BEST OF 2008: Debra’s picks
Every year is a great year for a book lover, because one’s reading pleasure is limited only by the time one has to read. Of course, the life of a bibliophile is frustrating for the same reason — as a teenager, I thought one of the biggest tragedies about having to die someday would be that I wouldn’t have gotten to read all the books I’d wanted to.
This year was no exception in terms of great books. Here are three I particularly enjoyed, as well as some honorable mentions: 
"The Soul of a Horse — Life Lessons from the Herd" by Joe Campo
When Joe Campo’s wife gave him a horse as a surprise birthday present, the Benji writer-producer-director, an expert on dogs but not equines, set about learning what to do with the magnificent creature. What he discovered, and what horses gave him, turned out to be an even bigger gift. (2008, Harmony Books, Random House)
"Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" by Winifred Watson
"Miss Pettigrew" is a Cinderella story for grown-ups. It’s a story about not giving up, about how miracles can happen, even when it seems all is lost. It’s about kindness for kindness’ sake and how, every once in a while, good people get what they deserve. So I’m using the fact that it was reprinted this year, and made into a movie, to put it on my list of 2008’s best books. No wonder the novel, by English author Winifred Watson, became a best-seller when it came out in 1938. (Published by Methuen, reprinted in 2008 by Persephone Books, London)
The story: A middle-age governess has been fired by the latest in a series of nasty employers and she is facing eviction from the seedy rooming house where she has a room. Within hours she’ll be homeless on the streets of pre-war London. By sheer accident she meets a ditsy young American actress and that encounter changes her life forever.
"I’ll Never Be French (no matter what I do): Living in a Small Village in Brittany" by Mark Greenside
California college instructor Mark Greenside falls in love with rural France when a girlfriend talks him into spending a summer with her in a little seaside town in Brittany. The town is called Finistere, "the end of the world." It might as well be as Greenside tries to navigate the cultural nuances of life in a French village. The result is a sweet, often hilarious, dessert of a book — creme brulee in print. (2008, Free Press)
Some more terrific books of 2008:
"The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq" by Bing West. We nearly lost the war, but we’re winning now, in spite of ourselves. I’ll be blogging on this important and worthy book soon.
"Unholy Business: A True Tale of Faith, Greed and Forgery in the Holy Land" by Nina Burleigh. Indiana Jones-style adventures in real life as zeal to find hard evidence of the events of the Bible leads to some unholy shenanigans. Another book I’ll be blogging on soon.
"Ribbon: The Art of Adornment" by Nicholas Kniel and Timothy Wright. This gorgeous book is a banquet for the eyes. See my blog earlier this year. It’s good to be reminded that contemplating beauty is as important to the soul as eating is to the body.
