Best and Worst Novel You've Read This Year

[carlieplum]

It's almost Dec 31, so time for a ubiquitous "Best/Worst" list.

Worst is an easy pick. James Salter's All That Is. Three decades since his last novel and it's a piece of self-indulgent crap.

Have to think on Best. It's too easy to say the last thing you liked quite a bit is best, I think. Like listening to an album, "This is my favorite song on this album." No, THIS is definitely my favorite song on this album."

 

[patientlee]

It's almost Dec 31, so time for a ubiquitous "Best/Worst" list.

Worst is an easy pick. James Salter's All That Is. Three decades since his last novel and it's a piece of self-indulgent crap.

Have to think on Best. It's too easy to say the last thing you liked quite a bit is best, I think. Like listening to an album, "This is my favorite song on this album." No, THIS is definitely my favorite song on this album."

Gotta go through my book where I keep track of my books. I can't even remember what I read!

 

[lovecraft68]

I haven't given much time to reading anything longer than short stories this year. Just have too much going on.

I did read the first two books of the third(can you say cash cow) Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

Just crap, honestly. The 2nd chronicles wrapped everything up perfectly and the sad ending totally befit the theme of the series.

But wait, there is more Donaldson says(as in more money to make as nothing else he has written has come close to those books)

We now go through a total, "so okay, here's what really happened..." we now have the ultimate sequel curse of a son being involved and they have now somehow ended up with more "all powerful" characters than there are in the Marvel Universe and DC combined.

And of course at the end of the second book they bring Covenant back from the dead. The entire thing reeks of going to the well too many times and I won;t read 3 or 4 to the series. I would rather remember Linden and Thomas as was left in the prior series.

I have not been this pissed at a cash cow sequel since Eddings couldn't leave the Belgariad alone and destroyed everything fun about it in the Mallorean.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane is excellent. Good books come as single spies, bad books come in battalions.

 

[desertslave]

First off, I agree with Lovecraft about Eddings. I never got past the first Covenant book so I can't comment on Donaldson.

I don't have an absolute worst book because I'm a fairly picky reader, but the biggest disappointment for me would have to be Bone in the Throat by Anthony Bourdain. I've been a fan of his since first reading Kitchen Confidential, and I've enjoyed his various incarnations on TV. This book, however, just sounded whiny for the sake of whining and creating a stir about...well, about selling more books. Bad Tony, no cookie!

My favorite would have to be The Aviators by Winston Groom. My Mom learned about it from the Wall St Journal and ordered a copy for my brother, a retired airline pilot, and one for herself, the grand matriarch of our flying family. It's an excellent biography of Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Jimmy Doolittle.

 

[PennLady]

Wow, this is a tough one. I read a number of mediocre e-books, but nothing that stood out as truly awful or worst. I read a number of good e-books and print books, but again, not sure what stands out.

I did love Neil Gaiman's "Graveyard Book," and a fun book about Hollywood flops called "Fiasco" (not to be confused with the book of the same title on the Iraq War).

 

[Handley_Page]

Best: "Raising Steam" by Terry Pratchett.
Not quite as good as "the classics", and taking a long time to get going, but it's got a very clever idea . . .

Worst; I've not finished it yet. . . .

 

[SamScribble]

The best was a re-read: JP Donleavy's The Ginger Man - still very good after 58 years.

And perhaps not the worst, but certainly one of the most disappointing, might also be a re-read: Ernest Hemingway's Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises. It hasn't lasted well at all.

 

[johneb87]

The best I read this year was The Breach by Patrick Lee. A wonderful combination of Fringe, X-Files, and Tom Clancy. It's like a sci-fi Jack Reacher novel. The following two books in the trilogy, Ghost Country and Deep Sky were incredible as well. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

The worst I read was Kill Shot by Vince Flynn. Nothing particularly bad about it. But it's a Jason Bourne-esque spy thriller that was rather forgettable. None of the characters were likable or rememberable.

 

[LaRascasse]

Best: Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy). It was one of those books I wanted to read ages ago, but kept putting off. Worth the time.

Worst: Inferno (Dan Brown). Another caper of a never-ageing Robert Langdon who never runs out of shady, nefarious organizations who chase after him with powerful assassins who only he can elude. He also never runs out of crazy folks who have nothing better to do than to design elaborate scavenger hunts in exotic locales.

 

[lovecraft68]

Best: Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy). It was one of those books I wanted to read ages ago, but kept putting off. Worth the time.

Worst: Inferno (Dan Brown). Another caper of a never-ageing Robert Langdon who never runs out of shady, nefarious organizations who chase after him with powerful assassins who only he can elude. He also never runs out of crazy folks who have nothing better to do than to design elaborate scavenger hunts in exotic locales.

On the worst you could be talking about any Bond film or book, yet people keep going to see them.

 

[LaRascasse]

On the worst you could be talking about any Bond film or book, yet people keep going to see them.

Dan Brown's in a league of his own. He hasn't quite grasped the concept that the novelty of "The Da Vinci Code" wears off if he does the exact same thing over and over again.

 

[johneb87]

Dan Brown's in a league of his own. He hasn't quite grasped the concept that the novelty of "The Da Vinci Code" wears off if he does the exact same thing over and over again.

I've only read Angles and Demons and Da Vinci Code but none of his new stuff. Guess that's a good thing.

