The Five Best Books of 2008

Hopefully you've enjoyed my "Best of" series, because I've had a lot of fun putting them together. I have a longer books post coming up later, but I wanted this to be seperate. These are the five best books I read in 2008.

1. Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon by Melissa Anelli


I realize that I've already written one gushing post about this book, so I'll just say again it's really, really good.

2. Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin


Excellent book. Fascinating. Not your typical memoir. It's deep and insightful and witty, but not laugh-out-loud funny- it doesn't need to be. It really shows just what a craftsman Steve Martin is. And he is hella smart. It should be mandatory reading for every stand-up comedian, wanna be or otherwise. I've read a lot of book abouts comedy and about comedians, and this is the best of the best.

The only criticism I have is that there isn't a lot of reflection/behind-the-scenes action from SNL or his later movie career. But I also understand that *that* isn't what this book is about. This book is about what got him to that point.

3. Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run by Alton Brown


Let me get this out of the way first- I love Alton Brown. I find him strangely attractive. I like his spiky hair and his round, tortiseshell glasses. I adore his sense of humor and I love that he isn't afraid to be smart. AND HE COOKS! *sigh*

This is a companion book to the second Food Network series of the same name. If you watched the series (as I did), you won't necessarily learn anything new, although the book contains 40 recipes gathered from the road trip. The photography is beautiful, and Alton makes good use of his writing skills honed from years of working in television and films. (Did you know he writes all the scripts for his TV show Good Eats??) I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book.

However, what makes this book so valubale to me is the index in the back of the book that lists the name, address, telephone number, website and GPS coordinate of every place they ate along the way! I can't tell you how many times I've watched a food/travel show on PBS or the Food Network, wanted to visit a featured place, and then could never remember exactly where it was. Alton also gives a list of suppliers for many of the specialty food and spices needed to make the local grub in your own home.

Now, if Alton would only come out with a companion book to the FIRST Feasting on Asphalt series...

4. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris


I've only included the first book of Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse series, but really this vote is for the series overall. These books are certainly not everyone's cup of tea (I still maintain I am not really a fan of vampire books!), but I'm surprised at how much fun these books are. Yeah, there's angst and strife, but there's also humor and fun. It took me about a week to get through the first eight books, and I'm eagerly awaiting the release of #9 in the fall.

5. U2: At the End of the World by Bill Flanagan


U2 is my most favorite musical group of all time. This is an excellent look at the world's biggest rock band. It's incredibly fascinating- the author travelled with U2 on their Zooropa Tour, which lasted two years. You don't get any closer than that. It's *almost* as good as going on tour yourself!

Honorable Mention
6. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling


It's J.K. Rowling, y'all. Of course it's going to be good!