Book of the year
In the past I've listed my favourite books of the year. This year I dabbled in my usual genres: not only literary fiction but also historical romance, mystery and even young adult fiction. There were many good reads, including:
- Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad: the Myth of Penelope and Odysseus
- Sarah Dunant's Mapping the Edge — a woman disappears, leaving behind a small child and the child's godparents, who imagine what might have become of the wayward mom, presenting the reader with two very different scenarios
- Martin Davies's The Conjurer's Bird — a contemporary quest centred around an extinct bird, and framed by a mystery surrounding an eighteenth-century naturalist-adventurer and a mysterious woman
- Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson — an inspired and well-written prequel to Peter Pan
- Tales of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo — a tale about a mouse, a rat, a princess, and a poor serving maid, all set within the confines of an ancient castle.
What was your favourite book of 2006?
posted by Unknown @ 10:26 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
I didn't do nearly enough pleasure reading in 2006, just loads of "How to be published," "How to Write," "Grammar is sexy...really," kind of books. One book I did enjoy quite a bit was "Guardian of Honor," by Robin Owens. I read it quite a while ago, and sadly other than saying that I really loved her ideas about pools, singing prayers, creepy beasties, etc. I can't give you a proper plot line...The heroine gets pulled into another world because she's the only one that can save them from the beasties. God, that's a terrible plot synopsis. Read the book, Owens writing is terrific and she really kept me turning the pages.
One of my all time favorite books is "The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse," by Robert Rankin. Here's the publisher's review (which I got off Amazon because I remember even less than "Guardian":
From Publishers Weekly
Like a mad toymaker's fever dream, Rankin's uproarious book imagines a town where toys and nursery rhymes come to life and pursue human activities: they walk, talk, eat, drink and commit heinous crimes. Thirteen-year-old Jack goes to the City to find his fortune, unaware that the City is in fact Toy City, where legends and fables walk (or stumble, if they've had too much to drink). He meets up with detective teddy bear Eddie, who is investigating the murder of Humpty Dumpty. When Little Boy Blue is offed, it's clear that a serial killer is prowling Toy City, leaving behind the titular chocolate bunnies as his calling card. Rankin doesn't just drop names of familiar characters but gives them riotous back stories: Miss Muffett hosts a daytime TV talk show called "The Tuffet"; Mother Goose (who prefers to be called Madame Goose) runs a brothel; Humpty Dumpty was likely a failed television stuntman named Terry Horsey. Although the story is wickedly clever and the payoff is a great and satisfying surprise, the real delight comes from watching Rankin work his linguistic magic: characters talk in hilariously circular and self-aware dialogue, and puns and wordplay are packed into the prose like sardines in a tin. Although substantially darker and edgier than the Hitchhiker's series, this gem will appeal to Douglas Adams fans, as well as lovers of British humor in general.
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The book is actually an excellent satire of our society and the things we find important.
As for 2007, the early favorite is "Gil's All Fright Diner," which, if you like crazy and satire, this is an excellent book. It's amazing writing because A. Lee Martinez turns convention on its ear. He makes you read things twice and he's got redneck dialouge honed - even if the rednecks in question are a Vampire and Werewolf.
Hello cousin - my favourite book this year has to be "The Girls" by Lori Lansens. It is soo good that I dreamed about it for a week after I finished, it was all I talked about at school, and I cried while reading! Now, that's something that hasn't happened since elementary school!
Unfortunately, I'm finding that with my new professional career that there is less and less time for pleasure reading - and I don't much like that! Hopefully I"ll make up for it during my March Break and summer off!
ps...it was great seeing you at Christmas! We should really plan a visit to Quebec one of these days!
I'll have to look those books up!
Sadly, professional life does eat into reading time, there's no question about it. There's either little time, you're too tired, or you have to read some boring thing for work the next day.
It was great to see you too, Courtney. Yes, you really must visit. We have plenty of room and lots of snow too. Nah nah nah! (You're invited too, Brown, but I think you may be fed up with the snow by now.)
Happy reading!
Moi? Fed up with snow? Just because I've been surrounded by it for the past two months (making me seriously wonder about global warming), just because I get stuck in my driveway, and there is no moisture left in my frozen little body? Never let it be said!
Actually, I don't mind the snow - it's the frackin' cold and grey skies that can throw me off. But for you, Jeanne, I'd travel through a thousand snowbanks :D
I really love the sound of "The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse" so will definitely be on the look out for that.
"The Girls" is Richard & Judy's latest recommendation so I've made a mental note to steer clear of it. I've never enjoyed any of their recommended books yet!
My favourite book of 2006 was probably "Replay" by Ken Grimwood (was it you who recommended that?). I found that unputdownable.
No, Sharon, I didn't recommend it. I shall check it out, however. Thanks!
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