We Just Can't Resist One More Best Book List for 2014

Each year the editor's at Booklist pick their top choices from the hundreds of books they review that year . . . not an easy feat! Here are their "Top of the List" for 2014:

Non-Fiction

Fiction

Audio

The Human Age by Diane Ackerman: (Non-Fiction)

Explores how human beings have become the dominant force shaping Earth's future by subduing three-quarters of the planet's surface, tinkering with nature, and altering the climate.

"Without denying that the Human Age has triggered global warming and a terrifying mass extinction, Ackerman banks on our ability to address looming crises with creativity and determination in this precisely illuminating, witty, and resplendently expressive guide to the framework for a more positively human and humane future."  - reviewed by Donna Seaman, Booklist, July 2014.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: (Fiction)

A blind French girl on the run from the German occupation and a German orphan-turned-Resistance tracker struggle with respective beliefs after meeting on the Brittany coast.

"A novel to live in, learn from, and feel bereft over when the last page is turned, Doerr’s magnificently drawn story seems at once spacious and tightly composed. . . . Doerr masterfully and knowledgeably re-creates the deprived civilian conditions of war-torn France and the strictly controlled lives of the military occupiers." - reviewed by Brad Hooper, Booklist, April 15, 2014.

The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin; read by Meryl Streep (Audio)

A provocative imagining of the later years of the mother of Jesus finds her living a solitary existence in Ephesus years after her son's crucifixion and struggling with guilt, anger, and feelings that her son is not the son of God and that his sacrifice was not for a worthy cause.

"Tóibín’s tale of one woman’s almost unfathomable sorrow is masterfully told with a grasp of lyrical, affecting language seemingly intended for the audio format. . . . The choice of Streep for the narration is brilliant, as she brings her much-acclaimed talents to the challenge of what is, for all purposes, a three-hour one-woman show." - reviewed by Brian Odom, Booklist, March 1, 2014.

Booklist's Top 10 First Novels

Booklist magazine focused on "best first novels" in their October issue and then created a list of what they believe to be the ten best first novels that they reviewed between October 15, 2013 and October 1, 2014. Check them out below!

Bedrock Faith by Eric Charles (Urban Fiction):

Returning home to live with his mother after fourteen years in prison, Gerald Reeves upsets the neighborhood who remember him as a frightening delinquent. (Publisher Summary)

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (Suspense/Mystery Fiction):

A story of the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family explores the fallout of the drowning death of Lydia Lee, the favorite daughter of a Chinese-American family in 1970s Ohio. (Publisher Summary)

The Land of Steady Habits by Ted Thompson (Domestic Fiction):

Freshly retired, with his sons fully grown and graduated, Anders Hill leaves his wife of more than 40 years, buys a condo and seeks freedom, but discovers that the world he left behind may be what he was seeking all along. (Publisher Summary)

The Last Days of California by Mary Miller (Road Fiction):

Fourteen-year-old Jess' beliefs falter when her evangelical father packs up the family, including her secretly pregnant older sister and her long-suffering mother, to travel across the country and save souls ahead of the anticipated end of the world. (Publisher Summary)

A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman (Fiction):

A curmudgeon hides a terrible personal loss beneath a cranky and short-tempered exterior while clashing with new neighbors, a boisterous family whose chattiness and habits lead to unexpected friendship. (Publisher Summary)

Marshlands by Matthew Olshan (Medical/Suspense Fiction): 

Written in reverse, describes the story of an aging prisoner who is released only to be rescued from an assault by a curator, who works at a museum exhibiting “the marshes,” a conflict-torn wilderness where the former prisoner committed his crime. (Publisher Summary)

Steal the North by Heather Brittain Bergstrom (Christian Fiction):

Sent by her fundamentalist mother to help an estranged sister participate in a faith healing ceremony, sheltered 16-year-old Emmy feels instant ties to her sister's eastern Washington home and falls in love with a Native American boy against the apprehensions of her family.

