Top 10 of ’12: Best Books I’ve Read This Year

Since it’s the beginning of a new year (and thankfully not the end of the world), it’s time for me to list my favorite books that I read in 2012.

Note that not all of these books were published this year –  these are just my favorites out of the ones I have read.

Without further ado:

(in the order I read them):

The Jumbee by Pamela Keyes

I gobbled up this modern-day retelling of Phantom of the Opera set in the West Indies. It’s very unique and fans of romantic ghost stories or theater in general will likely enjoy it as well.

 

 

 

North and South by Elisabeth Gaskell

Read the book that became the basis for the hit BBC miniseries starring Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe. Minister’s daughter Margaret Hale and factory owner John Thornton don’t exactly hit it off when they first meet, but their circumstances and conflicting backgrounds will change them both in the end.

 

 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Gorgeous writing, a well-developed setting, and two tenacious main characters make this “horse book” a delight.

 

 

 

 

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

A really, really creepy prequel to Frankenstein that should definitely be read with the lights on. Victor Frankenstein isn’t always such a likeable or sympathetic protagonist, but that’s the point, the way Oppel writes from his perspective is very well done.

 

 

 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes/The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes/The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I may as well call this the “year of Sherlock”: I saw A Game of Shadows in theaters, got hooked on BBC Sherlock as well as CBS Elementary, and not to mention that I  read some of the original stories while traveling through the areas of England where they are set. (I definitely wouldn’t want to be alone on the moors of Dartmoor at night, especially if there’s a gigantic hound roaming around). A century later, the adventures of Holmes and Watson are still taking on new forms all the time, but nothing beats the original canon.

 

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier 

It’s sort of a 1930s revision of Jane Eyre. A timid young girl marries a much older man and goes to live at his English estate. The creepy housekeeper seems like she’s out to get her, and the memory of Rebecca, the first wife to live at Manderley, casts an eerie shadow over the place. I never did get around to writing a review of this one, but it’s good.

 

 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

It’s a crime it took me this long to read Jane Eyre! It’s a Gothic love story told in a very clear first-person style by an orphan girl firmly convinced of her own worth. I can’t recommend it enough.

 

 

 

 Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Great new Robin Hood retelling that reimagines Will Scarlet as a tough young woman disguising herself as a boy. I could hardly put it down!

 

 

 

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Fantastic “dragon” book involving murder, music, and a search for acceptance. One of the best fantasy books I’ve read all year.

 

 

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Technically it’s a re-read, and technically I just finished it today, not in 2012. But it’s been around ten years since I’ve read it, and I just felt my list wouldn’t be complete without it. It’s a simple adventure with some surprising depth and gives a wonderful taste of the world Tolkien created. Plus, it’s a lot of fun. I can’t wait to see how Peter Jackson brings the rest of the book to life on-screen.

 

 

5 of these books were borrowed from the library.

3 of these books were read on Kindle.

2 of these books I bought from a physical bookstore.

Have a Happy New Year!

Check out my list from 2011.

Review: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Summary: Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty’s anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen’s Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

(Summary Source: Goodreads)

Review:  It’s hard to find a book that balances good world-building, well-developed characters, and  an interesting plot. Seraphina is one of them.

To start off, it’s not much of a spoiler to talk about Seraphina’s “secret,” which is revealed to the reader fairly quickly. She is half-dragon, which leaves her with a number of abilities and traits that she struggles to conceal, considering that her society considers the idea of dragon-human hybrids an abomination. In this universe, dragons have the ability to take on human form, and even after years of peace and interaction with dragons, the humans are still very wary of them.

Seraphina tries to keep a low profile in her job managing the court musicians, but the prince’s mysterious death draws her into a web of intrigue as she helps Captain Lucian Kiggs investigate the murder. What makes Seraphina stand out is that it’s not a typical swords-and-dragons high fantasy book. It’s a good old court intrigue drama in a setting that feels vaguely like 16th-17th century Western Europe. All of the many characters (don’t worry – there is a glossary in the back) are fascinating, from the goofy musicians to the royal family to  a group of exiled knights. Seraphina’s agony over acceptance and her dual heritage also rings very true.

In particular, Hartman creates a really interesting mentality and culture for the dragons. To make a Star Trek comparison, their logical, brilliant minds and rejection of emotions reminded me of Vulcans. Besides Seraphina, my favorite character in the novel definitely has to be her Spock-like dragon uncle, Orma. Early on, my brain decided to picture Benedict Cumberbatch portraying him, and that stuck with me the whole book. Weird and unintentionally funny as he is, he’s Seraphina’s only friend and confidant and therefore plays a very important role in her life.

Two final things I loved about Seraphina? It’s clearly the first of a series, yet the first book wraps things up enough that I was reasonably satisfied while still wanting to know what happened next. Finally a first book that is not just setup for the rest of the series. Sweet relief!

