2007's 3-Star Fiction (and 3 Stars is Very Good)

a list by Peter, the avid reader who runs Flashlight Worthy

The publishing industry has a few publications that aren't flashy, but are THE source for libraries and bookstores when it comes to determining what new books are really, really good. Those publications are Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, The Library Journal, and Booklist.

To designate the books that stand out from the rest, each publication "stars" a few books each week. Below are 13 novels of 2007 that received stars from at least 3 of the 4 publications.

onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Cheating_at_Canasta');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0670018376'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Cheating_at_Canasta');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0670018376'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Cheating at Canasta by William Trevor While the list is otherwise alphabetic by Author, I bumped this list to the top because it was the only book to be starred by all 4 publications. onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Cheating_at_Canasta');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Cheating_at_Canasta');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0670018376'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 240 page hardcover \|$16.47 \|10 reviews This book also appears on The New York Times' 50 Notable Books of 2007 (Fiction)


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Lost_City_Radio');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060594799'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Lost_City_Radio');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060594799'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Lost City Radio by Daniel Alarcon onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Lost_City_Radio');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Lost_City_Radio');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060594799'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 272 page hardcover \|$19.46 \|13 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Yiddish_Policemens_Union');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0007149832'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Yiddish_Policemens_Union');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0007149832'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon Amazon says: A gripping whodunit, a love story, an homage to 1940s noir, and an exploration of the mysteries of exile and redemption... For sixty years, Jewish refugees and their descendants have prospered in the Federal District of Sitka, a "temporary" safe haven created in the wake of revelations of the Holocaust and the shocking 1948 collapse of the fledgling state of Israel. Proud, grateful, and longing to be American, the Jews of the Sitka District have created their own little world in the Alaskan panhandle, a vibrant, gritty, soulful, and complex frontier city that moves to the music of Yiddish. For sixty years they have been left alone, neglected and half-forgotten in a backwater of history. But all that is coming to an end. onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Yiddish_Policemens_Union');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Yiddish_Policemens_Union');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0007149832'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 464 page paperback \|$10.85 \|296 reviews This book also appears on: Books in 140's Favorite Reads of 2008 Every Book by Michael Chabon Salon.com's Favorite Fiction of 2007 The Economist's 10 Best Books of 2007 (Fiction & Memoir) The New York Times' 50 Notable Books of 2007 (Fiction)


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Finn');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1400065917'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Finn');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1400065917'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Finn by Jon Clinch onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Finn');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Finn');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1400065917'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 304 page hardcover \|$16.29 \|71 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Medicus_of_the_Roman_Empire');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1596912316'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Medicus_of_the_Roman_Empire');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1596912316'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Medicus of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Medicus_of_the_Roman_Empire');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Medicus_of_the_Roman_Empire');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1596912316'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 400 page hardcover \|$16.05 \|39 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Measuring_Time');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0393052516'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Measuring_Time');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0393052516'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Measuring Time by Helon Habila onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Measuring_Time');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Measuring_Time');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0393052516'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 272 page paperback \|$11.16 \|3 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Dead_Fathers_Club');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0670038334'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Dead_Fathers_Club');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0670038334'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">The Dead Fathers Club by Matt Haig onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Dead_Fathers_Club');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Dead_Fathers_Club');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0670038334'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 336 page hardcover \|$12.69 \|19 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Tree_of_Smoke');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0374279128'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Tree_of_Smoke');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0374279128'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Tree_of_Smoke');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Tree_of_Smoke');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0374279128'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 624 page hardcover \|$17.82 \|73 reviews This book also appears on: The National Book Award for Fiction The New York Times' 50 Notable Books of 2007 (Fiction) Time Magazine's Top 10 Books of 2007 (Fiction)


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/In_the_Country_of_Men');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0385340427'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/In_the_Country_of_Men');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0385340427'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/In_the_Country_of_Men');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/In_the_Country_of_Men');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0385340427'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 256 page hardcover \|$14.96 \|21 reviews This book also appears on The New York Times' 50 Notable Books of 2007 (Fiction)


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Consumption');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0385520743'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Consumption');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0385520743'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Consumption by Kevin Patterson onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Consumption');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Consumption');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0385520743'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 400 page hardcover \|$16.50 \|9 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Bastard_of_Istanbul');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0670038342'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Bastard_of_Istanbul');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0670038342'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Bastard_of_Istanbul');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/The_Bastard_of_Istanbul');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0670038342'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 368 page hardcover \|$24.95 \|26 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Ten_Days_in_the_Hills');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1400040612'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Ten_Days_in_the_Hills');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1400040612'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Ten Days in the Hills by Jane Smiley I've included this book because technically it did receive 3 stars -- everyone but Kirkus gave it a star. That said, the general consensus is that this is not a very good book -- certainly not up to Smiley's usual level. Purchase at your own risk. onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Ten_Days_in_the_Hills');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Ten_Days_in_the_Hills');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1400040612'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 464 page hardcover \|$18.98 \|65 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Mothers_and_Sons');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1416534652'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Mothers_and_Sons');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1416534652'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Mothers and Sons by Colm Toibin onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Mothers_and_Sons');" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/2007s_3Star_Fiction_and_3_Stars_is_Very_Good/Mothers_and_Sons');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/1416534652'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;"> 288 page hardcover \|$18.72 \|13 reviews This book also appears on The New York Times' 50 Notable Books of 2007 (Fiction)

Know any books we should add to the list above? .