As Christmas approaches and the end of 2014 draws near, it’s time for the mother of all Top Ten Tuesdays — our ten favorite books of the entire year! Here are mine, in the order in which I read them:

1. Chris Wooding, Retribution Falls — I was very pleasantly surprised by this sci-fi novel, which I’d picked up several years ago when Borders was going out of business. With its anti-hero airship captain and a ragtag crew of misfits, it reminded me strongly of “Firefly,” and that can only be a good thing!

2. Lois Lowry, The Giver — I somehow never read this book as a child, but even as an adult I really loved it! Lowry does such an amazing job of slowly peeling back the layers of the seemingly utopian Community to reveal the darkness underneath.

3. Hannah March, The Complaint of the Dove — One of my very favorite genres is the historical mystery, and this book is set in the Georgian era (pre-Regency), which is fairly unique in fiction. I enjoyed the period details and the writing style, and I’m excited that there are several more books in the series to enjoy! (Also, Hannah March is a pen name for Jude Morgan, whose books I previously read and really liked.)

4. B.J. Novak, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories — I’m not normally a big fan of short stories, but these are SO short that they’re laser-focused on one joke or idea. They’re very funny and very dark, and I highly recommend them!

5. Morgan Matson, Since You’ve Been Gone — When I read this back in May, I thought to myself, “This is the perfect summer read!” It’s about a shy girl whose outgoing, confident best friend inspires her to come out of her shell. There’s adventure and drama and a very sweet romance, and I loved the portrayal of female friendship. If you like YA contemporary novels, this is a must-read!

6. Caryl Brahms & S.J. Simon, No Bed for Bacon — Fans of Shakespeare or the Elizabethan era simply HAVE to read this hilarious book! It’s basically a parody of everything you learned in history class about this time period…you’ll never see so many (hysterical) jokes about non-standard spelling!

7. Maria Semple, Where’d You Go, Bernadette — Usually I don’t like books about dysfunctional families, especially when they’re also bestsellers. But I’m really glad I tried this book, because I ended up devouring it! Bernadette can be an annoying character at times, but she’s self-aware enough to KNOW she’s annoying, so I was able to overlook it. Also, the satire of her privileged Seattle life is deliciously clever and biting.

8. Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Good Omens — I really seem to have a lot of comedy on my list this year! This is, dare I say, the funniest book about the Apocalypse you’ll ever read. Both of these authors are so brilliant, and I look forward to reading a lot more of them in the future!

9. Maggie Stiefvater, Blue Lily, Lily Blue — This third book in the Raven Cycle might be my favorite one yet, as Blue and the boys get closer than ever to finding Owen Glendower. The stage is sent for some huge stuff to go down in the next (and last) book…and if Blue and Gansey don’t kiss already, I will not be held responsible for my actions!

10. Graeme Simsion, The Rosie Project — Sometimes you just need a good romantic comedy to lift your spirits, and this one charmed me immediately. Narrator Don Tillman is immediately likable and funny, and I really rooted for him as he encountered a wealth of new experiences thanks to Rosie, the girl who seems totally wrong for him but may be absolutely right.

So, what were your favorite books of the year? I look forward to adding a lot more titles to my must-read list!

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is the 10 books you’re most looking forward to in 2015. Somewhat surprisingly, I have a lot of books on my TBR list that will be released in 2015, so here are ten of them (in no particular order):

1. Sarah Addison Allen, First Frost — I love SAA and am thrilled she’s coming out with another book! This one appears to be a prequel or a companion novel to Garden Spells, which I really liked.

2. Elizabeth Wein, Black Dove, White Raven — After Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire, anything Ms. Wein writes about planes, friendship, and/or World War II is automatically going on the TBR list!

3. Alan Bradley, As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust — I love the Flavia de Luce books, and the last installment was a real game-changer for the series. I’m dying to see how Flavia will react to the new circumstances in her life!

4. Maggie Stiefvater, Raven Cycle #4 — I don’t think this book actually has a release date yet, but I need it to be in 2015 because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NOW! This series has juggled so many plot lines, characters, and relationships that it will be amazing to see how everything comes together in the end.

