Best New Nonfiction of 2008

While Mary M. is accumulating the Best New Fiction that we’ve all read this year, how about thinking about some Best New Nonfiction?

So, out with it!  What were your favorite nonfiction books of 2008?

Here are my two favorites so far:  

Under a Flaming Sky:  The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 by Daniel James Brown.   Clearly written, well-reseached and beautifully personal story of the Hinckley fires.  It’s unbelievably absorbing. 

The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival by Stanley Alpert.  From the cover:  “On January 21, 1998, federal prosecutor Stanley Alpert was kidnapped off the streets of Manhattan.  This is the story of what happened next . . .” Amazing memoir, unbelievably riveting and wonderfully written.  Impossible to put down.

Now you!  (Carol J.)

Have Yourself a Merry Little . . .

It’s the time of year to turn your attention to the holidays, and, of course, holiday movies.  What’s your holiday viewing pleasure?  What film is part of your holiday rituals?

I’ll start:  My favorites are A Charlie Brown Christmas, if only for the excellent dance scene, and A Very Brady Christmas, that perennial classic.

Also, if you have never read it, Connie Willis has a wonderful short story in her Christmas collection Miracle and other Christmas Stories in which her characters debate the best holiday movie:  It’s a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street.  You may guess by the title which one comes out on top.  (Hint:  The book isn’t called “Wonderful” or “Life.”)