Top Ten Books of 2017

2017 is the third year that I have not completed a GoodReads reading challenge, and although I miss the addition of shiny digital badges to my page, I stand by what I said about that before: reading challenges cause me to stress-read just to add books to my "read" shelf on GoodReads instead of reading books because I enjoy them. Before we get to my top ten list for this year, I want to share my reading stats (which may have changed slightly since it is November when I am typing this):

This year I read significantly fewer books than other years. Even if I speed through a bunch of books before the end of the year (something I have no intention of doing), I will not make it to 500 books. Or 400. Or even 365, which equates to approximately one book a day.

I can think of a couple of reasons why my list is shorter this year. I probably didn't log all the books I read in preparation for every storytime. For some storytimes, I reused an old theme, so I already had books picked out. The other books I read were significantly longer than books in previous years. Mostly, though, I was just plain too busy with other things.

That being said, here are my top ten books of 2017, in no particular order:

1. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (also the follow-up titles Down Among the Sticks and Bones and Beneath the Sugar Sky). These are excellent fantasy books, perfect for teens or adults. The writing is lovely and lyrical, and I only wish there were more books in this series.
2. Ship It by Britta Lundin. This is a great teen novel full of fandoms and fanfic and embarrassing parents and all sorts of good things. This isn't out until May 2018, but if you're a librarian you should be able to request an ARC on NetGalley. 
3. Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Edna the Very First Chicken by Douglas Rees. I read this book to several classes during my outreach storytimes, and the kids and teachers alike were in stitches. It is hilariously funny and perfect for large-group or one-on-one reading.
4. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. This is a great read-alike for fans of the Harry Potter franchise.
5. Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller. This is the first book I've ever read with a genderqueer character who requests that their pronouns be changed based on the way they present that day. Moreover, this character is respected by those around them. Plus there is the whole Hunger Games-esque fight to the death thing as well. 
6. Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O'Neill. A graphic novel featuring a pair of lesbian princess who have no time for princes. LOVE IT.
7. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison. I don't read as much adult fiction as I probably should, but I loved N.K. Jemison's series. This first book is the best place to start. It took me a while to get used to the story and the world-building, etc., but it was well worth it.
8. Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Imagine there is no death by natural causes anymore. In order to control the population, people are tasked with being scythes and winnowing down the numbers. Two teens are apprenticed to the local scythe. 
9. Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee. A sweet middle grade story, again with lesbian characters. To my knowledge, this is the first middle grade / tween book with lesbian main characters (as opposed to a kid with two moms). 
10. Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World by Ashley Blake. If Star-Crossed is the first lesbian tween book, this is the second. And it's precious. It won't be out until March 2018, so look for it then.

Top Ten Books of 2016

It's that time of year again! In no particular order, here are my top ten books of 2016:

1. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
2. Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown
3. Afterward by Jennifer Matthieu
4. The Girl who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
5. My Life with the Liars by Caela Carter
6. Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray (the audiobook version of this is excellent!)
7. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman (the audiobook version of this is also excellent!)
8. Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian
9. Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein 
10. The Summer Nick Taught His Cats to Read by Curtis Manley

What about you? What is your favorite book from this year?

Top Ten Tuesday: TV edition

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.

Confession: I confuse cable providers whenever they call me, because even though I like television, I don't have cable. I only got cable in my last apartment because cable+internet was less than just internet, which is an equation that still doesn't make sense to me. In any case, Netflix is my go-to source for television viewing, which seems to work just fine for me. If I'm desperate to see something recently aired, I can always check online and watch it there.

