Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Again, I switched this week's and last week's, since tonight is the last night of Hanukkah (Happy Eighth Night, y'all).
1. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Obviously a Hugo award winner for a reason, Leckie is a new and exciting writer in contemporary science fiction.
2. Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn by Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed
Although less widely recognized and certainly not "new," the writers' retelling of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a compelling reflection on the ancient tale, and modern sensibilities.
3. The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir
Weir's narrative voice and methodical structuring are perfect for this most troubling of historical mysteries.
4. The Lost Girls by Jennifer Baggett, Holly Corbett, and Amanda Pressner
I read this twice this year. To any young, single woman who dreams of travel, it's irresistible.
5. The Best American Travel Writing 2013, edited by Elizabeth Gilbert
Nearly every story was perfect in its own unique and true way.
6. Empress Orchid by Anchee Min
Anchee Min has a feel for characters, and for the most outlandish yet accurate metaphors.
7. Sexual Abuse, Shonda, and Concealment in Orthodox Jewish Communities by Michael Lesher
Not a book I necessarily enjoyed reading due to subject matter, but very well-written and researched.
8. Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery
The perfect amalgam of L.M. Montgomery's style, plot, and substance. Montgomery fans shouldn't miss it.
9. The Queen's Lover by Vanora Bennett
Inventive yet well-researched historical fiction on the woman who embodied the Tudors' claim to the throne.
10. Homeward Bound: Why Women Are Embracing the new Domesticity by Emily Matchar
Well-researched and thoughtful investigation of why so many women (and some men) have returned to the domestic arts.
11. Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell
I'm cheating a bit, but didn't feel I could leave this off. I didn't love every story, and yet Russell's power with language transcends each and every one. My favorite was "Reeling for the Empire."
You know these are good because these are the ones I remembered, almost all off the top of my head.
1. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Obviously a Hugo award winner for a reason, Leckie is a new and exciting writer in contemporary science fiction.
2. Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn by Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed
Although less widely recognized and certainly not "new," the writers' retelling of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a compelling reflection on the ancient tale, and modern sensibilities.
3. The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir
Weir's narrative voice and methodical structuring are perfect for this most troubling of historical mysteries.
4. The Lost Girls by Jennifer Baggett, Holly Corbett, and Amanda Pressner
I read this twice this year. To any young, single woman who dreams of travel, it's irresistible.
5. The Best American Travel Writing 2013, edited by Elizabeth Gilbert
Nearly every story was perfect in its own unique and true way.
6. Empress Orchid by Anchee Min
Anchee Min has a feel for characters, and for the most outlandish yet accurate metaphors.
7. Sexual Abuse, Shonda, and Concealment in Orthodox Jewish Communities by Michael Lesher
Not a book I necessarily enjoyed reading due to subject matter, but very well-written and researched.
8. Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery
The perfect amalgam of L.M. Montgomery's style, plot, and substance. Montgomery fans shouldn't miss it.
9. The Queen's Lover by Vanora Bennett
Inventive yet well-researched historical fiction on the woman who embodied the Tudors' claim to the throne.
10. Homeward Bound: Why Women Are Embracing the new Domesticity by Emily Matchar
Well-researched and thoughtful investigation of why so many women (and some men) have returned to the domestic arts.
11. Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell
I'm cheating a bit, but didn't feel I could leave this off. I didn't love every story, and yet Russell's power with language transcends each and every one. My favorite was "Reeling for the Empire."
You know these are good because these are the ones I remembered, almost all off the top of my head.
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