2008 was the year in which Lizzy became a reading challenge junkie. If you’ve been following the wallpaper on the right —-> you’ll see that I completed 17. That’s very satisfying not just in terms of numbers, but in the variety of reading material; a heady mixture of the old and the new, novels, short-stories and non-fiction that the challenges pushed to the top of the TBR – over 80 titles in all. At some stage the Challenges 2008 widget will disappear from this page. So I’ve created a permanent record of my Challenge 2008 diary here.
A review of the full year’s reading – 105 titles – yields the following LizzyBook(er)Dozen – in alphabetical order of category. Rereads excluded.
Comic Read of the Year – Planet Germany – Cathy Dobson
Controversial Novel of the Year – The Story of A Marriage – Andrew Sean Greer. Bloggers starting fighting discussing this on publication in June …. and the discussion continues.
German Novel of the Year: Death in Rome – Wolfgang Koeppen
Gothic Read of the Year: Fall on Your Knees – Ann-Marie MacDonald
Historical Crime Fiction of the Year: A Vengeful Longing – R N Morris
Non-Fiction Title of the Year – The Sinister Side – James Hall
Psychological Novel of the Year – Trauma – Patrick McGrath – the book that has spawned an obsession with mental illness. You have been warned …..
Scottish Book of the Year – This is Not About Me – Janice Galloway
Short Story Collection of the Year – Mothers and Sons – Colm Toibin
Short Story of the Year – The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman. So good that I read it twice.
Suspense Novel of The Year – The Cry of the Owl – Patricia Highsmith
The One that Should Have Won The Booker – The Secret Scripture – Sebastian Barry. Here’s to the Costa as a consolation.
Young Adult Novel of the Year – The Chocolate War – Robert Cormier
Time now to award 
to Lizzy’s Read of the Year
Apologies to Andrew Sean Greer, whose book I predicted would take this year’s top spot. The Story of A Marriage has been pipped at the post by the book that forced me to review it three months after reading. I was too busy at the Edinburgh Book Festival to review it at the time. However, this is a book that, I suspect, will simply never go away. See that punch on the cover? It’s delivered straight to the gut.
Lizzy's Literary Life (Volume One) 
You had a great year! I am going to put together my 2008 recap a little later today.
Happy Sunday!
Well done on all that reading Lizzy
Great list!
It’s a shame I have nothing but horrible memories of The Chocolate War from being forced to read it at school, I should perhaps give it another go at some point.
You’re a book challenge fiend! I’m just working on my first at the moment. Congrats on a great year of reading and sharing – happy 2009!
I have Chocolate War on my wish list at Amazon. I must give it a go.
What a great list! I especially like your choice of Death in Rome as I too consider it one of the best I read this year. The book on your list I want to read the most is Barry’s Secret Scripture. While I admired the Booker Winner, The White Tiger, I look forward to reading some of the other choices.
What a great list – Love that you have a fave Scottish Book of the Year! Now have to buy the Choc. War. And I promised no more new books until I finished my current unread stack bought last month….
I’ve only just caught up with this! Thank you so much for making Planet Germany Comic Read of the Year! Wonderful!
I agree with your choice of Planet Germany, I read it in December and laughed out loud many times.