That being said, when I do have access to television, or if I'm binge-watching reruns on Netflix, these are the shows I usually choose:

1. NCIS. I have watched this show since its beginning, and Abby is still, hands-down, my favorite character on television. 
2. Bones. Ditto on this show. I especially liked the first several seasons when Bones and the other "squints" were more socially awkward, but it's still a favorite.
3. Criminal Minds. So apparently I really enjoy what my spouse calls "bang, bang, shoot 'em up" shows, but I actually like listening to the "why" behind what a person did, rather than watching the crime-committing parts. 
4. Hart of Dixie. This show is funny, and the small-town life that Zoe is trying to fit herself into describes some of the places where I've worked.
5. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I've written before about the similarities between Kimmy and me, and that's probably a lot of why I like this show. Unfortunately, since it gets released all at once on Netflix, I end up binge-watching the entire season, then slowly rewatching it as I wait for the next one.
6. Dr. Who. Confession: I don't like the current Doctor. I liked #10 and #11, but I am just not a fan of #12. Also, I miss Amy and Rory, so watching this on Netflix works well for me since I want to see the old episodes anyway. 
7. Star Trek. In answer to the inevitable question: Next Generation, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine, in that order. I can't really stomach much of either of the other two iterations. 
8. Cutthroat Kitchen. Why are "reality" shows so fun to watch? I particularly enjoy cooking shows, and Cutthroat Kitchen is a favorite just to see what weird things Alton Brown is going to do to the contestants and how they'll be able to make something amazing even having to work with their hands tied behind their backs or using tinfoil as their only utensil or whatever.
9. MasterChef Junior. The regular version of this show is also mildly entertaining, but I like watching the kids cook. First, they're adorable. Second, they're usually pretty nice to each other. Third, the judges are so much nicer to them than they are to the adults. It amazes me that the Gordon Ramsey on this show is the same one on Hotel Hell. 
10. My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic. I hadn't seen any of this MLP reboot at all until I met a colleague who was very interested in the entire franchise and was indeed writing a book about it. She recommended the ten episodes I should watch if I wanted to be able to have an intelligent conversation about the show, so I watched them, then I finished the rest of the first season, then I watched the first season in proper order, and before I knew it I had watched the entire five (now six) seasons as well as the movie spin-offs. I still like it, and now I know enough about it to talk with my young patrons. 

Is there a particular show you can't live without? How about a show that your spouse/roommate/partner/friend loves that you can't stand? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Back to School

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.

Every August I have to resist the urge to buy massive quantities of pencils, notebooks, and especially crayons. I was/am one of those nerdy types who is excited for school to start. Since I went to college, then grad school, then taught, my life revolved around a school year schedule for 25+ years, so it's weird now to know that September doesn't mean a new notebook and freshly sharpened pencils and cute erasers that I won't use because it will "ruin" them.

Here are my top ten favorite school stories, in approximate age-appropriateness order:

1. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. I love Chrysanthemum. I love her music teacher and her parents and this whole story. I make my storytime kids listen to it every year because it's such a sweet story. Henkes's other works are equally adorable and appropriate for this topic. 
2. Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard. I remember loving this story as a child, and as a former teacher I can somewhat relate to Miss Nelson's troubles and admire her solution.
3. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar. This book, amazingly, was popular when I was a child and remains popular today. 
4. Ungifted by Gordon Korman. This book; I love it. The story is funny and sweet and has plenty of lessons embedded in it without being preachy, and the main character is adorably hilarious. This one would make a great classroom read-aloud.
5. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. This is an excellent book for kids who have read everything or think they are super "advanced" for their age or just for kids who like clean reads. 
6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. I still remember where I was sitting when I read the first book in this series. The magic of Hogwarts and the wizarding world still sucks me in every time. 
7. The Wednesday Wars by Garry Schmidt. I read this book out loud to my seventh grade students, and they loved the way the main character thinks and all the hijinks he gets up to. 
8. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is a hard book to read, but it's important and it's good and necessary. I have needed this book, and I make sure to recommend it as appropriate.
9. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. This book is right up there with Harry Potter in my list of books that I love and often re-read. Just as many people imagine themselves being Harry, I think many people can imagine themselves as Ender, too.
10. The Magicians by Lev Grossman. This book is another one that I have savored, as it's magical like Harry but definitely darker than Harry and has many allusions to Narnia as well. 

