Best of 2016

2016 was a crap year in many respects, but I did read a hell of a lot of good books. Here’re my top picks in the order I read them, with some stats and commentary tacked onto the end for good measure.

2016 Top 16

Sixteen, people! That’s the most ever! I tried and tried and tried to narrow it down, but the books refused to let me ignore them.

Thanks, books.

to the sky without wings by leupagus

Never in my life did I imagine I’d read a novel-length piece of fanfic, and never ever ever did I think said fanfic would end up on my yearly Top 10 list (or Top 16 list, as the case may be). But here we are.

This Star Wars fic (which you can read in its entirely here) gripped me so hard that I dropped everything whenever another chapter came out. It convinced me fic can have a place in my life, and that sometimes my least favourite tropes can win me over.

2016 Long List

I never post my Best of the Year list until the year is actually over, but I like to throw a Long List into the ether around this point in December. My Long List includes every new-to-me book I’ve rated 4.5 or 5 stars over the course of the year, listed in the order I read them rather than my order of preference. It’s also prone to expand if anything else blows me away between now and December 31st. :)

The complete list reads as follows, with links to my reviews where they exist:

Best Of 2016 (So Far)

It was my BIRTHDAY yesterday, friends! The DAY of my BIRTH!

WHEEEE!!!!

I spent it hanging around with people and eating trashy things, so I figured I’d bump my traditional birthday/middle of the year Best Of (So Far) post back a day. Here it is, featuring all my 4.5- and 5-star reads for 2016 to date in the order I discovered them:

to the sky without wings by leupagus - 5 stars

I know. I read a fic, and I loved it so much that it’s a prime contender for my overall Best of 2016 list. Who even am I?

This one’s also notable in that it uses a trope that normally squicks me out: the "I knew them when they were a kid and I was an adult but now they’re an adult and I want to bone them" thing. (It squicks me out so much that I've never bothered to learn its proper name.) Most of the time, I run across this and I'm like, "Ew." Here I was like, "Okay, whatevs."

It helps that all the desperate longing we see on the page comes from the younger person.

Speaking of which, the fic's about Poe Dameron having this massive crush on Luke Skywalker for pretty well his whole life, and I've always disliked Luke. (He's so whiny, then so full of himself, then so whiny and full of himself.) HOW DOES LEUPAGUS MAKE ME LIKE THINGS WHAT IS THIS SORCERY.

I bought Tiny Poe because of this fic and I ain’t even sorry.

Most Anticipated Releases of 2016

It’s the time of year where we all gather around and share the books we’re most looking forward to, so here’s my contribution.

The ten books listed below are all things I’m terribly excited about, rather than things I have some small interest in. They’re also a representative sample only, as I’m sure I’ve forgotten at least one super important title. It's how I roll.

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold - February 2nd

I’ve spent the last year and a bit listening to Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga in and around other audiobooks, and I should catch up within a month of this most recent installment’s publication. I’ve been enjoying the hell out of the later novels, so I’m super excited for this one--especially since it’s about Cordelia, who is awesome and who hasn’t had a protagonist’s role in quite some time.

(Unless she takes centre stage in CRYOBURN or CAPTAIN VORPATRIL'S ALLIANCE. I never more than skim jacket copy before I read a book, so I barely know what either of them is about, but I'm gonna guess CAPTAIN VORPATRIL is more focused on Ivan than anyone else.)

I think Miles is gonna be there too, but obviously Cordelia is more important. Sorry, Miles.

2015 In Review

2015 is dead. Long live 2016!

I shall ring in the new year in the usual fashion; ie, with a list of my best books of 2015, followed by a slew of stats and suchlike.

As always, these are the best books I read in 2015. Few of them were published last year. They’re listed in the order I encountered them rather than my order of preference. You will oblige me if you won’t ask me to rank them, because that’s sort of impossible and I’ll probably just end up scowling at you through my computer screen while I mutter profanities.

Neither of us wants that.

Onward, then! Here are my top seven books of 2015!

Best of 2015: Third Quarter

I recently realized I forgot to highlight my favourite books from the third quarter. Better late than never, right?

