SpottyDogBooks and Ale

The undisputed king of Spotty Sales is Byrne Fone, with his Historic Hudson once again solidly walloping the competition. Coming up second, however, is a newcomer to the list, itself a tome of local history. Tom Lewis’ The Hudson: A History is a panoramic must-read for anyone whose ever spent time living on the banks of the lordly Hudson. Investigating the river’s influence on history (and vice versa), Lewis’ lively and comprehensive study never sags, and offers ample springboard for further study.

Diamond Street, Bruce Edward Hall’s favorite dirty little tell-all about Hudson’s own Red Light District, comes in third, with Hudson Talbott’s River of Dreams, a pictorial ode to the glories of the Hudson, taking fifth place. Taking a breather from the local, Stieg Larsson’s mystery-thriller The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo dominated our fiction sales, mirroring the book’s international success. Samuel Shem places in sixth with his own paean to Hudson, The Spirit of the Place, one spot below 2008’s fifth-place finish.

Mega-blockbuster sequel The Lost Symbol placed next, followed closely by Tony Fletcher’s compulsive, dishy All Hopped Up and Ready To Go: A History of Music from the Streets of New York, 1927-1977. A must for any serious music fan, Fletcher’s depth of knowledge is unparalleled, and matched well by his lively prose and expansive cultural understanding. Following Fletcher, perennial favorite Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma crept back into the spotlight despite having been released in 2006. Amy Bloom’s Away was the definitive sleeper hit of the year, and her devotees will be happy to know that we have her latest collection, Where The God of Love Hangs Out, available for all.

Other notables included Rebecca Wolff’s searing collection , The King, as well as Jene Luciani’s The Bra Book. Miranda July’s 2007 collection of short fiction, No One Belongs Here More Than You, continued with quietly strong sales throughout the year, and of course Twilight and the ilk also fared well.