The Best of 2008: Staff Favorites

Below you will find the Book House booksellers' favorite books from 2008. They're as different as we are, so we hope there will be something for everyone! We'll be highlighting the books in the store to make it easy for customers to find them.

Without further ado, the best books of 2008, according to the Book House staff:

Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien
Chosen by: Troy
The book chronicles the life shared by biologist Stacey O'Brien and her adopted owl Wesley.
Troy says: Stacey O'Brien's dry humor and engaging reportage make this "animal tale" a standout. Read it even if--especially if--you're not pet-obsessed, because it's intelligent and fun.


Au Pied de Cochon by Martin Picard
Chosen by: Julia
Stories, photographs, and recipes make this cookbook a unique package.
Julia says: Life is a party, and at this Montreal restaurant, it's a party with pork products. An amazing eating experience is captured in this fantastic cookbook.


Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
Chosen by: Dan
The newest book by the best-selling author of Blink and The Tipping Point.
Dan says: Chance plays a bigger role in our lives than we like to admit. Gladwell shows how it may be the most important factor.


Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
Chosen by: Drew
This novel just made the cutoff; it was published right at the end of 2008.
Drew says: This fast-paced thriller tells the story of a doctor who was a mob hit man in a past life. This is the first novel from Josh Bazell. Written in a Chuck Palahniuk style, it's impossible to put down.


Mudbound by Hillary Jordan and The Little Book by Selden Edwards
Chosen by: Susan T.
Two very different books, so she just couldn't choose! Mudbound is set in the post-WWII South and has been compared to To Kill a Mockingbird. The Little Book tells the story of one man's struggles to understand why he was sent back in time to a half century before his own birth.
Susan says: Hard to choose, but Mudbound is by Hillary Jordan, a local author from Tivoli, and The Little Book involves traveling back in time (one of my favorite fictional devices) and it hasn't gotten nearly as much press as my other favorites...Watch for Mudbound in paperback this spring and possibly an author event, too!


The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Chosen by: Erin
Though technically classified as a young adult novel, Suzanne Collins spins a nail-biting story that will capture any reader.
Erin says: Set in a future America, it follows sixteen-year-old Katniss as she fights to win the government-sponsored, required-viewing Hunger Games--a reality TV show where the last contestant left alive is declared the winner. I spent every one of my spare minutes reading it, and when I'd finished, I spent days searching for something as catching to read. Everyone should read this book.