Best Books Read in 2010
Jan. 17th, 2011 02:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
talkstowolvesLast year, I set out to read more online fiction. I also wished to read more magazines, given I have several issues of Weird Tales and Realms of Fantasy lying around that I still haven't cracked. I may have failed with the magazines, but I did read nearly the entire back catalogues of Goblin Fruit and Scheherezade's Bequest in 2010, along with pieces of The Edge of Propinquity, Ideomancer, Clarkesworld, and a large chunk of the Locus Recommended Reading List.
Although I did better, I still feel like I need to increase my exploration of online venues. I didn't really get to Apex Magazine at all, or Ideomancer, or Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I want to see if the quality of Lightspeed Magazine has improved any since the first few short stories were published. I want to catch up with Stone Telling and read more at Strange Horizons. There are so many brilliant sites publishing excellent fiction these days, and I want to read more widely.
My final reading tallies for the year are as follows:
Books: 77
Magazines: 12
Individual short stories: 38
While trying to whittle my list of books down to a "Top 10 I Read in 2010," I had to give up and settle for a Top 20. I'm okay with that; I read some excellent books this year. (To be honest, though, I cheated a little: a couple of them are properly series, but I couldn't stand to put just one part of the series in question on the list.)
Keep in mind that not all of these books were published in 2010: I just read them in 2010. Also, I'm not putting these books into any particular order. (Also, to be fair, I left off the books that I read in draft because they haven't been published yet.)
Top 20 Books I Read in 2010:
1. Demon Lovers and Other Difficulties by Nicole Kornher-Stace with C.S.E. Cooney
2. The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Version by Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner
3. A Local Habitation & An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
4. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
5. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
6. Chicks Dig Time Lords, ed. by Lynne Thomas and Tara O'Shea.
7. Freakangels: Volume 4, by Warren Ellis
8. Feed by Mira Grant
9. The Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O'Malley
10. The Demon's Lexicon & The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
11. Flora Segunda, Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilce
12. Clementine by Cherie M. Priest
13. The Habitation of the Blessed by Catherynne M. Valente
14. Folktales of England, ed. by Katherine M. Briggs and Ruth L. Tongue
15. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
16. The Boys, Volume 1: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis
17. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
18. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
19. Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
20. The Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins
Here's a bit of an expanded commentary on the Top 20 of 2010:
1. Demon Lovers and Other Difficulties by Nicole Kornher-Stace with C.S.E. Cooney
I do actually have a proper review forthcoming on this first Fresh from the Vine publication from Goblin Fruit. This is poetry that grows through the reading, and is quite astonishing when taken all together. Rich, layered, and sometimes bright as a nightmare or dark as delicious dreams.
2. The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Version by Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner
I'm not sure that I need to say more here, given my predilection for the fantastic, the surreal, and Victorian literature. However, allow me to add that the annotations in this volume are top-notch and taught me quite a few things about the Alice books that I did not already know.
3. A Local Habitation & An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire is almost single-handedly reinvigorating the urban fantasy genre for me, and she just keeps getting better with each subsequent volume. A Local Habitation was good, but An Artificial Night is my favorite yet. Reviews forthcoming.
4. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Much as with The Annotated Alice above, I'm not sure that I need to explain given my predilection for the fantastic, the surreal, and Victorian literature. This was my first time actually reading Peter Pan though, and I feel that noticing how much it was a play first does nothing to diminish the tale.
5. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
This was simply an utterly lovely novel. Patricia A. McKillip almost never disappoints me, not truly.
6. Chicks Dig Time Lords, ed. by Lynne Thomas and Tara O'Shea.
I'm a huge Doctor Who fan: I grew up with it to an extent, although I only recall the Tom Baker serials and it sank down in my memory for a while until the new series stirred it up again. Reading these essays about what it meant to others and continues to mean was a powerful thing.
7. Freakangels: Volume 4, by Warren Ellis
Freakangels continues to be a wholly absorbing and fantastic webcomic, still firmly waving the flag that says you can have quality art, a fascinating narrative, be published on a weekly basis online and still be given away for free. All while turning a profit. (Of course, it helps if you're Warren Ellis.)
