The New York Public Library's Books to Remember
Books to Remember 2005
Librarians at The New York Public Library annually select 25 memorable books published within the past year for this prestigious book list.
The following titles are from the list for 2005. RC denotes talking books on cassette. BR denotes braille books. Registered patrons may contact the library to request any of these books. Anyone who is eligible but not registered may download an application at http://talkingbooks.nypl.org/.
Fiction
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
RC 60319
Precocious nine-year-old Oskar Schell discovers a mysterious key labeled "Black" belonging to his father, who was killed in the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks. Oskar roams New York City on a quest to find the matching lock. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2005.
The March: A Novel by E. L. Doctorow
RC 60676
This Civil War saga portrays the complex nature of General William Tecumseh Sherman as he leads Union troops through Georgia and the Carolinas. Describes the carnage and destruction that occur as well as the tender feelings that arise as the soldiers proceed. 2005.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
RC 59667
England, 1990s. Kathy H., Ruth, and Tommy attended Hailsham, one of the better academies where human clones bred to be organ donors are sheltered from reality. Now thirty-one, Kathy has been a donor caregiver for eleven years. As her own time to donate nears, Kathy appreciates her privileged upbringing. 2005.
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
RC 61204
Philandering liberal Englishman Howard Belsey teaches art at a New England college. When Howard's biracial son Jerome falls in love with the daughter of the conservative Trinidadian Monty Kipps, Howard is dismayed. But Howard's and Monty's wives become friends. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2005.
Rules for Old Men Waiting: A Novel by Peter R. Rouncey
BR 16072
Widowed history professor Robert MacIver quietly mourns his wife's death at their home on Cape Cod. MacIver, originally from Scotland, passes the time by writing a World War I novel and reminiscing about his own life and the death of his only child in Vietnam. Some descriptions of sex. 2005.
Nonfiction
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
RC 61087
Biography of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967)--"the father of the atomic bomb." Chronicles his New York City upbringing, marriage to Kitty Puening, work on the Manhattan Project, and life after the 1954 Atomic Energy Commission hearings which denied Oppenheimer his security clearance for questioning the ethics of nuclear weapons. 2005.
Carnivorous Nights: On the Trial of the Tasmanian Tiger by Margaret Mittelbach and Michael Crewdson
RC 60543
New York-based naturalists recount their quest to find a living Tasmanian tiger, a presumed-extinct carnivorous marsupial with a dog-like body and zebra-like stripes, once native to Tasmania, an island off Australia's coast. They describe their wilderness misadventures down under and their run-ins with unusual creatures--and humans. Some strong language. 2005.
Librarians at The New York Public Library annually select 25 memorable books published within the past year for this prestigious book list.
The following titles are from the list for 2005. RC denotes talking books on cassette. BR denotes braille books. Registered patrons may contact the library to request any of these books. Anyone who is eligible but not registered may download an application at http://talkingbooks.nypl.org/.
Fiction
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
RC 60319
Precocious nine-year-old Oskar Schell discovers a mysterious key labeled "Black" belonging to his father, who was killed in the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks. Oskar roams New York City on a quest to find the matching lock. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2005.
The March: A Novel by E. L. Doctorow
RC 60676
This Civil War saga portrays the complex nature of General William Tecumseh Sherman as he leads Union troops through Georgia and the Carolinas. Describes the carnage and destruction that occur as well as the tender feelings that arise as the soldiers proceed. 2005.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
RC 59667
England, 1990s. Kathy H., Ruth, and Tommy attended Hailsham, one of the better academies where human clones bred to be organ donors are sheltered from reality. Now thirty-one, Kathy has been a donor caregiver for eleven years. As her own time to donate nears, Kathy appreciates her privileged upbringing. 2005.
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
RC 61204
Philandering liberal Englishman Howard Belsey teaches art at a New England college. When Howard's biracial son Jerome falls in love with the daughter of the conservative Trinidadian Monty Kipps, Howard is dismayed. But Howard's and Monty's wives become friends. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2005.
Rules for Old Men Waiting: A Novel by Peter R. Rouncey
BR 16072
Widowed history professor Robert MacIver quietly mourns his wife's death at their home on Cape Cod. MacIver, originally from Scotland, passes the time by writing a World War I novel and reminiscing about his own life and the death of his only child in Vietnam. Some descriptions of sex. 2005.
Nonfiction
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
RC 61087
Biography of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967)--"the father of the atomic bomb." Chronicles his New York City upbringing, marriage to Kitty Puening, work on the Manhattan Project, and life after the 1954 Atomic Energy Commission hearings which denied Oppenheimer his security clearance for questioning the ethics of nuclear weapons. 2005.
Carnivorous Nights: On the Trial of the Tasmanian Tiger by Margaret Mittelbach and Michael Crewdson
RC 60543
New York-based naturalists recount their quest to find a living Tasmanian tiger, a presumed-extinct carnivorous marsupial with a dog-like body and zebra-like stripes, once native to Tasmania, an island off Australia's coast. They describe their wilderness misadventures down under and their run-ins with unusual creatures--and humans. Some strong language. 2005.
: Subscribe to this journal