Something about the Internet age has brought out an endless number of lists every December.  Music writers are probably the most egregious offenders, with anyone who received a promotional disc in the last twelve months obligated to create an arbitrary catalog of their favorite albums and songs of the year.

We have more to ask our intelligent, well-informed staff, including what they perceive is the trend of the year, who they believe is the author of the year, and what they'll do differently as writers in 2010.

by Dan Gibson

When you hear that a forthcoming novel is an examination of one of the rich investment bankers who ruined our economy last year, I wouldn't blame you for grimacing a bit.  First of all, while it's somewhat pleasing to consider a serious of awful things happening to a symbol for the declining value of your 401-k, it seems like it might be a little too soon to go back to that bad place.  However, Adam Haslett's Union Atlantic might just end up being the lens we see this time through.

by Dan Gibson

Sure, Dan Brown's book is the bestselling book of the year, the newest Wimpy Kid volume was the most have book for kids, and the Twilight series kept flying off shelves.  However, tell us a story of a best selling book by a first time author who put five years into writing her book and was rejected by 45 publishers, and that's the sort of thing that brings us joy.  If that book was championed by indie bookstores before becoming the summer's must have purchase, you have our fiction title of the year, Kathryn Stockett's The Help.

by Dan Gibson

In a year where the nonfiction charts were dominated by political titles (hello, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck, and Sarah Palin!) or self-help/weight loss/diet guides (you too can cook yourself thin and think like a man, while remaining a lady), possibly the most surprising book to top the bestseller charts was a 700 page book about the NBA written by a guy best known for writing on a website.  The Book of Basketball is a somewhat juvenile, deranged masterpiece, and our nonfiction book of the year.