[LRiley]

It took me a long time to read but my biggest revelation this year would be David Foster Wallace and his huge novel 'Infinite Jest'.

Apart from that highligts included 2666 from Roberto Bolano though I had read The Savage Detectives in 2008 so it didn't come as a big surprise that this was IMO another masterpiece.

Colum McCann's National book award winning 'Let the great world spin' is really terrific.

Chester Himes' Harlem crime novels were a true revelation--funny, atmospheric and very smart.

I took up Daniel's suggestion and read Javier Marias's novel 'Tomorrow in the battle think on me' and thought it was much greater than the one book I'd read of his prior--'All souls'.

Inger Christensen's 'Alphabet'--just loved it.

A new writer Philipp Meyer--his first novel 'American Rust' has a real electric vibe to it.

The second of Johan Theorin's books to come out in translation 'The darkest room' is as good as his first. More than anyone else in the crime novel field--he's the one I'm most interested in at the moment.

Assia Djebar's 'Fantasia' pretty much cemented my opinion that she's a Nobel worthy writer.

Shimon Ballas's 'Outcast'--Ken Saro Wiwa's 'Sozaboy' and Christopher Petit's 'The psalm killer'.