(Publisher Summary)

Three Bargains by Tania Malik (Fiction):

After his drunk, abusive father commits a horrible crime, a twelve-year-old boy in a factory town in India has his life altered forever when his quick mind and focused determination catches the attention of his father's wealthy employer. (Publisher Summary)

The Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland (Psychological Fiction): 

A transcriptionist for a Manhattan newspaper searches for the truth when she learns that a woman she met on the bus a few days prior supposedly committed suicide by jumping into a lion's den at the zoo. (Publisher Summary)

Your Face in Mine by Jess Row (Psychological Fiction):

Shocked by a childhood friend's decision to dramatically change his appearance after immersing himself for twenty years in black culture, widower Kelly Thorndike confronts morally ambiguous choices about race, identity, and belonging. (Publisher Summary)

What Is New Adult Fiction?

Confused what constitutes a "new adult" novel? Check out this article by Gillian Engberg and Donna Seaman to help clear up any questions you may have.  The article was first published in Booklist, August 2014.

What Is New Adult Fiction?, by Gillian Engberg | Booklist Online

Controversial Holocaust humor in new novel 'Hope: A Tragedy'

In the intriguingly-titled novel Hope: A Tragedy by Shalom Auslander, Solomon Kugel relocates his family to an unremarkable rural town in New York in the hopes of starting over.  However, he must cope with his depressive mother, a local arsonist, and the discovery of a believed-dead historical specimen hiding in his attic.  Booklist describes the book as "riotous and downright sacrilegious satire [that] wildly exceeds expectations" but warns that its irreverent tone may be offensive to some readers.

2011 Top Fiction and Nonfiction

It's a daunting challenge to select the best books of the year, but Booklist has done it!  They have chosen Susan Orlean's Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend as the best adult nonfiction book of 2011; their selection for best adult fiction book of 2011 is The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright.  But regardless of what you're reading and how (print or electronic), we at the Community Library would like to wish you a 2012 filled with wonderful reading material.

Nothing Can Make Me Do This

Enjoy domestic drama?  Nothing Can Make Me Do This by David Huddle tells the story of a family torn apart by its patriarch's dirty secret.  This book received a starred review in Booklist: "Huddle zestfully traverses the erratic arc of love, lust, and everything in between."  Be the first at your Community Library to put a hold on this exciting new book.

Top-notch hard-boiled crime fiction in 'Angel Face'

Looking to read a suspenseful, gritty crime novel set in nearby New York City?  Try the new book Angel Face, which Booklist praises as "top-notch hard-boiled crime fiction."  Young prostitute Angel Tamanaka's life becomes intertwined with hit man Leonard Carter after Angel witnesses Leonard killing one of her clients, a high-profile member of organized crime who told Angel about a hidden cache of money before he died.  You'll be turning pages until midnight with this one!

Lose yourself in amazing 'Amazir'

If you like your historical fiction to transport you to destinations as vividly drawn as  characters, try the newly-released Amazir: A Novel of Morocco, which Booklist describes as "an epic adventure-cum-love story set in 1938." When an idealistic young Englishman, Harry Summerfield, befriends an American oil explorer in Gibraltar, their meeting sparks a journey for both men that will take them across Morocco and northern Africa.  There, they encounter the harsh realities of Berber opposition to French colonial rule and the passion and conflict of a love for the same young French woman.   The book's publisher describes Amazir as "a breathtaking journey into the souks and mountains of Morocco that chronicles a powerful love affair and a nation's political turmoil."

"Good Christian Bitches" controversial debut novel

New author Kim Gatlin sure hasn't shied away from controversy with her debut novel, titled Good Christian Bitches.  In this new book, newly divorced Amanda Vaughn returns to her Texas hometown, where she is targeted by a malicious group of holier-than-thou Christian women who see the rich, single, and sweet-natured Amanda as a rival.  When the so-called Christians start attacking Amanda's children, the usually gentle Amanda has had enough.  Unsurprisingly, this book has already drawn fire from Christian watchdog groups, but the premise has at least one fan: television network ABC.  The book has already been optioned as a TV series pilot, and is rapidly becoming one of the most talked-about new releases this season.  Reserve it today!

