The 10 Best Books of the Year

Last week, The New York Times’ Book Review published its list, 100 Notable Books of the Year and it has since followed up with a whittled down list, The 10 Best Books of 2006. It’s boiled down to 5 works of fiction, and 5 non-fiction, and here’s what it looks like:

FICTION

ABSURDISTAN – Gary Shteyngart
THE COLLECTED STORIES OF AMY HEMPEL – Amy Hempel
THE EMPEROR’S CHILDREN – Claire Messud
THE LAY OF THE LAND – Richard Ford
SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS – Marisha Pessl

NONFICTION

FALLING THROUGH THE EARTH: A Memoir – Danielle Trussoni
THE LOOMING TOWER: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. – Lawrence Wright.
MAYFLOWER: A Story of Courage, Community, and War – Nathaniel Philbrick
THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA: A Natural History of Four Meals – Michael Pollan
THE PLACES IN BETWEEN – Rory Stewart

(Note: This list won’t appear in print until the December 10th.)