I’ve always enjoyed reading Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) posts on the blogs I follow, but I’ve never participated myself … until now! Yes, this is my very first Top Ten Tuesday post and I love the topic. As we approach the half-way point of 2014 I’ve been thinking a bit about what my favorite books of the year have been and this event has helped me to narrow it down. Since I decided to participate only last night (and I worked the night shift) I didn’t have much time to write the post so I have given each title three descriptors to give you an idea of why I loved them. I linked the books to my reviews if I wrote one or to the publisher’s page if I didn’t. One of the titles, Station Eleven, doesn’t pub until September, but I had to include it because it is outstanding – something to put on your fall TBR. So, here goes:
1. High Rising by Angela Thirkell – Witty, silly and downright fun.
2. The Vacationers by Emma Straub – Humorous, family drama, with a beautiful Spanish setting.
3. The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen – Powerful, gorgeous writing, and challenging.
4. I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir – Frightening, gut wrenching, and heart breaking.
5. Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey – Suspenseful, sad, and gripping.
6. Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead – Sophisticated, set in the ballet world, and melancholy.
7. The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin – Romantic, sparkling, and Neo Victorian.
8. A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O’Connor – Gothic, funny, and dark.
9. The Shelf by Phyllis Rose – Companionable, passionate, for book-lovers.
10. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel – Stunning, thought-provoking, dystopian.
What are your favorite books of the year (so far)?
A Certain Fondness 
Leave a comment