What is your favorite school story? Do you have one you read every year?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books Set in Space

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.

Space: the final frontier ... Here are the top ten books set in space:

1. Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card. The author's personal beliefs aside, I really liked this series.
2. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. This book is set on Earth, but a comet/planet/something from space - they call it Calamity - comes to Earth and sets the whole story in motion.
3. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman. This was an excellent book to listen to as an audio selection. I don't know that I would have enjoyed the print version as much as I enjoyed the audio, which was excellent.
4. Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay. Beauty and the Beast set in space on another planet. Shut up and take my money.
5. Cress by Marissa Meyer. This is book #3 in the Cinder series, and Cress is a Rapunzel-esque hacker trapped in orbit of earth. 
6. The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett. To be fair, I'm not a big fan of the rest of the series, but this first book in the Long Earth series is really good.
7. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Love this one. 
8. Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires. Binky doesn't technically go into space, but he does build himself a rocket ship and prepare to leave orbit. In the end, though, he doesn't want to leave his people behind.
9. The Martian by Andy Weir. I still love this book. I have read it maybe five times already and I haven't gotten bored yet.
10. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Again, the author's personal beliefs turn my stomach, but this is by far one of my favorite books ever. The movie was on the yucky side of "meh," but the book is excellent.

Have you missed one of these excellent titles? Then add it to your to-read list. Is there one I'm missing? Let me know in the comments.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I've Never Read

The Red Badge of Nope

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.

According to my Goodreads profile, I've read nearly 4,000 books so far in my life, and that's only counting the books I've added on Goodreads. I read across a wide variety of books - picture books, young adult novels, adult nonfiction, etc. Even so, there are a few books that "everybody" has read that I just haven't. Without further ado, here are ten books that everyone has read that I have not and probably will not:

1. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. I am not a horse fan. I never went through a horse phase as a child, and although I read books where the main character was a dog, I never got into the horse stories.
2. The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks. I never read this one as a child. I'm not sure why. 
3. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. I think I would have liked this one as a child, but I never read it, either.
4. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. I recommend this one regularly to kids who enjoy adventure stories, but I've actually never read it. 
5. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Everyone was talking about this book a while back, and I still see it circulating occasionally, but it's not for me.
6. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. My mother loved this book and the movie that followed. I couldn't possibly be interested in either. 
7. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Nope. I didn't read this one, either, and I know people who loved this book.
8. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. In college I assisted a high school teacher by marking her students' papers so she could grade them more quickly. I read through a large stack of papers written about this book without ever having read it. 
9. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I taught senior English for one year, and I had to teach this book, but I was less interested in reading it than the kids were, so I didn't. I discussed it with them, I wrote quizzes over it and gave them projects, but I never actually read the book. In fact, I didn't even try.
10. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. This book is the first book that was ever assigned to me where I did not finish it. It was not my cup of tea then and it still isn't now. I even completed a final project on this book - for which I received an A - and hadn't read more than two chapters. What's more, I taught this book to my 11th grade students for six years in a row, and I still never read through the entire book. When kids would ask questions in class about a particular point in the book, I would pretend I was a really good teacher and turn it back to the class: "What does everyone else think about this?" 

I could attempt to go back and redeem myself by reading these books, but honestly my to-read pile is large enough as it is, and I need to keep up with current children's and teen books for my job, so it's not likely that I will read any of these books any time soon.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Buy

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

If someone handed me a fully loaded gift card right now and sent me to buy books, I'd be at a loss.

Here's my secret: I am a librarian, I am a bibliophile, but I am not a book hoarder.

I'll give you a second to digest that.

It's true. I love books, I love reading, I love connecting other people to books and talking about books I've read or books that are similar to other books, but I don't collect them around me like a dragon's treasure.

