The Best of 2014

The Best of 2014

The fourth calendar year of Tethyan Books is coming to a close! I reviewed a few more books this year than the previous (37), but in my defense I had a busy time planning my multi-continent wedding.  I’m now Mrs./Dr. Allie!  This year should finally be a bit more peaceful, giving me a little more time for reading and reviewing. Now, here are a few of my favorite books of the year.

Most Highly Recommended New Books

These are my most highly recommended books that were published 2012-2014.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie: This debut novel made a pretty huge splash, and started a new space opera series.  The main character the human-body ancillaries of a sentient AI spaceship, and the use of female as default gender caught a lot of attention.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker: Another debut novel, it is a quieter story about two supernatural creatures who find themselves living in Jewish and Syrian communities in old New York City. 

Abaddon’s Gate by James S.A. Corey: The third novel in The Expanse, a fun space opera adventure series that takes place in our solar system.  This novel introduces new viewpoint characters, and furthers the purpose of the deadly alien protomolecule.

Most Highly Recommended Old Books

These are books that were published before 2012, but which I read during this past year.  I’m sure most of these have been read and enjoyed by many already, but it’s never too late to draw attention to a good book!

 

Anathem by Neal Stephenson: My final review of the year, this philosophical first contact novel has an interesting setting and features many discussions of ideal forms, consciousness, and multiple universes, among other things.

Replay by Ken Grimwood: The story of a man who relives his life multiple times, Replay shows what a person might make of themselves with unlimited chances.

The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin:  The second book of Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy, The Broken Kingdoms gives a new view of the world that has been shaped by the events in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Jemisin has become one of my not-to-miss authors.

Challenges

In 2014, I participated in a few year-long reading challenges hosted by WWEnd.com’s Roll Your Own Challenge. Specifically, I participated in 12 Awards/12 Months, Second Best, Fantasia, and I Just HAVE to Read More of that Author.  The books I've read and their reviews are listed and linked here.  This year, I will probably participate in a few as well, though I haven’t yet completely decided which ones.  Once I have that settled, I’ll put up a 2015 Challenges tab!

For the New Year

I am hoping that my life will settle down a little this year, and I’ll have time to accomplish more on the blog front: 

• Finally catching up on my reviews, so that none end up being posted over a month after I’ve read them.   
• Finishing reading all the Hugo winners—I’ve had about eight left for a few years now, so I think 2015 is the year to get to them all!
• Getting more involved online.  I will try to keep up with various blogs by people who share my interests, and to comment more often.  I also hope that I’ll have more time this year to be more involved with WWEnd.com.
• As always, I hope to read a few more books this year than I have for the past few years. I’ll see how that goes!

What are the best books you’ve read this year?