Top 5 Books for 2005 (that were not Harry Potter)
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose. I think I read this once every two or three years. It is one of the finest stories ever told. Period.
Independence Day by Richard Ford. One of those books where you honestly believe every single word was carefully selected to fit right where it is. Nothing particularly exciting happens I guess, but for the way it is crafted and told, you can see why it won the Pulitzer for fiction.
Abraham Lincoln - Speeches and Writings 1859-1865. There was a time when our national leaders were eloquent, smart, and honorable. Seriously.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. What a strange and engaging book. Oh and by the way, Siobhan is pronounced Shi-von, not Si-ob-han. Who knew.
Honorable Mentions: Blink (Galdwell), What I Loved (Hustvedt), and the Amber Spyglass (Pullman).
Top 2 Movies (That were not Harry Potter)
Anchorman. And you know what? If you don't like it, you can just go back to your home on Whore Island.
All the President's Men. I've said this before, but part of the reason you wonder why this movie feels different is because it does. There is very little frantic NYPD-Blue-ish camera bouncy-bouncy stuff. In fact, there is a scene where the camera slowly pans in on Woodward/Redford for about 3-4 full minutes. And it is suspenseful. So cool.