Imagining Thanksgiving 1962 in American Boy

Larry Watson's new book American Boy starts on Thanksgiving Day, 1962, when the shooting of a young woman sets off a chain of events in a small Minnesota town.  Booklist, which gave American Boy a starred review, describes the book as a modern-day Catcher in the Rye, and also recommends it as a crossover title for teenaged readers.  Happy Thanksgiving (and happy reading) from your Community Library.

Announcing a new trilogy from Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts fans, take note: The Next Always, book one in a planned trilogy by this popular author, is due out soon.  This book, which received a starred review in Booklist, is a love story set around a historic hotel that has endured war and peace, and even rumored hauntings. In the story, the inn is getting a major facelift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect of the family, Beckett's social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there's another project he's got his eye on: the girl he's been waiting to kiss since he was fifteen...  Reserve your copy early to be sure you don't have long to wait!

2011's Top Ten Debut Novels

Enjoy sampling new literary talent?  Debut novels are almost always high-quality, because publishers will only gamble on an unknown author if they really believe in his or her book.  Plus, reading debuts allows you to discover a new author before anyone else does!  In this article from Booklist, the top ten debut novels of 2011 are highlighted.  Some, like The Family Fang, The Language of Flowers, and The Submission have been featured previously on this blog.  Other first novels on the list available from your Community Library include The Arriviste, The Art of Fielding, The Borrower, Swamplandia!, The Taker, When God was a Rabbit, and The World Beneath.  Are there any 2011 debuts you especially enjoyed?  Leave a comment!

Top Ten Romance of 2011

It's only halfway through September; isn't it a little early to start publishing those year-end "top ten" lists?  Not for the folks over at Booklist, who have assembled this list of the top 10 romance novels of 2011.  Titles available through your Community Library include:  

• Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis. - A budding relationship between a commitment-shy former Special Forces pilot and a gutsy animal rescuer launches a new series set in Idaho’s Bitterroot Mountains.
• Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. - Everyone blames Meg for her best friend’s decision to leave Ted at the altar in RITA Award–winning Phillips’ irresistibly lively romantic comedy.
• Cloudy with a Chance of Marriage by Kieran Kramer. - How can Jilly run a respectable bookshop if her neighbor, a Royal Navy captain, keeps throwing wild parties? Kramer’s devilishly clever plot makes for a laugh-out-loud, sweet Regency romance.
• How to Marry a Duke by Vicky Dreiling. - An enchanting Regency romance debut involving a rake and a matchmaker, a tricky dilemma, and witty repartee.
• The Lady of the Storm by Kathryne Kennedy. - Blacksmith Giles is charged with protecting Cecily, who is half elf, in this superb story of suspense, magic, and passion, the second in Kennedy’s thrilling and distinctive Elven Lords series (following The Fire Lord's Lover, available through interloan with other Suffolk County libraries).
• Lord Langley Is Back in Town by Elizabeth Boyle. - Lord Langley has a plan to outmaneuver his enemies, if only Minerva doesn’t decide to kill him herself in RITA Award–winning Boyle’s luscious conclusion to her dazzling Widows of Standon trilogy (following How I Met My Countess and Mad About the Duke).
• Only Mine by Susan Mallery. - Alaska pilot Finn is furious when his twin brothers drop out of college to appear on a reality-television show, True Love or Fool’s Gold, in Mallery’s witty, emotion-packed romance.
• An Unlikely Suitor by Nancy Moser. - Christian fiction.  Italian immigrant and dressmaker Lucy Scarpelli finds herself in an unlikely friendship with a socialite, which leads to forbidden love and danger in Christy Award–winning Moser’s historical tale of resilient, uncompromising women.  

Top 10 Biographies

Have you read any of the past year's top ten biographies as named by Booklist? Are there other biographies you'd include in the top-ten list? Comments are welcome, and don't forget to submit reviews to the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Library's Summer Reading Club; each review for a book that you read during the summer gets you one entry in the raffle of the week.