The Five Best Books I've Read This Year

I read about two books a week. Some weeks I only finish one, but lately I’m finishing three or four a week. Though it will slow down again as I start a new job tomorrow, I’m still shooting to read 100 books this year, which is about how many I read last year. Sometimes I'm asked to name the best book I’ve read lately, but that’s hard to answer because it depends on a variety of questions: Best as in best plot? Best characters? Most entertaining?

But here is an attempt to list the five books I have most enjoyed reading so far in 2007. Note my phrasing there because at least one of those books, King Dork, came out prior to this year. These are in no particular order.

1. King Dork by Frank Portman: This book spoke so loudly to me — and not just because it was written by the singer of the punk band the Mr. T Experience — that I’ve been handing my copy to friends, pleading, “You HAVE got to read this.” If you like sex, dreaded high school, ever spent more than five minutes trying to think of a great band name and love or hate The Catcher In the Rye, than this book will speak to you - and hopefully so will my interview with the author.

2. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz: I love mysteries and thrillers but a lot of my favorite writers -- Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, George Pelecanos -- are getting quite well known. There’s something special about coming across an author before he or she is well known. Lutz’s debut novel is stunning in its brilliance and hilarity. At turns surprising and funny -- and sometimes both -- I was gushing with praise for it when I talked with her. She and I agreed on the best description of her style: "Nancy Drew after a bottle of Jack Daniels.”

Imagine a girl growing up in a family of private detectives in which every member follows and scams each other, and such. Now imagine trying to leave that family business. Add a voice that’s even more smart ass than mine. Add new twists on old clichés and play up those detective novel stereotypes. Mix. Hilarity ensues.

3. The Triumph of the Thriller: How Cops, Crooks, and Cannibals Captured Popular Fiction by Patrick Anderson: Anderson makes a solid case for why mysteries and thrillers so fascinate readers, including me, and why writers also love them. He also trashes some writers -- I’m looking at you, Tom Clancy and Patricia Cornwell -- who are undeserving of their popularity and riches, as he explained to me.

Anderson wonderfully captures not only the history of the thriller but also its acceptance in society as real literature, not just as some niche or genre item. Anderson, who has been a speechwriter for presidents and who has written thrillers, has my dream job: He is paid by The Washington Post to review thrillers. It’s always fun just to compare notes with him.

Article Author: Scott Butki

Scott Butki was a newspaper reporter for more than 10 years before making a career change into education... then into special education.

He reads at least 50 books a year and has about the same number of author interviews each year and, …

Visit Scott Butki's author page — Scott Butki's Blog