Here are my picks. Some might be pre-2008, but I didn’t get to them until this year.
Best films: Juno, There Will Be Blood, and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Best fiction: Yiddish Policeman’s Union and Say You’re One of Them
Best memoirs: Every Day is for the Thief and The House at Sugar Beach
Best non-fiction: Beyond Plunder, The Wonga Coup, and How to Read the Bible
Best podcasts: New Yorker fiction, plus This American Life had a superb year
Best plays: Passing Strange and Passion Play
Best TV: I discovered The Wire and 30 Rock this year
Best albums: Boxer (The National) and Gossip in the Grain (Ray Lamontagne)
3 Responses
The National are a fantastic band. Good choice.
I had such an odd experience with The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, I tried it twice and couldn’t get into it at all. Odd really, as I have read and loved all of Chabon’s other stuff.
And definitely to be included among the best books: “The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga
Have you seen Slumdog Millionaire yet? That should definitely be included among the best films.