My Top 10 Reads of 2011

[phoenixfalls]

I *think* this completes my end-of-year wrap-up. Maybe. ;)

1.  The Habitation of the Blessed, by Catherynne M. Valente. Once I've read her early work, assuming I will at least like it a lot, I think I'm going to have to admit that Valente has passed Lois McMaster Bujold as my favorite author.* And while this is more difficult than The Orphan's Tales

Comments

[stfg]

Bujold's been my favorite author for a long time as well, with Jane Austen in a close second place. I love Valente as well. She is rapidly becoming one of my top tier favorite authors, but I don't see her displacing Bujold from my top spot any time soon. :)

I remain impressed at similar your taste in books is to mine. I love The Dispossessed and The Changeling Sea, as well as all the Valente.

I own Embassytown and The Bone Palace, but they have not been high priority in my TBR pile. Maybe I need to push them a little bit higher in the stack. :)

[phoenixfalls]

I suspect Bujold will always have the edge in re-readability for me; I've never encountered another author that I get so much out of on fourth and fifth readings. But reading Valente the first time through is so much more intense than the first time through a Bujold novel, and right now I lean towards giving that the edge. :)

Would love to hear what you think of the Mieville and Downum, if/when you get to them!

Also, since you mentioned Jane Austen, which of hers is your favorite? I'm embarrassed to say that I've only ever read Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey.

[stfg]

My favorite is Persuasion, with Pride and Prejudice coming in second.

Bujold is a comfort re-read for me too. Valente's books fill a different ecological niche in my library and my brain. It makes the two authors hard to compare.

[shel99]

I really, really need to read more Valente. I've only read Palimpsest and I loved it.

We are opposites when it comes to MIeville - I haven't read any of his SF, just his fantasy. I LOVE his fantasy. It's dark and gruesome and weird and totally inventive. Would love to hear what you think when you get to it.

[phoenixfalls]

See, it's the "dark" and "gruesome" tags that indicated to me that he was not an author for me. . . but that's because given those tags I always associated him with the GRIMDARK folks. Having read his SF now I figure that can't be an accurate classification. . . so onto Mt. TBR it goes! ;)

[calico_reaction]

Interestingly enough, MOCKINGBIRD is high in my TBR pile this year when it comes to "old purchases" so I hope to read it in the next couple of months. I also read Embassytown this year, but unfortunately, it was pretty forgettable for me, despite it having some neat ideas. :-/

[phoenixfalls]

I think Mockingbird will be more up your alley than Embassytown was. Look forward to reading your eventual review!