Second, there is romance, and it is appropriately agonizing, yet Hartman avoids the hair-pulling-in-frustration pitfalls common to so many other young adult series. The characters are flawed humans* yet they are also smart humans who do not do stupid contrived things to stretch out the plot.

Final note: This is the kind of YA book that adults would also very much enjoy. On that note, I will add that some of the content (references, though. Nothing too racy.) does mean that the target age for this book is older teens.

In short: Seraphina is a unique, excellently-crafted novel that is sure to entertain anyone looking for something a little different than your average dragon book.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Something similar: I’m not going to bring up Paolini’s work because I still haven’t gotten over how disappointing the last book was. Honestly, if you were anything like me in middle school, you’ve probably already read a ton of those dragon-centered fantasy books. At times Seraphina did remind me of Robin McKinley’s Pegasus. However, Seraphina is much more interesting in my opinion (though I still do love Robin McKinley).

Cover & Title: The name “Seraphina” means “fiery.” And the wood-cut-engraving-style cover couldn’t be more perfect. (However, I did just realize that the smudgy red ink/blood is actually part of the cover, and not from some previous library patron carelessly staining the cover of the copy I checked out. Wow.)

Where I got the book: Shelves of the local library.

*humans, dragons, human-dragon hybrids. To bring up Trek again, “Everybody’s human.”

Can you tell I’m behind on reviews? Two in one day, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey review coming soon (hopefully).

Top 10 of ’11: Best Books I’ve Read This Year

Happy New Year!

Although my published book reviews are few (after all, I’ve only been blogging for a few weeks!), the number of books I’ve read this year is nothing to sneeze at: 68 since January 2011. I’ve gone through the list of books read to find my favorites – not necessarily published this year, just ones I have read.

And the winners are… *drumroll please*…

(in the order I read them):

Matched by Ally Condie

A dystopia in the tradition of The Giver with the addition of a sweet romance, Matched captured me with its poetic story. I can’t wait to read and review the sequel, Crossed, but I’m still #8 on the library waitlist so…

 

 

 

Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund

I was attracted by the pretty cover, but once I got to the mention of spaceships on the first page, I was hooked. It’s so rare to find YA sci-fi that isn’t dystopian or post-apocolyptic. Still, the focus is firmly on the characters. Ms. Osterlund switches back and forth between Aerin and Dane’s perspective with ease, gradually revealing details about their tortured pasts. Sequels plz?

 

 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Proof that not everything I read is YA, this book was recommended to me by a friend. It’s a novel told entirely in letters, diary entries, etc., and centers around the denizens of a little-known British island occupied by the Germans in World War II. Well worth the read!

 

 

Everlasting by Angie Frazier

To say I adored this book is an understatement. I didn’t want it to end…but read it far too quickly. I couldn’t help myself. Everlasting is an adventurous blend of historical detail and the supernatural in the tradition of Pirates of the Caribbean or Indiana Jones. In the 1840s, Camille journeys to Australia in search of a mystical object said to resurrect the dead. Along the way she develops feelings for a young sailor, despite the fact that she has an arranged marriage waiting for her back home. Sadly, I found the sequel rather lackluster.

 

Entwined by Heather Dixon

I’ve read many retellings of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and this has to be among my favorites. The sisters have never felt so individualized, or the villain so menacing. It’s also set in an interesting 19th-century environment.

 

 

 

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

It’s like Twilight with fairies, but better than I made that sound. I loved the way the book unfolded, so I don’t want to give a more detailed description. I didn’t like the sequels quite as much, but it’s still a good series.

 

 

 

Exile by Anne Osterlund

Congrats, Ms. Osterlund – you have two books on my list. Exile is actually the sequel to Aurelia. Aurelia left me feeling rather “meh”  but a friend urged me to read the second book, saying that it was much better. It was. The adventures of Aurelia-the-ever-feisty and Robert-of-the-kind-blue-eyes held me to the last page.

 

 

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

It’s a complicated time travel adventure involving ghosts, tangled family trees, witty humor, and multiple costume changes. My biggest complaint is the abrupt ending…still waiting for the two sequels to be translated from German to English and published across the pond!

 

 

River of Time: Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergen

This book took a rather long time to grab me, in part due to my own reluctance, but in the end, I loved it. Gabi and her sister fall back in time to medieval Italy. She gets involved the politics and warfare, falls in love…and she still has to find her sister and get back home to the 21st century, if she even wants to. The two sequels are fantastic, too. I bought this book for $8 on Kindle, but now it’s only a dollar on Amazon, meaning there is absolutely no reason not to read this book!

 

Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn

This is a beautifully-written fantasy and coming-of-age story in which Corie finds that not everything in her world is as it seems. I’ll definitely check out more by this author in the future.

 

 

 

6 of these books were borrowed from the library.

4 of these books were read on Kindle.

1 of these books I bought from a physical bookstore.

I’m nothing if not cheap…

Have a Happy New Year!