Top 10 Lists

1/26

Top 10 reads of 2011 by DeFlipSid

By Christoper DeFilippis

1) The Book of Bunk: A Fairy Tale of the Federal Writers’ Project by Glen Hirshberg

In the late 1930s, Paul Dent is all but shanghaied into the FWP and sent to write about a small mountain town in South Carolina, where he uncovers many competing versions of the elusive and mythical American Dream. I don’t know if Book of Bunk is the next Great American Novel, but it certainly is a powerful literary gem in the tradition of Fitzgerald and Steinbeck.

2) The City & The City by China Mieville

A police procedural, set in a pair of fictional Eastern European cities that occupy the same physical space, and where opposing citizens have learned to "unsee" one another for fear of invoking the penalty of Breach (an all-seeing power wielding swift retribution). Police officer Tyador Borlu has caught a murder case involving a victim who willfully Breached in search of a third hidden city co-existing with the others. Mieville's best book, evocative of Orwell's 1984. I don't know how to give higher praise than that...

3) Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

Chronicling humanity in the aftermath of “The October Event,” a night in which the moon and stars disappear from the sky, as seen from the P.O.V. of three young friends. High-concept Science Fiction done right, with its fantastic technology and speculative future rooted firmly in a human story.

4) Palimpsest by Charles Stross

Stross does it again, beginning his tale with the oldest of time travel chestnuts (newbies, see: Grandfather Paradox) and turning it on its ear. It’s a great time travel story, uncluttered by needless handholding for the uninitiated and buttressed by Stross’s unique brand of hard SF. http://deflipside.com/?page_id=3937 Read my full review here!

5) Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

An apparently immortal, shape-shifting African woman named Anyanwu travels to 17th Century New York with a body-swapping entity named Doro, who has been cultivating his own human “seed” populations for millennia. In relaying the events of the ensuing centuries, Butler weaves an increasingly twisted relationship between Anyanwu and Doro that’s like nothing I’ve ever read.

6) The Philosopher's Apprentice by James Morrow

When philosophy dropout Mason Ambrose gets hired to go to an exotic private island in the Florida Keys to imbue an eccentric genius’s cloned daughter with a moral center, he sets events in motion that shake the entire world. A modern-day Scientific Romance, a scathing satire on the controversies over abortion and cloning, and Morrow at his humorous, erudite best.

7) A Tangle in Slops by Jeffrey E. Barlough

The bleakest of bleak midsummers has descended on the Shire of Slops, bringing events strange and tragic to the Village of Plumley. It’s a dark time for the denizens of Orkney Farm, where a rogue mylodon has snatched Mr. Magnus Trefoil out of his study. Superstitious townfolk attribute this ill fortune to Trefoil’s unearthing a cache of mystical items belonging to his late ancestress, the legendary sorceress Tronda Quickensbog. But might the reclusive Mr. Tom Posthumous, lately taken up residence at the deserted old hermitage of St. Guthlac’s, have anything to do with these eldritch events? This sixth stand-alone volume in Barlough’s Western Lights series is a homerun! http://deflipside.com/?page_id=3715 Read my full review, and do yourself a favor and http://deflipside.com/?page_id=1047 learn more about Barlough’s Western Lights series

8) Stardust by Neil Gaiman

This modern-day fairytale can be categorized thusly: Magical. Comical. Wonderful. Insert the glowing adjective of your choice. It’s Gaiman, after all…

9) Wake Up and Dream by Ian R. MacLeod

A noirish gem, positing a 1940s Hollywood in which the “feelies” are all the rage, films which allow the audience to feel whatever the characters on screen are feeling. Wandering this altered tinseltown’s underbelly is washed-up movie actor turned gumshoe Clark Gable, who is bemused by his easy new assignment: impersonate a famous feelie writer and close a big script contract. But of course things quickly turn deadly, plunging Clark into a mystery he didn’t bargain for.

10) The God Engines by John Scalzi

A meaty and thoughtfully executed novella in which a god is imprisoned on a spaceship, compelled to power it and keep a rival god’s adherents alive in the void as they spread their competing religion. Dabbles in crises of faith, the dangers of unquestioned devotion and the price of hubris; but it never degenerates into a screed against the evils of organized religion.

