#BooksOfTheYear

[kbkirtley]

Teen Titans - Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

Doing a top-3 of the year for Graphic Novels because all my favorites were series this year. Coming in third was the Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo Teen Titans series!

I was hooked from Raven and each book that followed just kept getting better. With longtime favorites like Raven, Gar, Damian and Dick; new faces like Max; and an iconic Teen Titans villain like Slade, the series has done a masterful job of setting up its own stand-alone world that’s still true to the characters I’ve always loved.

With HBO’s Titans ending, Young Justice seemingly dead, and no announced plans for more Teen Titans main universe programming, this standalone series has been a delight.

Very excited that Starfire is coming in summer 2024 and would be surprised if it didn’t make my 2024 end of year list.

[myjetpack]

#booksoftheyear for @guardian books

p.s. my new book of cartoons is out now: tomgauld.com/comic-books-v2

[readerupdated]

The problem with all these books of the year (cartoon)

😂😂😂 #booksoftheyear #cartoon by Tom Gauld

“The books of the year” cartoon by Tom Gauld / Source: The Guardian Tom Gauld nails it when it comes to buying books based on the best of the year rankings. Source: Tom Gauld on the books of the year – The Guardian

[jenmedsbookreviews]

The #Bookvent Calendar 2022 - Day One

It’s time. The #Bookvent Calendar 2022 countdown begins. Day one is a book that brought a real smile to my face from a series I absolutely love. @ChristieJBarlow @0neMoreChapter_ #books #BookTwitter #booktwt #booksoftheyear

#Bookvent – Celebrating my top reads of 2022 It’s that time again. The time where is start to list my favourite reads of 2022. It’s been a great year for books this year and a really difficult year for me in choosing which ones make my top twenty four titles. Again. And it will be a top twenty four this year, unlike the last couple of years, one a day right through to Christmas Eve. I could…

[motherbookerblog]

I’m sure this book will have been on a lot of Best Reads lists since it was published in 2019. It’s a stunning debut novel from poet Ocean Vuong. It is an epistolary novel which uses elements of his childhood.

There are a lot of awful and sad moments in the novel but it all counts towards something wonderful. Little Dog doesn’t see any of these moments as regrets because, as the title tells us, there exists a brief window in a human lifespan where real happiness and beauty exists. That beauty may not always be simple or conventional but it exists. It’s not something that can keep going forever but it will always be there. Little Dog remembers his childhood because he was authentically living his life with Trevor. He was experiencing things and finding himself.

The poet and lyrical nature of the prose succeeds in highlighting brief windows of real beauty. Vuong’s use of language really brings the characters and the settings to life. He delights in describing the specifics and has a great grasp of sensory details. There is a real sense that the novel is capturing real moments and suspending them in time. He is frank and precise with his use of words and it can be incredibly beautiful and moving.

However, there are moments when the artistry gets a little too much. The letter that frames the novel is being written to a woman who will never read it. Therefore, it is not being written with a reader in mind. Sometimes the lyrical nature of the language feels a little self-indulgent. Little Dog, and therefore Vuong, can sometimes get a little carried away when explaining the consequences of his story or the wider meaning it holds for society. It interrupts the flow at times and takes your attention away from the underlying message.

Still, this is a gorgeous book and one that I’m very happy to have read.

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[brianasbooknook]

Books of the Year: Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak by Adi Alsaid; If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka; Winner Take All by Laurie Devore; Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Happy New Year, everyone! Though this wasn’t the best year for me book-wise, I thought I’d do a small recap of my favorite ones. I tried to only choose the stand-alones only so I wouldn’t have to choose between series. I’ll do a brief summary of each one, just in case you haven’t gotten to them yet! First up is Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak, which comes from my favorite author of all things heartbreak. This one is about Lu, who gets dumped by her boyfriend the summer before college, and tries to find herself again by looking into another couple who has decided to also part ways- but not until summer is over. If I’m Being Honest is a hard look at what it means when your words affect other people. And when Cameron tries to change herself in order to win a guy, she realizes that maybe being herself is the best honesty of all. Winner Take All is a similar look into who we become as people when everyone is watching, but when Nell and Jackson discover that maybe their rivalry is for a completely different reason, they both need to decide what’s a game and what’s real. My last favorite book of the year was Spin the Dawn, a fantasy Mulan retelling about a girl who disguises herself as a boy to get into trials to become the Royal Tailor for the palace. I had a few other favorites on my list including American Royals by Katharine McGee and House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig, but I didn’t want to overwhelm anyone with a huge post. If you want full reviews on any of these novels, just click the tag and it’ll bring you straight to my thoughts! I hope you guys had a better year in books than I did, and I can’t wait to see what new novels come out this year. Let me know some of your favorite books, and happy reading!

