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Now we get really arbitrary. I'm going to give my favorite books from this year that are not in the middle of a series. (I loved Lois McMaster Bujold's Chalion, Jim Butcher's Calderon and Dresden Files, and Jaspar Fforde's Nursery Crimes. You may also enjoy them, but I wouldn't recommend starting with the books I read this year.
In no particular order, the best non-mid-series books I read this year:
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose
The author's name is just a little too convenient. But this is an excellent book on the virtues of close reading, and how to apply that to your own writing.
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Aeneid, from the point of view of the princess the final war is nominally fought over. Beautiful language, interesting premise.
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Comic supernatural steampunk romance. Absolutely delightful, probably my favorite book all year. Cotton candy sweet and light. Beginning of a series.
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
More steampunk, in which zombies have invaded 1860s Seattle and the goggles do not do nothing. Fabulously creative, interesting characters.
Emma by Jane Austen
One of the few Austens I hadn't read. Delightful, like all her work.
Misery by Stephen King
One of the few horror books I've actually enjoyed. So many pull out far too many stops in an attempt to scare you via overblown gore and mysticism. King keeps the scope small and the writing tight, and is far more terrifying for it.
Shades of Gray by Jaspar Fforde
Dystopian fantasy in which your caste is determined by the colors you're capable of seeing. Endlessly inventive. Appears to have a sequel coming.
Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty by Karl Shaw
Non-fiction, about why inbreeding and absolute power are two bad tastes that go bad together. A little repetitive in places, but hilarious.
The Banewreaker by Jacqueline Carey
The Lord of the Rings given the Paradise Lost treatment. Villain as tragic hero. Very tragic. Has a follow-up book.
Bel Canto by Ann Pratchett
Literary fiction, about a birthday party taken hostage by terrorists in an unnamed banana republic. Absolutely gorgeous prose, fascinating characters.
And then there are the real losers. Here are the five worst books I read this year. (To be fair, I knew some of them were terrible going in, and they lived comically up to their covers.)
Longarm and the Arizona Assassin by Tabor Evans
Formula Western. Hero cannot seem to move ten feet without a woman jumping on his penis. He does not seem to be particularly excited or concerned by this. I'm still not sure I understood the plot, as it was probably written in an afternoon and makes no sense.
The Phone Book: The Curious History of the Book that Everyone Uses but No One Reads by Ammon Shea
You know those books where the author takes a common item and reveals how its background shows all kinds of interesting things about history and human nature? This isn't one of those books. Tried, but failed so incredibly dismally that it's pathetic. Turns out that no one knows stuff about the phone book because there isn't actually all that much to know, and most of the book is pathetic filler.
Weaveworld by Clive Barker
Fantastic horror nearly at its worst. Overly complicated plot, unlikeable cardboard characters with no discernable motivations, unsatisfying resolution, and a lot of grossness thrown in to make it scary without succeeding. (Perfectly good horrific situations set up, and then instead of exploiting the psychological horror, he basically chooses to point out again that women's bodies are mysterious and scary and disgusting. Repeatedly.)
Floating Dragon by Peter Straub
Fantastic horror at its absolute worst. In one book, we have, among other things, a dragon, the devil, toxic waste, government conspiracies, zombies, industrial accidents, vicious prostitutes, people's skin dissolving, mind control, other dimensions, rats, bats, ghosts, haunted houses, telepathy, possession, pyrokinetics, and sinks that inexplicably fill with goo. So, yes, everything including the kitchen sink. It's like the guy wasn't sure his premise was scary enough, and kept piling on random cliches. Also, it ends by SPOILERS everyone singing a happy song and then I think having sex with the lone female character. It was confusing. It made no sense at all. It was a travesty of a book. I think somewhere back in August I posted a three page rant.
Viking Heat by Sandra Hill
A female Navy SEAL-equivalent inexplicably travels back in time, is turned into a bedslave by a Viking, falls in love with him by curing his sister's rape-induced PTSD, and teaches all the Vikings the true meaning of Christmas. Which isn't Jesus, as they're already Christians, but in fact presents.
In no particular order, the best non-mid-series books I read this year:
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose
The author's name is just a little too convenient. But this is an excellent book on the virtues of close reading, and how to apply that to your own writing.
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Aeneid, from the point of view of the princess the final war is nominally fought over. Beautiful language, interesting premise.
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Comic supernatural steampunk romance. Absolutely delightful, probably my favorite book all year. Cotton candy sweet and light. Beginning of a series.
