So I wrote half of this post yesterday, saved it as a draft and Tumblr must have eaten it. SO, it is with some vague annoyance and many fewer words that I list my favorite books of the year. These are books I read this year so they were not necessarily published this year. Iâm a backlist reader kind of gal mostly. Also the list is in no particular order.
1) Pawn in Frankincense (Lymond Chronicles #4) by Dorothy Dunnett
I re-read this best-of-all-historical-fiction-series this year for the first time in 20 some years. It was just as breathtaking and heart-stealing as it was the first go round. Book 4, Pawn in Frankincense is my favorite.
2) Cormoran Strike Series by Robert Galbraith
Yep, Iâm including series as one item, so sue me:). I started this mystery series by J.K. Rowlingâs alter ego and absolutely fell in love and proceeded to read all of them in quick fashion. Now the wait.... My favorite in the series was the most recent, Career of Evil.
3) Lockwood and Co. Series by Jonathan Stroud
I flew through this middle-grade season about three young teens that fight ghosts in an alternate version of London. I gave three out of the five books in the series 5 out of 5 stars. It has great characters and relationships, mysterious and adventurous plots, a great sense of humor and terrific world building. Â
4) The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
This was the biggest dark horse for me this year. I bought it on a whim when it was on sale on Audible and I hadnât heard any chatter about it. It utterly delighted me though. Itâs a mysterious, lightly speculative with psychic abilities and delightful clockwork, romantic and witty. It reminded me a little bit of The Night Circus in tone and atmosphere.Â
5) Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
I am a greedy reader and like when books do many genres well. This mystery is also a strangely lovely coming of age tale set in Minnesota in the 1950s. The writing is beautiful and a lot of the sentiment really spoke to me. I will definitely be reading more of Mr. Krugerâs books.
6) The Veronica Speedwell Series by Deanna Raybourn
This series, which currently only has 2 books, has been instrumental in my finding a new favorite author. Deanna Raybournâs blend of plot-heavy mystery/suspense with romamce is my catnip. I love her characters and how she writes romance - slow-burn and secondary to fun plots. Sheâs also great with the witty banter. I canât wait for the next book in this series!
7) Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West
I loved Ms. Westâs funny and unapologetic voice in this series of essays about being a woman in the world, especially one that doesnât conform to societal norms, and being proud and comfortable in oneâs skin.
8) Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo
I positively inhaled this duology series; I couldnât put them down. I absolutely adored all the characters and was thrilled by all the heisty goodness. Definitely my favorite YA of the year!
9) All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells
This short but perfectly well-rounded science fiction novella had my favorite narrative voice I encountered this year. That plus the fact that it was a neat and complete story in a short package made it one of the most satisfying reads of the year. SO glad this is going to be a series!
10) The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad #2) by Tana French
If characters are your thing than you canât do much better than Tana French. Her mysteries are engrossing and unique story wise but it is the characters that put her books in a class of their own. This book focuses on Cassie as she goes undercover, impersonating a dead girl who had stolen the identity of one of Cassieâs previous undercover personae. The writing is also just beautiful.
So thatâs my top ten! There are, of course, a few others that got really close which Iâve listed below. It was a good, if not terribly profound, reading year!
The Gentlemanâs Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
The City of Mirrors (The Passage #3) by Justin Cronin
The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman
The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen Flynn