by Sarah Statz Cords
At this time of year, you can’t move for fear of tripping over a new “Best Books” list. Making comprehensive lists has been done elsewhere, so what we’ll be doing in multiple posts through the end of the year is selecting a few of the lists most applicable to our work in libraries and with readers and listing them here. That’s right. We may not be the first to compile these lists, or the most comprehensive, but we’re the most demanding–what follows is a list of best book lists for the discerning readers’ advisor.
Best Books: Fiction
Amazon.com Editors’ Picks of 2009: Fiction and Literature (10 titles)
Booklist Best First Novels (10 titles)
Christian Science Monitor Best Fiction of 2009 (12 titles)
Genreville Blog/Publishers’ Weekly Top SF, Fantasy, and Horror (10 titles)
Best Books: Nonfiction
Boston Globe Best Nonfiction (7 titles)
Christian Science Monitor Best Nonfiction (24 titles)
Best Books: Fiction and Nonfiction
EarlyWord Best of the Best Spreadsheet (titles appearing on three or more “best” lists)
Economist Best Books (43 titles; particularly strong on business and economics)
Library Journal Best Books (31 titles)
New York Times Notable List (100 titles)
Best Books: For Kids
School Library Journal Best Books (54 titles)