 

[MSTarot]

Best would not be a book but a series. The 'Mercy Thompson' novels by Patrica Briggs. So far I'm five books into it. If it was all put together at one big book it would be about the size of a Robert Jordan novel.

I hate to say what my worsts was. I've been reading a lot of the classics lately, catching up on the books I wasn't required to read in high school. It was one of them.

'Alice in wonderland' by Lewis Carroll.

It was not the story,I loved that, it was the way the story jumped around. It just felt confusing. So his writing style more than his storytelling was what I didn't like.

 

[MSTarot]

Dan Brown's in a league of his own. He hasn't quite grasped the concept that the novelty of "The Da Vinci Code" wears off if he does the exact same thing over and over again.

I've wondered if it's Dan or if it's Dan publishers that's to blame for that.

 

[Jen963]

Best would not be a book but a series. The 'Mercy Thompson' novels by Patrica Briggs. So far I'm five books into it. If it was all put together at one big book it would be about the size of a Robert Jordan novel.

I liked the Mercy Thompson's series until River Marked which is the 6th one I think.

As for a series I like the Downside Ghost series by Stacia Kane

I have read a lot this year but Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie and I liked Red Country By Joe Abercombie was good. There was a lot of good ones..

Even more that mediocre. I didn't care for Doctor Sleep By Stephen.

 

[desertslave]

Best would not be a book but a series. The 'Mercy Thompson' novels by Patrica Briggs. So far I'm five books into it. If it was all put together at one big book it would be about the size of a Robert Jordan novel.

I hate to say what my worsts was. I've been reading a lot of the classics lately, catching up on the books I wasn't required to read in high school. It was one of them.

'Alice in wonderland' by Lewis Carroll.

It was not the story,I loved that, it was the way the story jumped around. It just felt confusing. So his writing style more than his storytelling was what I didn't like.

If you enjoy Briggs, may I suggest CE Murphy?

I discovered her while in a lull between my ”author triple threat" (Briggs, Butcher, and Saintcrow), and she fits in right nicely.

 

[MSTarot]

If you enjoy Briggs, may I suggest CE Murphy?

I discovered her while in a lull between my ”author triple threat" (Briggs, Butcher, and Saintcrow), and she fits in right nicely.

Will have to give her a look. Saintcrow as well, not a name I know but I love Butcher and Briggs. They have a similar storytelling style and storyline. You could almost imagine Harry Dresden pulling his Beetle into Mercy's shop to have it fixed.

 

[PennLady]

On the worst you could be talking about any Bond film or book, yet people keep going to see them.

You haven't, perhaps, seen the latest Bonds, "Skyfall" or "Casino Royale" (let's skip "Quantum of Solace"). Those are terrific movies in their own right, Bond or no Bond, although Daniel Craig makes an excellent Bond. The other Bonds are kind of up and down -- I thought "Octopussy" was the worst of the bunch -- but there are many more deserving of "worst."

Can't say much about the books, I've only read a couple and those were years ago.

I'd forgotten I'd read "Inferno," and yeah, that was one of the worst. I did think there was one nifty twist in the book, but that didn't particularly make up for the overall story or writing.

 

[sr71plt]

I hadn't realized before the question was asked, but in reviewing, I see that I've been reading too many subpar novels by authors I encounter at book festivals.

The worst international best-seller author's book I read this year probably was Colleen McCullough's Caesar's Women.

The best likely was Anne Tyler Noah's Compass.

The most enjoyable, however, was a whole series of Italian mysteries by Andrea Camillere and Donna Leon.

 

[DeYaKen]

Fairly easy for me. Easily the worst was "The Half Life of Hannah" by Nick Alexander. Every stereotype and cliche you can think of.

Probably the best was "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" by Rachel Joyce. A truly magical book that takes your emotions on a roller coaster ride.

 

[carlieplum]

Honestly, I read mostly non-fiction this year, and the fiction I read, I did not love. Tried this experimental non-linear fiction Mr. Plum likes. Not my cup of tea. I did like a little sci-fi/fantasy book that I stumbled across at the the library on the new fiction shelves: The World of the End by Ofir Gafla. Speculation about what happens in the hereafter. Those of you who hate bureaucracy better hope Gafla got it ALL wrong. But a good read.

 

[carlieplum]

Lovecraft, I read the Covenant series in high school and maybe into the first part of college, when my taste was pretty undiscerning. I don't think I'll go back and try based on your review.

 

[MrFoxwood]

I read so much in the first half of the year and pretty much nothing since May. I guess the best would be either Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee or Money by Martin Amis.

The worst was probably NW by Sadie Smith, nothing wrong with it, just didn't do much for me.

Best: "Raising Steam" by Terry Pratchett.
Not quite as good as "the classics", and taking a long time to get going, but it's got a very clever idea . . .

I'm looking forward to reading that. I've enjoyed his last few but not in the same way as his best.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Best: Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy). It was one of those books I wanted to read ages ago, but kept putting off. Worth the time.

Worst: Inferno (Dan Brown). Another caper of a never-ageing Robert Langdon who never runs out of shady, nefarious organizations who chase after him with powerful assassins who only he can elude. He also never runs out of crazy folks who have nothing better to do than to design elaborate scavenger hunts in exotic locales.

Blood Meridian is in a class by itself.