Top 5 books for 2007

I'm a little late with my "best of" 2007 lists. It think technically you're supposed to write these before the end of the year. Oh well, I've never really been one for following convention anyway. This is a list of the books that I read during 2007 that I enjoyed most. This doesn't necessarily mean that the books came out in 2007. All five books are fiction. I suppose I should compile a non-fiction list as well, but most of the non-fiction I've been reading has been tech books. And I wouldn't want to bore you to tears.

Wizard of the Crow, by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o

Probably best described as satirical magical realism, but don't let that put you off.  This is hands down my favourite book of the year.  I think I've given this as a present to pretty much everyone I know.

Suite Française, by Irene Nemirovsky

I haven't read any of her other books, but Nemirovsky was a writer of extraordinary talent. Her characters, her attention to detail and her ability to inhabit a future that she would never know are the reasons that this book is a great work of literature, despite the fact that she was never able to complete the book.

Margherita Dolce Vita, by Stefano Benni

Another one of those books that I keep giving as a present.  This is a fantastic tale of what happens when innocence, family and politics collide.

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro

I've  [written briefly about _Never Let Me Go_ before](/begins/the-lives/).  What is extraordinary about the book is not so much what is said, but what goes unsaid.

My Uncle Napoleon, by Iraj Pezeshkzad

An Iranian classic, currently banned in Iran.  The characters are so well drawn that you are rarely told who is speaking, you simply know by what is said.

So there it is in all its glory. What do you think? What were your favourite books last year?