This year, like every year, we’ve read many books. Now, contrary to others who will lie and make up politically correct lines like: “It’s been so difficult to choose favorites out of so many wonderful pieces of literature, but we really had to try,” or, “It’s taken us the better part of a month and many a sleepless night to pick our top reads, yada yada yada...” we’ll tell you the truth.

Most books we read this year were so FREAKING BAD, there were times when jumping out the window—from a tenth floor—into a bed of thorns!—was a better option than continuing to read such garbage. Anyway these are our favorites*:

Bawdy Babe:
The Handy Man - Linda Nichols
Home Before Dark - Susan Wiggs
The Lightkeeper - Susan Wiggs
Phantom Waltz - Catherine Anderson
Match Me If You Can - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Harlot:
Tatiana and Alexander - Paullina Simons
The Tea Rose - Jennifer Donnelly
The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
Bet Me - Jennifer Crusie
Match Me If You Can - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
The Devil to Pay - Liz Carlyle
Deadly Promise - Brenda Joyce

Tart:
Match Me If You Can - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Passion - Lisa Valdez
The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
Origin in Death - J.D. Robb
Survivor in Death - J.D. Robb
My Beloved - Karen Ranney
Fallen From Grace - Laura Leone
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Small Island - Andrea Levy
Shadowheart - Laura Kinsale

Vicious Trollop:
Rachel’s Holiday - Marian Keyes
Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married - Marian Keyes
Deadly Illusions - Brenda Joyce
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
The Lovely Bones - Alice Seabold
In Her Shoes - Jennifer Weiner
Good in Bed - Jennifer Weiner

*Some of these books weren’t published in 2005, but we read them this year.