8. Feed by Mira Grant
I should probably let my Powells review speak for me here: "Allow me to be frank at the commencement: I am neither a fan of zombies nor of politics. This novel is about both, and it absorbed me straightaway for all that. Sure, there are zombies in, and politics as well: but this is a novel about people finding a way to flourish and to connect in a world often ruled by fear and a reinforced barricade. (Not to mention blood tests and a well-stocked armory.) This is a novel with well-realized characters, and an achingly authentic narrator you pretty much can't help but come to love or respect (if not both). Mira Grant will enthrall you, get you on the hook, and punch you in the gut. And you know what? You will thank her for all three."
9. The Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O'Malley
Wow. I didn't discover Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim until I started seeing the previews for Edgar Wright's film. I wish I'd discovered this earlier! The comics are ridiculous, surreal, and surprisingly deep; I can't recommend them enough.
10. The Demon's Lexicon & The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
What I liked so much about The Demon's Lexicon is that Sarah Rees Brennan did not flinch in the slightest at trying to write a truly alien perspective; however, I think that The Demon's Covenant was the better book overall. This isn't so much that the narrator in the second novel (Mae) was easier to relate to; rather, I think it's because she established all the ground rules in The Demon's Lexicon and was really able to take her world out for a spin and show what it could do in The Demon's Covenant. These were some rockin' YA novels, and I can't wait to get my hands on The Demon's Surrender.
11. Flora Segunda, Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilce
I'll admit it: the title of this novel wildly predisposed me toward liking it. Luckily, the cleverness of the author lived up to its impressive moniker! Flora is a furiously engaging protagonist, and Wilce's world is both whimsical and enthralling. I've got Flora's Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, Confront a Bouncing Boy Terror, and Try to Save Califa from a Shaky Doom (Despite Being Confined to Her Room) lined up to read soon.
12. Clementine by Cherie M. Priest
Cherie Priest introduced an incredibly well-realized steampunk alternate history of the United States in Boneshaker, and her second installment (a novella) in that world continued to sketch in the details while giving us a fast-paced and surprisingly substantive adventure. I think this represents the best of her Clockwork Century books so far, and that includes Dreadnought.
13. The Habitation of the Blessed by Catherynne M. Valente
I have a full review forthcoming for this latest Valente novel, but here's what I wrote upon its release: "I had the pleasure of reading this novel a month or so ago, and it promptly learned to sing in the tongue of my heart and engaged with many of my spiritual issues in sublime catharsis. That toes the edge of overwrought, but this novel proved to be a very personal experience for me."
14. Folktales of England, ed. by Katherine M. Briggs and Ruth L. Tongue
This is one of the best folklore collections I've read, for the simple fact that it's essentially 100% transcribed tales from the mouths of the actual folks sharing these stories as the oral tradition they are. Incredibly fascinating.
15. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
After hearing about its excellence from several friends, I was incredibly eager to get my hands on this book. Both my friends' opinions and my eagerness were well-warranted. This is a delicate novel that manages a myriad of wonderful tricks: mimicking the Austen-like novel charmingly, integrating magic into that sort of society astonishingly well, and having a dramatic and appropriately overwrought climax (followed by a pleasantly sentimental dénoument). Brava!
16. The Boys, Volume 1: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a disgustingly talented writer, and I mean that literally: reading his graphic novels makes me feel both impressed and dirty. He writes such brutal storylines, but they're also completely captivating and thought-provoking. This series following a group of rough-and-tumble operatives as they act to keep the super-powered in line is no exception.
17. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
I've been reading Brigg's Mercy Thompson series for some years now and finding it casually enjoyable; this paranormal romance, set in the same world but following different characters, blew my usual level of casual interest away. I still prefer Mercy as a character, but this story was ridiculously easy to read and fulfilling in that popcorn way.
18. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
While several aspects of this steampunk alt-history WWI YA novel are bizarre, those elements and Westerfeld's unflinching dedication to authenticity make this a hell of a ride. Compulsively readable.
19. Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
This was not my favorite Tiffany Aching novel when I began it but, like several other Pratchett novels, it came together beautifully and powerfully in the end. The winter imagery and overall impact of the story really got inside me.
20. The Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins
I'm not entirely sure that I can, at this point, convey with what fire this series consumed me. I knew it was popular, but I'd been avoiding any and all details so that I'd have an uninfluenced experience when I finally got around to reading them. I'm glad I did. I had no preconceptions. These books were enthralling, provocative, and difficult; I love them to pieces, and I am struggling against reading them again immediately.
