While it’s not difficult to concede that it wasn’t perfect (neither the Yankees nor the Mets made it to the World Series, the great Mickey Spillane passed away, the war in Iraq has not yet ended in victory, the movie version of a great novel, “The Black Dahlia,” was butchered in the editing room, and nincompoops still stop at the top of bustling subway staircases to check their text messages), 2006 was still a year to celebrate for the countless treasures it offered to enhance everyday life.

Looking back, here are a few of the disparate elements that combined to enshrine 2006 as one of the great years of my life and, it is to be ardently hoped, the lives of many others.

After more than a decade without a novel, Joseph Wambaugh came back with one of his most memorable and accomplished efforts, “Hollywood Station,” which teems with original, lively, 3-D characters engaged in one of the most inventive plots of the year.

The wild boar stew was returned to the menu for the winter at Osteria del Circo.

Judith Regan was fired only a few weeks after her boss, Rupert Murdoch, forced her to cancel a television show and withdraw copies of O.J. Simpson’s cynical confession, “If I Did It.” Greed and lack of conscience in attempting to enrich herself and someone found liable (by a California civil court) for wrongful death were thwarted by an outraged public. Chalk one up for the good guys.

Speaking of good guys, keep an eye out for the first novel by Joe Hill, “Heart-Shaped Box,” due out next month from William Morrow. About a decade ago, Tabitha King, the author of 10 novels and wife of one of the most distinguished popular writers of all time, Stephen King, told me that the most talented writer in the family was their son, Joe. It took a little while to get published, as Joe was meticulous about sending his work out pseudonymously, but his ghost story is already the buzz of the industry. Tabby and Steve’s younger son, Owen, has already published “We’re All in This Together,” released in 2005 by Bloomsbury.

Derek Jeter went five-for-five in the first game of the playoffs. One of the classiest athletes in any sport, he should be the role model for every kid in America.

Although it seems impossible, Michael Connelly appears to get better with each year. “Echo Park” was another step toward immortality for a writer who will be read for as long as people read mystery fiction.

One of the most eloquent, stylistically acclaimed authors alive, the poetic John Harvey, was announced as the winner of the Diamond Dagger by the (British) Crime Writers‚ Association for lifetime achievement, joining the pantheon of the greatest crime writers. The highest honor given to mystery writers in Great Britain, the award has been presented annually since 1986. Previous winners include P.D. James, Eric Ambler, Dick Francis, John le Carré, Elmore Leonard, Ed McBain, and Colin Dexter.

Why wasn’t this great story in every newspaper in America? Denzell Washington and his family visited the troops at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Soldiers who are burn victims are evacuated to this facility. A nearby hotel called Fisher House has several buildings where the GIs’ families can stay for little or no charge, and they are usually filled. When Mr. Washington toured one of the Fisher houses, he asked how much it would cost to build one. On the spot, he wrote a check for the full amount. While George Clooney, Barbra Streisand, Sean Penn, Alec Baldwin, and their ilk, with their tiresome anti-American rants, are constantly in the headlines, somehow this story escaped notice. Brightens the day, doesn’t it?

After a dozen books, George Pelecanos, a respected hero of his peers in the mystery writing community, finally made the best-seller list with “The Night Gardener,” his finest work to date.

Blessings on the head of Nelson DeMille, evidently one of the few people left standing who dares to be politically incorrect without being stupid. In “Wildfire,” he takes hilarious swipes at the French, feminists, and political correctness itself while producing one of the year’s most distinguished thrillers.

“Harry, Carrie and Garp” at the Radio City Music Hall sold out 6,000 seats, and scalpers had a field day with the hottest tickets in town. It wasn’t a rock concert or a sports event — it was a reading by J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, and John Irving, and it was standing room only for children and adults. Mr. King’s story of a pie-eating contest was hilarious, and Mr. Irving’s reading became a one-man show of side-splitting hilarity, but the highlight of the evening may have been the plaintive voice of a young boy who yelled to Ms. Rowling, “Please don’t kill Harry,” as rumors abound that she may do just that.

Thanks for indulging my ode to the joys of the past year, to which I would like to add my gratitude for the many hundreds of e-mails from readers. Happy New Year!

Mr. Penzler is the proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop in Manhattan and the series editor of the annual “Best American Mystery Stories.” He can be reached at ottopenzler@mysteriousbookshop.com.