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to." In this hilarious new memoir, he travels back to explore the kid he once was and the weird and wonderful world of 1950s America. He modestly claims that this is a book about not very much: about being small and getting much larger slowly. But for the rest of us, it is a laugh-out-loud book that will speak volumes - especially to anyone who has ever been young.
• Happy feet : the movie storybook — Little Mumble isn't like the other penguins--he loves to dance! When the penguin elders blame Mumble's unique "happy feet" for the shortage of food, Mumble bravely sets off on an epic quest to prove them wrong . (Age Range: 3 to 6)
• Santa cruise / Mary Higgins Clark — Alvirah Meehan, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth; her husband, Willy; recently hitched private detective Regan Reilly and her groom, Jack, head of the NYPD Major Case Squad; and Regan's parents, Nora and Luke, are guests on the Royal Mermaid's maiden voyage, the Santa Cruise. The cruise is Commodore Randolph Weed's gift to a select group of people who in the last year "made the world a better place." What he really wants is good publicity that will generate future bookings for his struggling new venture. He also plans to scatter his beloved mother's ashes at sea during this four-day odyssey in the Caribbean. What he doesn't know is that his ne'er-do-well nephew, Eric, has smuggled two escaping criminals on board. (read a sample)