In the order I read them, my 4.5-star books from July to September are:

HALF WILD by Sally Green

Intense characterization + nasty magic + bisexual love triangle = very happy Memory (with a side of anguish, because bad shit goes down).

I reviewed this one (and its predecessor, HALF BAD) in some detail, so I’ll direct you there.

Best of 2015 (So Far)

Friends! My birthday is here!

In my world, birthdays are for doing happy-making things and celebrating the good times. I'm visiting the magical land of North Dakota today, and y'all know I'm gonna take advantage of America's large number of Mexican restaurants in my never-ending quest for tacos. One of the restaurants in this here town gives you a free meal on your birthday, so guess where I'm going for lunch.

Tiny Deadpool is with me, and I shall photograph him beside every taco (or taco platter) I eat on this trip. You can follow my progress on Instagram

On the blogging front, I want to step away from our regularly scheduled programming to highlight my Best of 2015 (So Far). July 2nd is as close to the middle of the year as you can get, so it’s an appropriate time for that sort of undertaking. Yes?

In the order I read them, excluding rereads and with links to my reviews where such things exist, my 4.5- and 5-star reads for the first half of 2015 are:

Saga Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples - 5 stars

I guess it’s possible Vaughan and Staples will someday craft a SAGA arc to which I do not experience a strong emotional reaction, but it’s hard to believe it. You know?

I feel so much for these characters, y’all. So. Frickin’. Much. SAGA is the comic and the hold-outs among you must rush out and read it.

Favourite Characters of 2014, Part II

Yesterday I shared 28 of my favourite literary characters from 2014. Today I'm back with 28 more fine fictional folks.

In more or less the order I encountered them, they are:

Crystal of the Inhumans, from various Inhumans comics by various writers and artists - Maybe I love Crystal so much because she's always there to provide an alternate perspective when things get out of hand. Or maybe I love how she works hard to build something with Ronan even though their marriage starts off as pure politics. Maybe it's just because Lockjaw likes her so very, very much, and I trust Lockjaw's judgment.

Lockjaw of the Inhumans, from various Inhumans comics by various writers and artists - he's a ginormous teleporting doggie. Talk about an obvious choice.

Dil from PROSPERITY and LIBERTY & OTHER STORIES by Alexis Hall - Dil has the best narrative voice around, y'all. He's got an opinion on everything, and he's gonna tell it to you in the most elaborate, round-about way possible.

Byron Kae from PROSPERITY and LIBERTY & OTHER STORIES by Alexis Hall - I want only good things for Byron Kae. ONLY GOOD THINGS, DO YOU HEAR ME????

Favourite Characters of 2014, Part I

I used to do yearly round-ups where I'd talk about the best (read: my favourite) literary characters I encountered in a given year, be they old favourites or new flames. It was fun, but it took forever and I got bogged down on, like, justifying my opinion and stuff, so I let it slide.

I did encounter a great many wonderful characters in 2014, though, so I figure it's about time for a revival.

These aren't necessarily my favourite literary characters of all time, and they don't necessarily appear in my favourite books of 2014. They are, however, the characters who captured my imagination last year; the characters who made me want things on their behalf; the characters who refused to be ignored.

Y'all should make an effort to meet them your own selves.

In more or less the order I encountered them, they are:

Jewel Markess ATerafin from Michelle West's Averalaan universe - West has created many a fascinating character (not all of whom I've met yet; I'm reading this series so damned slow), but Jewel is the one I really clicked with. She's got her chosen family, and she's going to protect the hell out of them no matter what. I love her for it.

Medrault from THE WINTER PRINCE by Elizabeth Wein - the first in a long, long line of characters dealing with trauma. (2014 was my Year of Fictional Trauma.) I spent an entire book with him, but it wasn't until the very last page that I began to figure him out.

FitzChivalry Farseer from Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings series - as I approached my massive Robin Hobb Reread/Catch-Up in preparation for FOOL'S ASSASSIN, I found myself most excited about considering Fitz again. Really delving into him, you know? Psychologically and stuff? It was every bit as good as I expected it to be, so I had no choice but to add him to my (Highly Exclusive) List of Favourite Literary Characters.

