From Scott Heim, author of the excellent We Disappear and Mysterious Skin, one of my all-time favorites:
What was the best book of the year?
As usual, there’s a stack of books beside my bed that I’ve yet to read. But of the 2008 books I did read:
fiction: Robert Crais, “Chasing Darkness”
poetry: James Tate, “The Ghost Soldiers”
and a sublime classic I hadn’t read until this year:
William Maxwell, “So Long, See You Tomorrow”
What was the best movie?
1st place: Let the Right One In.
A close 2nd: Man On Wire.
What was the best song/album?
I can never pick just one. So here are five:
Portishead, “Third”
Cut Copy, “In Ghost Colours”
MGMT, “Oracular Spectacular”
Mogwai, “The Hawk Is Howling”
Grouper, “Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill”
Favorite Blog?
<a href=“http://passiveaggressivenotes.com” title=”
www.passiveaggressivenotes.com”>Passive Aggressive Notes
Who was the person of the year?
Since anyone in his or her right mind will answer Barack Obama, I’ll change it up a little and say Michelle Obama.
What is your New Year’s resolution?
To do something with my frequent-flyer miles.
** Bonus question: Where do you see the world going in 2009?
It will probably involve a handbasket. But then again, with the election of Obama, I’m hoping that things can only get better after the past 8 years.