One reason behind this is that I've moved a lot in my life, and it's never been a "couple miles down the road" type of move, but usually a "to another state / country / time zone / continent" type of move. That means downsizing. That means only your very best books or toys or whatever come with you. [If you like sad stories, ask me about the stuffed animal box routine my mom had for us, where we had a Hunger Games-esque reaping of our stuffed toys before a move.] So the books I have, I've kept for a long, long time. And new books? Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like books, but I usually donate any books I receive to the library after I've read them, and I don't make a habit of purchasing any new ones, because I know they won't last on my shelf.

The other reason is simply this: I believe books are meant to be shared. If it's on my shelf, that means you're not reading it. The kid down the street isn't reading it. The lady in line behind me at the grocery store isn't reading it. I want books to be read and loved and used and beat up and dog-eared and talked about. And they do all of those things much better when they don't stay on my shelf.

That being said, if I were able to purchase ten books right now, and money and publication dates weren't issues, I'd purchase these ten soon-to-be-published books, and after I read them I'd donate them to the library or mail them to a friend or stick them in a Little Free Library somewhere unless they joined the small group of Books I Do NOT Give Away:

1. Heartless by Marissa Meyer. Cinder's author writing about Alice in Wonderland. WANT
2. the graphic novel version of Kindred by Octavia Butler. I just read the print version of this and can't wait for the graphic novel version
3. As I Descended by Robin Talley
4. The Bronze Key by Holly Black
5. Spindle by E.K. Johnston (actually, anything by E.K. Johnston would be on this list)
6. Three Truths and a Lie by Brett Hartinger
7. We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen
8. Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
9. Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown
10. When the Moon was Ours by Anna Marie McLemore

These books have been on my TBR pile since I first heard of them, and I am *patiently* waiting their publication so I can read them and pass them along to others. 

What book would you buy right now if money and publication date weren't issues? Are there any books on your "I absolutely must keep these forever" shelf?

Top Ten Tuesday: The Books Made Me Do It

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.

In no particular order, here are ten things that books have made me want to do or learn about after reading:

1. Plant a Garden. After reading The Martian, I really wanted to grow potatoes. On Mars. My compromise is that we have a tomato plant and a pepper plant and sometimes I grow potatoes in my cupboard by forgetting they're there. I'm sure Mark Watney would be proud.
2. Buy School Supplies. After reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I really wanted to visit Diagon Alley. Yes, of course, a Hogwarts visit would be amazing, but I already have a school supply-buying problem, so magical school supplies are that much more enticing.
3. Fold Papers. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda made me want to try out my origami skills once again. I was quickly reminded, however, that those skills are mostly in my imagination.
4. Build a Bot. I would love to build a working robot like the kids did in Ungifted. I've built two so far that were for work, but none that I was able to design and tinker and ultimately destroy in epic battle.
5. Make a Mess. What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night is a great story of some dinosaurs that make big messes. I love the idea of posing dinosaurs and photographing them, and I was able to do just that last Dinovember!
6. Shelve Books. Book Scavenger made me want to hide books around the city of San Francisco. Once again, I was actually able to do that - I hid copies of Book Scavenger in places mentioned in the book itself!
7. Bake a Cake. Anytime I've read any of the Redwall series, I am overwhelmed by the inevitable feast scenes. They make me want to eat all. the. things.
8. Go Back in the Closet. Seriously, who hasn't wanted to find a magical land a la Narnia in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe?
9. Fly to the Moon. After reading Binky the Space Cat, I wanted to build my own cardboard rocket ship. Again, I got to do this one as part of my job. My book club kids read that book, so I made cardboard rocket ships for them to decorate.
10. Buy Another Book. Donnalyn Miller's Book Whisperer made me want to buy truckloads of books (with my truckloads of librarian salary) and give them to kids and teachers alike so we can destroy the Accelerated Reader program forever. Okay, so maybe we got a bit off-track on that one, but I still do want kids to be surrounded by books, hoards of books, all the time on the chance that they'll find something they like to read.