[penandswordbooks]

‘An intriguing and tragic story, told with verve and insight.’ 📚 We are delighted that Richard Van Emden’s Missing – the Need for Closure After the Great War has been shortlisted for Military History Matters’ Book of the Year 2021! ⭐️ Currently available with 30% off when you order direct from P&S. • #BookOfTheYear #Shortlisted #Missing #WW1 #GreatWar #BooksOfTheYear #BookAwards #Sale #DecemberSale #RichardVanEmden #FWW #WorldWarOne #Military #MilitaryHistory #NonFiction #History #WW1History #Bookstagram #BooksOfInstagram #PenAndSword #PenAndSwordBooks #MHM #MilitaryHistoryMatters (at Pen and Sword Books) https://www.instagram.com/p/CI0ysEOANN8/?igshid=erlavt34yos5

[matthewrflemingauthor]

This Saturday I’ll be at Christmas Wauk in Downtown Waukegan IL. at @dinosaurstudiotattoo from 5-9! Stop by for a personalized and autographed book for a last minute gift for that special person in your life who loves to read! #kobo #Bestseller #Book #Booksoftheyear #BookClub #BookReviews #bookaddict #bookbloggers #BookBoost #bookworm #bookworms #goodreads⠀ #bookwormforlife #fiction #booklover #booklovers #booklove #booknerdigans #igbooks #bookish #bibliophile #matthewrflemingauthor #thedreams #horror #ebook #bookbub #nook #barnesandnoble #amazon #kindle (at Dinosaur Studio Tattoo)

[kbkirtley]

Nightwing - Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo

My favorite stories of 2023 in any format, not just graphic novels. I adore the way Tom Taylor writes both Dick Grayson and Nightwing. The first hero I wanted to read about when I started reading Graphic Novels for the first time last fall was Nightwing. I have loved the character in different formats previously and I knew that’s the character I wanted to start with. I was disappointed with what I found to start. The character didn’t come alive in the comics I was reading in the way I was used to.

Everything changed when I got to Taylor’s run. The fun loving, optimistic, hopeful character I had fallen in love with was there on the pages. Over and over again, Dick puts the target on his back to save others from it. Over and over again, Dick acts as a safety net for those around him, the privileged and vulnerable alike. Over and over again, Dick displays the hope and light that superhero stories should be about.

Dick Grayson/Nightwing is the heart and soul of DC. He’s the best of them all. You can tell that Tom Taylor gets that and really takes it seriously. You can see it in what Dick prioritizes when he sets about revitalizing Bludhaven. You can see it in the relationships Dick has with Clark and Jon Kent, with Bruce and Damian, with Barbara, with Wally, with the Titans, new and old. You can see it everywhere you look, because Taylor is so consistent in writing Dick. In every scenario, Dick Grayson is going to do what’s right and lead with hope. He’s going to leap into the light every chance he gets.

Superhero stories /should/ be about characters who inspire hope. So much of the superhero stories in media right now are trying to flip the idea of superheroes upside down and have them be the villains or at least be dark, edgy, and violent versions of themselves. In that landscape, stories like Nightwing or the excellent My Adventures with Superman are such a breath of fresh air.

I know Tom Taylor is a polarizing person on the internet with both Nightwing and Superman , but his Nightwing run specifically is so important to me because it’s the kind of stories I want to write. I’m writing traditional novels instead of graphic novels, but at the heart of it, this is what I believe superhero stories are about. No character has inspired my view of superheroes as much as Nightwing and I find Taylor’s depiction of him so true to character. I can’t wait for my copy of the fourth volume to show up on release day next week so I can dove back into Dick Grayson’s story.

