The Mind of a Grocer's Assistant

One of my all-time heroes, James Joyce, once remarked that he had a grocer's assistant's mind. Apart from nationality, the only thing I have in common with the great man is a fondness for lists. Something I inflict on friends and acquaintances, sometimes even hapless strangers on trains. And now it's your turn. In no particular order, here are the BEST BOOKS I've read in the last couple of years:

Shade. Neil Jordan
The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini
Notes From a Coma. Mike McCormack
The Canal Bridge. Tom Phelan
We Need To Talk About Kevin. Lionel Shriver
The Mayor of MacDougal Street. Dave Van Ronk,
There Are Little Kingdoms. Kevin Barry
Redemption Falls. Joseph O'Connor
Dancing in the Dark. Caryl Phillips
Lost in Music. Giles Smith
Only Say the Word. Niall Williams
The Book Thief. Markus Zusak
Julius Winsome. Gerard Donovan
The Road. Cormac McCarthy
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. John Boyne