I'd like to add a plug for sf-books.com, which is the community of readers that introduced me to The Steerswoman's Road. Lots of good stuff out there.

Dr.Pat, did you get my email with my pick. It was long but good, I thought

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco: Everything from Flash Gordon to the Book of Revelations. Anyone can write a kitchen-sink book , but it takes a master like Eco to reconcile all the seemingly disparate cultural, philosophical, psychological, historical and political strands and anchor them to a seamlessly compelling storyline and an empathetic protagonist.

It gots purty pitchers, to.

thw best books of a year are traditionally books published in the year.

I propose "The World Is Flat"

Hey, the question was phrased as "the best book you encountered this year," so I coughed up the very best I'd read all year. 'Sides, I think it's telling when the best book read was written half a century ago!

Some good stuff here... makes me want to go shopping. I really want to read The Confusion.

Thank you for asking me to join in, Dr. Pat. It made me think of everything I have read or written about this year -- perhaps over a lot of years.

Two other "first choices were: a pick of the week that I most enjoyed writing about; "The Pathfinder" -- a favorite but hardly a 2005 discovery. See Pathfinder.

And, of course, the post How I Grew which I just finished reading and dashed off on Dec. 9. Too recently to have considered for your fascinating post but worth a look.

Haruki Murakami's "Kafka On The Shore" was just fantastic, mysterious and strange like all his work, but with a new sense of scope and meaning.

Aaman, I phrased the challenge carefully, because books are timeless. To pick "the single book they first encountered in 2005 that most impressed them" was the assignment, and you see the results.

I also had a personal reason to set the parameters in this way - I wait for paperback versions to come out, and consequently I rarely read a book in the year it is first released in hardback (especially those that come out after April).

Please reread pick #10 - as Scott pointed out, I accidentally left out his choice, so the edited version is now in the post.

Nevertheless, your title, to be persnickety, is "The Best Books of 2005":)

For me, the best book I came across this year is the same as most years, The Annotated Sherlock Holmes (The Baring Gould edition):)

Have to side with Aaman on this one. The title of the article and the challenge given the respondents are not congruous. If a book is "of 2005," that implies its release date being said year.

I guess that's why it's important that people READ the article, which asks for their choice of best "first encountered in 2005". Not the best they read this year, not the best published this year.

Nevertheless, you can cast your ballot here in the comments, and limit your choice to "published in 2005" if that is your preference.

Thanks for adding me in, Dr.Pat.

Yep, but no one RTFA, as slashdotters know:)

Good books, inspires one to start one's own best-of threads

Scott. You would have turned me on to Fast Food Nation if it wasn't already a pet peeve/unbelievable rip off and danger to the health of the country. The stuff kills and is addictive. It is America's export of death (when I see a McPoison place in Mexico it annoys me) and far outweighs any danger by narco-traffickers. The FF people will kill far more with their fat, sugar, cholesterol and sub-standard foods than any drug dealer could think of.

If it wasn't addictive; no one could eat it. KFC is fry and gristle and fat. The burger places prey on children and catch them with little toys and playgrounds while turning them into lard tubs. I tried a Pizza Hut once in the States. Back to a real Italian place where they make dough and actually bake it with fresh ingredients. The Pizza Hut made me ill afterwards.

Look for a restaurant owned by people who go to markets, pick good food and then cook it. Even the inexpensive ones are better (usually).

Sounds like an interesting book, though, that adds the part about what rotten companies they are to work for. Not surprising but I will look forward to finding out more.

Mmmm...gristle and fat and addictive sub-standard mcpoison export of death that far far outweighs any danger posed by narco-trafficing drug dealers...you're making me hungry, where's a Pizza Hut?

Little smugly overstated and over-the-top, doncha think?

How is 'The Stars My Destination' one of the best books of 2005 when it was published like 30 years ago?

lumpy, allow me to intercede: please see comments 4-6 and 8-11.

Or just read the whole article. :)

As the one who chose it, I felt it was important to point that out even within the text of what I wrote. With everything released this year, even books that I enjoyed, the one that really stood out to me was one written decades in the past.

But what I find quite amusing here is that in a section dedicated to books, in an article about books, people have trouble with their reading comprehension.

Ah, irony!

Alisha--I'm afraid I was one of those who let my reading comprehension slip a couple notches. I think I still would've stuck with my choice, but I did severely reprehend myself just the same (even though I, as a Johnny-come-lately, wasn't one of the chosen few).

Let me throw in a second for Anansi Boys though it's not as good as American Gods and offer as well the overlooked but excellent Rivers of War by Eric Flint, which is an outstanding work of alternate history with really excellent and accurate historical content.

Dave

Oh and hey, I'm a blogcritic too - maybe my review of Wildwood Road ought to be included - it's a damned fine novel too.

Dave

This year I thoroughly enjoyed Moneyball by Michael Lewis and Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore.

Don't make me choose between the two.

Dr. Pat, your clarification has made it more confusing.

You wrote, "the article, which asks for their choice of best 'first encountered in 2005'. Not the best they read this year,"

Huh? I'm not clear how someone encounters a book without reading it. And if they didn't read it, their critque is suspect.

That line contradicts the article's excerpt, "the books chosen as the best they read" and your own paragraph, "the middle volume (The Confusion) still managed to be the most impressive book I read in 2005."

Persnicketly yours,

Definitely not the best - but my favorite -
Bush on the Couch by Justin A. Frank, M.D.

Dave -

I personally liked Anansi Boys better than American Gods. Personal preference, I suppose. And Rivers of War was a very well presented alternate history; I'd put it up there with some of the best books I read this year as well. Nation of Rebels by Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter was also an excellent and thought-provoking book which I first read this year, although it may have been first published in 2004.

I'm planning to read Ansai Boys during holiday break. I can't wait.

Pat,
I love Neal Stephenson but his books are just too big and intense. When he spoke at the National Book Festival last year he said his goal is for his next book to be small enough to fit in an airplane overhead compartment.
Tis a good goal, me thinks

Alpha, thanks for your comments. I hope you like the book.
It is an especially good book to read with a discussion group which is how I read it.

Fantastic list of books! I'm behind, for sure.

Ian McEwan is a great book, as is My Life in the CIA by Harry Mathews, which i highly recommend. I could think of others, but for now, i'll leave it there.... lately i've been reading older works for my own book..... so i can't really comment. if this is for 2005, nobody put Dylan's Chronicless which i would have for its honesty and the risk he took. The writing may be coarse but he finally broke his silence and that to me is worth a place here.

cheers all,

s.

Have yet to read any of the choices-but vote for the Historian. Placed hold on it at local library.

A book no one has seemed to pick up on here is one I received for Christmas called: The English Harem by Anthony McCarten. I think it says more about contemporary Britan than Saturday or Brick Lane, or White Teeth combined - a Vanity Fair for the 21st Century! Here's a link - not many other reviews on the site, but worth checking out in 06 for sure! here is the a site with info on The English Harem

I would like to vote for SIGSBY DENONE by hj stewart, because i am hj stewart thanks for the opportunity hj stewart