Amazon.com names year's best books ... so far

SEATTLE Amazon.com announced its picks for its annual Best Books of the Year…So Far list. This mid-year retrospective highlights the best books that have been released in 2009 from January through June.

Books on this year's list include Cheever: A Life by Blake Bailey, Fordlandia by Greg Grandin and Lost City of Z by David Grann

“At Amazon.com, we indulge in this mid-year "Best of" list because we’re obsessive about the books we love, and want to share them,” said Daphne Durham, senior manager of Amazon.com books. “With this selection of the best new books and up-and-coming authors, our customers can get ahead of the curve and read the books that everyone will be talking about at the end of the year.”