Year 2013 Lists: Good and/or Interesting Books I've Read This Year

(Republished from Facebook)

Science Fiction:
# Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer. An amateur hacker discovers a powerful secret and uses it to goof off with his bros.

# The Golden Age Trilogy by John C. Wright. In the distant future when people switch freely between virtual and incorporated existence, humanity and cyber intelligences debate the course of the universe as a millennial celebration approaches. Contains way too much verbiage (I love it!). (reread)

# John Dies at the End by David Wong. Sci-fi horror comedy. Several jaded misfits might save the world from horrors unknown or whatever.

Fantasy:
# Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. A man narrates his highly improbable life to a traveling bard. Contains enough excellent writing to distract me from the hundreds of pages of frolicking with a love-nymph and a ninja/gymnast in book two. The final book is not yet out.

# The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker. A female police officer in a steampunk/secular egypt setting suspects the emperor is in danger. 89 action scenes ensue. (It's free on Kindle!)

# The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. Probably more "magical realism." A golem and a jinni find themselves in recent-immigrant situations in turn-of-the-century New York City. (There is no general knowledge of fantasy creatures; they are the only ones.) Explores the roles of men and women, religion, ethnicity, etc.

Young Adult:
# Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Durst Beth. If you read only one terrible YA vampire novel this year, I recommend this one.

# The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin by L. Jagi Lamplighter. A young girl is excited to be attending magic school for the first time. Her friends are improbably diverse. There is some worldwide mystery afoot. More interesting than good.

# Sanctum by Sarah Fine. A girl travels to the afterlife to rescue her friend who has committed suicide. A bold choice of topic. Action ensues.

Comedy:
# Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. Illustrated humorous essays. Hillarious. (Seriously, I laughed for hours.)

# Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer. A rom com set in Georgian period England. A lot of frothy nonsense with witty dialogue.

# Stitches by Tom Reimann This is definitely _dark_ humor, so beware. Three variously messed-up roommates start noticing that one of them is more messed up than the others.

# All Creatures Great and Small (series) by James Herriot. Semi-true stories of a veterinarian in Yorkshire at the turn of the century. He treats farm animals and the occasional pet while revealing the unique personalities of the animals and humans around him. Contains a lot of British cuss words and the insides of various animals. (reread)

# Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story by Christopher Moore. If you read only one terrible Adult vampire novel this year, I recommend this one.

Literature:
# The Cuckoo's Calling by "Robert Galbraith" A jaded detective with a missing leg investigates the death of a supermodel.