Top Ten Books of Last Year

So...I'm not (irreconcilably) embarrassed to admit that it's not unlikely that the majority of books I've read this year have been by Georgette Heyer. Wince. Yes, the creator of the historical romance. What can I say, I like men in cravats and horse-driven carriages. I like books that use words like 'apoplexy,' 'reticule,' and 'bombazine.' I like happy endings.

However, I do, on occasion, read other genres, and so (without further ado), here's a list of my top ten - excluding all Regency - from the previous year(ish). Alphabetically by title:

Black Swan Green, by David Mitchell. Apparently I don't 'gush' - about anything - but Mom indicates that several times I recommended this book and stated how excellent I found it. It's a coming of age novel about a boy growing up in England in the 1980s where each chapter depicts an excerpt from each month in a year-in-the-life...if that doesn't particularly move you, think a voice comparable to (if not quite as enamored of itself as) the one in Middlesex.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. I quite like reading young adult fiction, although I don't know what that says about me...so this one is set in one of my pet eras, WWII, and the narrator is Death, so how can you go wrong. Some of it is beautiful, some of it dark, some both. A fantastic book.

Corelli's Mandolin, by Louis De Bernieres. This I read in France, and so I suppose that was more than a year ago...I believe this was very popular and trendy a good few years ago, so I'm coming to it late on several counts. Another WWII book, this time away from the major fronts of battle, I found this one gripping until the end. By which I mean I'm not sure I wouldn't have rewritten the final scenes. Beautifully told, however, and worth a try if you haven't already?

Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Yes. I read this once every couple years, and it is tattered and dogeared and generally in pieces. It's about the apocalypse, and it combines Gaiman's sense of magic with Pratchett's quirky wit. Very funny, very good.

Great Tales from English History, by Robert Lacey. A bit of nonfiction, I actually listened to these in the car on audiotape, and possibly it was Mr Lacey's hypnotic voice, but history has never been so enthralling. Well maybe it has. But not more...quite exciting stories, though, and supposedly more accurate (if less juicy) than Royal Babylon.

Griffin & Sabine, by Nick Bantock. This is actually the first of a trilogy. It's more like prying through someone's mail than reading a book - this is one of those where envelopes are built into each page. The whole thing's a work of art, if the story is at times baffling and/or flimsy.

The Lathe of Heaven, by Ursula K. Le Guin. Ooh. A guy whose dreams alter reality. Into a dystopia. Very short, riveting science fiction, with a dash of ethics and psychology. Also, it contains one of my favorite quotes: "...pique, umbrage, and ennui. Oh, the French diseases of the soul.” If you like this, you might also like Einstein's Dreams, although I think they're different enough to prevent monotony.

Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman. Sort of like a creepy, earthy, modern-day Alice and Wonderland? Not sure about that comparison, but a very good read. (Yes, it's fantasy. Get over it.)

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. More apocalyptic, dystopic landscapes, this is apparently McCarthy's most optimistic novel? What a guy...this is the most hair-raising on the list, be warned. I read it in one sitting, but I don't think I'll be watching the film.

Room with a View, by E. M. Forster. "It is fate; but call it Italy if it pleases you..." I suppose this one's a classic. It's slow-paced, but quite beautiful. Also, in my opinion, the film that corresponds to this book (contrary to some others) is definitely worth sitting through.