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Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year 2007

Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year 2007 names 50 books across 2 categories. 19 of them also won or were shortlisted for an award.

Fiction

  1. Away by Amy Bloomsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russosource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Cheating at Canasta: Stories by William Trevorsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Collected Stories by Leonard Michaelssource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Falling Man by Don DeLillosource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinskisource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Five Skies by Ron Carlsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Jamestown by Matthew Sharpesource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Like You'd Understand, Anyway: Stories by Jim Shepardsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Lost City Radio by Daniel Alarconsource (opens in a new tab)
  11. My Body: New and Selected Poems by Joan Larkinsource (opens in a new tab)
  12. Red Rover by Deirdre McNamersource (opens in a new tab)
  13. Remainder by Tom McCarthysource (opens in a new tab)
  14. The Book of Psalms by Robert Altersource (opens in a new tab)
  15. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diazsource (opens in a new tab)
  16. The Empress of Weehawken by Irene Dischesource (opens in a new tab)
  17. The Gathering by Anne Enrightsource (opens in a new tab)
  18. The Kitchen Sink: New and Selected Poems 1972-2007 by Albert Goldbarthsource (opens in a new tab)
  19. The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englandersource (opens in a new tab)
  20. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolanosource (opens in a new tab)
  21. The Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wigginssource (opens in a new tab)
  22. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabonsource (opens in a new tab)
  23. Twenty Grand: And Other Tales of Love and Money by Rebecca Curtissource (opens in a new tab)
  24. Varieties of Disturbance: Stories by Lydia Davissource (opens in a new tab)
  25. Zeroville by Steve Ericksonsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. Big Daddy: Jesse Unruh and the Art of Power Politics by Bill Boyarskysource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticatsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Circling My Mother: A Memoir by Mary Gordonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Don't Go Where I Can't Follow by Anders Nilsensource (opens in a new tab)
  5. House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest by Craig Childssource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weinersource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl by Steven Bachsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America by Eric Jay Dolinsource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Proust Was a Neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrersource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Vincent Bugliosisource (opens in a new tab)
  11. Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography by David Michaelissource (opens in a new tab)
  12. Storming the Gates of Paradise: Landscapes for Politics by Rebecca Solnitsource (opens in a new tab)
  13. Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court by Jan Crawford Greenburgsource (opens in a new tab)
  14. The Atomic Bazaar: The Rise of the Nuclear Poor by William Langewieschesource (opens in a new tab)
  15. The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival by Stanley N. Alpertsource (opens in a new tab)
  16. The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War by David Halberstamsource (opens in a new tab)
  17. The Happiest Man in the World: An Account of the Life of Poppa Neutrino by Alec Wilkinsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  18. The House That George Built: With a Little Help From Irving, Cole, and a Crew of About Fifty by Wilfrid Sheedsource (opens in a new tab)
  19. The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved by Judith Freemansource (opens in a new tab)
  20. The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Rosssource (opens in a new tab)
  21. The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America by Ronald Brownsteinsource (opens in a new tab)
  22. The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackermansource (opens in a new tab)
  23. Travels With Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinskisource (opens in a new tab)
  24. Twenty Thousand Roads: The Ballad of Gram Parsons and His Cosmic American Music by David N. Meyersource (opens in a new tab)
  25. Twenty-Eight Artists and Two Saints: Essays by Joan Acocellasource (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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