5. Lauren Willig, The Lure of the Moonflower — I bought the first Pink Carnation book on a whim several years ago and immediately became hooked on the series, which contains so many of my favorite things (Regency England! Romance! Spies!). Now, amazingly, the twelfth and final book in the series is coming out — and it will finally tell Jane’s story!

6. Seanan McGuire, A Red-Rose Chain — The Toby Daye series is yet another one I’ve been following since book #1. The last book really seemed like a finale of sorts, tying together many threads that had been percolating since that very first book. So I’m very curious to see where McGuire takes things from here!

7. Kristan Higgins, If You Only Knew — It’s always great to get a new release from one of my favorite contemporary romance authors!

8. Katie Van Ark, The Boy Next Door — Ever since reading and enjoying A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall, I’ve been keeping an eye on Swoon Reads. Their business model, in which readers decide which manuscripts will be published, is fascinating, and I’m interested to see what they’ll come up with next! Also, this book involves figure skating, so as a diehard fan of “The Cutting Edge,” obviously I need to read it!

9. Jennifer Robson, After the War Is Over — Ironically, this book is a sequel to Somewhere in France, which I really didn’t like that much. But I mentioned at the time that I’d love to read the story of Charlotte and Edward, two secondary characters from that novel. And sure enough, this book will be about them! So I’m prepared to give the author another chance and hope for the best.

10. Connie Willis, The Very Thought of You — I’m so psyched that Connie Willis is coming out with a new book! Apparently it will be a romantic comedy involving telepathy, which obviously must be amazing!

So what 2015 books are you most excited about? Are any of these on your list?

With Halloween coming up in just a few days, it’s the perfect time for a list of books and movies to get you in the (spooky, possibly evil) spirit! To be honest, I’m a big chicken when it comes to horror, so my list isn’t actually that scary…I tend more toward the creepy/gothic/atmospheric at this time of year. So here’s a list of some books (and movies!) that seem Halloween-ish to me:

1. Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale — If you want gorgeous prose and a deliciously creepy atmosphere, look no further! I read this book several years ago and totally fell in love.

2. Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere — Neil Gaiman makes my skin crawl, which sounds like an insult but definitely is NOT! I’m slowly making my way through his oeuvre, but Neverwhere is still my favorite.

3. Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” — A classic story of madness and murder. I also (still, genuinely) get creeped out by “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Cask of Amontillado.”

4. Robin McKinley, Sunshine — A vampire book for people who don’t like vampire books (a.k.a., me!).

5. Maggie Stiefvater, The Scorpio Races — This one is actually very seasonally appropriate, because the races themselves occur on November 1 every year. Also, there are horses that eat people. But also romance and beautiful language and a setting so real I could practically taste the salty winds of Thisby.

6. Daphne Du Maurier, Rebecca — I am a little bit in awe of this book. The most vivid character is a dead woman, and while she’s not a literal ghost, she figuratively haunts the creepy mansion of Manderley, as well as the book’s narrator (who, by comparison, doesn’t even get a name!).

7. Roald Dahl, The Witches — Truth time: I haven’t actually read this book since I was a kid. BECAUSE IT FREAKED ME OUT SO MUCH.

8. “Laura,” starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews — This movie is a wonderful example of film noir, complete with a murder, a femme fatale, and a pretty great twist halfway through! Also, Vincent Price is in it (and playing totally against type)!

9. “Notorious,” starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman — No, it’s not the movie about the rapper. This is a classic Hitchcock film about fighting the Nazis, and it is creepy as hell. The last scene always gives me chills!

10. “The Corpse Bride,” starring (the voices of) Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter — OK, not even I am scared by this movie. 🙂 But it’s a fun romp through Tim Burton’s weird (and frankly disturbing) imagination, and there’s some singing, and there ARE ghosts in it, so it totally counts!

Wow, it’s been forever since I did a Top Ten Tuesday! I always love doing the TBR lists — it’s so much fun to see what everyone is excited about reading right now! My fall TBR list is a mix of upcoming releases, gothic/spooky autumnal reads, and books I’m just plain excited about:

1. Kristan Higgins, In Your Dreams — Higgins is basically an autobuy author for me at this point. I love her witty contemporary romances, which all seem to include lovingly dysfunctional families. This one also contains a fake relationship that becomes real, which is a romance trope I tend to enjoy, so I’ve got high hopes!

