What were the best books you read in 2007.  They don't have to be published in 2007, only read by you this year

Best Fiction:

Best Non-Fiction:

Best Historical Fiction:

Best Romance:

Best Mystery:

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy:

Best Chick Lit:

Best Book Written by a Non-American:

Best Biography/Memoir:

Best Religion/Spirituality:

A book that surprised you in a positive way:

Best Fiction: I can't decide between Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, Midwives by Chris Bohjalian, and Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Best Non-Fiction: Digging for the Truth by Josh Bernstein

Best Historical Fiction: Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston & Mozart's Sister by Rita Charbonnier

Best Romance: Summer by the Sea by Susan Wiggs

Best Mystery: No 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Best Chick Lit:  Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

Best Book Written by a Non-American: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Seijie

Best Biography/Memoir: Dear Senator by Essie Mae Washington Williams

Best Religion/Spirituality: Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski

A book that surprised you in a positive way: Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama & Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy + a little romance:  Lord of the Fading Lands and Lady of Light and Shadows byC.L. Wilson.  I've mentioned/recommended these in several other posts.  I think they are absolutely fantastic.  Good v. evil premise, sexy Fey (in leather no less!), magic, and what I consider to be wonderful characters that are well written.  I cannot wait for the next two to come out, but sadly they aren't scheduled for release till Oct/Nov of 2008.  I'll probably have re-read these two a dozen times by then!

I'll have to think more on the other categories. 

ETA:  Can "Rescuing Sprite" be considered a memoir?  If so, I vote for that.  Heart-rending but a great story.

I haven't tried fantasy and romance combined.  A new genre to explore :)

I read about 400 books a year, so it was very hard to make some of these choices.

Best Fiction: Mistress of the Art of Death, by Ariana Franklin. http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780399154140-Mistress+of+the+Art+of+Death

Best Non-Fiction: The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson – hands down the best. http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9781594489259-The+Ghost+Map       ETA: I just read The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan, and it is excellent, fascinating, and makes economics interesting. Who knew the guy could write?

Best Romance: All Together Dead, by Charlaine Harris.  http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780441014941-All+Together+Dead+Southern+Vampire+Bk+7

Best Mystery: The whole English folk song series by Deborah Grabien, starting with The Weaver and the Factory Maid.  http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780312314224-The+Weaver+and+the+Factory+Maid+Ringan+Laine+1 Tied with City of Masks by Daniel Hecht. http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9781582343594-City+of+Masks+A+Cree+Black+Novel

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy: The Devil You Know, by Mike Carey. http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780446580304-The+Devil+You+Know

Best Chick Lit: (the only one I read, but quite good) My Summer of Southern Discomfort, by Stephanie Gayle  http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780061236297-My+Summer+of+Southern+Discomfort

Best Book Written by a Non-American: Clapton, An Autobiography, by Eric Clapton. He is not a nice person, but he certainly makes clear the life of an addict.   http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780385518512-Clapton+The+Autobiography

Best Biography/Memoir: Three Roads to the Alamo: the lives and fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis, by William Davis. http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780060173340-Three+Roads+to+the+Alamo+The+Lives+and+Fortunes+of+David+Crockett+James+Bowie+and+William+Barret+Travis

Best Religion/Spirituality: Aimee Semple McPherson and the Resurrection of Christian America, by Matthew Avery Sutton – superficial treatment but interesting. http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780674025318-Aimee+Semple+McPherson+and+the+Resurrection+of+Christian+America

A book that surprised you in a positive way: The Assault on Reason, by Al Gore. I thought it would be a politically-motivated transcription of sound bites. It was not. http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9781594201226-The+Assault+on+Reason

Best Fiction: Ordinary Days by Elizabeth Berg

Best Non-Fiction: Nine Part of Desire:The Hidden World of Muslim Women by Geraldine Brooks 

 Best Historical Fiction: One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus

Best Romance:  don’t think I read any  (would Voyager by Diana Gabaldon count ?)

Best Mystery:  none read - not a mystery fan really

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy:  none read

Best Chick Lit:  Swimming Naken by Stacy Sims

Best Book Written by a Non-American: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Best Biography/Memoir:  Between Two Worlds by Zainab Salbi  (her father was Saddam Hussein's pilot)

Best Religion/Spirituality:  Nope, none read here either

A book that surprised you in a positive way: A Dog's Life by Peter Mayle (DROP DEAD HILARIOUS)

Best Fiction: Water for Elephants ~ Sara Gruen

Best Non-Fiction: Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid ~ Jimmy Carter

Best Historical Fiction:  One Thousand Whote Women ~ Jim Fergus

Best Romance: Like Water for Chocolate ~ Laura Esquivel

Best Mystery: Shoes To Die For ~ Laura Levine

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy:  NA

Best Chick Lit: Good Greif ~ Lolly Winston

Best Book Written by a Non-American: Interpreter of Maladies ~ Jhumpa Lahiri

Best Biography/Memoir: Straight From the Heart: My Life in Politics and Other Places ~ Ann Richards