If you'd like to see the complete list of books, magazines, and short stories I read in 2010, please visit this entry.
I'm currently on my fifth book of 2011, Charlotte Mew and Her Friends by Penelope Fitzgerald. You can keep up with my 2011 list here.
Originally posted on January 14th, 2011 at Livejournal.
Although I did better, I still feel like I need to increase my exploration of online venues. I didn't really get to Apex Magazine at all, or Ideomancer, or Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I want to see if the quality of Lightspeed Magazine has improved any since the first few short stories were published. I want to catch up with Stone Telling and read more at Strange Horizons. There are so many brilliant sites publishing excellent fiction these days, and I want to read more widely.
My final reading tallies for the year are as follows:
Books: 77
Magazines: 12
Individual short stories: 38
While trying to whittle my list of books down to a "Top 10 I Read in 2010," I had to give up and settle for a Top 20. I'm okay with that; I read some excellent books this year. (To be honest, though, I cheated a little: a couple of them are properly series, but I couldn't stand to put just one part of the series in question on the list.)
Keep in mind that not all of these books were published in 2010: I just read them in 2010. Also, I'm not putting these books into any particular order. (Also, to be fair, I left off the books that I read in draft because they haven't been published yet.)
Top 20 Books I Read in 2010:
1. Demon Lovers and Other Difficulties by Nicole Kornher-Stace with C.S.E. Cooney
2. The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Version by Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner
3. A Local Habitation & An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
4. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
5. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
6. Chicks Dig Time Lords, ed. by Lynne Thomas and Tara O'Shea.
7. Freakangels: Volume 4, by Warren Ellis
8. Feed by Mira Grant
9. The Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O'Malley
10. The Demon's Lexicon & The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
11. Flora Segunda, Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilce
12. Clementine by Cherie M. Priest
13. The Habitation of the Blessed by Catherynne M. Valente
14. Folktales of England, ed. by Katherine M. Briggs and Ruth L. Tongue
15. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
16. The Boys, Volume 1: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis
17. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
18. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
19. Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
20. The Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins
Here's a bit of an expanded commentary on the Top 20 of 2010:
1. Demon Lovers and Other Difficulties by Nicole Kornher-Stace with C.S.E. Cooney
I do actually have a proper review forthcoming on this first Fresh from the Vine publication from Goblin Fruit. This is poetry that grows through the reading, and is quite astonishing when taken all together. Rich, layered, and sometimes bright as a nightmare or dark as delicious dreams.
2. The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Version by Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner
I'm not sure that I need to say more here, given my predilection for the fantastic, the surreal, and Victorian literature. However, allow me to add that the annotations in this volume are top-notch and taught me quite a few things about the Alice books that I did not already know.
3. A Local Habitation & An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire is almost single-handedly reinvigorating the urban fantasy genre for me, and she just keeps getting better with each subsequent volume. A Local Habitation was good, but An Artificial Night is my favorite yet. Reviews forthcoming.
4. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Much as with The Annotated Alice above, I'm not sure that I need to explain given my predilection for the fantastic, the surreal, and Victorian literature. This was my first time actually reading Peter Pan though, and I feel that noticing how much it was a play first does nothing to diminish the tale.
5. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
This was simply an utterly lovely novel. Patricia A. McKillip almost never disappoints me, not truly.
6. Chicks Dig Time Lords, ed. by Lynne Thomas and Tara O'Shea.
I'm a huge Doctor Who fan: I grew up with it to an extent, although I only recall the Tom Baker serials and it sank down in my memory for a while until the new series stirred it up again. Reading these essays about what it meant to others and continues to mean was a powerful thing.
7. Freakangels: Volume 4, by Warren Ellis
Freakangels continues to be a wholly absorbing and fantastic webcomic, still firmly waving the flag that says you can have quality art, a fascinating narrative, be published on a weekly basis online and still be given away for free. All while turning a profit. (Of course, it helps if you're Warren Ellis.)
8. Feed by Mira Grant
I should probably let my Powells review speak for me here: "Allow me to be frank at the commencement: I am neither a fan of zombies nor of politics. This novel is about both, and it absorbed me straightaway for all that. Sure, there are zombies in, and politics as well: but this is a novel about people finding a way to flourish and to connect in a world often ruled by fear and a reinforced barricade. (Not to mention blood tests and a well-stocked armory.) This is a novel with well-realized characters, and an achingly authentic narrator you pretty much can't help but come to love or respect (if not both). Mira Grant will enthrall you, get you on the hook, and punch you in the gut. And you know what? You will thank her for all three."
