Looking to curl up with a good book this Christmas? Want to escape the holiday chaos and take a literary adventure to a far-away land?

If you answered 'yes', keep reading. CTV.ca presents a collection of our favourite literary gems of 2008, and the reasons we think they're worth a read.

The list ranges from a traipsing, Kafka-esque, Japanese detective story, to journalist Kevin Sites' gripping tales from war zones around the world. Some are old, some are new, and the only common thread linking these books, is that we loved them. Enjoy.

Fiction

"The Erasers" by Alain Robbe-Grillet

I debated reading Alain Robbe-Grillet's first novel for so long it ballooned into some kind of grand plan, like moving to Japan or opening a wine bar. How do you approach a writer who tinkered with the most basic elements of the novel?

Robbe-Grillet pioneered the Nouveau Roman, along with other French avant-garde writers in the 1950s. According to a friend of mine, that meant he wrote sterile, text-book experiments in literary theory that should be avoided at all cost. But when Robbe-Grillet died this year at the age of 85, it compelled me to open the cover.

The big surprise: For all its clever tricks, "The Erasers" is a gripping detective novel. A terrorist group in France has managed to kill one victim each day at exactly the same hour. At a small industrial city, a special agent arrives to prevent the latest murder. But he's a modern-day Oedipus and his journey is marked by doom.

Through it all, Robbe-Grillet makes the banal mysterious, including a lengthy description of an automated cafeteria that zeroes in on the exact dimensions of an imperfectly cut tomato. He also gives the city's layout a confusing, labyrinthine quality like the narrative itself.

It's always a surprise when you finally get around to reading a famous book and discover that, yes, it really is enjoyable -- there's a reason it's still in print. "The Erasers" is a complex suspense novel from one of the great experimental writers of the past century.

- Review by weekend producer Michael Stittle

"Downtown Owl" by Chuck Klosterman

Pop-culture philosopher Chuck Klosterman's first novel is a lot like his non-fiction writing: filled with jolting transitions and long asides, Nick Hornby-approved lists and excessive amounts of post-modern introspection on music, pot and booze.

But don't let that scare you. This book is a like the perfect English pint -- delicious at first taste, melancholy throughout and with a bitter finish.

In "Downtown Owl", Klosterman, who grew up on a farm in North Dakota, only to end up as one of New York City's hippest writers, draws deep from his startlingly-accurate perception of rural life.

Klosterman believably writes from the perspective of a third-string high school athlete, the town's new teacher who finds herself bored (and usually drunk and lonely) and Horace, an old man, long widowed (and definitely not an orange juice drinker.)

The book is more of a collection of scenes (including possibly the greatest scene ever written about a conversation about a single football play) rather than plot-driven, but there is an event at the conclusion that brings our characters together -- quite similar to Robert Altman's "Short Cuts."

But Klosterman's ability to find insight and humour in the everyday monotony in the middle-of-nowhere makes a book about nothing a true page-turner.

- Review by writer Josh Visser

"The Lost Salt Gift of Blood" by Alistair MacLeod

If you're heading to Nova Scotia anytime soon, and specifically Cape Breton, "The Lost Salt Gift of Blood" should definitely find its way into your backpack.

Alistair MacLeod's iconic collection of short stories reads like a travel guide into the soul of the region and those who call it home.

The book is at times heartbreaking, uplifting and melancholy.

MacLeod's tales focus on everyday folk -- miners, fishermen, loggers -- and their desperate struggle to hang onto a way of life that is steadily eroding into the Atlantic.

And he writes convincingly as though he has lived each of these lives -- from a young man returning to visit his grandmother's isolated home, full of ghosts from his past, to young people striving to escape the claustrophobic, small town existence they see as a dead-end.

As a travel companion, MacLeod's book brings new meaning to the lonely, socked-in coves and harsh headlands -- and the hardy, colourful people of Cape Breton and Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore.

There is melancholy beauty in these stories and they bring the land to life and serve as a perfect addition to a Maritime adventure. Or even better, a reason for a Maritime adventure.

- Review by writer Andy Johnson

"Lollipop Shoes" by Joanne Harris

"The Lollipop Shoes" picks up five years after "Chocolat" left off.

Now Vianne has reinvented herself as the widow Yanne Charbonneau and she and her daughters Anouk and the young Rosette are living in a rented chocolaterie in the Montmartre district of Paris. On the surface, life has settled down.

But author Joanne Harris points out that where "Chocolat" was milk chocolate, this book is more like 70% cocoa -- stronger, with sharper taste that lingers on the tongue.

Indeed, this book is much darker than its predecessor, compelling the characters to confront their past demons and forcing the reader, as well, to answer a pointed question: When do you stop running from what you really want?

While some of the fantastical plot devices may be off-putting to literary purists, Harris' success has always been in evoking the senses -- and this book is no exception.

