2008-2012 Notable Books for Adults

Description
This is a list of ALA Notable Books for Adults from 2008-2012. The 2013 and 2014 Notable Books each have their own lists on LibraryThing.
1
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
by Michael Chabon
10,426 members
423 reviews
3.8
5 Members
aulsmith, sturlington, edparks, gypsysmom, ahef1963
2
On Chesil Beach
by Ian McEwan
8,475 members
371 reviews
½ 3.6
4 Members
isiri, sturlington, gypsysmom, ahef1963
3
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
by David Mitchell
5,953 members
316 reviews
4.1
3 Members
aulsmith, isiri, sturlington
4
The Sisters Brothers
by Patrick deWitt
4,290 members
315 reviews
3.9
4 Members
sturlington, edparks, gypsysmom, ahef1963
5
Room
by Emma Donoghue
14,401 members
979 reviews
4
4 Members
dara85, gypsysmom, ahef1963, kara.shamy,sturlington ,
6
Olive Kitteridge
by Elizabeth Strout
9,963 members
623 reviews
3.9
3 Members
isiri, sturlington, edparks
7
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
14,760 members
743 reviews
4.2
4 Members
sturlington, edparks, gypsysmom, ahef1963
8
The Art of Fielding
by Chad Harbach
4,197 members
253 reviews
4
3 Members
isiri, sturlington, edparks
9
The Tiger's Wife
by Téa Obreht
5,416 members
337 reviews
½ 3.5
4 Members
sturlington, edparks, gypsysmom, ahef1963
10
The Sense of an Ending
by Julian Barnes
8,346 members
541 reviews
3.8
3 Members
isiri, sturlington, kara.shamy
11
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
by Tom Franklin
2,440 members
257 reviews
3.9
3 Members
dara85, sturlington, edparks
12
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
by Siddhartha Mukherjee
5,069 members
197 reviews
½ 4.3
3 Members
isiri, sturlington, ahef1963
13
The Hakawati
by Rabih Alameddine
880 members
36 reviews
3.9
3 Members
sturlington, edparks, kara.shamy
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
14
The Lonely Polygamist
by Brady Udall
1,400 members
107 reviews
½ 3.7
3 Members
dara85, sturlington, edparks
15
Let the Great World Spin
by Colum McCann
5,979 members
315 reviews
4
3 Members
isiri, sturlington, edparks
16
The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance
by Edmund De Waal
3,692 members
159 reviews
4
3 Members
isiri, sturlington, gypsysmom
17
Just Kids
by Patti Smith
5,536 members
239 reviews
4.1
2 Members
hipdeep, sturlington
18
Columbine
by Dave Cullen
3,790 members
206 reviews
½ 4.3
2 Members
dara85, sturlington
19
Stitches: A Memoir
by David Small
1,994 members
176 reviews
4.1
2 Members
sturlington, ManWithAnAgenda
20
The Year of the Flood
by Margaret Atwood
7,332 members
363 reviews
3.9
2 Members
sturlington, gypsysmom
21
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
by David Grann
4,939 members
254 reviews
3.9
2 Members
sturlington, ManWithAnAgenda
22
Lost Memory of Skin
by Russell Banks
792 members
43 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
23
The World Without Us
by Alan Weisman
5,944 members
188 reviews
3.8
2 Members
aulsmith, sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
24
A Mercy
by Toni Morrison
3,523 members
142 reviews
½ 3.7
2 Members
sturlington, kara.shamy
25
Brooklyn
by Colm Tóibín
5,320 members
296 reviews
½ 3.7
2 Members
aulsmith, sturlington
26
Zeitoun
by Dave Eggers
4,218 members
182 reviews
4.1
2 Members
dara85, sturlington
27
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
by Barbara Demick
3,224 members
178 reviews
½ 4.4
2 Members
sturlington, ahef1963
28
Away
by Amy Bloom
2,068 members
127 reviews
½ 3.5
2 Members
sturlington, kara.shamy
29
The Surrendered
by Chang-Rae Lee
769 members
55 reviews
3.8
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
30
A Visit from the Goon Squad
by Jennifer Egan
8,656 members
515 reviews
½ 3.7
3 Members
isiri, edparks, ahef1963,sturlington
Explanations
31
An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England
by Brock Clarke
1,597 members
92 reviews
3
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
32
Freedom
by Jonathan Franzen
9,576 members
410 reviews
3.8
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
33
City of Thieves
by David Benioff
5,370 members
316 reviews
4.2
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
34
Tinkers
by Paul Harding
3,682 members
230 reviews
½ 3.5
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
35
Spooner
by Pete Dexter
535 members
19 reviews
½ 3.7
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
36
The Other Hand
by Chris Cleave
8,458 members
528 reviews
½ 3.7
2 Members
sturlington, gypsysmom
37
Finn
by Jon Clinch
781 members
47 reviews
3.8
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
38
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
by Michael Pollan
7,566 members
205 reviews
4
2 Members
sturlington, gypsysmom
39
Thinking, Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
11,892 members
228 reviews
4.1
2 Members
isiri, sturlington
40
Out Stealing Horses
by Per Petterson
4,304 members
249 reviews
3.9
2 Members
sturlington, gypsysmom
41
Mister Pip
by Lloyd Jones
3,494 members
181 reviews
3.8
2 Members
sturlington, gypsysmom
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
42
Skippy Dies
by Paul Murray
2,250 members
125 reviews
3.8
2 Members
isiri, sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
43
The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science
by Natalie Angier
1,690 members
45 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
isiri, sturlington
44
The Vagrants
by Yiyun Li
846 members
42 reviews
3.9
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
45
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
by Isabel Wilkerson
5,306 members
185 reviews
½ 4.4
2 Members
sturlington, ahef1963
46
The Cat's Table
by Michael Ondaatje
2,460 members
134 reviews
½ 3.7
2 Members
sturlington, gypsysmom
47
The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival
by John Vaillant
1,247 members
68 reviews
4
2 Members
sturlington, gypsysmom
48
The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes
by Tess Uriza Holthe
74 members
2 reviews
3.8
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
49
Atmospheric Disturbances
by Rivka Galchen
879 members
48 reviews
3.2
2 Members
sturlington, gypsysmom
50
Next
by James Hynes
337 members
18 reviews
½ 3.5
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