Best Religion/Spirituality: NA

A book that surprised you in a positive way: Finding Noel ~ Richard Paul Evans

Best Fiction: The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)

Best Non-Fiction: Assassination Vacation (Sarah Vowell)

Best Historical Fiction:  The Welsh Girl (Peter Ho Davies)

Best Romance:  Angel Falls (Nora Roberts)

Best Mystery: Death in the Garden (Elizabeth Ironside)

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy:  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J. R. Rowling)

Best Chick Lit: Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons (Lorna Landvik)

Best Book Written by a Non-American:  Fog of Doubt (Christianna Brand)

Best Biography/Memoir:  The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Jean-Dominique Bauby)

Best Religion/Spirituality:  n/a

A book that surprised you in a positive way: Crashing Through (Robert Kurson)

Best Fiction:  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, so sad they are finished

Best Non-Fiction: The Lady and the Panda by Vicki Croke, surprisingly great story

Best Historical Fiction:  Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel, delightful history

Best Romance:  Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, teen book-first book, stargirl, is my favorite!

Best Mystery:  Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich, not the best, but quick funny reads

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, thought provoking

Best Chick Lit: Darkfever/Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning-out of my comfort zone, highly surprized

Best Book Written by a Non-American:  The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron, blew me out of the water!

Best Biography/Memoir: Eat, Love, Pray by Elizabeth Gilbert, inspiring

Best Religion/Spirituality:  Mastering Life's Energies by Maria Nemeth, motivating

A book that surprised you in a positive way: Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn, super cute and clever

Hey, I read Stargirl with my niece about 5 years ago.  It was excellent!

What were the best books you read in 2007.  They don't have to be published in 2007, only read by you this year

Best Fiction: Chill Factor by Sandra Brown

Best Non-Fiction: The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx

Best Historical Fiction:

Best Romance: Probably the Virgin River trilogy by Robyn Carr.

Best Mystery: The first two in the Abby COoper, Psychic Eye series by Victoria Laurie

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Best Chick Lit: Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella

Best Book Written by a Non-American: um..........???

Best Biography/Memoir: The Heroin Diaries by Nikkie Sixx

Best Religion/Spirituality: 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper

A book that surprised you in a positive way: 90 Minutes in Heaven. I helped me so much when I lost my sister earlier this year, knowing that she's in Heaven and that I will see her again someday!

Best Fiction:  A Good and Happy Child, by Justin Evans

Best Non-Fiction:  The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson

Best Historical Fiction:  North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell

Best Romance:  North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell

Best Mystery:  read several by Ian Rankin - all good, especially after I visited Edinburgh this summer

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy:  The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman

Best Chick Lit:  Wuthering High, by Cara Lockwood (this is really YA, but in the chick lit style, and a lot of fun)

Best Book Written by a Non-American:  The Book Thief, by Marcus Zuzak

Best Biography/Memoir:  Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, by Alexandra Fuller, and Family Romance, by John Lanchester

Best Religion/Spirituality:  A Heart Like His, by Virginia Pearce

A book that surprised you in a positive way:  Watership Down, by Richard Adams - I don't usually like stories about animals, but this one really grabbed me and made me think of the rabbits as real people.

Best Fiction: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Best Non-Fiction: My Heart's in the Lowlands by Liz Curtis Higgs

Best Historical Fiction: Where Willows Grow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Best Romance: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Best Mystery: Aunt Dimity Goes West by Nancy Atherton

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy: The Eye of the Oracle by Bryan Davis

Best Chick Lit: Perfecting Kate by Tamara Leigh

Best Book Written by a Non-American: Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Goudge (British)

Best Biography/Memoir: Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

Best Religion/Spirituality: Every Secret Thing by Ann Tatlock

A book that surprised you in a positive way: The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

Best Fiction: The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields

Best Non-Fiction: Devil in the White City - Erik Larson

Best Historical Fiction: The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory

Best Romance: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Best Mystery: The Murder Room by P.D. James

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy:  Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

Best Chick Lit: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Billie Letts

Best Book Written by a Non-American: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Best Biography/Memoir:  Benjamin Franklin; An American Life by Walter Issacson

Best Religion/Spirituality: What type of book would fall into that category?

A book that surprised you in a positive way:  Going Postal by Terry Pratchett.  More Americans should read Terry Pratchett

This was very difficult.  Too many good books to choose from, but here goes:

Best Fiction:  A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Best Non-Fiction: The Broke Diaries: The Completely True and Hilarious Misadventures of a Good Girl Gone Broke by Angela Nissel

Best Historical Fiction: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig (the only one I read in this genre)

Best Romance: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Best Mystery: Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy: California Demon: The Secret Life of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner

Best Chick Lit: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Best Book Written by a Non-American: Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet by Xinran

Best Biography/Memoir:  Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster

Best Religion/Spirituality: Reconstructing Natalie (Women of Faith Fiction #17) by Laura Jensen Walker

A book that surprised you in a positive way: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Best Fiction: The Terror by Dan Simmons

Best Non-fiction: Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula by Eric Nuzum