Harris makes that very clear in the opening pages of the book as the bohemian, eccentric Zozie blows into town with her lollipop-red shoes: "Something there had caught my interest. Perhaps the letters, poking out from the metal jaws of the post-box like a sly tongue. Perhaps the fugitive scent of nutmeg and vanilla (or was that just the damp?) that filtered from beneath the sky-blue door. Perhaps the wind, flirting with the hem of my skirt, teasing the chimes above the door."

Harris' signature flair for food writing is also alive in this book, with indulgent descriptions of quail fed on ripe figs, roast goose with "flesh so tender it slips off the bones like a silk stocking from a lady's leg" and instructions on how to make a piping hot mug of hot chocolate -- with the requisite dash of chili.

All the odds were stacked against the book: it was the sequel to a popular book turned into an Oscar-nominated film; Harris employed the voice of three narrators, one of whom was the villain; and some of the magical elements had the potential to cast the book in a hokey light.

But she managed to pull it off and readers will devour it greedily from beginning to end.

- Review by producer Mary Nersessian

"The Zahir" by Paulo Coelho

"The Zahir" was released by Paulo Coelho in 2005 and while it touches on the themes of self-discovery, the novel is a far cry from his breakthrough book "The Alchemist".

Like "The Alchemist", "The Zahir" reminds readers to break free of our mindless routines and to take the time to remember the moments, the conversations, the feelings that inspire us and to live a life that injects us with passion.

However, unlike "The Alchemist", the tale is one that we can all relate to. A successful writer finds out one day that his wife, whom he loves but has taken for granted over the years, has disappeared from his life. She leaves him and he's forced to reflect on his actions and his life to try to understand how his loyal confidante could walk away without a word.

"Zahir" is an Arabic word that is used to describe something that overwhelms our thoughts, an obsession that keeps us from really focusing on any other part of our life. The protagonist becomes intoxicated by thoughts of his wife and it takes him years to realize she left him because he had settled into the comfort of convention.

Coelho, as is his typical style, does bring in some supernatural elements to the story, forcing his protagonist through unconventional rituals during his pilgrimage to his wife's new home. However, The Zahir's bold message about love and life and its' strong caution against mundanity will resonate with even the most hardened of readers.

- Review by Toronto.ctv.ca writer Sandie Benitah

"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami

When you work in news, day in and day out, it feels good sometimes to let the imagination take a ride to a place beyond 'just the facts.' To let a writer swoop you into his world -- as strange and unpredictable a world as it may be.

"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" is a novel by Japanese literary giant Haruki Murakami,. At the centre is an unremarkable man in his 30s: unemployed with a failing marriage, and without much ambition, save for making the perfect pasta dinner while listening to Italian opera. When his cat runs away, it triggers a chain of events that unearths the complexity of his seemingly dull life.

It's a sweeping, Kafka-esque detective tale that touches on the universal themes of alienation and the yearning for human connection. It also speaks of the corruption and evil that can live inside -- and give power to -- politicians; the fickle nature of love; and it manages to unearth some horrifying, buried secrets of the Second World War.

Sometimes it seems Murakami's gone on too many tangents -- some of which he never really recovers from, narratively.) But it would be wrong to tighten the loose ends into a tidy package. That's not what Murakami's about. His storytelling retains its strength, and I never tired of following the protagonist's journey. I kept turning the pages to find out whether this unremarkable man could conquer the odds and achieve something extraordinary.

- Review by producer Phil Hahn

Non-Fiction

"Fear's Empire: War, Terrorism and Democracy" by Benjamin Barber

If you want to get beyond "Bush is an idiot" and truly understand why United States foreign policy is in ruins, this book turns a thousand-watt light on the politics of fear.

Not only the fear that 9/11 instilled in the American psyche, but the fear and loathing America has instilled in its enemies and friends alike.

Barber lucidly lays it out on page one:

"Terrorists otherwise bereft of power have bored into the American imagination, seeding its recesses and crannies with anxieties for which the technicolor terror alert codes are unsettling indicators. Yet in its approach to confronting terrorism, whether prosecuting wars abroad or pursuing security at home, American has conjured the very fear that is terrorism's principal weapon."

Barber deconstructs the Bush administration's false assumptions, twisted logic and misguided tactics that has hobbled the world's only superpower with shackles of its own making.

The incoming Obama administration would be wise to steer sharply away from the simplistic Bush policy of democratic jihad and realize that unilateralism has worsened, not improved America's ability to combat terror.

- Review by Executive Producer Mark Sikstrom

"In the Hot Zone: One Man, One Year, Twenty Wars" by Kevin Sites

For a book about conflict, corruption and poverty, In the Hot Zone is a remarkably hopeful and at times even funny read.

Kevin Sites -- arguably the mainstream media's first web-only journalist -- made it his mission to travel to twenty war zones in one year for Yahoo! News.