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
More steampunk, in which zombies have invaded 1860s Seattle and the goggles do not do nothing. Fabulously creative, interesting characters.
Emma by Jane Austen
One of the few Austens I hadn't read. Delightful, like all her work.
Misery by Stephen King
One of the few horror books I've actually enjoyed. So many pull out far too many stops in an attempt to scare you via overblown gore and mysticism. King keeps the scope small and the writing tight, and is far more terrifying for it.
Shades of Gray by Jaspar Fforde
Dystopian fantasy in which your caste is determined by the colors you're capable of seeing. Endlessly inventive. Appears to have a sequel coming.
Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty by Karl Shaw
Non-fiction, about why inbreeding and absolute power are two bad tastes that go bad together. A little repetitive in places, but hilarious.
The Banewreaker by Jacqueline Carey
The Lord of the Rings given the Paradise Lost treatment. Villain as tragic hero. Very tragic. Has a follow-up book.
Bel Canto by Ann Pratchett
Literary fiction, about a birthday party taken hostage by terrorists in an unnamed banana republic. Absolutely gorgeous prose, fascinating characters.
And then there are the real losers. Here are the five worst books I read this year. (To be fair, I knew some of them were terrible going in, and they lived comically up to their covers.)
Longarm and the Arizona Assassin by Tabor Evans
Formula Western. Hero cannot seem to move ten feet without a woman jumping on his penis. He does not seem to be particularly excited or concerned by this. I'm still not sure I understood the plot, as it was probably written in an afternoon and makes no sense.
The Phone Book: The Curious History of the Book that Everyone Uses but No One Reads by Ammon Shea
You know those books where the author takes a common item and reveals how its background shows all kinds of interesting things about history and human nature? This isn't one of those books. Tried, but failed so incredibly dismally that it's pathetic. Turns out that no one knows stuff about the phone book because there isn't actually all that much to know, and most of the book is pathetic filler.
Weaveworld by Clive Barker
Fantastic horror nearly at its worst. Overly complicated plot, unlikeable cardboard characters with no discernable motivations, unsatisfying resolution, and a lot of grossness thrown in to make it scary without succeeding. (Perfectly good horrific situations set up, and then instead of exploiting the psychological horror, he basically chooses to point out again that women's bodies are mysterious and scary and disgusting. Repeatedly.)
Floating Dragon by Peter Straub
Fantastic horror at its absolute worst. In one book, we have, among other things, a dragon, the devil, toxic waste, government conspiracies, zombies, industrial accidents, vicious prostitutes, people's skin dissolving, mind control, other dimensions, rats, bats, ghosts, haunted houses, telepathy, possession, pyrokinetics, and sinks that inexplicably fill with goo. So, yes, everything including the kitchen sink. It's like the guy wasn't sure his premise was scary enough, and kept piling on random cliches. Also, it ends by SPOILERS everyone singing a happy song and then I think having sex with the lone female character. It was confusing. It made no sense at all. It was a travesty of a book. I think somewhere back in August I posted a three page rant.
Viking Heat by Sandra Hill
A female Navy SEAL-equivalent inexplicably travels back in time, is turned into a bedslave by a Viking, falls in love with him by curing his sister's rape-induced PTSD, and teaches all the Vikings the true meaning of Christmas. Which isn't Jesus, as they're already Christians, but in fact presents.
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-01 10:01 pm (UTC)From:Also, I am less than impressed with Ammon Shea and his literary stunts.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 12:39 am (UTC)From:There are always a handful of horrifying clunkers, I'm afraid. I almost never refuse to finish a book, and when I know it's only going to take me a couple days to get through a book, I'm not always as discriminating as perhaps I should be. But it leads to entertaining ranting, so I suppose that's ok.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 12:55 am (UTC)From:I tend to read books like that sometimes out of pure curiousity - I read some pretty bad clunkers that I got off the free table at work this year. I think that's one reason why I like reading slush...for some reason, I LIKE reading crap sometimes.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 02:17 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 02:35 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-01-01 11:44 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 12:41 am (UTC)From:It's good, but not as good as some of the others. If you haven't read any of them, Pride and Prejudice is usually a favorite. If you liked others, it might be worth a second try.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 12:48 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 03:54 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 12:19 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 01:48 am (UTC)From:Well, ok, you should feel bad about the phonebook one. That was just bad. But the other two were hilariously bad, which is an entirely different thing.
Ooh, can you combine the two? A woman falls on Longarm's penis, and he learns the true meaning of Christmas?