51
Five Skies
by Ron Carlson
359 members
25 reviews
3.9
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
52
Selected Stories
by William Trevor
240 members
3 reviews
½ 4.3
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
53
Unaccustomed Earth
by Jhumpa Lahiri
5,596 members
200 reviews
4.1
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
54
Matterhorn
by Karl Marlantes
2,806 members
135 reviews
½ 4.3
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
55
Await Your Reply
by Dan Chaon
1,577 members
153 reviews
½ 3.7
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
56
Nashville Chrome
by Rick Bass
95 members
6 reviews
½ 3.7
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
57
The Last Stand : Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn
by Nathaniel Philbrick
1,552 members
38 reviews
4
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
58
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
by Stephen Greenblatt
3,619 members
144 reviews
3.9
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
59
Generosity: An Enhancement
by Richard Powers
670 members
31 reviews
3.8
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
60
The Tragedy of Arthur
by Arthur Phillips
616 members
60 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
61
We the Animals
by Justin Torres
1,239 members
71 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
sturlington, edparks
62
Swamplandia!
by Karen Russell
3,614 members
238 reviews
½ 3.4
Member
sturlington
63
The Zookeeper's Wife
by Diane Ackermann
4,824 members
198 reviews
½ 3.5
2 Members
sturlington, gypsysmom,dara85
64
Einstein: His Life and Universe
by Walter Isaacson
5,532 members
94 reviews
4.2
Member
sturlington
66
The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood
by James Gleick
3,348 members
115 reviews
3.9
Member
sturlington
67
Washington: A Life
by Ron Chernow
3,108 members
83 reviews
½ 4.4
Member
sturlington
68
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President
by Candice Millard
2,984 members
156 reviews
½ 4.3
Member
sturlington
69
The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science
by Richard Holmes
2,689 members
62 reviews
4.1
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
70
The Plague of Doves
by Louise Erdrich
2,107 members
91 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
sturlington
71
A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World
by Tony Horwitz
1,864 members
55 reviews
3.9
Member
sturlington
72
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
by Tom Vanderbilt
1,822 members
74 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
73
Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens
by Christopher Hitchens
1,889 members
34 reviews
4.1
Member
sturlington
74
This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War (Vintage Civil War Library)
by Drew Gilpin Faust
1,879 members
48 reviews
4
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
75
How Doctors Think
by Jerome Groopman
1,646 members
49 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
sturlington
76
The Forever War
by Dexter Filkins
1,428 members
40 reviews
4.1
Member
sturlington
77
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition
by Daniel Okrent
1,426 members
46 reviews
4
Member
sturlington
78
The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
by Annette Gordon-Reed
1,286 members
33 reviews
3.9
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
79
Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-by-Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart
by Ian Ayres
1,149 members
30 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
80
The Ministry of Special Cases
by Nathan Englander
1,089 members
37 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
81
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention
by Manning Marable
1,134 members
29 reviews
4.1
Member
sturlington
82
The Lotus Eaters
by Tatjana Soli
1,055 members
90 reviews
4
Member
sturlington
83
The Anthologist
by Nicholson Baker
1,012 members
58 reviews
3.8
Member
sturlington
84
Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
by Mark Adams
1,093 members
37 reviews
3.8
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
85
The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals
by Jane Mayer
994 members
26 reviews
½ 4.3
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
86
The Good Soldiers
by David Finkel
916 members
33 reviews
4.2
Member
sturlington
87
When a Crocodile Eats the Sun
by Peter Godwin
892 members
36 reviews
4.1
Member
sturlington
88
Citizens of London : the Americans who stood with Britain in its darkest, finest hour
by Lynne Olson
827 members
51 reviews
4.2
Member
sturlington
89
Travels in Siberia
by Ian Frazier
778 members
35 reviews
4
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
90
Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion
by Janet Reitman
699 members
32 reviews
3.8
Member
sturlington
91
Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations
by Georgina Howell
690 members
18 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
92
The Memory Palace
by Mira Bartók
659 members
24 reviews
3.8
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
93
Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood
by Mark Harris
631 members
29 reviews
4.2
Member
sturlington
94
The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century
by Steve Coll
594 members
16 reviews
3.9
Member
sturlington
95
Provenance: how a con man and a forger rewrote the history of modern art
by Laney Salisbury
587 members
23 reviews
4
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
96
Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories
by Steven Millhauser
580 members
29 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
sturlington
97
Illuminations
by Arthur Rimbaud
584 members
10 reviews
3.9
Member
sturlington
98
Apollo's Angels : A History of Ballet
by Jennifer Homans
524 members
13 reviews
4
Member
sturlington
99
Resistance
by Owen Sheers
505 members
26 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
sturlington
Explanations
sturlington: Not at library
100
The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders
by Emmanuel Guibert
503 members
24 reviews
½ 4.3
Member
sturlington