Top 10 Books of 2017
Jan. 7th, 2018 06:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lostlenore Hey! Been a while since I posted here, but I wanted to keep up the practice of reccing a top ten for all the books I read this year. I READ 100 BOOKS IN 2017! IT WAS A LOT. I'm setting my goal for 2018 back at fifty imao, a hundred was a little too much stress. I was spoiled for good writing though, so here are the top ten I loved!
1. I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
Man, every year I miss Sir Terry more and more. He left behind an incredible legacy though, and no one writes angry, biting, hopeful, humor like him. This book is bar-none the best female voice I've ever read written by a male author. This book is all about the grinding, unglamorous, and desperately necessary work women do to keep their communities running, and it hit me in all my soft places.
2. A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper
A dreamy coming of age story and a brilliant send-up to I Capture the Castle. On a tiny European island the royal children of fictional Montmaray try and keep their kingdom from falling apart. Meanwhile, the year is 1936 and the continent is gearing up for WWII. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but suffice to say it has a wonderfully fairytale-like atmosphere, excellent female characters, and even some historical queerness. It's also the first in a series, though you could read it as a standalone.
3. Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer
I think I described this to someone as 'the female Don Quixote' and I stand by that assessment 10000%. This is a f/m regency and a delightful comedy with a pair of heroines--one exceedingly sensible, one exceedingly French--whose lives take a turn for the Gothic, just like the romances they love so much. This book is full of wonderful snark and huffy romances, and the gold standard to which I hold Heyer's works.
4. Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen
A historical m/m romance that's not set in Regency England? Be still my heart. This book is such a wonderfully low-key, slice-of-life picture of two men on the cusp of 1920's America. It's not particularly dramatic or plotty, just a meandering exploration of a very specific moment in time. The atmosphere and the setting, with all it's carefully-researched detail, really come alive. If you're looking for a gentle, queer read, I'd definitely recommend it.
5. Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal
First things first: the cover of this book is absolutely stunning. Fortunately the conceit is just as good: a special Spiritualist division in WWII dedicated to extracting information from the ghosts of dead soldiers. This book is good and plotty and full of intrigue, and the Spiritualists are an interesting mix of women characters who get to unapologetically take center stage in what is generally a male-centric setting. It's just....cool fantasy, well researched and well executed.
6. Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente
I feel like there's a 50/50 chance in any given Valente work that I either love the prose or I hate it. There isn't a lot of in-between for me, either it works or I fail out real early. This was one of the ones where I was it in all the way. It's a gorgeous re-telling of the Snow White that imagines her as mixed-race, with a wealthy white father and Native American mother. The story is framed in a very distinct style that evokes traditions of oral history and folklore. It's short, and focused in scope, which I think helps offset the prose. A good, magical, inventive retelling--5/5 would reread.
7. Given by Natsuki Kizu
A modern day m/m comic with some stellar art. Four queer boys, ranging from HS to college students, struggle to build up their band. This comic is really excellent at nailing that YA-mix of sad/silly/angry, especially in regard to how these characters feel about music, how they use it to express themselves in all their ugly, messy, human glory. I'm really rooting for them all to find their happy endings.
8. Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones
LESBIAN DUCHESS IN A SYSTEM OF MAGIC BASED ON THE MYSTERIES OF CATHOLIC SAINTS? I think this book was tailor-made for me, specifically. God, this book has everything: a slow burn f/f romance, a weird magical system, all the pining of a regency, court intrigue, and oh yeah--HER LOVE INTEREST IS HER PROFESSIONAL DUELIST BODYGUARD. The best part? It's a series. You're welcome.
9. Spectred Isle by KJ Charles
Set in the same time period as Whistling in the Dark, this book could not be more different in every single way. Spectred Isle is a post-WWI book through and through, and it's angry. KJ Charles has lined up the politics of pre & post-war England with it's magic, and does a brilliant job of connecting existing folklore with the changes of the time period. There's a tinge of horror to the whole atmosphere, which fits perfectly with the aftermath our main characters are wading through. The next book is slated to be f/f, despite this book being m/m, so I'm really excited to see where this series goes!
10. The Vision Vol 1: Little Worse Than A Man by Tom King
I delayed reading this comic for a while because I found the artwork a bit off-putting. I'm not sure what eventually pulled me in, but I'm glad I read it. The storytelling on display here is really incredible--the slow, roiling horror, the heavy Shakespearean atmosphere, the uncanny AI development as the characters mirror the humans in their environment for better and for worse. I couldn't put it down until I hit the last page. If AI/robot narratives interest you at all, absolutely give this one a chance.