Armed with a laptop, video recorder and digital camera, Sites dispatched news stories to the Internet daily from remote villages in places as Somalia, Israel, Chechnya and Myanmar. He documented live gun battles, reported on abuses of power and told important, though often unheard, stories of victims living in the crossfire.

In this book, Sites explains just how he managed to do it, who he met along the way and what he learned about the world and the people living in it.

You can almost see the dust fill your eyes as Sites explains what he did in the seconds following an explosion in a bustling urban centre; feel the frustration when his Internet modem fails to connect; and truly understand what a relief it must have been to escape it all by hitting the pavement with a few Iranian strangers for a little three-on-three basketball.

- Review by writer Stefania Moretti

"The Shameless Carnivore: A Manifesto for Meat Lovers" by Scott Gold

In a shout-out to meat-eaters, Gold takes a sometimes humorous look at choosing, preparing and eating meat. From the tiniest quail to the biggest gator, goose or yak, little is off limits (unless prohibited by law).

His adventures in meat-eating, including 31 meats in 31 days, goes further than an adventurous cookbook though, examining the ethical debate that often surrounds those who choose to eat meat.

And while trying to reconcile his love of all things bovine and porcine with the death of often 'cute and fuzzy' animals, Gold goes the extra step in examining how disconnected people have become from the food chain.

Gold also considers how meat's reputation has been damaged by the quantity over quality trend in fast food, and how it is possible to eat meat and still be a responsible citizen.

Framed by his perspective as a lover of all quality meat, Gold inspires a second look at the shrink-wrapped wares in the grocery store's butcher case.

- Review by web journalist Amanda Taccone

"Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America" by Thomas L. Friedman

If you're looking for a Christmas read for either the eco-skeptic or the eco-believer on your list, consider Thomas L. Friedman's "Hot, Flat and Crowded." Friedman is the New York Times' foreign affairs columnist and has written two previous books on globalization. In this volume, Friedman makes the case that the party is over -- we've entered the Energy-Climate Era.

While the current global recession has dampened price, oil is getting progressively scarcer just as a growing global middle class wants to enjoy an American-style good life. At the same time, having more people living a lifestyle powered by the "fuels from hell" -- coal and oil -- means the continuing warming of the planet's climate. In other words, we're getting hot, flat and crowded.

Friedman wants to see his country's intellectual, entrepreneurial and moral energies focused on developing a more sustainable future, to break the oil habit that props up petro-tyrannies and to help the energy impoverished live more productive lives without further wrecking our planet's life support systems.

The value of the book lies in the fact that while the world faces some daunting problems, there are smart people out there coming up with solutions, be it in Shanghai or Seattle. What's really needed is the will to act and simply the knowledge that we face a problem. On that basis, maybe the eco-skeptics need this book more.

- Review by writer Bill Doskoch

"House of War: The Pentagon and Disastrous Rise of American Power" by James Carroll

A comprehensive and stinging critique of the rise of the Pentagon, from the breaking of ground on Sept. 11, 1941 to the misfires of Iraq, "House of War" reveals the cost of mistakes and offers an inside look at the men who made them.

Author James Carroll's father, Lt.-Gen. Joseph Carroll, rose through the ranks of the establishment from FBI special agent to director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. For young Carroll, the Pentagon's halls not only represented absolute power, they were home.

This unique insight brings a distinctive character to the 604 pages of facts, decisions and repercussions.

Is this a giant history lesson? Yes. But with a history this nefarious, who can resist.

- Review by video producer Corey Bellamy

"What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship & Love" by Carole Radziwill

While the year's post-breakup must-read was definitely "Eat, Pray, Love," a small memoir that came out in 2005 is another journey of love and loss that avoids sentimentality but packs a heavy emotional wallop.

In "What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love," Carole Radziwill recounts the summer she lost her husband, Anthony Radziwill (son of Lee and nephew of Jackie Kennedy) and their best friends John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn, just a few weeks apart.

But Radziwill's story is not just another sordid Kennedy memoir. The author uses a light touch and a healthy dose of humour to recount her working class childhood in upstate New York, her rise through the ABC News ranks, and her fateful meeting with, and subsequent marriage to, Polish prince Anthony Radziwill.

Radziwill is writing about events most of us followed closely on television. It was in the summer of 1999 that the plane carrying John, Jr., Carolyn and her sister Lauren went missing off of Martha's Vineyard and observers shook their heads at the news of another Kennedy tragedy when it was found in the Atlantic Ocean.

What is less known is the relationship between the Kennedys and the Radziwills, and the author describes a fierce closeness that was only broken by the deaths of the Kennedys and then of Radziwill, who suffered with cancer for years, mere weeks later.

The story is a reminder that although it can be fleeting, love is really what matters most.

- Review by writer Andrea Janus