Has reading a book ever made you want to do something or learn something? 

My Favorite Things: Go-To Young Adult Fiction

A teen, or a teen's parent, is standing in front of you and wants a stack of books to bring home. They don't know what they like, but they want something interesting. What do you give them?

1. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. The author notwithstanding, the book itself is so much bigger and better than the movie by the same name. There's an entire universe spawned off of this one little book, and many teens who read this first book are hooked on the remainder of the series. 
2. Game of Minds by James Dashner. Video games that result in real-life murders. This book will keep kids who game turning pages faster than you can imagine. It's by the same author as The Maze Runner, so those who enjoyed the movie may have extra motivation to try this book. 
3. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman. If you can get your hands on the audio version of this book, DO IT. The audio is so well done, if I still had a middle school library to tend I'd be playing this loud and proud to get all the kids hooked. As it is, this is an excellent science fiction story told from multiple points of view.
4. Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray. Again, if you can obtain the audiobook, do so immediately. Even without, this magical historical paranormal story will keep readers hooked. It's entirely possible to read this second installment in the Diviners series without reading the first one, and there's great information about the history of racial discrimination and homophobia in the United States. An extremely well-done story.
5. Rose Under Fire by Elisabeth Wein. This is another historical fiction, but its focus is World War II in Europe. It's well-written and well-paced.
6. A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston. Looking for a book that takes place on another continent? How about one with excellent, lyrical narration? Look no further. This is a great fantasy story that will hook readers in and keep them coming back for more.
7. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes. I had way too many kids come up to me and say they wanted books "about kids who deal with really hard stuff." The main character in this story is in jail because she killed a person after she escaped a cult where her hands were cut off by her father as punishment for attempting to escape before. Kids who like books about tough stuff won't be able to put this one down.
8. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. This is a great strong-girl pro-feminist book about a girl who refuses to bow down to the fat shamers, and once she tries to take on the pageant world, finds herself facing more of her fears than she expected. Also, there are Dolly Parton drag queens. 
9. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. For teens who enjoy procedural shows like Bones, CSI, NCIS, etc., this will be a perfect match. The story is a bit predictable but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. A less "adult" thriller for teens.
10. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is not a book for everyone, but it's an important book that should be ready by everyone. The fact is that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be assaulted by the time they turn 18. Melinda's story is everyone's story, and since it's practically a guarantee that every reader will be a Melinda or know a Melinda, this book is a must-have.

Teens have a lot of opinions about what they do and do not want to read, so I much prefer to speak with them and hand them a stack of books more suited to their preferences, but this is my backup list in case I don't get much information on what they enjoy. What are your go-to teen books? 

My Favorite Things: Go-To Graphic Novels for Teens

When a teen wants a graphic novel, what do you recommend? In our library, the teen graphic novel collection is fairly limited, so I generally recommend that teens spend some time pulling books off the shelves and browsing through them to see what they like. If they insist on a recommendation, though, and especially if an adult is looking for things to bring to a teen who isn't there to speak with me, these are the books I recommend:

1. Wandering Son by Takako Shimura. This is a manga-style story that follows two students, both transgender-identified, as they sort through their identities and make their way in the world. The innocent, almost playful tone makes this book very accessible even to the graphic novel novice.
2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. The Ender series has been turned into a series of graphic novels, and I recommend these to teens who enjoy action movies or books with lots of action and a fast-moving plot. They can be read alongside or independently of the Ender novels.
3. Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang. These books follow the history of the Boxer Rebellion, one from the side of the boxers, and one from the side of the missionaries. The pair of books was really eye-opening to me and taught me about both sides of this conflict. 
4. Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson. A female superhero who is also not white! It's a miracle! Honestly, though, this is a great series, and I highly recommend it both to fans of superhero comics and to those who like stories with strong female characters.
5. Trashed by Derf Backderf. This book is part fiction, part nonfiction, The fictional story is the tale of a man who begins working as a garbage collector. The nonfiction part contains facts about the way our garbage is dealt with once we bag it up to be hauled away, as well as information about landfills, recycling, etc. It's an interesting look at an unusual topic. 
6. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. I love Nimona. I loved the art, I love the humor in the story, I love the characters themselves. I loved the way this story poked fun at typical superhero tropes. This is a great graphic novel that could be enjoyed even by teens who claim not to like graphic novels. 
7. March by John Lewis. Mostly historical / autobiographical, this is the story of the march on Washington to call attention to the racial difficulties our country was (and still is) facing. Historical information in a very digestible format. 
8. Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks. This book is good even for younger teens, as it avoids some of the graphic fantasy violence of superhero novels or adult themes that are apparent in other graphic works. 
9. Good Neighbors by Holly Black. Who doesn't love a good Holly Black story? This trilogy is no exception, and the fantastical elements in this story are wonderfully imaginative.
10. Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen. The geeks face off with the popular kids in a timeless tale of high school rivalry, now with robots. 

What graphic novels do you gravitate toward when recommending books to teens?

My Favorite Things: Go-To Graphic Novels for Kids

It happens all the time. A child comes up to me and asks for a very specific title, and I discover that while my library owns that title, it is currently checked out. I hate to leave a child disappointed and without a book, so I always want to put something else in their hands. When we don't have the book a child wants, here are my top ten graphic novels that many kids enjoy:

1. Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires. These adorable books are easily readable by even the youngest readers, and Binky is pretty funny.
2. The Lunch Lady series by Jarrett Krosoczka . There are enough books in this series to keep most elementary school kids happy for a long time, and the familiar school setting makes these books accessible to all readers. 
3. Graphic adaptations of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. This is a great series to recommend to kids who have read the novel versions of these stories or who like their graphic novel storylines to be a bit more involved.
4. Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiku Asuma. I am not usually a fan of manga, but I could not put this one down once I read it. The stories are cute and simple and avoid many of the red flags that turn parents and teachers off of graphic novels. 
5. Chi's Sweet Home by Kanata Konami. This one is also very cute. Chi is adorable, and his cat adventures are fun to follow. There are also quite a few books in this series already, so it's a good one to recommend to a kid who needs several books in line to keep them happy.
6. The Wizard of Oz adaptations by Eric Shanower. Like the Percy Jackson books, this is a great series for a kid who is familiar with Baum's original work or who wants a story that's more involved and complicated.
7. Cardboard by Doug TenNapel. I love all of Doug TenNapel's work, but Cardboard is a great stand-alone book for kids who like things that are a bit weird or who haven't found just the right book yet. 
8. Graphic adaptations of Geronimo Stilton and Thea Stilton by Geronimo Stilton. Some kids have caught up with all of the currently published Stilton stories, and the graphic novels are a good thing for them to work through while they wait for the next installment. 
9. Non-fiction mythology books by George O'Connor. These are an excellent read-alike for the Rick Riordan stories, and most kids I've talked to who may not even be graphic novel fans devour these books because of the mythology angle. 
10. Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale. These books give accurate historical information in a kid-friendly readable format. They are very popular at my library, and as the librarian I am glad that I have first dibs on them so I can read them, too!

2015 Top Ten Books

In no particular order, here are my top ten favorite books from 2015:

1. The Martian by Andy Weir
2. The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Bradley
3. Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall
4. A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
5. Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu
6. Love Monster by Rachel Bright
7. Book Scavenger by Jennifer Bertman
8. Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
9. Miss Hazeltine's Home for Shy and Fearful Cats by Alicia Potter
10. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Picture Books: 3

Middle Grade: 3

Young Adult: 3

Adult: 1

Fiction: 10

Non-fiction: 0

There have been years when most of my choices are non-fiction or most of my choices are young adult, etc. etc.  This year I was pretty balanced across the age ranges, but didn't find any non-fiction books that I really loved. It will be interesting to see what happens next year.