1. I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
Man, every year I miss Sir Terry more and more. He left behind an incredible legacy though, and no one writes angry, biting, hopeful, humor like him. This book is bar-none the best female voice I've ever read written by a male author. This book is all about the grinding, unglamorous, and desperately necessary work women do to keep their communities running, and it hit me in all my soft places.
2. A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper
A dreamy coming of age story and a brilliant send-up to I Capture the Castle. On a tiny European island the royal children of fictional Montmaray try and keep their kingdom from falling apart. Meanwhile, the year is 1936 and the continent is gearing up for WWII. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but suffice to say it has a wonderfully fairytale-like atmosphere, excellent female characters, and even some historical queerness. It's also the first in a series, though you could read it as a standalone.
3. Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer
I think I described this to someone as 'the female Don Quixote' and I stand by that assessment 10000%. This is a f/m regency and a delightful comedy with a pair of heroines--one exceedingly sensible, one exceedingly French--whose lives take a turn for the Gothic, just like the romances they love so much. This book is full of wonderful snark and huffy romances, and the gold standard to which I hold Heyer's works.
4. Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen
A historical m/m romance that's not set in Regency England? Be still my heart. This book is such a wonderfully low-key, slice-of-life picture of two men on the cusp of 1920's America. It's not particularly dramatic or plotty, just a meandering exploration of a very specific moment in time. The atmosphere and the setting, with all it's carefully-researched detail, really come alive. If you're looking for a gentle, queer read, I'd definitely recommend it.
5. Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal
First things first: the cover of this book is absolutely stunning. Fortunately the conceit is just as good: a special Spiritualist division in WWII dedicated to extracting information from the ghosts of dead soldiers. This book is good and plotty and full of intrigue, and the Spiritualists are an interesting mix of women characters who get to unapologetically take center stage in what is generally a male-centric setting. It's just....cool fantasy, well researched and well executed.
6. Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente
I feel like there's a 50/50 chance in any given Valente work that I either love the prose or I hate it. There isn't a lot of in-between for me, either it works or I fail out real early. This was one of the ones where I was it in all the way. It's a gorgeous re-telling of the Snow White that imagines her as mixed-race, with a wealthy white father and Native American mother. The story is framed in a very distinct style that evokes traditions of oral history and folklore. It's short, and focused in scope, which I think helps offset the prose. A good, magical, inventive retelling--5/5 would reread.
7. Given by Natsuki Kizu
A modern day m/m comic with some stellar art. Four queer boys, ranging from HS to college students, struggle to build up their band. This comic is really excellent at nailing that YA-mix of sad/silly/angry, especially in regard to how these characters feel about music, how they use it to express themselves in all their ugly, messy, human glory. I'm really rooting for them all to find their happy endings.
8. Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones
LESBIAN DUCHESS IN A SYSTEM OF MAGIC BASED ON THE MYSTERIES OF CATHOLIC SAINTS? I think this book was tailor-made for me, specifically. God, this book has everything: a slow burn f/f romance, a weird magical system, all the pining of a regency, court intrigue, and oh yeah--HER LOVE INTEREST IS HER PROFESSIONAL DUELIST BODYGUARD. The best part? It's a series. You're welcome.
9. Spectred Isle by KJ Charles
Set in the same time period as Whistling in the Dark, this book could not be more different in every single way. Spectred Isle is a post-WWI book through and through, and it's angry. KJ Charles has lined up the politics of pre & post-war England with it's magic, and does a brilliant job of connecting existing folklore with the changes of the time period. There's a tinge of horror to the whole atmosphere, which fits perfectly with the aftermath our main characters are wading through. The next book is slated to be f/f, despite this book being m/m, so I'm really excited to see where this series goes!
10. The Vision Vol 1: Little Worse Than A Man by Tom King
I delayed reading this comic for a while because I found the artwork a bit off-putting. I'm not sure what eventually pulled me in, but I'm glad I read it. The storytelling on display here is really incredible--the slow, roiling horror, the heavy Shakespearean atmosphere, the uncanny AI development as the characters mirror the humans in their environment for better and for worse. I couldn't put it down until I hit the last page. If AI/robot narratives interest you at all, absolutely give this one a chance.