9. The Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O'Malley
Wow. I didn't discover Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim until I started seeing the previews for Edgar Wright's film. I wish I'd discovered this earlier! The comics are ridiculous, surreal, and surprisingly deep; I can't recommend them enough.
10. The Demon's Lexicon & The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
What I liked so much about The Demon's Lexicon is that Sarah Rees Brennan did not flinch in the slightest at trying to write a truly alien perspective; however, I think that The Demon's Covenant was the better book overall. This isn't so much that the narrator in the second novel (Mae) was easier to relate to; rather, I think it's because she established all the ground rules in The Demon's Lexicon and was really able to take her world out for a spin and show what it could do in The Demon's Covenant. These were some rockin' YA novels, and I can't wait to get my hands on The Demon's Surrender.
11. Flora Segunda, Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilce
I'll admit it: the title of this novel wildly predisposed me toward liking it. Luckily, the cleverness of the author lived up to its impressive moniker! Flora is a furiously engaging protagonist, and Wilce's world is both whimsical and enthralling. I've got Flora's Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, Confront a Bouncing Boy Terror, and Try to Save Califa from a Shaky Doom (Despite Being Confined to Her Room) lined up to read soon.
12. Clementine by Cherie M. Priest
Cherie Priest introduced an incredibly well-realized steampunk alternate history of the United States in Boneshaker, and her second installment (a novella) in that world continued to sketch in the details while giving us a fast-paced and surprisingly substantive adventure. I think this represents the best of her Clockwork Century books so far, and that includes Dreadnought.
13. The Habitation of the Blessed by Catherynne M. Valente
I have a full review forthcoming for this latest Valente novel, but here's what I wrote upon its release: "I had the pleasure of reading this novel a month or so ago, and it promptly learned to sing in the tongue of my heart and engaged with many of my spiritual issues in sublime catharsis. That toes the edge of overwrought, but this novel proved to be a very personal experience for me."
14. Folktales of England, ed. by Katherine M. Briggs and Ruth L. Tongue
This is one of the best folklore collections I've read, for the simple fact that it's essentially 100% transcribed tales from the mouths of the actual folks sharing these stories as the oral tradition they are. Incredibly fascinating.
15. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
After hearing about its excellence from several friends, I was incredibly eager to get my hands on this book. Both my friends' opinions and my eagerness were well-warranted. This is a delicate novel that manages a myriad of wonderful tricks: mimicking the Austen-like novel charmingly, integrating magic into that sort of society astonishingly well, and having a dramatic and appropriately overwrought climax (followed by a pleasantly sentimental dénoument). Brava!
16. The Boys, Volume 1: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a disgustingly talented writer, and I mean that literally: reading his graphic novels makes me feel both impressed and dirty. He writes such brutal storylines, but they're also completely captivating and thought-provoking. This series following a group of rough-and-tumble operatives as they act to keep the super-powered in line is no exception.
17. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
I've been reading Brigg's Mercy Thompson series for some years now and finding it casually enjoyable; this paranormal romance, set in the same world but following different characters, blew my usual level of casual interest away. I still prefer Mercy as a character, but this story was ridiculously easy to read and fulfilling in that popcorn way.
18. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
While several aspects of this steampunk alt-history WWI YA novel are bizarre, those elements and Westerfeld's unflinching dedication to authenticity make this a hell of a ride. Compulsively readable.
19. Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
This was not my favorite Tiffany Aching novel when I began it but, like several other Pratchett novels, it came together beautifully and powerfully in the end. The winter imagery and overall impact of the story really got inside me.
20. The Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins
I'm not entirely sure that I can, at this point, convey with what fire this series consumed me. I knew it was popular, but I'd been avoiding any and all details so that I'd have an uninfluenced experience when I finally got around to reading them. I'm glad I did. I had no preconceptions. These books were enthralling, provocative, and difficult; I love them to pieces, and I am struggling against reading them again immediately.
If you'd like to see the complete list of books, magazines, and short stories I read in 2010, please visit this entry.
I'm currently on my fifth book of 2011, Charlotte Mew and Her Friends by Penelope Fitzgerald. You can keep up with my 2011 list here.
Originally posted on January 14th, 2011 at Livejournal.