BBOTY

The BBOTY that we sent to D&B last year (2008):

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story, Diane Ackerman

BBOTY from D&B to us (2008)

The Given Day, Dennis Lehane
inspired by reading, Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919, Ann Hagedorn
(included in the BBOTY package)

BBOTY sent to D&B 2009:

Proust Was a Neuroscientist, Jonah Lehrer
also included in the package, a strong contender: Thames, the Biography, Peter Ackroyd

BBOTY from D&B to us 2009:

Stone's Fall, Ian Pears

Also included in the package:

BBOTY (non-fiction) (note:unofficial category) The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, Candice Millard

and

BBOTY (Special Award) "The writing was just too good to leave out." The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie

Note: Part-Time Indian was on my list of top 3 and for some reason I did not include it in the BBOTY package as a third award. If I had, it would have been a first duplicate exchange!

Note: Last year's book from D&B was probably the best fiction I read in 2009 but was of course disqualified for my own selection for the year. It is a novel about the police strike in Boston in 1919 and succeeds as a compelling story, is elegantly crafted, and ranks with the best historical fiction. It is a story about America and I am surprised more people aren't talking about this book. I hope history teachers use this book in their teaching. Also note that my selection this year was non-fiction (essays) and a history of the Thames was a close contender.