2014 In Review

So. 2014, huh?

I began the year with one main reading goal: to wallow in awesome. Since I loved 53% of what I read--an astonishingly high number for me--I'd say I did pretty durned well with that. I also really liked a goodly number of books, while most of the rest at least tied into things that entranced me.

This was particularly true of comics. While some entries in a particular series or crossover event didn't wow me, they almost always added something to other stories that did. Good times.

Comics also ensured I ended 2014 with an insane number of titles on my reading list. Turns out, it's easy to devour hundreds of books in a given year when you get caught up in a couple of manga series and/or rediscover the joys of superheroes. I did both, with prolific results.

But the stats, they come later. Let's move along to the main event: my 2014 Top 5.

Memory's Top 5 Books of 2014

As always, these are books I read in 2014. Not all of them were published last year. They're also listed in the order I read them, rather than my order of preference.

2014 In Review: The Long List

I never post my yearly Best Of list until January, because what if I discover something truly amazing right at the end of December? It's happened before. It could happen again.

But, I used to this thing where I'd prep a Long List; a bunch of titles I adored and was considering for my ultimate, no-squee-restrained Best Of list. The Long List is open to additions, should I read some more amazing stuff, and it's, well, long. The longest Best Of list I've ever had was 2013's Top 10, but the Long List can stretch to as many titles as I want to include.

I figured I'd revisit the practice this year, partly because the runners-up section of my Year In Review post is liable to be a behemoth otherwise and partly because I really do enjoy squeeing about books and would like to stretch the experience out.

So here goes. Let's begin with my best rereads of 2014, with "reread" meaning any book I've read more than once within the last fifteen years. They're listed alphabetically by author but in publication order within each series, with links to my reviews:

Halfway There: The Best of 2014 To Date

Friends! It's my birthday! Those of you who are so inclined may celebrate by sending me Kobo store credit.

(No, no, I kid. Unless you really want to shoot me $3, in which case: thanks!)

July 2nd isn't just my birthday; it's also the exact middle of the year. To my mind, that makes it the perfect day to look back on the best books I've read so far in 2014.

And so, without further ado, I give you the titles I just can't shut up about.

New-To-Me Standouts

Let's start with the new books, in more or less the order I encountered them. Everything listed below is a prime contender for my year-end Top 5 list.

Hunter's Oath and Hunter's Death by Michelle West - 4.5 stars each

I always say I won't consider rereads for yearly Best Of lists because they have an unfair advantage, but HUNTER'S OATH and HUNTER'S DEATH by Michelle West have inspired me to institute a 15-year statute of limitations on the issue. After that long, I might as well be reading a book for the first time, and that makes it fair game.

These books, which I returned to this January after a fifteen-year break, blew me away. This is solid secondary world fantasy, my friends, packed with fabulous characters, great worldbuilding, and plenty of epic sweep.

I loved the duology so much that I've embarked on a quest to read everything Michelle West has ever written. Said quest hit a hiccup when I discovered my library didn't own the series that follows this one chronologically, but they've since bought the lot. (The Suggest A Purchase button is every library user's best friend.) I look forward to forging onwards in August, when I shan't be weighed down by Hugo nominees.

2013 In Review

Last January, I decided I’d had it with readerly disappointment. "No more!" I declared. "This will be my Awesome Year of Awesome!"

To that end, I made three reading goals for myself:

• Read awesome stuff.
• Ignore books that fail to meet my standard of awesome.
• WALLOW IN AWESOME

While the second point gave me some trouble here and there, I stuck to #1 and #3 pretty durned closely. I read heaps and heaps of awesome books--enough that I feel confident in declaring 2013 as my BEST READING YEAR EVAR, capslock 100% necessary.

To put things in perspective: in a typical year, I might read two or three 5-star books¹ and an assortment of 4.5ers; enough to round out a Top 5 or, occasionally, expand the list to to a Top 6 or Top 7.

In 2013, I read ten 5-star books and nine 4.5ers. I also had five 5-star rereads and two 4.5-star rereads.

Dear 2013: you were awesome.²