ONE GOOD TURN
by Kate Atkinson
Publisher: Little Brown & Co October 2006
Reviewer: Mary Whipple
Amazon readers rating: from 17 reviews

In a book that is more fun than any other book I've read all year, Kate Atkinson creates a series of bizarre characters, all involved with murder--either planning it, committing it, or trying to avoid it. Many seemingly unrelated characters, involved in several seemingly unrelated plot lines, make their appearance... (read review)

Another review by Mary Whipple: Departure Lounge by Chad Taylor

Mary's top reads for 2006.

NEXT
by Michael Crichton
Publisher: HarperCollins November 2006
Reviewer: Eleanor Bukowsky
Amazon readers rating: from 125 reviews

"This wasn't about the common good. It was about getting rich." Michael Crichton's Next is another screed along the lines of State of Fear, his diatribe against global warming. Be warned: this lengthy novel consists of ... (read review)

Another review by Eleanor Bukowsky: False Impression by Jeffery Archer

Eleanor's top reads for 2006.

DEATH'S DARK ABYSS
by Massimo Carlotto
Publisher: Europa Editions October 2006
Reviewer: Guy Savage
Amazon readers rating: from 1 review

"The power I had over these people went right to my head. My imagination had no limits. As soon as I’d come up with a request that would make them suffer, I felt I could push it further. But I had to stop the thing from becoming psychologically unmanageable to Siviero. And to do that, I had to make him believe I intended to bargain." (read review)

Another review by Guy Savage: The Goodbye Kiss by Massimo Carlotto

Guy's top reads for 2006.

BREAKABLE YOU
by Brian Morton
Publisher: Harcourt September 2006
Reviewer: Mary Whipple
Amazon readers rating: from 10 reviews

"During these weeks, as he felt himself changing, Samir sometimes observed the process with a sort of detached curiosity.  He was curious about what he would become.  Curious to find out whether his new self was going to be his old self reclaimed, as if he'd left it in storage for a few years, or whether it was going to be something entirely unknown." (read review)

Another review by Mary Whipple: Restless by William Boyd

Mary's top reads for 2006.

THE BEDROOM SECRETS OF THE MASTER CHEFS
by Irvine Welsh
Publisher: W. W. Norton August 2006
Reviewer: Tony Ross
Amazon readers rating: from 11 reviews

I've read all of Welsh's novels and story collections, and loved them all to varying degrees (4-5 stars each, no problem). Unfortunately, while trafficking in many of the same themes as his earlier work (albeit in much more accessible language, i.e. the Scots lingo is toned down), this latest Leith-set novel is...(read full review)

Another review by Tony Ross: The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont

Tony's top reads for 2006.

ZANESVILLE
by Kris Saknusemm
Publisher: Villard October 2005
Reviewer: Leland Cheuk
Amazon readers rating: from 24 reviews

Ever wonder what kind of novels Neal Stephenson and China Mieville might write if they had a little more fun? Enter Zanesville, the genre-bending, metafictional world of first-time novelist Kris Saknussemm. Zanesville riddles as much as it amuses...(read full review)

Leland's top reads for 2006.

DEATH OF A WRITER
by Michael Collins
Publisher: Bloomsbury September 2006
Reviewer: Poornima Apte
Our own rating: from 2 reviews

Dr. Robert Pendleton is a professor at Bannockburn College, a standard issue liberal arts college in the Midwest. He started out his career as a promising fiction writer but soon his work fizzles out – and he takes up teaching. The Pendleton that the book opens to is already depressed with his prospects, with his station in life and with what he views as professional failure. To make matters worse...(read full review)

Another review by Poornima Apte: The Dead Hour by Denise Mina

Poornima's top reads for 2006.