Hey folks! It's year-end wrap-up time, and thanks to Goodreads.com, I have a running record of all the books I read in 2009. (only 26. Gotta get my numbers up for 2010!) So I looked over the books I read in the last year, and I've decided to share my 7 faves with you. (these reviews originally appeared on goodreads. (except for #1, which originally appeared right here in these very pages! er, screens! Um, whatever--you know what I mean! ) You can friend me on goodreads and get my book reviews as they happen! And I'll get yours as they happen too! It's cool--join up!)
#7: Kendra by Coe Booth
This is a really good book. Here's why:
1.)interesting, complex, well-drawn, and realistic characters.
2.)Narrative voice of the main character feels authentic--it sounds like a girl from the projects rather than an adult trying to sound like a girl from the projects.
3.)An urban story that does not involve drugs or shootings (Thank you!)
4.)Great psychological realism that really credibly shows why Kendra makes some pretty bad decisions.
5.)Finally, a book with a realistic and refreshingly upbeat perspective on teen sexuality and female sexuality in general. Unlike so many novels where girls learn that their sexuality is dangerous, Kendra shows that teen sexuality is simultaneously terrifying and fun.
The book's frank and non-preachy depiction of teen sex will probably keep it out of a lot of school libraries, which is a real shame. This is a book people need to read.
#6 The Given Day by Dennis Lahane
I really enjoyed this. Lehane does a fantastic job of bringing 1918 to life. One thing I really liked about this is that we learn so little about what organized labor has done for this country, and this novel takes us into the pre-union days to see what happens when corporate power goes unchecked. So, yeah, I liked it a lot for those reasons. I kind of wanted it to end with more of a bang--after 700 pages, I wanted a spectacular ending, but, overall, this is a hell of a book.
#5 The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Don't be put off by the cover--this is a fantastic horror novel. Like all the best living dead material, it's really about how the remaining humans conduct themselves under extreme circumstances. It's got love, existential dread, and killing zombies with an axe. What the hell else do you want in a book?
#4 The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay
Loved it. Fantastic, absorbing noir detective story starring a narcoleptic P.I. Smart, funny, surprising. If you like Charlie Huston, you'll probably like this too. Highly recommended.
#3 The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
I read a lot of horror, and this is the first book in a long time that's really creeped me out. The opening sequence is both memorable and very spooky. The rest of the book is fast-moving, action-packed, and, as you might expect from Del Toro, very cinematic.
Yes, there are a couple of cringeworthy moments, but overall Hogan and Del Toro have succeeded in creating a vampire mythology that is both interesting and scary.
As someone who likes scary vampires, I've just about had it with sparkly romantic vampires and vampire hunters who fall in love with their prey. I guess you could argue that an essential part of the vampire myth is missing here, as these vampires are literally sexless, but it's a very refreshing change to see vampires depicted as a literal plague.
A top-notch thriller. I'll be buying the second one as soon as it comes out
.#2 The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volumes 1 and 2 by Gordon Dahlquist
I loved this book. Fantastic adventure novel with hint o' science fiction/fantasy. Well-written, imaginative, tightly-plotted, and tons of fun. My only caveat is that Volume 1 and Volume 2 are really one book that was split up. Don't wait to see if you like the first one--buy both, because the first one ends on a cliffhanger, and you'll be pissed if you have any lag time at all before getting into the second one.
This is a fantastic book I enjoyed more than any I've read in years.
#1 Fool by Christopher Moore
It's King Lear, more or less, told from the point of view of the fool. It is filthy--no, I mean really, really filthy. It's also hilarious. It's also got a heart. It's also Moore's best novel.The fool, Pocket, instigates all kinds of political intrigue that is, to be honest, somewhat hard to follow, even if you've read the play. (I don't think familiarity with Lear is going to add too much to your reading experience, though a love of Shakespearean wordplay and bawdy jokes certainly is.) So I was a bit lost as to who was supposed to be in love with and/or killing whom, and I didn't care at all, because Pocket is a classic smartass in the Groucho Marx/Bugs Bunny vein-- that is to say, one who can't really seem to take anything seriously, who counts on his persistent wiseassery to deliver him from any scrape. He is way more explicitly horny than either Groucho or Bugs, though. There are also witches, a ghost, some shocking revelations about Lear, and a dim-witted giant apprentice fool named Drool. It's a ton of fun, and I can't recommend it strongly enough, with the caveat that if you're going to find yourself perturbed by a lot of really filthy words on every page, this really isn't the book for you.
