Nearly all of these books are young adult fantasy fiction, with a couple of unique exceptions. Such as the memoir by Minnesotan Richard Curney, the non-fantasy children’s story “A Long Way From Chicago,” and the adult paranormal novel Skullduggery Pleasant.
There are two books by the same author, Johnathan Stroud. He must be one busy writer to have 2 books published in the same year. Which if you are already fan of his Bartimaeus “trilogy” you probably already knew another was added to it this year. So does that make it a Quad-rilogy?
Take a look at my 10, then leave a comment telling me what you read late into the night this past year.
The 10 Books (in no particular order):
The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
A dystopian society in which everyone undergoes plastic surgery when they hit puberty. Well not quite everyone. But those that choose not to undergo the surgery, they discover that there are serious repercussions to their lives…
A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
Follows the yearly visits of two grandchildren as they visit their rather gruff Grandmother. I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling while turning the pages of this one.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
I listened to this one on audiobook while traveling in Chicago. The audiobook is done so well that I think the reader should get an award. Another dystopian society. This is the 3rd book of the Hunger Games trilogy. These are very dark in that they have children killing one another in them.
Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull
I really don’t want to like this series of books, but I can’t help it. I really love them. This one has the brother and sister duo traveling to a Dragon Sanctuary to battle against some really dark forces. It’s pure good versus evil.
The Ring of Solomon by Johnathan Stroud
Book #4 in the highly acclaimed Bartimaeus Series which follows the ohh so sarcastic Jinn Bartimaeus. I don’t recommend reading these books out of order. Start at the beginning of the series and read through them. I can’t say enough about how much I appreciate the dry humor the author has given the character of Bartemaeus. It’s genius.
Screaming Like Giants by Richard Curney
This is the odd duck on this list of books. (Only odd in that it isn’t a Young Adult fiction novel.) It is a memoir by Richard Curney. The writing is sparse in many ways, and the chapters move very fast. It brings to mind the style of writing of a Haiku.
It becomes clear right away that Richard is a big fan of giving nicknames to those that he is close to, which is endearing. Hailing from Minnesota, it is nice to read a memoir that is sprinkled with the names of streets and cities that I grew up around.
Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
I picked up this book in an audio format for another one of my trips while filming on location for another movie. It’s a guilty pleasure book in that it is just fun to listen to. It’s not deep. And the cover art is very appropriate for the story of a skeleton that runs around trying to avenge his own death.
The Screaming Staircase Lockwood & Company, by Johnathan Stroud
Don’t read this book alone. I did and I got scared! It’s another by Johnathan Stroud and it is very good. It brings to mind Sherlock Holmes a bit because it takes place in a sort of old-world Victorian setting. Though it hints that it may be in the future instead of the past. Which I love. It’s a ghost story, through and through.
Cardboard by Doug TenNepal
The illustrations in this Graphic novel are astounding. I love the artwork and the point of the story. I don’t even think I can do justice to writing a tid-bit about it.
The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
I didn’t like Artemis Fowl the first time I picked up the first book in the series. So I stopped reading it altogether. It took a few years for me to revisit him. And the books did grow on me. They are loaded with fantasy and high tech science fiction. The Opal Deception is classic Artemis Fowl. I love too, that the villian in it is a female elf… err I think she was an elf? 🙂
Alright, there’s my list of 10 books that kept me awake this past year.
What about you?
What book kept you awake this past year? Tell me in a comment.