Best Books of 2008

For all things books, I encourage you to check out my profile on Goodreads. If you ain't on it, and you like to read, you should be. It's too bad that every release ever isn't listed--for instance, you won't find a lot of small press lit mags--but the site has many of them.

Aside from that, I decided to list my favorites of the year. Thus, without further ado, I present the Best Books of 2008:

Best Novel of 2008











Deb Olin Unferth - Vacation - McSweeney's Books

Honorable Mentions: Tim Hall's Full of It: The Birth, Death, and Life of an Underground Newspaper, William's Walsh's Without Wax: A Documentary Novel



Best Collection of 2008

Jackie Corley - The Suburban Swindle - So New Publishing

Honorable Mentions: Kim Chinquee's Oh Baby, Devin Hansen's From the Barstool, Ben Tanzer's Repetition Patterns


Best Literary Magazine of 2008

Armed with excellent print issues and equally excellent online content, Nashville's Keyhole Magazine was my favorite lit mag of the year. This was a tough decision. At first I considered splitting the category into two divisions: print and online. Ultimately, though, that would've given certain markets an advantage by being able to compete in both divisions.

Honorable Mentions: DOGZPLOT, Hobart, Monkeybicycle, Word Riot

Literary Magazines That I Wish Hadn't Met Their Demise in 2008

Dog Versus Sandwich, RAGAD, Rumpot Magazine