This Month

The final months of the year always result in a teetering tower of new releases. In this issue, we combine the cream of the holiday blitz with some terrific books we're just catching up with, for our version of the best reads of the year. In addition to our usual full reviews, we're including more short-takes on other deserving titles, as well as a look back at all the 2006 books we've covered. Among the full reviews, you'll find Claire Messud's cutting satire of aimless, New York thirtysomethings, Dave Eggers' adventurous retelling of the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan, and David Treuer's overlooked but brilliant novel of love and translation. We also bring you a sweeping saga of the Palestinian diaspora, one man's elegy for his relatives who were lost in the holocaust, and an investigative look at the rise of Al Qaeda. On a whimsical note, we close with a quirky and comic art book from a Whitney Biennial-favorite.
- Toby Warner, Managing Editor