DeFlip Side is a radio program written and produced by Christopher DeFilippis, humorously exploring the culture of Science Fiction and Fantasy from a fan's perspective, with a healthy dose of science fact thrown in for good measure, and lots of book reviews! Listen up at http://DeFlipSide.com/ and like us on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/DeFlip-Side/109440159104233

***

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 1/19

Top 10 Mysteries by Jenny

No Justice by Darcia Helle 

This is an excellent book filled with action, good dialogue, wit, and great characters. 

Caraliza by Joel Kirkpatrick 

This book is haunting and beautiful and stayed with me long after I finished reading 

The Scavengers Daughter by Mike McIntyre 

A combination thriller/mystery/horror, this book starts out with a gripping prologue and launches straight into action with the first of its high-profile victims. 

Hit Or Missus by Gayle Carline 

Witty and clever. 

Hamelin’s Child by D. J. Bennett 

Dark and disturbing, and may not be for everyone, but I couldn’t put it down. 

No Limit by Fred Anderson 

Intense action and nothing is at it seems. 

The Hard Way by Lee Child 

Great hook and loved the scenes set in England. 

Plum Island by Nelson DeMille 

Lots of suspense and plenty of humor. 

Dying For A Date by Cindy Sample 

A laugh on every page. 

The Innocent by Vincent Zandri 

Believable, well written mystery with an underlying theme of redemption.

**Want to be featured with your own top 10 list? Please "like" Quickie Book Reviews on Facebook (on right) and sign up here in the Notes section.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



1/12 Top 10 Reads by Alison

Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese

I loved the way the author wrote and the wonderful variety of characters, all so complex.


The Kitchen house - kathleen Grissom
A fascinating story with a different twist to slavery.


The Help - Kathryn Stockett
Loved this story with it's serious theme yet with its humor as well. I was rooting for the help.


The Wishing Trees - John Shors
I love his books, this one is a favorite for the messages it gives. A parent lost and the unusual way of honoring her.

Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away - Christie Watson
Set in Africa, I loved the family and the way they dealt with what was thrown at them.


Gem Squash Tokoloshe - Rachel Zadok
Another book set in Africa with a a wonderfully written story, full of dark folklore and a very interesting story line.


Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand
The amazing true story of Louis Zamperini, Olympic athlete and World War II hero. This book read like a fast paced thriller.


The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam - by Lauren Liebenberg
Sometimes sad but often magical, I loved the way these two sisters viewed their world. It takes place in Rhodesia the 1970s


Fieldwork - Mischa Berlinski
a tale of Thai hill tribes, whose way of life becomes a battleground for two competing, and utterly American, ways of looking at the world. The story just keeps you reading.


Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
I love how the author thinks, quite a wild ride about a boy who loses his father in 9/11


*If you'd like to see your own top 10 list featured sign up at the QBR fan page

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12/29

By R. Lynn Wilson


1.       F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby – Fitzgerald’s diction and syntax verily exude the tension and frustration of unfulfilled longing, of living every single moment of one’s life to achieve one stellar goal, and never realizing it was always out of reach.

2.       Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief – That Zusak can make Death both narrator and teacher of lessons in humanity is proof of authorial genius.  At times I could read only a half page at a time before needing a moment to absorb and move on.

3.       Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – The events of 9/11 told from a nine-year-old narrator who knows more about loss and the processes of grief than anyone should ever have to experience.

4.       Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried – O’Brien’s novel reads like a treatise on distortion of reality to attain truth.  That the text is not non-fiction is often surprising, and possibly upsetting, to readers.

5.       Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible – Kingsolver’s prose reads like poetry.  The writing is intelligent and alluring, and the characters are unforgettable.

6.       Pat Conroy’s Beach Music – This compelling novel is appropriately titled in that Conroy’s imagery fairly sings.  Beautiful, living imagery serves as the backdrop for some heartbreaking characters who compel readers to evaluate their own shortcomings.

7.       Yann Martel’s Life of Pi – This bizarre novel is as difficult to describe as it is to put down.  Martel reminds us to choose carefully which tigers we decide to set sail with.

8.       Jane Hamilton’s The Book of Ruth – Ruth tells her story in harsh, unvarnished truth.  The paradox of a strong, blunt voice coming from an average, nearly invisible character is undeniably captivating.

9.       John Steinbeck’s East of Eden – Steinbeck turns the timeless struggle of good and evil into a masterpiece of artistic language.  There are moments when the narrator’s voice breaks through the plot and leaves the reader stunned at the beauty of the words.

