2006 Top 10 Reads:

There were some very clear standouts for me this year so I really didn't encounter much difficulty preparing this particular list. I've allowed myself the luxury of counting three series as single representatives on the list but, that said, my top 10 reads for 2006 (in no particular order) were:

The Liveship Traders Trilogy – Robin Hobb (fantasy)

The Alienist – Caleb Carr (historical fiction)

Jarka Ruus – Terry Brooks (fantasy)

The Bartimaeus Trilogy – Jonathan Stroud (fantasy)

The Suspect – Michael Robotham (psychological thriller)

The Martian Race – Gregory Benford (contemporary sci-fi)

The Lincoln Lawyer – Michael Connelly (thriller, police procedural)

One Thousand White Women – Jim Fergus (historical fiction)

The Bleachers - John Grisham (general fiction)

Freakonomics – Steven D Levitt & Stephen J Dubner (non-fiction, economics)

Honourable mentions that came close to making the grade:

Murder in Grub Street - Bruce Alexander (historical fiction)

The Werewolf Principle - Clifford D Simak (classic sci-fi)

Longitude - Dava Sobel (non-fiction, history)