Here is my annual list of favorite books of the year, most of which were published this year. I read a lot of crime fiction in particular. I’m afraid I failed in my goal of reading one non-fiction book every year, but I don’t care. Reality sucks.
10. The Sentence is Death, by Anthony Horowitz. Horowitz is extraordinarily prolific, the author of the YA series of Alex Rider books and many screenplays. His mysteries are remarkably clever, and blend in a lot of real life people and events, including himself. Warning: they have tons of characters and intricate plots, and are hard to follow. But very entertaining.
9. The Guest List, by Lisa Foley. An Agatha Christie style whodunit. Very well written and cleverly plotted, with lots of twists.
8. The Searcher, by Tana French. French is just a marvelous storyteller. Her plots are sometimes a little far-fetched, but not this one. I’ve read all of her books and this is my favorite.
7. The Law of Innocence, by Michael Connelley. I read all of his books, too. If you like police and lawyer procedural stories, he’s the very best at them.
6. Good Girl, Bad Girl, by Michael Robotham. There are lots of writers doing thrillers about psychopaths, and Robotham is the best of them. I liked this one so I read its precursor next, When She Was Good.
5. Moonflower Murders, by Anthony Horowitz. See above. I liked this one better.
4. Pizza Girl, by Jeon Kyoung Frazier. This is a quirky little book about a young woman trying to find herself and her life. Very well written, funny and entertaining.
3. Utopia Ave, by David Mitchell. The tale of the explosive rise and fall of a 60’s rock band. Mitchell’s books are often bizarre, but he’s an amazing writer and one of my favorites. But not everyone’s cup of tea.
2. Writers and Lovers, by Lily King. I don’t remember exactly why I liked this book so much, but most of the critics did too. She’s a wonderful writer, and she created a captivating character.
1. And my favorite book of the year, Nothing to See Here, by Kevin Wilson. The premise is absurd, but don’t let that stop you, this book is really entertaining and fun. Lots of great insights into modern life and contemporary characters. Don’t read the jacket, just trust me.