[nathanpenlington]

Books of the year 2020

2020 was a hell of year for many - heartbreaking, full of worry and anxious distraction. For others it gave a bit of mental space, time away from the stress of normal routine, a chance to reflect. My year was more like the former, although I’m pleased to have finally been able to release the digital Boy in the Book, and I’ve had some brilliant full on time with my daughter.

That’s all a way of saying there hasn’t been much time or head room for reading this year, my pile of ‘to be read’ is bigger than ever - mostly of more newly published books. I realise this is a somewhat eclectic list, but it reflects where my current interests lie.

Same as previous books of the year posts date of publication is not relevant for this list. So, these are the best books to find me in 2020.

#1 - Killing and Dying – Adrian Tomine (2015)

As far a away as possible from superheroes we are living in the golden age of graphic novels and comics. This book contains six of the best short stories you’ll read anywhere. Adrian has completely captured the contemporary – a combination of loss and longing, the constant yearning for purpose and the need to be needed.

#2 - Wise Guy – Mike Caveney (1993)

Harry Anderson. If you don’t know who that is - go and lose yourself for a couple of hours on YouTube and then pop back here. Aimed squarely at magicians, the book chronicles Harry’s rise from street performing, the creation of Harry the Hat, to his legendary Saturday Night Live performances. If you perform magic the how-to’s are great, but it’s the inspiration behind the tricks that struck a chord.

#3 - Tales from the loop & things from the flood – Simon Stålenhag

This is kind of a cheat, as yes, these are two separate books and The Electric State was in my Top 5 last year – but hey, it’s my list. Tales from the Loop was adapted into an Amazon series, but film somehow fails to capture the scale, the uneasy world building, the tension between a familiar past and one which is purely imaginary. The text fragments bristle with humour, melancholy, nostalgia, and emotion, which alongside the stunning illustrations make a whole great than its elements.

#4 – The Books of Wonder – Tommy Wonder and Stephen Minch (1996)

This two volume set is up there among the best books on magic ever written. Tommy Wonder was a master at his art, and went to extraordinary lengths to achieve the perfect effect in the eyes and minds of his audiences. His legacy is not only in incredible magic pieces and his thorough analysis of deception psychology, but in the lesson to continue thinking about your work. Everything can always be improved, and if it can't, you're not thinking hard enough.

#5 – The Crap Hound Big Book of Unhappiness – Sean Tejaratchi (2019)

The seminal zine Crap Hound has finally realised a long held goal, two decades in fact, and it’s a staggering achievement. Think 12,500 images staggering. For those of you who don’t know – Crap Hound is dedicated to reproducing line illustrations from vintage magazines and ephemera. Taken collectively the book “documents pop-culture’s never ending quest to nurture and exploit our collective anxieties” – and I can’t think of a better time than now for the need to confront the propaganda we face on a daily basis.

A couple of 'almost made the top 5' entries - The Dairy Restaurant by Ben Katchor (2020), The Darkest Corners by Ben Hart and Neil Kelso(2020), and Memoirs of a Book Thief by Alessandro Tota and Pierre Van Hove (2019).

And finally, the best/most read kids book of 2020:

Story Path by Madalena Matoso (2016)

As it’s a kind of Choose Your Own Adventure book we’ve had this in our house since my daughter was born. But now she’s four, it’s come into its own. The format is a smart idea – each page offers you a choice of location, or character, along its illustrated paths. It’s up to the child and grown-up to elaborate and improvise a story - as you can imagine it’s often absurd, silly, and adventurous – which means repeated, repeated reading.

