What do you think was the BEST book of 2003?

lanistrom@hotmail.com
The Other Side of Silence by Andre Brink

bookfairy@rogers.com
For me, the best book of 2003 was The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams. Filled with some of the strangest characters to ever appear between the pages of a fantasy novel, The War of the Flowers is thought-provoking and utterly entertaining. Tad Williams's ability to write humor, suspense, action, and evoke an emotional response from the reader (often all at once!) is remarkable. The world building is in-depth and enthralling. A stand-alone fantasy novel is hard to find these days --- one as thought-provoking and engrossing as this one is almost impossible to come across.

DFazio6994@aol.com
The Da Vinci Code

jandjross@cox.net
Without a doubt one of the very best books of the year has to be Audrey Niffeneger's The Time Traveler's Wife --- an intriguing storyline with superb character development.

KC2645@aol.com
Pattern Recognition by William Gibson was the best book I read this year that was published in 2003.

DDingyd311@aol.com
The Da Vinci Code was the best book this year, followed by my personal choice of A Royal Duty by Paul Burrell.

shirley@theansteys.freeserve.co.uk
Difficult to choose among my four favourites:

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

But I think if I choose one it has to be The Birth of Venus.

LadyHawke1043@aol.com
The Da Vinci Code is obvious, but I think The Secret Life of Bees is destined to be a classic.

ecurry@sain.com
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

MTK12345@aol.com
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

DCDLSD@aol.com
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

kfettresources@msn.com
By far, The Da Vinci Code. And thank you for providing us with 20 other related books.

kdgordon88@comcast.net
Far and away the best book of 2003 was The Time Traveler's Wife.

beattyj@earthlink.net
My pick for 2003's best book would, hands down, be The Da Vinci Code. I need to read it again!!

BDORM@aol.com
The Da Vinci Code and Oryx and Crake

Nanni712@aol.com
The Da Vinci Code, hands down!

mtsantoro@enter.net
My best book of 2003 would have to be Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. I was pleasantly surprised by the unique writing style she used and the way her characters intertwined and the story came together at the end. This was my standout book for 2003.

I must say I read a lot of good books this year. A nice mix of characters and good writers, but in the end Picoult surprised me with this book. I'm glad she did.

KLOZIER40@aol.com
By far, the best book I read was The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown!!!

hushpup@optonline.net
I think the best book of 2003 was The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

OLTLFREAK@aol.com
The Da Vinci Code for sure!

eightsenuf@indy.rr.com
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. It was so much more than I expected. I recommend it to any woman who loves books, belongs to a book club, and/or has at least one friend!

flowblu@comcast.net
The Da Vinci Code

litha@earthlink.net
Cold House by T.M. Wright. He is traditionally a horror writer. He is the master of subtle horror, but this novel projects the reader into human tragedy. We follow his main character, Michael, through childhood abuse by an authoritarian father, his visits to a house filled with ghosts and a love that may or may not have existed. Wright's subtleties keep the reader intrigued about each character's motives and actions. This is an intelligent reader's novel.

mindyruehmann@hotmail.com
The Time Traveler's Wife

bmclaughlin@NJHCFFA.com
The Confessor by Daniel Silva

safynefae@aol.com
This year's best book by far was Laura Moriarty's The Center of Everything. I laughed and cried through the whole book. It's a must for all women who were 80s teens and lived in the Midwest, especially the Kansas area.

Laura Moriarty caught the whole essence and feelings of being a girl in the 80s living in a small town: the struggle and the pains of being poor in a small town, having your heart broken, facing death, and trying to become successful --- all while trying to find your religion.

I can't wait for 2004 and Laura Moriarty's next novel. She's the freshest author of the year.

RRasner549@aol.com
The Da Vinci Code

WRKGRK@aol.com
Undoubtedly The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I couldn't put it down. We are doing the book at our next book club meeting and I look forward to a very animated discussion.

firsterie@adelphia.net
The best book of 2003, out of the 25 that I have read this year, is (hands down) The Da Vinci Code. I haven't enjoyed a book this much since Katherine Neville's The Eight and A Calculated Risk.The Da Vinci Code, along with the earlier Angels & Demons, will be on my reread list in the coming year.

lindaharriet@netzero.net
The best book I read this year was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. It was funny, and poignant, and was presented as a detective story. I learned how Christopher, the 15-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome (which wasn't mentioned at all in the book) solved the mystery of who killed Wellington, and I learned quite a bit about autism.

KiwiMagic23@aol.com
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Roscoe@drizzle.com
I have a list of "best mysteries of 2003," which includes some very fine books including Laura Lippman's Every Secret Thing,Cypress Grove by James Sallis (why doesn't everyone know about this fabulous author?), and Barbara Seranella's Unpaid Dues, the latest in a wonderful series. My other choices would have to beLost In a Good Book by Jasper Fforde, Monstrous Regiment, the latest terrific Discworld book by Terry Pratchett, and probably my favorite quirky book of 2003, Book Lust by Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl (model of the world famous "Librarian Action Figure").

GDamora802@aol.com
The Da Vinci Code

Annabelle973@aol.com
My choice for the title of "Best Book of 2003" is The Distance From Normandy by Jonathan Hull. No other book that I read came even close to this one.

melmee01@bellsouth.net
Tell No One by Harlan Coben.

Rohde99@aol.com
This year I would have to say The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown … just great!!!!!

bigbeagle2000@msn.com
The best book of 2003 is The Kite Runner.

SAshopgirl89@aol.com
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

albert.stankan@wachovia.com
The Da Vinci Code was the best book of 2003. Life of Pi and the 5th Harry Potter book were very good as well.

rcschwartz2@comcast.net
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger.

beverlyknudsen@hotmail.com
I thought The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier was wonderful; it was filled with wonderful characters and gave a real sense of what life was like in that time/place.

hushpup@optonline.net
Lucky Stars by Jane Heller. This was both funny and entertaining.

Edgar.Lebron@bbdo.com
The best book without out question --- on the nonfiction list --- was Relativism.

Hon2724@aol.com
The best book of 2003 was The Da Vinci Code.

jonolsen@comcast.net
Drop City by T.C. Boyle