Our favorite books of the year include a biography of John Donne, a Zadie Smith essay collection and the memoir of a 9-year-old El Salvadoran boy who traveled 3,000 miles to reunite with his parents.
Best Books
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Berkeleyside’s favorite books of 2021
Our annual selection of the books we enjoyed most in 2021.
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What were the best books of 2020? 3 Berkeleyside contributors share their favorites
President Barack Obama’s memoir made the cut but so did a quiet novel, ‘Looking for Eliza’ by Leaf Arbuthnot.
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Berkeleyside picks the best books of 2018
Our 10 best books of the year range from an exposé of a Silicon Valley firm to a novel that takes readers into the heart of the refugee crisis in Europe.
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Some new non-fiction books with ties to Berkeley to read over Labor Day
It’s Labor Day weekend. If you have time to read, check out these books by Berkeley authors or with Berkeley themes.
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Some great summer fiction picks that have a Berkeley connection
There is no shortage of great books with a Berkeley theme to pick up this summer.
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Some very Berkeley books for the holidays
On Dec. 16, Berkeleyside published the Best Books of 2016 compiled by Berkeleyside staff and community members. But there is another category of books, those about Berkeley, that is also worth noting. Here then is a list of recently published books about Berkeley that will make great gifts. Quirky Berkeley by Tom Dalzell Dalzell writes about all that […]
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Best Books of 2016, picked by Berkeleyside editors, guests
The reading area at Kaleidoscope Coffee in Richmond. Photo: Kate Williams Every year some of the Berkeleyside team, aided by ardent readers in the community, select their favorite books of the year. This year we asked the new head of the Berkeley Public Library, the new publisher of Heyday Books, a Berkeley novelist, a former financial wizard […]
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Best Books of 2015, picked by Berkeleyside editors, guests
Photo: Angelica Portales Every year the Berkeleyside editors, aided by ardent readers in the community, select their favorite books of the year. Here are our selections for 2015 (feel free to share your picks in the comments): Tracey Taylor, co-founder, Berkeleyside By far the most thought-provoking book I read this year was Between The World and […]
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From hawks to Berlin to Salinger to neurosurgery to sci-fi: 6 great reads to start off your summer
If you hurry, you can grab one of our recommended summer books at a Berkeley public library. Photo: Bill Newton It’s not quite June gloom outside, and May gloom doesn’t have the same ring. While the weather isn’t cooperating, Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of the summer. To usher in a season of more relaxation […]
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Best Books of 2014: Chosen by local authors, Berkeleyside
Berkeleyside asked Berkeley-based writers for their pick of their favorite two books of the year. Photo: Creative Commons Every year Berkeleyside puts together a list of the best books the editors have read. We generally ask local authors and literary-minded folk to contribute their picks. This year we decided to mimic the format used by […]
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The List: 18 books about Berkeley for Berkeley lovers
We have selected 18 books set in, or about, Berkeley — Photo: Daniel Parks It’s the holiday season and a slew of “Best Books of 2013” lists have come out, including one from Berkeleyside editors. But do you want to go beyond what everyone else is buying and reading and give something different? How about […]
