The Tippy Top
I love the Benjamin Weaver series and this is a wonderful conclusion. I even gave it five stars, which I haven’t done for a book in years.
Joy in the Morning by P. G. Wodehouse
The audiobook is pure gold. I listened to a few Jeeves stories this year but this one is my favorite. The shenanigans, the triumphs, the burning cottage, it’s great and it brings a smile to my face just thinking about it.
Good, but not Great
This was my first noir book, and it’s trench coats and cigarettes from here on out. Minus the cigarettes.
This one and Azkaban are my top two HP books.
I think this is my third favorite HP, despite some of the frustrating elements.
Really good, flaws and all.
It’s not perfect, but it’s a nice, quiet story.
Noir was the greatest bookish find for me this year.
It’s Complicated
After watching part of the flaming garbage that is the tv show, this book is looking mighty fine. But I still wasn’t that impressed by it and will not be continuing the series.
On the one hand, it’s awful. But there’s this part of me that thinks maybe it isn’t as bad as all that. But it probably is. Or maybe it’s not. I don’t know!
Eh. Meh. Blah. Yes, but no. I’ve read better.
You Could’ve Been So Much More
The parts outside of the Christian message are really good and I wish there was more of it. But the religion doesn’t align with the Bible.
Normally I like curmudgeonly old men, just not when they’re surrounded by sentimental mush.
I like the author; I like the setting; but it didn’t do anything that I haven’t seen done better elsewhere.
Again, love the author and the idea, just not the execution.
I don’t actually know if this could’ve been better since the writing isn’t that great. But out of the kindness of my heart, I imagine goodness is possible even in the books I don’t like. Maybe not in this case though.
I Read That This Year? Huh.
Admittedly, this was the first book I finished this year, so I’m slightly excused for forgetting its existence, but it just goes to show that a thrilling-ish story doesn’t make for a memorable one.
I love Tudor England, but this author’s style sucks away the intrigue and enjoyment I’ve come to associate with that time. In contrast, I’m still thinking about Cromwell.
The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck
I really like Steinbeck but this one didn’t work all that well, which explains why I didn’t review it here. Wait. Did I? *checks* Nope.
Metaphorically Falling to My Knees and Screaming in the Rain
The Turn of Midnight by Minette Walters
I reread the first book in this duology (The Last Hours) and I still like that one. This book is a slow descent into boredom. It’s a bunch of walking around and pretending they’re not peasants, and it thoroughly put the kibosh on all the good storylines started in the previous book.
I do still think that, overall, this isn’t a bad series. But this ending is one of the worst endings to ever exist. There’s so much wasted potential and poor choices and bad pacing and it’s a rather large stain on the series.
I’m really looking forward to this next year of reading because I think it has the potential to be chockfull of top notch stories and prose. I’ve put a lot of authors/series behind me and I’ll be even more ruthless about what I finish, so here’s to reading no dog-awful books.
On the other side of things, I did watch some noteworthy tv shows this year:
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was a rewatch and it’s still amazing.
Burn Notice is fantastic and I’ll be rewatching that soon.
Psych is good.
Gilmore Girls surprised me and then went downhill towards the end. The revival is dead to me.
Here are some other posts from this year you might be interested in: