NY Times: 100 notable books, 2009 -- fiction

The staff of the New York Times Book Review named their "100 Notable Books of 2009."

A few of the books and writers from the fiction side of the list that have appeared here on the blog:

'American Rust'
By PHILIPP MEYER
Meyer’s crime novel/road novel hybrid also manages to chronicle life in a dying mill town. (Spiegel & Grau, $24.95.)

Read an excerpt from American Rust.

Learn more about the book and author at Philipp Meyer's website.

The Page 69 Test: American Rust.

'Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It'
By MAILE MELOY
Meloy’s calm, intelligent prose renders her stories’ self-sabotaging characters — lawyers, unfaithful spouses, eccentric older women, Montanans — eminently understandable. (Riverhead, $25.95.)

Visit Maile Meloy's website.

What is Maile Meloy reading?

The Page 69 Test: Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It.

The Page 99 Test: Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It.

'Nothing Right: Short Stories'

By ANTONYA NELSON
Nelson is drawn to the damage that results when strong women foolishly trust weak men. (Bloomsbury, $25.)

Read more about Antonya Nelson's new short story collection, Nothing Right.

Writers Read: Antonya Nelson.

Antonya Nelson's five most essential books.

'Typhoon'
By CHARLES CUMMING
British and American spies clash in the buildup to the Beijing Olympics. (St. Martin’s, $25.99.)

Learn more about the author and his work at Charles Cumming's website.

The Page 69 Test: Typhoon.

Read about all 100 books on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue