i read an embarrassingly low number of books this year — i won’t even say how many — so i’m going for a top seven instead of ten, and promise to do better next year. all these were worth recommending to any of the lit junkies who might read this.

i’ve always been a huge fan ever since my junior-high introduction to the sandman series, which i still hold as all-time favorites. his latest was obviously an attempt at a more casual and humorous novel, which was still enjoyable if not as satisfying as his other work that really plumbs the depths of the world’s intertwining mythologies. less references but more jokes isn’t necessarily a bad thing, right?

the first of two on this list i’d never heard of but received as a gift from my wonderful girlfriend and ended up loving. mixes a little bit of lord of the flies and apocalyptic terror with a tragic and moving depiction of what it would be like to be suddenly struck blind on a personal level. page-turning and thought-provoking.

i try to hit up all my favorite genres at least once a year, and this year’s sci-fi pick was a winner. paced like a good action or suspense movie with a big brain and a cool sense of style, i had a great time reading this even if the abrupt ending left me wanting to know what might have happened next.

the mixing of mundane and magical he comes up with always pleases me, even if i’m usually left wondering at the end what i was supposed to have learned, gained, or realized from the story. still, they’re fun journeys to take and i never regret the time spent. not sure if this is his best (wild sheep chase and wind-up bird chronicles were perhaps more charming and meaningful) but definitely worth picking up for fans.

i’m fairly sure that any year i decide to pick up a chandler novel will find my putting it on my ‘best of’ list, just because you can’t touch the writing style. not on the same level of cool language and serpentine plot as the big sleep, but even a step down from that is still brilliant.

i love me a good short story, and i don’t think there was a miss in this collection. they’re smart, they’re funny, and they touch on some nerves from minor coincidental encounters to overarching societal problems, whether through personal narratives or bizarre visions of the future. another gift from my lady i’d never even heard of but turned out to be fantastic.

like i said before, you can’t beat an over-educated writer frustrated with his utter lack of success in life and writing about his frustrations. he just has too many hilarious ways of describing his dissatisfaction or reframing his world to make himself seem like a hero instead of the loser he is. i wish more books were this honest and funny and intelligent all at once. or if you know of some, let me know.

best worst book:
don quixote – miguel de cervantes

i plodded my way through this book over the course of half the year, and you know what, i don’t regret reading it, i just regret taking so long to do it. if i had been able to just charge through it, i might not have this resentment toward it, and be able to appreciate it for what are really a lot of interesting reflections on the human need to tell and be a part of stories. although yes, it could have been a whooooole lot shorter. maybe a better discussion piece than a reading experience, so attempt at your own risk.

best comic i read this year:
batman: the long halloween – jeph loeb

tough not to give it to ANY alan moore book, but between the excellent darkness of the story and the drawings, and it being my personal favorite batman, you seriously can’t lose. so good, so good.