2. Roberto Ampuero, The Neruda Case — I’ve had this book on my TBR list for a while, and a challenge I’m doing on LibraryThing encouraged me to check it out now. It looks like a fun book — a mystery set in the ’70s that takes its detective around the world — so I’m eager to see how it turns out.

3. Diane Setterfield, Bellman & Black — I LOVED The Thirteenth Tale when I read it years ago, so I’m thrilled that Setterfield has written another book! Autumn seems like the perfect time for (what looks like) a ghost story.

4. Maggie Stiefvater, Blue Lily, Lily Blue — Can’t wait to read this next installment of the Raven Cycle!

5. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens — This book has been on my shelf for years, and I’ve always been sure I would like it, so I’m really not sure why it’s taken me so long to read it!

6. Ethel Lina White, The Lady Vanishes — I recently watched (and enjoyed) the Hitchcock film, but I had no idea it was a book first! I’ve heard it’s quite different from the movie, so I’m interested to compare and contrast.

7. Charles Finch, The Laws of Murder — This next installment of the Charles Lenox series is coming out in November, and I can’t wait! I love this series about a Victorian gentleman-detective, especially for all the wonderful secondary characters!

8. Gail Carriger, Waistcoats & Weaponry — Another November release that I’m eagerly anticipating! I really enjoy Carriger’s particular brand of silliness, and her Finishing School series is great fun.

9. Graeme Simsion, The Rosie Project — This one’s been on my TBR list since it came out, and I recently bought my own copy, so there’s really no excuse now!

10. Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth — Okay, don’t hate me, but I have never read this book. I know, what were my parents thinking? But I’ll get to it this fall, I promise!

This week’s topic asks for our ten favorite “classics,” which obviously can be defined a number of different ways. When I think of a classic, what comes to my mind are: (1) books you’d be assigned to read in school, (2) books that have won awards and/or acclaim, and (3) books that have become an integral part of the culture. Of course, that’s not a comprehensive definition — heck, it’s not even MY comprehensive definition — but it’s a start! So here, in no particular order, are ten of my all-time favorite classics:

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen — Honestly, I’m tempted to fill slots 1-6 with Austen novels, but instead I’ll just mention this one, my absolute favorite book of all time!

2. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster — This is another of my very favorite books. I love Forster’s writing style, and it’s really interesting to see how Lucy grows throughout the course of the novel.

3. Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare — Beatrice and Benedick! Oh my heart.

4. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien — This is undoubtedly one of the most influential fantasy novels of all time, and it creates such a vivid picture of another world. There’s a tiny part of me that believes this book is true.

5. The Princess Bride by William Goldman — The movie is, of course, amazing, but I think the book doesn’t get enough love! It gives so much more information about Inigo’s and Fezzick’s backgrounds, and it’s much more satirical than the movie. Also: Zoo of Death!

6. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell — I sort of feel like I’m cheating, since this is basically another variation on P&P, but with more labor strikes. I love how both Margaret and John are so stubborn in holding onto their beliefs, yet they are ultimately able to see each other’s points of view.

7. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy — I don’t know if this really deserves to be called a classic, since the writing style is (in my opinion) clearly inferior to most of the other books on this list. But it’s still one of my favorite books, and the plot has definitely made its mark on popular culture. If it can be spoofed by Looney Tunes, it’s a classic, dammit!

8. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare — This won the Newbery in 1959, so I think it can legitimately be called a children’s classic. It was also my very favorite book before I discovered P&P, and it still holds a special place in my heart.

9. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley — The ending gives me chills.

10. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky — I actually found this enormous Russian novel to be a real page-turner! There’s so much about philosophy and religion and the meaning of life packed in here; I think it’s a book that everyone should read once in his/her lifetime.

Despite the old adage about judging books by their covers, I have to admit, I do it all the time! Covers give a lot of information about what kind of story a particular book is telling, and almost every genre has a cover shorthand. So this week’s topic is: Which cover trends do you love, and which do you loathe with a fiery passion? Here are ten eight of my favorites and least favorites:

Love

1. I like covers with one bold color that catches the eye. I love bright colors in general, and something bright on a book cover really makes it stand out from the crowd! For example, I adore the Flavia de Luce covers.

