Books of the Year, 2007

A selected list of essentail, international literature written in English or available in translation. These were my Big Reads of 2007.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - even better than The Kite Runner.
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka - familial relationships, sisters, fathers and daughters ...
The Gathering (Man Booker Prize) by Anne Enright -- a young woman recalls the life of her beloved brother at his funeral - set in Ireland.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield -- surprising twists and turns of the writing life.
The Law of Dreams by Peter Behrens - the tale of a young man's journey from Ireland during the potato famine to England and ultimately to Canada .
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday - a sardonic view of the political machinations of the Blair government and the intringues of a wealthy Yemenite
Song of the Cuckoo Bird by Amulya Mallad - an unwilling guru, poverty and the lives of women in India.
Consumption by Kevin Patterson -- life in the Arctic with the Inuit.
Perfume by Patrick Suskind -- obsession and tragedy, a magical read.
Orpheus Lost by Jeanette Turner Hospital -- terrorism post 9/11 and the Orpheus myth.
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwen -- happenings on the Dorset coast and its affects on the lives of two ordinary individuals.
Ysabel by Guy Gabriel Kay -- magic, mystery and photography on the Cote Azure.
Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay -- Set in the remote Canadian north of Yellowknife, a radio station is the focus of a cast of eccentric characters. Winner of the Giller Prize.
Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon -- fast-paced adventure tale set in the Caucasus Mountains circa 950 AD. Folk-lore and legend blend with brilliant prose.

The Great Unread Book Club meets once a month in the Library Information Centre and more frequently online through this weblog to discuss books, authors, and the enchantment of the reading life.


This term the books under discussion include:

• When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka
• Ursula Under by Ingrid Hill
• The Secret River by Kate Grenville