The best of the books I read this year, regardless of when they were published.

[nayad]

It seems that I read twenty-seven books this year. October was so busy that I hardly read any, and didn't keep good notes about what I did read, and then that continued for the rest of the year. Luckily for everyone in the English-reading, SFF-loving world, I have enough information to list the top three in a few categories, so here they are for YOU.

Novels:

The Knights of the Cornerstone - James P. Blaylock
Boneshaker - Cherie Priest
A College of Magics - Caroline Stevermer

Collections:

The Fantasy Writer's Assistant and Other Stories - Jeffrey Ford
Pretty Monsters - Kelly Link
In the Palace of Repose - Holly Phillips

Anthologies:

The Living Dead - ed. John Joseph Adams
Wastelands - ed. John Joseph Adams
Fantasy: The Best of the Year 2008 - ed. Rich Horton

It was a big year for fantasy in my world, it seems. I can live with that. I also mixed a little bit of reality into my reading, but not enough to mess up my escapism.

Non-fiction:

The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life - Noah Lukeman
Writing the Breakout Novel - Donald Maass

If you've read these books, what did you think of them? And which books stood out for you in 2009?

Happy New Year!