I completed a grand total of 78 books (22 fiction novels, 2 short story anthologies, 5 non fiction novels, 23 young adult novels, 25 graphic novels, and 1 children’s book).
The Best of the Best:
Clockwork Angel: The Infernal Devices Book 1 by Cassandra Clare
Recommended For: Readers who enjoy their paranormal YA with a Victorian feel to them.
A prequel to her adrenaline driven “Mortal Instruments Series”, Cassandra Clare’s “Clockwork Angel” is the first of a new series featuring the Shadowhunters, descendants of angels in charge of keeping Mundanes safe from evil Downworlders such as warlocks and vampires. This new series, set in Victorian London has a steampunk feel to it, and is full of clockwork creatures both good and evil. This first novel will have you wishing to enter Tessa’s world and stay there for as long as possible. This book was truly hard to put down, and even harder to let it end.
Fool by Christopher Moore
Recommended For: Fans of Shakespeare, and dark and ribald humour.
This hilarious novel by the continuously funny Christopher Moore is a retelling of the Shakespeare play “King Lear” as told through the eyes of the very secondary, and very sexual court Jester. While knowledge of the original source material is not necessary, it does add a little substance to the book (much like a knowledge of “Hamlet” is good when reading “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”). Medieval jokes and references to other Shakespeare works abound, and will have any literary nerd laughing from beginning to end.
Generation Dead Series by Daniel Waters
Recommended For: Young adult readers who like morbidity and are okay with zombieXhuman loving.
I have a bad habit of buying some books merely for their covers. This was one such book. The gothic cheerleader on the front drew me in, but it was the story of the differently biotic (the PC word for zombie) teenagers trying to cope with their reanimation that kept me reading. Waters, like most authors, uses the zombies as a metaphor for minorities, or the other and the fear that accompanies them. But he does it in a way that is attractive to readers of all ages, and is able to make his message overt enough, but without making his story of acceptance too preachy. A quick fun read for all zombie fans who don’t mind a little fluff with their gore.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett
Recommended For: Anyone who likes his or her apocalypse with a witty, British side.
I didn’t expect anything less than hilarious when I started reading this novel, which was written by two of my favourite authors, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. And nothing short of hilarious is what I got. “Good Omens” tells the tale of the upcoming apocalypse and the rise of the antichrist, told from the perspective of an angel, a demon, a witch, Death, and the antichrist himself. Pratchett’s sense of humour combined with Gaiman’s twisting plot provides a novel that is nothing short of spectacular. It’s a quick read with a lot of content, and a sense of satire that only two British novelists could hope to produce.
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Recommended For: Anyone and everyone.
North America, now known as Panem, is divided into 12 districts that must sacrifice a boy and a girl every year to compete in the annual Hunger Games. This extremely well written trilogy focuses on heroine Katniss Everdeen, who along with fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark, fight to survive the Hunger Games and take down the corrupt Capitol. The future is bleak, but Katniss uses all her skills to make a better one for her family. By far one of the best trilogies I’ve ever read, I highly recommend it to anyone with a love for the written word, no matter who they may be.
Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford
Recommended For: Devoted vampire and Jane Austen fans.
When I read the premise of this book, that Jane Austen was alive in the 21st century as a vampire trying to publish another novel, I knew I had to have this book. When Lord Byron and Charlotte Brontë show up, also undead and also trying to make their place in this new world, I was hooked. While the premise may seem silly to some, to those of us die-hard fans of both vampires and Austen, it is a quick, easy, enjoyable, must read.
Kick-Ass by Mark Millar
Recommended For: Anyone who has ever wanted to be a super-hero.
Tired of being a social outcast who only reads about superheroes, comic book nerd Dave Lizewski creates his own superhero persona Kick-Ass, and gets beat up on a regular basis, rising to fame through a viral video. Along the way he meets real superheroes, Hit Girl and Big Daddy, along with a few superhero wannabes that he inspires through his antics. This extremely violent and well-written graphic novel will have you begging for more, and awaken all the superhero fantasies within you.
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
Recommended For: Anyone who appreciated “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”.
“Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters”, much like “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is a mash-up of Jane Austen’s regency era romance with a “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” steampunk premise added in. For some reason, sea life has turned against humanity, making it even harder for the Dashwood sisters to find true love. Especially when their suitors have tentacles on their faces and look like Cthulhu. Not quite as good as “PPZ”, but still equally absurd and enjoyable while aligning itself with the same themes as the original.
Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde
Recommended For: Fans of dystopic fiction who can appreciate the absurd.
Jasper Fforde’s novels never cease to be inventive displays of his literary prowess. In this new series, he tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world run not through Democracy, but through Colortocracy, in which the colors a person can see determines their social standing. Eddie Russet, a Red, soon discovers through the help of the downtrodden Greys that moving up in the color spectrum is not the only important thing in this world. Fforde creates an amazing and at times frighteningly believable world, which makes our own seem less harsh in this splendidly written escapism.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
Recommended For: Young adult enthusiasts, who enjoy their male leads flawed.
The lives of two young boys both named Will Grayson intersect through the friendship of the amazingly created and written Tiny Cooper, a giant man with a big heart. While nothing spectacularly amazing happens, all the characters learn incredibly important things about themselves, coming to a perfectly crafted culmination with the end of the novel musical, written by Tiny Cooper. This tale will have you wishing you had a friend like Tiny Cooper.
The Worst of the Worst:
I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It by Adam Selzer (Goth chick falls in love with a zombie, plot holes and bad writing abound.)
In the Woods by Tana French (Long drawn out mystery novel where mystery is never solved.)
Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands by Michael Chabon (Very well spoken author talks too much about his own writing, ruining the good bits of what could have been a very insightful book.)
Scott Pilgrim Volumes 1-6 by Bryan Lee O’Malley (Unlikable hipsters in really intriguing clothing who are all drawn exactly the same are horrible to one another.)
The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks (Watered down wannabe World War Z in graphic novel form.)
Book List, 2010:
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella
The Walking Dead Vol. 11: Fear the Hunters by Robert Kirkman
Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett
Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde
Paper Towns by John Green
House of Mystery Vol. 3: The Space Between by Matt Sturges
Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford
Fables Vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
Pledged: the Secret Life of Sororities by Alexandra Robbins
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
Thirsty by M.T. Anderson
Welcome to Hoxford by Ben Templesmith
How to Survive a Horror Movie: All the Skills to Dodge the Kills by Seth Grahame-Smith
Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman
Fool by Christopher Moore
Many Bloody Returns [edited] by Charlaine Harris
Storm Front: Book One of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Fool Moon: Book Two of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle by Jim Butcher
Beyond Wonderland by Raven Gregory and Nei Ruffino
Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Scott Pilgrim Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Scott Pilgrim Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the Universe by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Grimm Fairy Tales Vol. 5 by Ralph Tedesco and Joe Tyler
Grimm Fairy Tales Vol. 6 by Ralph Tedesco and Joe Tyler
The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love by Chris Roberson
Grimm Fairy Tales Vol.7 by Ralph Tedesco and Joe Tyler
12 Reasons Why I Love Her by Jamie S. Rich
I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It by Adam Selzer
Kick-Ass by Mark Millar
The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman
Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker
Spooky Little Girl by Laurie Notaro
Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies: A Film Critic’s Year-Long Quest to Find the Worst Movie Ever Made by Michael Adams
The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
House of Mystery Vol. 4: The Beauty of Decay by Matt Sturges
Pretty Little Liars #2: Flawless by Sara Shepard
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Scott Pilgrim Vol.6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Pretty Little Liars #3: Perfect by Sara Shepard
The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King
The Walking Dead Vol. 12: Life Among Them by Robert Kirkman
Catching Fire: The Second Book of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Castle Waiting by Linda Medley
Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore
Mockingjay: The Final Book of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
In the Woods by Tana French
Generation Dead: Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters
Generation Dead: Passing Strange by Daniel Waters
Grave Peril: Book Three of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Pretty Little Liars #4: Unbelievable by Sara Shepard
Zombies vs. Unicorns [edited] by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier
Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands by Michael Chabon
Pretty Little Liars #5: Wicked by Sara Shepard
Pretty Little Liars #6: Killer by Sara Shepard
Pretty Little Liars #7: Heartless by Sara Shepard
Pretty Little Liars #8: Wanted by Sara Shepard
Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris
Trick ‘r Treat by Marc Andreyko
Clockwork Angel: The Infernal Devices Book 1 by Cassandra Clare
City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments Book 1 by Cassandra Clare
The Walking Dead Vol. 13: Too Far Gone by Robert Kirkman
Fables Vol. 14: Witches by Bill Willingham
City of Ashes: The Mortal Instruments Book 2 by Cassandra Clare
Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
