2007 : A Year in Books

At the end of my junior year of high school, my English teacher, Mama T, asked the class to keep note of the books we read over the summer. I scribbled mine into a battered notebook still inscribed as as "le cahier mysterieux," a holdout from note-passing in middle-school French. Somehow, I kept listing until it became habit.

Reading tends to possess me in spurts - a semester in Provence inspired any number of cooking experiments, a newfound appreciation for palm trees and swishing skirts, and a prolonged literary spree in which I read 26 books in 6 months. Busier terms back in Nashville afforded far less leisure to spend with my beloved books, but even working 12-hour days on the campaign trail, I found time to read.

2007, however, brought the longest-running book binge I've ever sustained. Looking back over the list reminds me not only of what a good reading year it was, but also simply what a great year it was. It'll probably take me the rest of January to go through the list, but if you're looking for good books, be patient with me as I work my way through them.