LCB Recap: Best Book of 2009

It's about that time where we start thinking of what holiday parties we will attend/skip and the resolutions we will give up by February. With it being the end of the year, it also means that it's time for the LCB staff to share their thoughts on the year. Over the next couple weeks we will be recapping the year by listing our favorites in the world of sports and entertainment. We all know that listing something as the "BEST" is both ridiculous and absurd, considering it's all due to taste and viewpoints on topics that are absolutely unquantifiable. But we will try our best to do just that. Next up, our picks for the best book of 2009.

Teach: If the book had to be published in 2009, then I'll go with Chuck Klosterman's Downtown Owl. More people will read his Eating the Dinosaur because they want to read Klosterman's essays, but Downtown Owl proved Chuck is capable of much more, which makes him a lot more interesting. However, the best book I read in 2009 was probably Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union, which is both a trashy mystery book and a work of literary value. Reading this book made me a better writer...I think.

Langston: I thought about making On Rocky Top by Clay Travis my pick for book of the year. As it gave me new perspective to how irrational fandom can truly be, but as a Tennessee fan it most likely would be a biased selection (Though I still recommend it for all football fans, especially my SEC brethren.) So my choice is the aforementioned Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman. The humor of his essays are worth its weight alone, but his use of pop culture as a lens to our lives is what makes this book something special.