Beautiful coming of age novel taking place in Wales and England in the 70s where Morwenna finds refuge in SF and fantasy novels as she tries and recover from her mother’s magical attack that killed her twin sister and crippled her leg. The fairies and magic portrayed are mysterious and subtle while the majority of the action takes place in a boarding school where she learns to rely on herself most of all. A true delight for teens and adults.
This is the greatest movie guide book of all time!!!! Every pathetic Hollywood representation of punks as well as great documentaries of the scenes burst with life in the guide. Along with interviews with punks and radical filmmakers, the guide reviews 1100 films in a highly personalized and hilarious style. A must May Day or Hey it’s Thursday gift for the grown up punk in your life.
This “fashionpunk” novel was highly inventive and a lot of fun. A near-future dystopia consumed with fashion, high pressure capitalism, and control it explored by a master tailor who is asked to design an illigal coat for a former revolutionary lover. This is book two of a planned trilogy, but stands on its own as a great read. It’s one of my favorite covers also in resent months. Check it out!
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.
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. Super highly recommended.
Her new book “City of Veils” is getting a lot of buzz, so I thought I would start with her first mystery set in modern Saudi Arabia. A teen-aged girl is found drowned in the desert, and her family hires a guide to find out what really happened. The US author was married intoa Palestinian/Bedouin family that lived in Saudi Arabia so it feels like a authentic insider/outsider experience of that culture. Great character development and a important addition to the mystery landscape.
One YA anthology cannot answer the age old question of which is better- Zombies or Unicorns, but these superstars of the YA world will die a horrible undead death if they didn’t give it their all fighting it out. Alaya Dawn Johnson’s Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division reference on purpose) is a particularly awesome short story. Run Teens for your lives!
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.
Another fun read from the grandmaster. Written as a series of letter, this a a wondrous tale filled with twins, werefox, and a grand old house. Good for teens and adults.