2. The juxtaposition of modern fonts with old-fashioned images is really fascinating to me. I almost bought this copy of Bee Ridgway’s The River of No Return based on the cover alone!

3. Most of my favorite covers use a fine art image as their basis. For instance, I loved the cover images for the first few Pink Carnation novels, but now the publisher is using photo-based imaging instead, which isn’t nearly as pretty!

4. I love it when all the covers in a series are thematically tied. All the books in the Charles Lenox series of Victorian mysteries have covers with a triple image on the front, and the overall effect from one book to the next is striking!

Hate

5. Covers with photographic images. They seem to be all the rage now, but to me they just look cheap and inauthentic. For example, this book is supposed to be set in the Edwardian era, but there’s nothing Edwardian about that model (or, I’m guessing, her dress)!

6. Movie tie-in covers. I expect this one is on everybody’s list of dislikes, but I still need to say it! I can see why they’re a good marketing ploy, but I’d much rather see a cover that required some creativity than a mere snapshot of the lead actors! Last year I read the Richard Pevear translation of The Three Musketeers, and I had to carry around a book with this cover!

7. Another pet peeve of mine — and everyone else’s, apparently! — is the headless or faceless girl. It was cool the first few times I saw it, but now it appears to be everywhere! Like here, and here, and here…

8. And finally, I really hate those skimpy little outfits women always seem to be wearing on the covers of urban fantasy novels. These ladies often kick some serious ass, and why would they be doing that in nothing but a miniskirt and a bra?

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is the best books we’ve read this year to date. So far, I don’t think I’m adding any books to my list of all-time favorites, but I have had some excellent reads this year! Here they are, in no particular order:

1.Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding — Amazingly fun romp of a sci-fi novel that’s very reminiscent of “Firefly” (but not so close that it’s a ripoff!). Fortunately, there are sequels! I’m hoping to get to The Black Lung Captain later this year.

2. The Giver by Lois Lowry — How did I miss reading this book as a kid? I finally got to it earlier this year and was so impressed by the subtlety with which the dystopian world unfolds. The ending is a bit of a head-scratcher, but it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the rest of the book.

3. The Complaint of the Dove by Hannah March — First in a mystery series set in Georgian England. I really enjoyed the period detail and look forward to reading more about gentlemanly sleuth Robert Fairfax. Also, fun fact: Hannah March is the same person as Jude Morgan, whose Regency novels I also really enjoy!

4. One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak — I was a fan of Novak’s clever writing on “The Office,” and he doesn’t disappoint in his first book. The stories are very short, which might put some people off, but I really liked the fact that I could read a whole story in just a few minutes! There’s a lot of comedy here, but a lot of darker moments too.

5. Jackaby by William Ritter — This was one of my BEA acquisitions, and it’s a very quick and entertaining read. It certainly owes a lot to the BBC’s recent conception of Sherlock Holmes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing! It’s the first book in a series, and I definitely hope to read more about Jackaby and Abigail’s adventures!

6. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson — If you’re looking for a perfect summer read, this is it! The book has everything: a protagonist on a mission, a slow-building romance, a lovely summery setting, and a really interesting examination of friendship and identity.

7. Unsticky by Sarra Manning — This may be a chick-lit novel, but it’s a lot more intense than many offerings in the genre. Penniless Grace agrees to become the mistress of wealthy, older art dealer Vaughn…but in a relationship that is defined by contracts and money, how can they build anything real? This is a love story that really made me think.

8. Young Miles (omnibus) by Lois McMaster Bujold — I had read Shards of Honor and Barrayar several years ago and really liked them, but for some reason I never continued with the series. These installments in Miles Vorkosigan’s early life are excellent space opera and all-around good fun. Looking forward to reading about more of his exploits!

9. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein — This is the companion novel to Code Name Verity, which I absolutely LOVED. I didn’t quite have the same reaction to this book, but it’s also a very moving, well-written story about a female pilot trying to survive World War II. Rose is irreparably changed when she is captured by the Germans and sent to Ravensbrück, but her horrific experiences also give her life a new purpose.

10. The World of Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse — Silly British humor at its most ridiculous, sparkling best. If you haven’t read Jeeves & Wooster, what are you waiting for?!