I will break it down two ways, favorite books of the year, which were the ones I enjoyed reading the most and best books of the year, not necessarily favorites, but top rated for quality. In the spirit of fairness and balance, I'll also mention my least favorite books/worst books. Let's start with the bad. All of these are in no particular order.
My least favorite books of the year:
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The worst books I read this year:
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
The Keys to My Diary by Ann Omasta
Mobtown by Jack Kelly
Now to get the bad taste out of my mouth from thinking about those least pleasurable reading moments this year, let's move on to the fun, the joy, and the beauty of good books.
My favorite books of the year:
The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
The best books I read this year:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones
Serena by Ron Rash
Well actually, looking at those lists, it appears that the ultimate worst book I read this year would be Tropic of Cancer or Go Set a Watchman, since they were on the "least enjoyed" and "worst" lists. Alternatively, it looks like Dogsbody was my ultimate best book this year. It also inspired my favorite manicure of the year.
Since I read so many books this year, I am in need of some recommendations. Any ideas for good reads I should consider?