What were your favorite books of this year?

2011: A Baker's Dozen

This year it was particularly difficult for me to decide on the top ten books I read throughout the year. Part of this is due to the fact that I read a lot of books - having access to the San Francisco Public Library was an amazing thing.  The other problem, though, was that the books I read were from a variety of genres, and I had several favorites in each genre, so it was hard to narrow my list down to just ten items.  So I didn't.  Instead, this year there's a baker's dozen - the thirteen books from my reading this year that I think everyone should read.  Without further ado, here's the list, in no particular order:

1. Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans.
2. I'm OK - You're Not by John Shore
3. Bulletproof Faith by Candace Chellew-Hodge
4. Love Wins by Rob Bell
5. The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg
6. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger
7. Hello, Groin by Beth Goobie
8. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
9. After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick
10. Staying Fat for Sara Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
11. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
12. Letters from the Closet by Tony Ferrante

And last but not least, a book containing a chapter written by yours truly
13. Unfair: Why the "Christian" View of Gays Doesn't Work by John Shore

Top Ten in Twenty-Ten

It is that time of year, folks.  Here is my list of the top ten books I read in 2010, in no particular order:

• Alcorn, Randy.  If God is Good.  see my comments here
• Marquardt, Elizabeth. Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce.
• Boyne, John.  The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
• Pratchett, Terry. Wee Free Men
• Holmes, Sara. Operation Yes.
• Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me.
• Lehman, Carolyn. Strong at the Heart.
• Hall, Ron and Denver Moore. Same Kind of Different As Me.
• Anderson, Kristin.  Life, In Spite of Me.
• Carlson, Melody. Finding Alice.

This totals to:

• 5 non-fiction books
• 5 fiction books
• 1 historical fiction
• 1 Christian living
• 2 biography/memiors
• 1 book about abuse
• 1 fantasy
• 3 kids novels
• 2 novels for adults

Not a bad range.  Much better than the years I was in my Agathe Christie phase or my "read all the Newberry winners" phase or the "I've read all my books so I guess I'll have to read my sister's books" phase. 

If I had to pick only one book for you to read off of this list, I would recommend If God is Good.  It is a thick one, but well worth your time (and those of you who are reading this from Guam can find it in your library).

Weekend Reads

I read four books this weekend, and none of them stood out to me, so rather than dedicating an entire post to each, I will give you my thoughts, however brief, here:

1. Caveney, Philip. Sebastian Darke: Prince of Explorers. New York: Random House, 2009.

This book is an adventure-type store for teens. It is, apparently, the third book in the series, and it was fairly entertaining and harmless, although I didn't enjoy it that much.

2. Sturtevant, Katherine. The Brothers Story. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2010.

This historical fiction novel follows a boy who travels to London during the Great Frost of 1683. In the style of Judy Blume, this is truly a coming-of-age story, and I don't think it has merit. The historical information is interesting enough, but there are other, better sources of that same information. Don't bother.

3. Le Guin, Ursula. Voices. New York: Harcourt, 2006.

This is the second book in a trilogy. It was fairly interesting, for a fantasy novel, but the ending was rather slow.

4. Bass, Jefferson. The Bone Thief. New York: Harper Collins, 2010.

This fifth fiction work about the body farm was interesting, but only because I had read the previous four books. The main character spends more time in this book working undercover for the FBI than he does discovering causes of death using forensic science. I was not that thrilled, and I chose to skim the last two chapters. Sigh.

I do have a few more books in my stack from the library. Hopefully those books will produce better results than these did. I do love having a library nearby, though. Even a disappointing stack is okay, because it gives me an excuse to return to the library for a different stack.