This is a bit of a 'cheat's post' really, life has got in the way of a proper review being posted but normal service will resume soon!
It's the time of year when I start thinking about all the books that have really stood out for me this year in readiness for the 'Big Fat End of the Year Post' (for 'thinking', read 'scrolling back through the blog to see which books scored highly, I really am too busy to think hard at the moment!) This time round though, I thought I'd throw that question out to you while I'm putting my list together. What are the books that really hit the spot for you in 2009? It doesn't matter if it's just the one book or a whole list, bundle your thoughts into a comment and leave it beneath the post!
Thinking about it, I'd also be interested to hear from anyone who feels that they haven't read a decent book in 2009 (just to balance things out a bit)...
16 comments:
That's a hard question. For YA - The book of a thousand days by Shannon Hale. For adult fantasy - The Lies of Locke Lamora. Now that I think of it, I haven't read that much this year.
Joe Abercrombie's "Best Served Cold". Perhaps not quite as good as his First Law books, but still the best thing I read in 2009.
This may, or may not be a direct c&p from westeros ;)
Tier One:
The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham
On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers
My Dead Body by Charlie Huston
Tier Two:
The Affirmation by Christopher Priest
Memoirs of a Master Forger by William Heaney by Graham Joyce
The Walls of the Universe by Paul Melko
The Risen Empire by Scott Westerfeld
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
Quin's Shanghai Circus by Edward Whittemore
Biggest disappointments:
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
I did end up adding one book, so it's not a direct c&p.
Favourite reads of mine of 2009 would be 'Night Watch' or 'Last Watch', both of the same series by Sergei Lukyanenko (translated into English)~
I'd also say the second half of the book Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke, if half a book counts.
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells
The Painted (Warded) Man by Peter V. Brett
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
This year I discovered Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon, George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones and Kristin Cashore's Graceling. So no complaints!
R. Scott Bakker's The Judging Eye, followed closely by C.S. Friedman's Feast of Souls and Joe Abercrombie's Before they are Hanged.
Jim Butcher scored high for me this year with First Lord's Fury and Turn Coat. Other highlights were Daniel Abraham's Long Price Quartet and Brian Ruckley's Godless World trilogy. Also David Gemmell's Legend books finally made it to the top of the TBR pile - can't believe I let these go this long.
It s been a great year, only 31 books read for 2009, but I found out 7 really great books.
Alain Damasio: La horde du contrevent, perhaps traducted from french before 2050 but a very great book !
Steven Erikson: gardens of the moon, deadhouse's gates, bauchelain and korbal broach
Alexandre Dumas: count of monte cristo
Marie-monique Robin: The world according to Monsanto
It s not always about sf or fantasy but these are the books i will keep for a re-read later, the others are already given to family or offered to caritative institutions.
Mormegil013
Best sci-fi:
In the Valley of the Kings by Terrence Holt
Best horror:
The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Best graphic novel:
Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli
Best fantasy:
Soulless by Gail Carriger
If I had read Sanderson's new book already I probably would have picked it for this, but I haven't so there you go.
Are we narrowing this down to just books released in 2009? If so my top five in no particular order:
- Sandman Slim
- Warbreaker
- The Stranger - Max Frei
- Lost City of Z(ok, not SF but it sure seems like it)
- Warded/Painted Man
THE CITY AND THE CITY, BEST SERVED COLD, YELLOW BLUE TIBIA, RETRIBUTION FALLS, THE JUDGING EYE and GALILEO'S DREAM were all very strong for me. NIGHTS OF VILLJAMAUR was a great debut. TRIUMFF was a lot of fun as well.
I did a complete Malazan Book of The Fallen re-read this year before reading Dust of Dreams. Can I just say the books were even better second time around? Fantastic, including the ICE books. Dust of Dreams was bloody great too - bring on the Crippled God!
I'd say Mieville's The City and The City and Simmons' Drood were the best I read this year.
I read a lot of good books within 2009 and now I work on my 2009 top ten reads list. It is quite difficult. But what I can say so far there is not one book where I would say that it is my absolutely number one.
And I will definitely read some more books until the end of 2009. That means I will post my list beginning of 2010.
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, Was by Geoff Ryman.
Not all fantasy, but there you go.
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