Librarian Tim's Favorite Books of 2008:10. Mark Lynas - Six Degrees, Our Future on a Hotter Planet: Backed by hard scientific evidence, this interesting and frightening book tracks the potential effects of incremental one degree rises predicted during climate change brought about by man made global warming.
9. James Lee Burke - Swan Peak: Burke is a natural storyteller whose affinity for the outdoors nearly borders on the poetic, with wonderful descriptions of the mountains, streams and the natural world.
8. Michio Kaku - Physics of the Impossible: Looking at science fiction concepts that people have long thought impossible, and uses scientific investigation to muse on just how impossible they really are.
7. Richard Stark - Dirty Money: On the lam after an armored car heist goes spectacularly wrong, can master criminal Parker get the money with every cop in three states on the lookout?
6. Joe R. Lansdale - Leather Maiden: What makes this story move from the realm of a merely good mystery into something special is the dry humor that Lansdale injects into the dialogue.
5. James Church - Bamboo and Blood: Former intelligence officer Church again paints the reclusive country of North Korea brilliantly and his main character, the enigmatic Inspector O is a masterwork.
4. David Sedaris - When You Are Engulfed in Flames: Wickedly droll and funny as ever, the satirist's most recent collection is another collection of stories about family, friends and strange situations.
3. Charlie Huston - Every Last Drop: If there is a better writer of pure pulp fiction at the moment, I don't know who it is. Huston's Joe Pitt novels seamlessly meld noir crime and horror fiction into a blend that is simply intoxicating.
2. Ken Bruen - Cross: In A return to form for Bruen's Jack Talyor series, A young man has been murdered by crucifixion, a method of death deeply symbolic in Catholic Ireland, and Jack must solve the crime.
1. Neal Stephenson - Anathem: The sheer number of ideas that Stephenson packs in this novel are amazing - quantum mechanics, multiverse theory, advanced philosophy, computer science, physics and chemistry all play a role.
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