Listmania!
Top 100 Books of 2007 (Kansas City Star) Part I
By an Amazon.com customer
DARK HORSES: Poets on Overlooked PoemsDARK HORSES: Poets on Overlooked Poems
Buy new: $15.96 / Used from: $7.57
ANTHOLOGY. Poets pluck good works from obscurity. *
Einstein: His Life and UniverseEinstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson
Buy new: $21.12 / Used from: $4.49
BIOGRAPHY BEGINS. It doesn’t take a genius to see how good the writing is.
Schulz and Peanuts: A BiographySchulz and Peanuts: A Biography by David Michaelis
Buy new: $20.99 / Used from: $5.45
The cartoonist is portrayed as depressed, obsessive, brilliant.
Boone: A BiographyBoone: A Biography by Robert Morgan
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $11.95
Looks past the legend to Daniel Boone, the man.
Being Shelley: The Poet's Search for HimselfBeing Shelley: The Poet's Search for Himself by Ann Wroe
Buy new: $22.80 / Used from: $7.22
Critical biography of landmark literary star and his poetry.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time IndianThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Buy new: $11.55 / Used from: $9.63
CHILDREN/YOUNG ADULT BEGINS. Boy grapples with community and identity.
DeadlineDeadline by Chris Crutcher
Buy new: $11.55 / Used from: $6.43
18-year-old finds he has a short time to live.
Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) by Stephenie Meyer
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $10.90
Teen vampires! Third installment of her Twilight series.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) by J. K. Rowling
Buy new: $20.99 / Used from: $5.84
Seventh and final time is (mostly) a charm.
The Invention of Hugo CabretThe Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Buy new: $15.63 / Used from: $13.95
Creative mix of narration, illustration and cinematic style.
The Girl's Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can't Manage without Apostrophes!The Girl's Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can't Manage without Apostrophes! by Lynne Truss
Buy new: $11.55 / Used from: $7.19
Author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves offers amusing kids’ version.
Proud to Be an Okie: Cultural Politics, Country Music, and Migration to Southern California (American Crossroads)Proud to Be an Okie: Cultural Politics, Country Music, and Migration to Southern California (American Crossroads) by Peter La Chapelle
Buy new: $22.45 / Used from: $14.16
MUSIC BEGINS. On the road, with a beat.
Coltrane: The Story of a SoundColtrane: The Story of a Sound by Ben Ratliff
Buy new: $16.32 / Used from: $8.23
Musicians may enjoy the jargon; nonmusicians, the look into the legend.
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the BrainMusicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
Buy new: $17.16 / Used from: $12.99
Why humans groove.
The Shotgun Rule: A NovelThe Shotgun Rule: A Novel by Charlie Huston
Buy new: $14.93 / Used from: $2.47
CRIME/SUSPENSE BEGINS. Summer of 1983 takes deadly turn for four teen slackers.
Con EdCon Ed by Matthew Klein
Buy new: $18.71 / Used from: $0.01
Both a primer on how to run a con and a caper mystery with double- and triple-crosses.
The StranglerThe Strangler by William Landay
Buy new: $24.00 / Used from: $0.46
In the midst of the Boston Strangler’s rampage, three sons of a murdered cop face down corruption and murder.
The Death TrustThe Death Trust by David Rollins
Buy new: $18.00 / Used from: $1.89
Air Force sleuth looks into deaths in Iraq, Germany.
What's So Funny? (Dortmunder Novels)What's So Funny? (Dortmunder Novels) by Donald E. Westlake
Buy new: $16.49 / Used from: $0.83
Hapless crook John Dortmunder is blackmailed into stealing a 680-pound chess set.
The Guild of XenolinguistsThe Guild of Xenolinguists by Sheila Finch
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $12.35
FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION BEGINS. Watch your language; ETs may be listening.
The Accidental Time MachineThe Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman
Buy new: $16.29 / Used from: $6.74
A man’s time machine moves in one direction — forward.
