2008 favorites from our columnists

Our columnists have selected their favorite books of the year. That's Sarah Weinman on crime fiction and Ed Park on science fiction, both of whom stretch their lists a bit; Weinman's includes a new critical take on crime fiction and Park has a new biography of Charles Fort. Richard Rayner, who writes on paperbacks, hasn't strayed. In their columns, each takes the time to explain her or his picks. Here's the quick-'n'-easy version.

Crime fiction:
Leonard Cassuto, "Hard-Boiled Sentimentality: The Secret History of American Crime Fiction"
Zoë Ferraris, "Finding Nouf"
Tana French, "The Likeness"
Colin Harrison, "The Finder"
Stieg Larsson, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Stewart O'Nan, "Songs for the Missing"
Lewis Shiner, "Black and White"
Tom Rob Smith, "Child 44"
Michael Stanley, "A Carrion Death"
Don Winslow, "The Dawn Patrol"

Science fiction:
"The Inhabitant" (an anonymous author), "The Great Romance"
Steven Millhauser, "The Next Thing"
Martin Millar, "Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me"
Ben Rosenbaum, "The Ant King and Other Stories"
Jim Steinmeyer, "Charles Fort: The Man Who Invented the Supernatural"
Howard Waldrop, "Other Worlds, Better Lives"

Paperbacks:
Simon Armitage, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"
Roberto Bolaño, "2666"
Ian Fleming, "Quantum of Solace"
Zbigniew Herbert, "The Collected Poems 1956-1998"

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Comments

[George Walden]

I give up. What book is depicted on the Arts & Books section in Sunday's Los Angeles Times? (The text looks like swedish)