As you can imagine, my house is overrun with books. I love all my books, even the ones I haven’t read yet, but I have a special shelf for books that I know I’ll be thinking about for years to come. That shelf is full of all the books that have given me that twinge in my heart or my gut–that twinge that strikes me whenever I read a truly perfect, wonderfully-written passage or feel myself reacting to a character’s troubles as if they were my own. Here’s a list of books, in no particular order, that have earned their spot on that shelf in the past year.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
In all honesty, my love of this book stems from my soft spot for geeks. The writing is stellar, but won’t appeal to everyone. Diaz uses Dominican slang, English slang, and everyday profanity to illustrate not only the life and family of his nerdy Dominican protagonist, but also the colorful lives and personalities of his narrators. I would recommend it to anyone who likes graphic novels like Hellboy or The Watchmen and to literature lovers–this geek-heavy read won the Pulitzer Prize.

Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
I first decided to read this because Nick Hornby mentioned in one of his columns in the Believer some years back (which are all genius and available in the compilations The Polysyllabic Spree, Housekeeping Vs. the Dirt, and Shakespeare Wrote for Money) how easy it would be to read all the works of Salinger in a month. You can’t say that about Dickens, now can you? I started reading it with no preconceptions and was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. Why this one is less popular than The Catcher in the Rye escapes me.

In the Wake by Per Petterson
I’m convinced that Per Petterson is the greatest living writer I’ve read so far. That said, Anne Born, who translated all three of the Petterson books currently available in English, must be something of a poet herself. The writing in this book is AMAZING. The story is secondary to the words, but I was enthralled by both. Arvid Jansen, a former bookseller and writer, coming out of the fog of grief, is as believable a character as I’ve ever encountered in real life.

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
Lorrie Moore is my favorite writer. This was not her best book, but even a subpar Lorrie Moore novel is better than most of the other books I read. The subject matter will turn off a lot of readers, since all the actions take place before the backdrop of the 9/11 attacks. What makes me love reading a Lorrie Moore book or story is rarely ever the plot or characters, but rather her ability to make me see a place and time so clearly. It’s almost like looking through a stack of photographs. This one, released in September of ’09, was a collection of images I won’t soon forget.

The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
I was more than a little surprised that this classic was chosen by our book club, which usually goes for more contemporary fare. I loved the descriptions of Paris night life, the sordid details of the private lives of socialites, and the so-flawed-they’re-perfect characters. It was like hearing the best bit of gossip, without having to feel the least bit of guilt.