#empireofbones

Confession: I had to read way too much non-fiction this past year. To quote a certain hobbit, that's probably why I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread. Anyway, here's my Top 5 of what I was able to get to:

5. The Twelve by Justin Cronin -- Cronin started off with a bang with The Passage and admittedly this sequel is much weaker, but if you enjoy the apocalyptic genre with a smattering of philosophy and waves of vampires you'll enjoy this. It's the roughest of my five picks, but it's a good story and crisply written. Cronin doesn't waste sentences.

4. Bright Empires Series by Stephen Lawhead -- This is cheating, I know. There are four books in this series so far with the fifth and final edition coming next fall. But this is the sort of story that you need to read straight through before you form an opinion. Lawhead terms what he's written here as high fantasy and if you're into multiple universes, time travel, and discussions on quantum mechanics these books might be up your alley!

3. Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher -- Another series that I started this year. This one was recommended by Kathy Keller and originated from a challenge issued to Butcher to write a story based on the twin ideas of a lost Roman legion and Pokemon. Amazingly, Butcher has built a fascinating world complete with intriguing characters, intense action sequences and explorations of the ethical dilemmas of war.

2. Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold -- If you like the theater and spectacle of magic this one is for you. It's a historical mystery set in the 1920s--the golden age for stage magic. Carter Beats the Devil has everything--misdirection, despicable villains, romance and heaps and heaps of wonder. Great read.