I completed a grand total of 54 books (10 fiction novels, 4 non fiction novels, 9 young adult novels, 28 graphic novels, and 3 poems/plays).
The Best of the Best:
Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament by S.G. Browne
Recommended For: Anyone with a strong stomach who can handle an amazingly realistic zombie romance novel.
To be honest, I bought this book for the cover alone, which I am known to do. But I found within its pages a believable story with an amazing critique on “the other” in our society, albeit through the undead. The story itself was engaging, interesting, and to put it bluntly, amazing. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is a fan of zombie literature.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Recommended For: Readers who love a good boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard story.
I initially read this book when I was lying sick in bed, but that didn’t affect that fact that I read it in a few hours. It’s a quick and wonderful read with relatable characters and dark undertones. Not as creepy as it could have been, but it has those strange Neil Gaiman twists, wherein evil villains and ancient magic abounds. Based on Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” and full of creepy illustrations by Dave Mckean, it’s no wonder it won the Newbery Medal.
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Recommended For: Lovers of puns, twists, and wry/humorous undertones.
I’m a big fan of Oscar Wilde, and this play definitely lives up to his reputation. The plot is enjoyable, twisting, and had me laughing out loud the entire time. I especially love how the jokes are dealt with lightly, and not written in an underhanded and obvious way. It’s a classic that reads nothing like a classic. Highly recommended to everyone. Especially if you want to get the taste of the Reese Witherspoon version out of your mouth. Another book that I read for class but wasn’t angry that I had to read for class. It’s quick and will have you smiling through it the whole time.
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Recommended For: People looking for a quirky if not slightly self-deprecating protagonist.
In my opinion, John Green’s first novel is also his best. I love how all his protagonists have some strange quirk that makes them extremely fascinating, but Miles quirk of collecting famous people’s last words is by far my favourite. The story itself read like a movie and I could imagine it perfectly in my head. As far as young adult novels go, John Green’s stuff definitely shines high above the rest in terms of believability and emotional connections. He makes me never want to leave the world of Culver Creek.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Recommended For: Readers who love Austen but want a little more action and gore in their romances.
This book has gotten a lot of negative feedback for “ruining” the classic work of Jane Austen, but I would like to argue against this notion. For one, the addition of zombies does absolutely nothing to damage the social commentary that made Austen so popular. It doesn’t necessarily strengthen it, but doesn’t damage it either. Secondly, because Quirk is choosing to create mash-ups of classic novels, they’re getting them out to wider audiences. I personally enjoyed this novel immensely, and in its creation, Jane Austen is being read and enjoyed more than ever.
The Sandman Volumes 1-10 by Neil Gaiman
Recommended For: Anyone and everyone!
This is literally the best set of graphic novels I have ever had the pleasure to read! They center specifically on Dream, younger brother of the quirky and upbeat Goth girl, Death. I love how other members of the Vertigo family make appearances (such as John Constantine) and how the story lines themselves are rich, symbolic, and utterly perfect. What are you guys waiting for, go read it NOW! Seriously, go. Any fans, Neil Gaiman or otherwise, get reading this now. Time’s a wasting.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
Recommended For: Anyone who enjoys non-fiction short stories about the strangeness of life.
Any David Sedaris book is amazing, but this is one of my favourites. I love the way he looks back on his own life and the situations he finds himself in. I especially enjoyed the large chunk at the end of the anthology about his journey to quit smoking. Sedaris is a master storyteller, but it is his endings that truly resonate with me. And damn it, I love a good ending.
The Worst of the Worst:
La Perdida by Jessica Abel (Hippy girl travels to Spain and is extremely boring.)
Samson Agonistes by John Milton (John Milton and the bible, enough said.)
Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk (An aging porn star attempts to break the world record of sleeping with the most men in a sustained period.)
Book List, 2009:
Skim by Mariko Tamaki
Summer Blonde by Adrian Tomine
Thursday Next: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Walking Dead Vol. 8: Made to Suffer by Robert Kirkman
The Walking Dead Vol. 9: Here We Remain by Robert Kirkman
Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas by Chuck Klosterman
La Perdida by Jessica Abel
The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block
Ukigumo by Futabatei Shimei
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Lais of Marie de France by Marie de France
The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Feed by M.T. Anderson
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament by S.G. Browne
Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk
Tales from Wonderland Vol.1 by Joe Tyler
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell
Madame Xanadu Vol. 1: Disenchanted by Matt Wagner
Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages by Bill Willingham
The Walking Dead Vol. 10: What We Become by Robert Kirkman
House of Mystery Vol. 2: Love Stories for Dead People by Matt Sturges
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
Grimm Fairy Tales Vol.1 by Ralph Tedesco and Joe Tyler
Grimm Fairy Tales Vol.2 by Ralph Tedesco and Joe Tyler
Grimm Fairy Tales Vol.3 by Ralph Tedesco and Joe Tyler
Grimm Fairy Tales Vol.4 by Ralph Tedesco and Joe Tyler
Nightmares and Fairy Tales Vol.4: Dancing with the Ghosts of Whales by Serena Valentino
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman
The Sandman Vol.1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
The Sandman Vol.2: The Doll’s House by Neil Gaiman
The Sandman Vol.3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman
The Sandman Vol.4: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman
The Sandman Vol.5: A Game of You by Neil Gaiman
The Sandman Vol.6: Fables and Reflections by Neil Gaiman
Samson Agonistes by John Milton
The Sandman Vol.7: Brief Lives by Neil Gaiman
The Body by Stephen King
The Sandman Vol.8: Worlds’ End by Neil Gaiman
The Sandman Vol.9: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman
The Sandman Vol.10: The Wake by Neil Gaiman
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories by Tim Burton
Return to Wonderland by Raven Gregory and Nei Ruffino
Tales from Wonderland Vol.2 by Raven Gregory and Nei Ruffino
The Beach by Alex Garland
