The Elliott Bay Book Company

Indulge in this book the way you might indulge in candy at the checkout counter. It is a small container filled with considerable pleasure—a tight, melancholic story seamlessly told.

For years, the poet Maggie Nelson told people that she was writing a book about the color blue—without having written a word. What started as "and appreciation, an affinity" turned into something else—"it became somehow personal." In Bluets, Nelson turns philosophical investigation into poetry—reflecting on the loss of a relationship and the paralysis of a friend. I couldn't read this book slow enough. It's brilliant—highly recommended.

I haven't been this excited about a short story collection for a while, at least since Nam Le's The Boat came out. Towers' stories about the people on the margins are funny, disarming, and unlike any others. Highly recommended.

Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. In lesser hands, this story of the rise and fall of Rock Foxx might have fallen apart into cliches. Greenman's writing, though, is so pitch perfect—Foxx so beautifully flawed—the era charged and volatile. "This is the way to feel fine, Ranger Nine."

This little library is a fiction lover's dream. Of course anyone can appreciate Dave Eggers, but the other 2 collections of stories—by Deb Olin Unferth and Sarah Manguso—are both rare treats. Each collection is beautifully bound, it's pleasing enough to simply look at.

Unferth's eagerly awaited first novel (read her stories in Minor Robberies, a collection which was included in the Dave Eggers-driven Small Box of Short Stories) is an adventure starring the ordinary Myers whose only distinguishing characteristic is the funny shape of his head. Myers is stalking his wife, who is stalking another man, Gray. By proxy, Myers is also stalking Gray, whose daughter and ex-wife are looking for him in South America, unbeknownst to Gray, who might be suffering from amnesia. Confused? Don't worry; Unferth unfurls her swirling plot with ease, weaving the reader's own inevitable questioning into the story. Vacation is homage to these unhinged times, where the connections we have to others are tenuous at best, and is simply one of those books you must read to believe.

This is a perfect book to read from when you want to be taken to another place for awhile. Pancake's stories of the seemingly desperate lives of West Virginia's working poor are nothing short of incredible. Words are used sparingly here, but they're always the right words. These stories were published posthumously but Pancake's surviving voice is one of the best we've got.

Yes, another book by Ander Monson. This book of essays is my pick for Best of 2007! In my opinion, Ander is simply one of the most exciting and inventive writers writing right now. A master of tone and form, he creates wonders with language and will make you want to write.

This under-appreciated and understated classic is darkly funny and beautifully constructed. The story of Frank and his petty thief lover Johnny centers around Johnny's uncommonly intelligent dog, Evie, for whom Johnny must find a caretaker when he lands in jail. Frank's good intentions are pitted against those of Johnny's dullard wife and simpleton parents as Evie comes to represent everything we want but shouldn't necessarily have.