It's been a year of amazing books for me, and also a trend of authors I've liked in the past absolutely KNOCKING MY SOCKS OFF this year! It's also been a great year for reading finished trilogies or series, which I am thrilled about!
1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
I wrote "Even in a month of excellent reads, The Goldfinch stands out." The same is true for a year. I almost never have one favorite book, and while that's still true overall, The Goldfinch was definitely my favorite in a year of excellent reads. The sheer texture of this novel is so real and deep, and yet reveals that true literary beauty does not need to end in darkness. I liked The Secret History, the writing more so than the characters, which is where it fell flat for me, but The Goldfinch has it all.
2. Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
I wrote "the familiar melancholy that pervades Tess's story somehow becomes what makes it Hartman's most fantastical yet." Again, I liked Hartman's earlier books Seraphina and Shadow Scale; they were fun, enjoyable, fast reads, but Tess is something more.
3. The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley
I really wanted to like Kameron Hurley's The Mirror Empire, and I enjoyed her essays in The Geek Feminist Revolution. But The Stars Are Legion knocked it out of the park for me with the characters and the worldbuilding.
4. American Cake by Anne Byrn
I didn't know how badly I wanted this book until I started reading it, but it's not just a cookbook for cakes, it's a history of cakes, and it started me on a current obsession with food history, that I further satiated with my last read of the year, American Cookie, also by Byrn, which I also recommend.
5. The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
These books are a powerful, weird, and intriguing commentary on systemic oppression, geology, and the liminal spaces between fantasy and science fiction. Highly recommend.
6. The Wayfarers/Galactic Commons books by Becky Chambers
I kept calling these the Galactic Commons books, but apparently it's supposed to be Wayfarers. Oops. Anyway, these are awesome for anyone who wants to get their character-focused Firefly/Star Trek in literary form on.
7. The Temeraire Books (so far) by Naomi Novik
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Horatio Hornblower with dragons=awesome.
8. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Themes of Rumpelstiltskin, in unspecific Eastern European country, with Jews and wintry fairytale atmosphere--it's totally its own thing, go read it.
9. In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
This is saying a lot, but this might be my favorite ever Judy Blume book. Imagine Judy Blume writing for adults. This book about three plane crashes in the same town pulls no emotional punches.
10. Educated by Tara Westover
Comparing this memoir to Judy Blume's work of fiction above may not appear to make much sense, but it occurred to me when I was reading these books simultaneously, and I got a similar intense emotional experience from both. Westover's memoir is all the more poignant for being real.
11. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Although An American Marriage is fiction, similar to the two above, it delivers an emotional punch full of realism and an unexpected angle on mass black male incarceration.
12. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
So much delicious fun! I feel so lucky this book was written. HP fans need to get on this.
13. To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy by Jenny Han
I got swept up in the trend that took the U.S by storm when the adorable Netflix movie came out. More Lara Jean, please.
14. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
Such a tiny novel in scope; a complete emotional world within. Worth reading for LaCour's writing alone.
15. America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo
I learned so much about the Philippines, and delighted in the quirky, unapologetic characters. Highly recommend.
16. The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
Beautifully written and also a scholar's delight: the story of manuscripts from a Portuguese Jewish community uncovered in contemporary London, and the story of the papers' author in Early Modern England.
1. The Goldfinch by Donna TarttI wrote "Even in a month of excellent reads, The Goldfinch stands out." The same is true for a year. I almost never have one favorite book, and while that's still true overall, The Goldfinch was definitely my favorite in a year of excellent reads. The sheer texture of this novel is so real and deep, and yet reveals that true literary beauty does not need to end in darkness. I liked The Secret History, the writing more so than the characters, which is where it fell flat for me, but The Goldfinch has it all.
2. Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
I wrote "the familiar melancholy that pervades Tess's story somehow becomes what makes it Hartman's most fantastical yet." Again, I liked Hartman's earlier books Seraphina and Shadow Scale; they were fun, enjoyable, fast reads, but Tess is something more.
3. The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley
I really wanted to like Kameron Hurley's The Mirror Empire, and I enjoyed her essays in The Geek Feminist Revolution. But The Stars Are Legion knocked it out of the park for me with the characters and the worldbuilding.
4. American Cake by Anne Byrn
I didn't know how badly I wanted this book until I started reading it, but it's not just a cookbook for cakes, it's a history of cakes, and it started me on a current obsession with food history, that I further satiated with my last read of the year, American Cookie, also by Byrn, which I also recommend.
5. The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. JemisinThese books are a powerful, weird, and intriguing commentary on systemic oppression, geology, and the liminal spaces between fantasy and science fiction. Highly recommend.
6. The Wayfarers/Galactic Commons books by Becky Chambers
I kept calling these the Galactic Commons books, but apparently it's supposed to be Wayfarers. Oops. Anyway, these are awesome for anyone who wants to get their character-focused Firefly/Star Trek in literary form on.
7. The Temeraire Books (so far) by Naomi NovikI've said it before and I'll say it again: Horatio Hornblower with dragons=awesome.
8. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Themes of Rumpelstiltskin, in unspecific Eastern European country, with Jews and wintry fairytale atmosphere--it's totally its own thing, go read it.
9. In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
This is saying a lot, but this might be my favorite ever Judy Blume book. Imagine Judy Blume writing for adults. This book about three plane crashes in the same town pulls no emotional punches.
10. Educated by Tara Westover
Comparing this memoir to Judy Blume's work of fiction above may not appear to make much sense, but it occurred to me when I was reading these books simultaneously, and I got a similar intense emotional experience from both. Westover's memoir is all the more poignant for being real.
11. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Although An American Marriage is fiction, similar to the two above, it delivers an emotional punch full of realism and an unexpected angle on mass black male incarceration.
12. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
So much delicious fun! I feel so lucky this book was written. HP fans need to get on this.
13. To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy by Jenny HanI got swept up in the trend that took the U.S by storm when the adorable Netflix movie came out. More Lara Jean, please.
14. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
Such a tiny novel in scope; a complete emotional world within. Worth reading for LaCour's writing alone.
15. America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo
I learned so much about the Philippines, and delighted in the quirky, unapologetic characters. Highly recommend.
16. The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
Beautifully written and also a scholar's delight: the story of manuscripts from a Portuguese Jewish community uncovered in contemporary London, and the story of the papers' author in Early Modern England.
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