Best book you read all year?

[Joyce Valenza]

This may be the first summer in a long time I can read just for fun. I thought it would be cool to plan our summer reading lists here. But let's really be selective. Choose one, just one, book in each category and share it here. Feel free to attach links to reviews or include delicious covers!

Best children's
Best YA
Best graphic novel/memoir, etc.
Best adult fiction
Best adult nonfiction
Best guilty pleasure(!)

[Jennifer Jamison]

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult by far is a novel that I could recommend to most any student grades 7-12. Best YA
Best Children's is a toughy--I love you forever by Robert Munsch (sp?)..
Best Graphic--The manga novels by far
Best Guilty Pleasure--Anything by Marian Keyes or Emily Giffin...

[Jennifer Altena]

Best children's/young adult/teen/intermediate/adult (appropriate for all ages) I have read this summer is Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I liked it so much I just finished the sequel - the dead & the gone. Both are books about separate teens that take place during the same period of time when the moon has come into a closer orbit with Earth.

[Sandra]

Here are some of my picks:

Best YA:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer (I thought Breaking Dawn (the 4th book) was the best)
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson---I also liked Fever, 1798

[Seymour Daniel Freidlin]

Fiction - Read both Dan Brown's Angels & Demons, and The DaVinci Code, and couldn't put them down

[Susan E]

For Kids: The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. If this doesn't win a Newbery, I'll cry.

For Adults: I really enjoyed Paula Deen's biography "It's Not all about the cookin''

"Water for Elephants" (fiction) by Sara Gruen was also fascinating.

[rarthur]

This is a nice book. I want to read this book.
----------------------------------------------------------
Richard Arthur

[Nancy]

Best YA: An Abundance of Katherines
Best Memiors: A Tale of Live and Darkness by Amos Oz
My Life in France by Julia Child
Best Fiction: Villette by Charlotte Bronte
Guilty Pleasure: Everything by Robert B. Parker: the Spenser novels, the Jesse Stone novels and theSunny Randall
novels

[Jennifer Winstead]

Joyce,
Maybe you can add these to your Christmas reading list. Here are some I really enjoyed:

Best children's- Schooled by Gordon Korman
Best YA- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas/Twilight series
Memoir, etc.- The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
Best adult fiction- 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Best adult nonfiction- I would like to read John Grogan's new book
Best guilty pleasure(!)- Queen of Babble series by Meg Cabot

Thanks for making this Ning! It's a great way to share ideas!
Jennifer

[Faithful Reader]

Best adult fiction -- The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo Stieg Larsson
Best YA -- The Adoration of Jenna Fox Mary Pearson
Best adult nonfiction -- American Shaolin Matthew Polly
Guilty Pleasure -- Brimstone Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child Pendergast series
Best Book on CD -- Unaccustomed Earth Jhumpa Lahiri

I've tried Library Thing, but prefer GoodReads.com. I can keep track of my books, list "to reads," and share with friends.

[Amy Stahura]

Professional- Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools by Gwen Solomon and Lynne Schrum has made a huge impact on my school and library program.

Guilty pleasure- Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen- what crazy characters!!!

[Marion Vose]

YA--No Shame, No Fear (Ann Turnbull)
graphic novel/memoir--American Born Chinese (Gene Yang)/Born on a Blue Day (Daniel Tammet)
adult nonfiction--Kitchen Table Wisdom (Rachel Remen)
guilty pleasure--The Shapeshifter (Tony Hillerman)

[Elisabeth LeBris]

I read a bunch of great titles this year but one that jumps right out to the front is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I really liked her Gregor series as well. Part 2 of Hunger Games comes out in Sept. A local book store friend gave me the galley to read so I am eager to get that started. This one would fall under Best YA.
Best adult nonfiction would have to be Outliers by Gladwell. I really loved his other two (Blink and Tipping Point) so this just was a natural for me.
Rarely get to any adult fiction - enjoying the K-8 stuff too much and it keeps me pretty busy trying to keep up.