Rollback (Sci Fi Essential Books)Rollback (Sci Fi Essential Books) by Robert J. Sawyer
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $0.02
A procedure that should takes years off an elderly couple’s lives works for one.
Halting StateHalting State by Charles Stross
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $3.23
Virtual gaming can bring down economies.
Ha'pennyHa'penny by Jo Walton
Buy new: $19.72 / Used from: $7.34
A tale set in 1949 Britain warns there’s a price for giving up freedoms.
Garage BandGarage Band by Gipi
Buy new: $12.71 / Used from: $3.11
GRAPHIC NOVELS BEGIN. The acclaimed Italian writer-artist’s character study of a young garage band.
Chance In HellChance In Hell by Gilbert Hernandez
Buy new: $13.22 / Used from: $4.99
Grim tale about an orphan girl who grows up amoral simply to survive.
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War StoryThe Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman
Buy new: $16.29 / Used from: $13.50
HISTORY BEGINS. Riveting true tale of humans, nature and heroics during the Nazi siege of Warsaw.
The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (The Liberation Trilogy)The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (The Liberation Trilogy) by Rick Atkinson
Buy new: $21.00 / Used from: $14.38
Second volume of his World War II trilogy.
Boss-busters and Sin Hounds: Kansas City and Its StarBoss-busters and Sin Hounds: Kansas City and Its Star by Harry Haskell
Buy new: $29.71 / Used from: $23.85
How the paper you’re reading influenced KC in the early 20th century. *
Hunger for the Wild: America's Obsession With the Untamed WestHunger for the Wild: America's Obsession With the Untamed West by Michael L. Johnson
Buy new: $25.16 / Used from: $22.70
KU professor busts Western myths. *
The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest AvalancheThe White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche by Gary Krist
Buy new: $18.98 / Used from: $1.54
Harrowing tale of trains swept off a mountain in 1910.
The Enchanted Years of the Stage: Kansas City at the Crossroads of American Theater, 1870-1930The Enchanted Years of the Stage: Kansas City at the Crossroads of American Theater, 1870-1930 by Felicia Hardison LondrT
Buy new: $27.26 / Used from: $23.80
History of Kansas City’s entertainment life. *
Blood Passion: The Ludlow Massacre and Class War in the American WestBlood Passion: The Ludlow Massacre and Class War in the American West by Scott Martelle
Buy new: $18.94 / Used from: $10.41
Infamous railroad strike and its repercussions.
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy SoldierA Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
Buy new: $14.96 / Used from: $4.49
MEMOIR/AUTOBIOGRAPHY BEGINS. Harrowing and heartening tale of a Sierra Leone boy soldier.
Brother, I'm DyingBrother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
Buy new: $16.29 / Used from: $13.65
Stunning memoir of life, death, family and brutal tragedy.
How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone ElseHow Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else by Michael Gates Gill
Buy new: $15.64 / Used from: $4.94
Personal story also serves as examination of corporate values.
Mama's Boys: A Double LifeMama's Boys: A Double Life by Jonathan Holden
Buy new: $16.00 / Used from: $14.83
The former Kansas poet laureate’s latest is a memoir about himself and his twin brother. *
Elvis Is Titanic: Classroom Tales from the Other IraqElvis Is Titanic: Classroom Tales from the Other Iraq by Ian Klaus
Buy new: $18.72 / Used from: $4.25
Author’s own account of teaching in Iraq.
Writing in an Age of SilenceWriting in an Age of Silence by Sara Paretsky
Buy new: $17.21 / Used from: $8.50
Writer’s education in feminism, social justice and making of mystery novels.
Shoot the Widow: Adventures of a Biographer in Search of Her SubjectShoot the Widow: Adventures of a Biographer in Search of Her Subject by Meryle Secrest
Buy new: $18.94 / Used from: $4.65
The title and subtitle say it well.