10.   Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove – If I could choose any group of characters I’d like to hang out with, it would be McMurtry’s band of flawed, heroic adventurers.  I found myself so thoroughly immersed in the story that I was incapable of separating the characters from my subconscious.  The one work that most inspired my own novel, Maggie’s Fall, was Lonesome Dove.  I treasure the grit and humanity that McMurtry infuses into his characters.  I am forever indebted and grateful.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Would you like your own top 10 list featured? Come over to the Quickie Book Review fanpage, "like" us and sign up for your feature here: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=200559006695015

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12/20/11
Helene Susan Gottfried

Top Ten Rock Fiction Books of all Time

1. KL Going -- Fat Kid Rules the World

This Printz-winning book is every bit about alienation as much as it is about the way in which the punk subculture has room for everyone, especially the misfits. Truly my favorite book of all time, excepting my own.

2. Jeremy Wagner -- The Armageddon Chord

The guitarist for metal bands Lupara and Broken Hope, Wagner knows what it means to live the Rock Fiction way of life. The premise here is fresh, creative, and unparalleled.

3. David Hiltbrand -- Deader than Disco

This sophomore entry into a short-lived and mostly overlooked trilogy proves that Rock Fiction as a genre has room for the pop star. Angel lives and breathes, and she's only one of this book's strengths.

4. Don Bruns' Mick Sever series

Yep, an entire series. Not one will let you down. Mick Sever's on the case, and the mysteries always take place in beautiful, Caribbean locations. Just in case the music's not enough, which it is.

5. Mark Childress -- Tender

Okay, it's nothing more than a fictional retelling of the Elvis story. It's still a book by Mark Childress, and that's saying a lot. The man is a master. 

6. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan -- Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist

Skip the movie and read the book. Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist isn't just about running around New York one night. It's about being in love with music, with life, with the possibilities that lie all around us. 

7. Michael Shilling -- Rock Bottom

One for the more literary among us, Rock Bottom tells the story of a band who've hit bottom and are trying to pull it together. The characters are very real and their adventures evoke great sympathy from the reader. So much for sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

8. RJ McDonnell's Rock and Roll Detective series

This fun series' strength comes from the cast of characters, who are as colorful as any cast in fiction. That's saying a lot. PI Jason Duffy leads an endearing crew on a series of capers that are innovative in the genre.

9. Michael Scott Miller -- Ladies and Gentlemen... the Redeemers

What happens when you're down on your luck and you want to make a comeback? You struggle. The Redeemers are more rag-tag than the Bad News Bears ever were. This book portrays people many think of as losers, but imbues them with great dignity and depth.

10. Susan Helene Gottfried --  The Trevolution series

What? You thought I could list ten great Rock Fiction books and not include my own? And where's the props for putting them last instead of first?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12/13/11


Darlene's Top 10:

Mixed Marriage by Elizabeth Cadell – read about it here - http://www.emandyves.com/etcetera.html

I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani – Remember the flood of email scams from Nigeria? This book gives us a look at the other side – why Nigerians initiated the scams.

Alphabet by Kathy Page - Ms Page was a writer in residence in England and this book is a gritty tale of one young prisoner. The writing is exceptional.

A Cup of Tea by Amy Ephron - Every single sentence carries so much meaning.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett – What happens when the Queen of England decides to borrow a book from the mobile library? So well written and lovely humor.

Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen by Glen Husar – My little blog story may do justice to this amazing YA novel - http://emandyves.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/a-books-surprise/

Griffin and Sabine series by Nick Bantock What fun to take letters out of envelops and enjoy such great art as you read. There's a mystery here too.

The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel A heartbreaking story of war and the people who try so hard to survive.

Clash of Civilizations Clash Of Civilizations Over An Elevator In Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous – Wonderful satire of immigrants' life in Italy. He's written another called, I believe,The Bedbugs and the Pirate but it hasn't been translated yet.

The Blue Castle by Lucy Maude Montgomery. A gentle old fashioned love story. Colleen McCullough was accused of plagiarizing this book when she published The Ladies of Missalonghi.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid – Intriguing look into the mind of a young man educated in the US on an international scholarship program.


**If you'd like to be featured on QBR's top 10 feature, sign up here: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=200559006695015