Best Historical Fiction: have to say the Terror by Dan Simmons again, don't really read much historical fiction

Best Romance: These Three Remain: A novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy by Pamela Aiden

Best Mystery: After the Funeral by Agatha Christie

Best SciFi/Fantasy: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

Best Chick Lit: All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

Best Book Written by a Non-American: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Best Biography/Memoir: I Am America (and So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert

Best Religion/Spirituality: The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

A Book that Surprised you in a Positive Way: Vamped by David Sosnowski

Best Fiction:  Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge

Best Non-Fiction:  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Mayhem at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larsen

Best Historical Fiction:  Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Best Romance:  Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Best Mystery:  Cross by James Patterson

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy:  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Best Chick Lit:  The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicole Krauss

Best Book Written by a Non-American:  This year all of the books I've read have been written by Americans.

Best Biography/Memoir:  I read 60 pages of Ben Franklin's biography....I didn't like it.

Best Religion/Spirituality:  Did not read any this year.

A book that surprised you in a positive way:  Sahara by Clive Cussler....  I know this sounds weird but I have always thought his books were along the lines of Tom Clancy and have not touched them but I had Sahara forever and went ahead and finally read it and absolutely fell in love with the characters and writing.  It had everything that I could imagine and they are fast reads for me!!!

Accidentally posted it twice!!

Best Fiction: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides; Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

Best Non-Fiction: The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan; The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson; Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz (I'm a non-fiction lover!)

Best Historical Fiction: March and Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks; Patriot Hearts by Barbara Hambly

Best Mystery: Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris; The Sibyl in her Grave by Sarah Caudwell

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy:  World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

Best Book Written by a Non-American: Above Suspicion by Helen MacInnes

Best Biography/Memoir: The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan; The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Best Religion/Spirituality: Mary: a Flesh and Blood Biography of the Virgin Mother by Lesley Hazleton

A book that surprised you in a positive way: Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons--it was much funnier and more down-to-earth than I expected.

Best Fiction: Middlesex
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides

 Ok, so Oprah finally picked some good books this year.

Best Non-Fiction: Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See
Author: Robert Kurson

This was about a blind man who regains his sight after 30 something years.  It was very interesting and hard to put down.

Best Historical Fiction: The Pillars of the Earth
Author: Ken Follett

A very long book but you will miss it when it's over.

Best Romance:  I didn't read any.

Best Mystery: Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter, Bk 1)
Author: Jeff Lindsay

The Dexter books are dark but hilarious.  A serial killer with a sense of humor.

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy:  I didn't read any.

Best Chick Lit: I did not read any

Best Book Written by a Non-American:Clapton: The Autobiography
Author: Eric Clapton

How he could remember anything after all the drinking and drugs is a mystery! 

Best Biography/Memoir:Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me
Author: Pattie Boyd

A more sober side of the Eric Clapton story.  I liked this one better than the Eric Clapton book.

Best Religion/Spirituality: did not read any

Best Horror: Heart-Shaped Box
Author: Joe Hill

How could you skip the horror books?  This one is by Stephen King's son.  I thought it was great...much better than some of his dad's books (and I'm a Stephen King fan).  This one was a real old school horror and was very well written.

A book that surprised you in a positive way:The Pillars of the Earth
 I didn't think much of this book until World Without End came out and realized it was a sort of sequel so I had to read Pillars first.  Everyone was telling me that Pillars was one of their favorite books of all time and now it's one of mine.  I haven't gotten to World Without end but it's next on my reading list.

Book that surprised me in a positive way:  "Lies That Bind" by Thomas Dominici.  Excellent story of a young man coming to terms with his homosexuality and a gripping treatise on sexual offenders and how they prey on children and young adults.

Here's some favorites I read last year that I highly recommend.

Anne Perry:(these are the first 3 books in a fantastic series about a family in England during WWI)

       No Graves As Yet, Shoulder the Sky and Angels in the Gloom

Francine Rivers: Outlaw's Embrace (this is an older romance. I found it very moving and not in a mushy-gushy, aw-schucks kind of way. But in a heart-breaking for the inner strugglers the characters were going through.  She's trying to be the perfect daughter to her widowed father while supressing her wants and needs. Hero is trying to avenge his louse of a father's death but struggling with the need to be the good-man he thinks she needs. The father trying to let his daughter go and come to terms with his past as an outlaw coming out.  The town DR hopelessly in love with the heroine willing to marry her even knowing she's in love with someone else.  Hoping she'll learn to love him.  The child-hood friend with a desperately unhappy wife and an over controlling mother. 

I'm sure I'll come back and add some more later.

Best Fiction: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Best Non-Fiction: Enrique's Journey by Sonja Nazario

Best Romance: Atonement by Ian McEwan

Best Mystery: Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Best Chick Lit: The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner

A book that surprised you in a positive way: The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

edited for formatting

Best Fiction: Little Children by Tom Perrotta

Best Non-Fiction: The Terror Dream by Susan Faludi

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell by Susanna Clarke

Best Book Written by a Non-American: Tono Bungay by H G Wells