Its a little early to be doing a year-end Top Ten list, but with a newborn baby in the house I dont see myself finishing another book during the remainder of the month. The following is a list of the ten best books I read in 2014. I copped out when picking a favorite because my top two were *so* good, each for different reasons. And so, without further ado: 1a. BREWSTER by Mark Slouka -- Fantastic coming-of-age story about two unlikely friends dealing with troubles at home and yearning to leave their dead-end town. BREWSTER really is something special, and I was sad to be done reading it because I enjoyed the characters and their stories so much. BREWSTER was easily my hands-down pick for best book of the year, until I read an equally good..... 1b. REVIVAL by Stephen King -- I cant praise this one enough. King performs a clinic on character and relationship development which leads to a conclusion that haunted me for weeks after I was done reading the book. Many people point to Kings earlier works as their favorites -- IT, THE STAND, PET SEMATARY, SALEMS LOT, etc -- and I agree with them; but I also think that 40 years later King is still showing how masterful he is with books like 11/22/63, JOYLAND, and now REVIVAL. 3. I AM PILGRIM by Terry Hayes -- An action-packed thriller about an ex-covert operative who is brought out of retirement to track a threat in the Middle East. Ive heard some people talking about the plausibility of some of the scenes -- and rightfully so, in some cases -- but that didnt stop me from being wildly entertained by I AM PILGRIM. And, based on its placement on numerous year-end award lists, Im far from the only one who enjoyed it. 4. HALF A KING by Joe Abercrombie -- Abercrombie is one of my favorite fantasy authors. His books are full of unique characters, detailed battle scenes, and streaks of dark humor. HALF A KING is the first book in an ongoing trilogy, something that is usually daunting for fans of fantasy fiction due to the bloated stories and lengthy times between releases; not so with HALF A KING, which is the leanest-and-meanest fantasy book Ive read in a long time, and theres not much of a wait for the sequel (which is due in February). 5. SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD by Robert McCammon -- McCammon is best known for classics such as BOYS LIFE and SWAN SONG (books you should also check out, if you havent already), but these days hes focused much of his attention on the ongoing Matthew Corbett series. In SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD (book one in the series), Matthew is a young law clerk on his way to colonial Fount Royal to hear the case of a young woman accused of witchcraft after the town continues to suffer various pitfalls. 6. THIS DARK ROAD TO MERCY by Wiley Cash -- Cash continues to impress with this tale about a pair of siblings whose mother passes away and is then kidnapped by the father who walked out on them years earlier. Suddenly the trio finds themselves on the run, not only from the law, but also from the kids social worker as well as a mystery man who has a long history with the kids father. 7. DECEMBER PARK by Ronald Malfi -- Malfi has quickly become one of my favorite writers due to his consistently entertaining stories, and DECEMBER PARK is no exception. The story centers around a group of friends who live in a town that is being terrorized by a child abductor known as The Piper. When the police investigation goes nowhere, the group of friends starts searching the community on their own. 8. THE TROOP by Nick Cutter -- A scoutmaster and his troop are on their annual weekend excursion when a sick, emaciated man stumbles into their camp. Soon all hell breaks out as the troop first tries to help the sick man, then fights to save their own lives from the nightmare hes brought with him. 9. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green -- My stepdaughter loved this book and asked me to read it so she could talk about it with someone. I knew nothing about it and wasnt expecting much, which is why I was so pleasantly surprised by this story of two teenagers with cancer who meet at a support group and fall in love. Hard to hold the tears back in this one. 10. SEE THEM DIE by Ed McBain -- McBain is arguably the best author of police procedurals, and while this one was a little lighter on procedure and heavier on the action, it was no less enjoyable. This entry from the 87th Precinct series is about a street hood who is holed up in an apartment building while the police try to coax him out (all while the neighborhoods inhabitants watch the scene -- some of whom despise what the hoodlum stands for while others have it in for the cops who are trying to capture their hero.) What say you? What were your faves from this year?
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 19:20:41 +0000
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