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Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year 2006

Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year 2006 names 50 books across 2 categories. 22 of them also won or were shortlisted for an award.

Fiction

  1. All Aunt Hagar's Children: Stories by Edward P. Jonessource (opens in a new tab)
  2. An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter by Cesar Airasource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Averno: Poems by Louise Glucksource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Birds in Fall by Brad Kesslersource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Brookland by Emily Bartonsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Everyman by Philip Rothsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Forgetfulness by Ward Justsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdelsource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Gallatin Canyon: Stories by Thomas McGuanesource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Hollywood Station by Joseph Wambaughsource (opens in a new tab)
  11. Horse Latitudes: Poems by Paul Muldoonsource (opens in a new tab)
  12. Man and Camel: Poems by Mark Strandsource (opens in a new tab)
  13. Paint It Black by Janet Fitchsource (opens in a new tab)
  14. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pesslsource (opens in a new tab)
  15. Talk Talk by T. C. Boylesource (opens in a new tab)
  16. The Children's Hospital by Chris Adriansource (opens in a new tab)
  17. The Echo Maker by Richard Powerssource (opens in a new tab)
  18. The Emperor's Children by Claire Messudsource (opens in a new tab)
  19. The Light of Evening by Edna O'Briensource (opens in a new tab)
  20. The Night Gardener by George Pelecanossource (opens in a new tab)
  21. The Nimrod Flipout: Stories by Etgar Keretsource (opens in a new tab)
  22. The Road by Cormac McCarthysource (opens in a new tab)
  23. The Stories of Mary Gordon by Mary Gordonsource (opens in a new tab)
  24. Thirteen Moons by Charles Fraziersource (opens in a new tab)
  25. Twilight of the Superheroes: Stories by Deborah Eisenbergsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan by Michael Kazinsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomassource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Andrew Carnegie by David Nasawsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68 by Taylor Branchsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Blood Money: Wasted Billions, Lost Lives, and Corporate Greed in Iraq by T. Christian Millersource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Blue Arabesque: A Search for the Sublime by Patricia Hamplsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics and Lipstick Lesbians by Lillian Faderman and Stuart Timmonssource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death by Deborah Blumsource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Hotel California: The True-life Adventures of Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Mitchell, Taylor, Browne, Ronstadt, Geffen, the Eagles, and Their Many Friends by Barney Hoskynssource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone by Rajiv Chandrasekaransource (opens in a new tab)
  11. Justice for All: Earl Warren and the Nation He Made by Jim Newtonsource (opens in a new tab)
  12. Prisoners: A Muslim & a Jew Across the Middle East Divide by Jeffrey Goldbergsource (opens in a new tab)
  13. State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III by Bob Woodwardsource (opens in a new tab)
  14. The Din in the Head: Essays by Cynthia Ozicksource (opens in a new tab)
  15. The Great Black Way: L.A.'s Central Avenue in the 1940s and the Lost Negro Renaissance by RJ Smithsource (opens in a new tab)
  16. The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth From 9/11 to Katrina by Frank Richsource (opens in a new tab)
  17. The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wrightsource (opens in a new tab)
  18. The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million by Daniel Mendelsohnsource (opens in a new tab)
  19. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollansource (opens in a new tab)
  20. The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11 by Ron Suskindsource (opens in a new tab)
  21. The Shakespeare Wars: Clashing Scholars, Public Fiascoes, Palace Coups by Ron Rosenbaumsource (opens in a new tab)
  22. The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egansource (opens in a new tab)
  23. Walking Zero: Discovering Cosmic Space and Time Along the Prime Meridian by Chet Raymosource (opens in a new tab)
  24. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gablersource (opens in a new tab)
  25. You Must Set Forth at Dawn: A Memoir by Wole Soyinkasource (opens in a new tab)

About the Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year

The Los Angeles Times' own year-end best books lists. 2006-2009: the Book Review staff's favorite books of the year, 25 fiction and poetry titles (filed as Fiction) and 25 nonfiction titles. 2010-2015: book critic David L. Ulin's top 10 books of the year, the paper's year-end list after the Book Review section closed. 2016: the 10 most important books of 2016. 2017: the holiday guide's best fiction and best nonfiction of the year. 2020: the 10 best books of 2020. 2021-2022: 20 best books, five each from four Times critics; rows cite each critic's page. 2023: the 13 best novels and 2 best story collections, chosen by three critics; no matching nonfiction list ran. 2024-2025: 15 best books chosen by three critics; picks two critics shared are counted once, and the 2024 Marguerite Young entry covers two books. No list for 2018 or 2019: 2018 ran only a critic's essay, and 2019 ran only celebrity picks. Left out: author and celebrity picks columns, holiday gift guides, genre side-lists, and other critics' columns. The 2012 and 2013 lists were photo galleries whose slides no longer load on latimes.com; titles come from Wayback Machine captures of the same galleries. No list is ranked; most run alphabetically.

Organization: Los Angeles Times. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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