Here they are, the best, and worst, books I read in 2004.
Final tally for the year: 75 books, 24,767 pages.
Top 10 Non-Fiction Reads of 2004
(Note: These are books I read in 2004, not necessarily books that were released in 2004)
10. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
9. The Spiral Staircase by Karen Armstrong
8. Planet Simpson by Chris Turner
7. Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynn Truss
6. Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King
5. The Illustrated a Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
4. Until You Are Dead: Steven Truscott’s Long Ride into History by Julian Sher
3. A Cook’s Tour by Anthony Bourdain
2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
1. Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
Top 10 Fiction Reads of 2004
(Note: Again, these are books I read in 2004, not necessarily books that were released in 2004)
10. Astonishing Splashes of Colour by Clare Morrall
9. The In-Between World of Vikram Lall by MG Vassanji
8. Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
7. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
6. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
5. The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall
4. Money by Martin Amis
3. The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
2. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre
1. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Honourable Mentions: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman, The Empty Chair by Jeffery Deaver, Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Worst Reads of 2004
5. Body Double by Tess Gerritsen
4. Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon
3. Miss Wyoming by Douglas Coupland
2. Run Jane Run by Maureen Tan
1. Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding