Everything I want in a great read is here with this powerhouse debut. The opening is intense and powerful, you really want to know what’s going on and it doesn’t let up until the end. Add some secret societies, funny paranormal situations, and a heroine who is ready to use her powers wisely, and this great read makes me happy I’m a reader!!
Erudite and oh so lovely, The Last Samurai is the tale of a mother and her child prodigy as he looks to find out who his father is. Love of learning languages, film and music theory, and depth of philosophical inquiry makes this a powerhouse of a read. I can’t think of a better read in recent memory.
Five of the titles were on the blog already this year, so I’ll start with the new ones and list the others at the end. I try and read less, but it’s like breathing-need to continue to be alive.
Hark! A Vagrant- Kate Beaton
History and literature pared down to the funny bits. She is a genius of the quick comic strip. Can’t stop loving her wit!
Claire Dewitt and the City of the Dead- Sara Gran
This is a Post-Katrina surreal mystery with a masterful sense of place. I felt the wards, and the city for weeks afterwards. Give this one a chance.
Steampunk! : An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories. Edited by Kelly Link and Gavin Grant
Steampunk is dead. Long live Steampunk!!! Ok, so everybody is coming out with a steampunk book to try and cash in, but this is the best of the best short stories collections of the year. And like the great editors they are-these tales take place everywhere but Victorian England. There wasn’t a bad read in the bunch which almost never happens.
Reamde- Neal Stephenson
When he’s on, he rocks the techno thriller like nobody out there. Not since Cryptonomicon did 1000 pages seem too short. Race around the world and come back to a fun and fast read.
Duncan the Wonder Dog, book one
I stopped being overwhelmed with the creativity of this graphic novel, and just let the emotional weight bring me to honor the moments reading Duncan. Animals are sentient and really really unset about how they are being treated by people. Hines plans on nine more volumes in the next 18 year! Unlike any comic you will have read.
And the other 5 see below:
Open City- Teju Cole
Quantum Thief- Hannu Rajaniemi
Family Fang- Kevin Wilson
Ready Player One- Ernest Cline
Among Others- Jo Walton
All the buzz on this debut SF title is true. The thief is trying to recover memories. Some gamers have evolved into billion souled megaminds. Exomemories can be shared with others through neural pathways, and the Detective is trying to figure what has been corrupted. Engaging from start to finish- can’t wait to read what’s next.
Only four day pass in the 1000 pages of 10 year old Judas Maccabee scripture. He’s immersed in starting a new holy war to bring Jews back to power, and if it starts at his middle school, so much the better. The humor, verbal tricks, and exegesis makes it an enjoyable read, but it could have worked just fine with half the pages. A writer to watch.
I always wait until closer to the end of December to make my list, but once I got my third complaint from friends who want to order books for the holidays to post it already, so here we go:
My outstanding non-fiction pick of the year. Ross places music in the center of culture, and gives equal importance to so called classical music as well as pop. His writing style is open and thoughtful. I particularly like the chapters on Radiohead and the Marlboro summer institute.
A poetic mystery about a fictional port town in northern Mexico where a local reporter is found murdered. The detective who is not supposed to solve the case begins to unravel a 20 year old conspiracy which related to the present crime. State corruption is a big part of the story like in most Paco Ignacio Taibo II’s work.
The last Young Adult book I read this year, and one of the best. Cassel comes from a long line of curse workers with the power to steal memories, your luck, or your life. He is trying to forget he killed his best friend Lila three years ago- or did he? Great character development- a shock ending- teens and adults will love the start of a new series by Black.
My favorite audio book of the year. Placed in a land similar to 8th century Tang Dynasty China, this historical fantasy has great world building. Shen Tai is giving an enormous gift of 250 Sardian horses for spending years honoring the dead after a great battle. If he is to live for long, he much engage in court politics, as well as understand his new place in society. Kay’s portrayal of women as complex and powerful under the constraints of the times adds to the depth of caring for many of the characters.
Winner of the Man Asian Literary prize as an unpublished manuscript, this is a dazzling debut about the Philippines and its search for identity; both personal and political. The multiple voice used to tell the narrative were complex and played off each other in a lovely ruminating way.
Crivens! It’s with a heavy heart that Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching YA series is finished. This has a darker tone than the other three, but is still a masterclass in thoughtful engaging storytelling. Tiffany was 9 when the series started and now at 15 can come into her own being the witch for her community that gets things done when there is no one else who can. When his Discworld series is all over, I’m going to cry myself to sleep.
Character studies based around the history of a fictional international newspaper based in Rome over 50 years is the perfect backdrop to glimpse the interior lives of the protagonists. More than a few chapters give deep insights into what motivates people into different action. So far, the best first novel of the year.
A dead cop trying to solve his own murder works on a number of levels in this interesting and well paced novel. The Chinese mythology, complex characters, and exciting action makes it a quick fun read.
I realized half-way through this lovely National Book Award winner that I don’t read much adult fiction these days that doesn’t have some fantastical element in it. I kept waiting for some character to really be a dream child made real or something like what Jonathan Carroll or Jonathan Lethem do so well. New York City in the 70′s is captured from these interconnecting narratives with love and compassion. Richly developed characters that linger on in the conversation with the living. Great storytelling to celebrate the written word.
A classic time travelling novel with a lot of interesting plots weaving together. The meticulously researched details of 17th century England make the story even richer. Our hapless hero Doyle must learn to survive and fight the old powers trying to control history. Standard SF motif, but this one is special.