[fredhandbag]

These are my 5-star #BOTM books for 2018. Lots of good reads out of the 23 BOTM books l read, but these are the best. The Philosopher’s Flight was my favorite. The Oracle Year was also surprisingly good. Creepiest twist goes to Chalk Man. 😱 You should read all of these this year. #bookofthemonth #topreads2018 #booksoftheyear #thephilosophersflight #theoracleyear #thechalkman #emmainthenight #literaryfiction #contemporaryfiction #bookstagram #bookshelves #booknerd #bookworm #booklovers #bookish #bookreview #hardcover #novel #bookaddict #bookcover #bookhaul #bibliophile #goodreads #homelibrary #readsomebooks #fiction #crimefiction #thriller (at Ballentine, South Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsNw0-TnA2Z/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lb5rx357jn2m

[talonted]

Best Books Of 2019

Best Books Of 2019

At the beginning of 2019 I set myself a reading challenge of 52 books. I wanted to push myself, to encourage myself to embrace a hobby that didn’t require a screen and I found that having that challenge in the back of my mind really helped to keep my motivated. (NB – Before people message me, I’ve called this the ‘best books of 2019’ although, as you’ll see, this list isn’t necessarily books that…

[mflemingauthorfanpg-blog]

Great praise @theunrealash for The Dreams !!! And accurate, too! Joe Hill is one of the leading horror authors our generation can lay claim to... and BECAUSE of YOU GUYS...We now have Matt!!! Thank you, @theunrealash for helping our dream get wings!!! 👏👏👏👏 @Regranned from @matthewrflemingauthor - I got some excellent praise yesterday from @theunrealash who read my book! Thank you! #kobo #Bestseller #Book #Booksoftheyear #BookClub #BookReviews #bookaddict #bookbloggers #BookBoost #bookworm #bookworms #goodreads⠀ #bookwormforlife #fiction #booklover #booklovers #booklove #booknerdigans #igbooks #bookish #bibliophile #matthewrflemingauthor #thedreams #horror #ebook #bookbub #nook #barnesandnoble #amazon #kindle

[motherbookerblog]

Just as every female crime writer sees doomed to be compared with Agatha Christie, all contemporary female Irish writers will forever be compared to Sally Rooney.

I won’t say that there are a lot of similarities between Naoise Dolan and Sally Rooney. What they do have in common is their ability to write engaging and exciting novels that really speak of modern society. Their styles are different but their impact and skill are plain for all to see.

Dolan is self-assured, funny, and insightful. She touches on plenty of interesting and important social topics. Her observations on Irish culture, especially about homosexuality and abortion are particularly raw. You hear the phrase “voice of their generation” thrown around a lot these days but Dolan does really capture a certain feeling.

The idea of relationships as a power struggle is not new but Dolan manages to make it seem fresh and modern. She brings a dry and deadpan quality thanks to her writing. Something that manages to encapture a very modern sensibility. This book is an interesting and shrewd look at the world of dating as faced by 20-somethings nowadays. 

For a first novel, this is definitely one that lives up to the hype and I can’t wait to see what else Dolan has to offer.

My Instagram

[phoenixfeatherstone]

Hey guys!! Long time no see. Been really busy with looking for houses and having interviews. Also had an order of 3 creature 😱 I know I have to take a break now or a break will happen to my fingers 😒 How are you all doing!! Ready for all the new release that are coming out?? Should hope so coz there are loads! I'm not kidding I've added 25 books to my to buy list. My other half is going to murder me... anywho I've got the link to my October release list below so take a peek and see what's coming ;) I take full responsibility for any badly brilliant purchases!! http://wp.me/p8kbAt-j0 #bookstagram #booklove #bookworm #bookcover #books #fairyloot #booksoftheyear #flashfall #jennymoyer #caraval #stephaniegarber #empressofathousandskies #rhodabelleza #strangethedreamer #lainitaylor #mindymcginnis #flameinthemist #reneeahdieh #roar #coracarmack #amandafoody #daughteroftheburningcity #wickedlikeawildfire #lanapopovic #October #releaselist #readinglist #read #picoftheday #ireadforfun

[beckysbook5]

My Top Stand-alone's of 2021!

Today on my blog I have my second, and final, top books of the year post, and this one is focusing on stand-alone's. Out of the 40 I read last year, I've managed to narrow it down to 8 exceptional books! #Booksoftheyear #TopStandalones

Hello! Time for my final ‘top books of the year’ post and this one is focusing on all the amazing stand-alone’s I read in 2021. Out of the 40 stand-alone’s I read last year, I’ve managed to narrow down my list to 9 which was so incredibly hard. They below are a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers as well as historical romance. They’ve made me laugh, cry, get irrationally angry, had me a little…