Eamonn Fitzgerald's Rainy Day

We have selected ten of our favourite books from the many read this year and linked the titles to Amazon, for those who would like more information or might be interested in buying any them. On Friday, we'll present our two Best Books of the Year, chosen from this list. First up, Mrs Rainy Day with her five favourite reads of 2004.

One Hundred Strokes of The Brush Before Bed by Melissa P. On her quest to find love, an 18-year-old Italian girl gets involved in intense sexual adventures.

Happy Day With The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver. Food and family and friends and eating the best meals made with the best ingredients.

Lanzarote by Michel Houellebecq. Going on holiday to Lanzarote may sound boring, but Houellebecq manages to turn the commonplace into high comedy.

A Multitude of Sins by Richard Ford. Ten grown-up stories about marriage and adultery, passion and infidelity, disappointment and revenge.

The Dying Animal by Philip Roth. A carefree liaison between a 60-year-old TV critic and a 20-year-old evolves into a tragic tale of love and loss.

And now, Mr Rainy Day presents his five faves:

The Anglosphere Challenge by James Bennett. The English-speaking cultures are the world's path-finding nations and Bennett says their global lead will widen in the coming decades.

A Venetian Affair by Andrea di Robilant. Two passionate protagonists exchange letters in 18th-century Venice. Casanova, Canaletto and Goldoni get cameo roles in the novel.

The Persian Puzzle by Kenneth Pollack. The United States and Iran have reached an impasse. Pollack looks at the regional and global implications of the options available to Washington in dealing with the mullahs.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Say what you like, 50 million readers must be on to something. Brown invents history, trashes the Catholic Church and laughs all the way to the bank. This is page-turning balderdash at its best.

Getting Things Done by David Allen. Is your workload getting on top of you? Allen's "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" strategy will help keep that in-box empty and the blood pressure down.

Here on Friday, we'll present our two Best Books of the Year. Comments are welcome.