A quick post concerning what I have read so far this year. 

 

1. The Thirteen by Susie Moloney - A fun read about a coven of witches looking to bolster their numbers back up to thirteen after a couple of deaths have thinned their group.  Quick, fairly predictable, but fun way to start the year off.  If it was made into a movie it would certainly fall into the cult/B movie group.

 

2. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo - An interesting tale about a young woman approached to be a ghost bride to the dead son of a wealthy family.  Quite the supernatural spin on this one but it was a great look into the Asian mythos surrounding death and the afterlife.  Enjoyed it very much and have passed it on to friends to read.

 

3.  The Farm by Emily McKay - I want to say it is a post apocalyptic story and I suppose it is in a way.  The apocalypse in this case is a disease that turned people into giant vampire type creatures called Ticks.  Parents sent their children to live at colleges, now called Farms, so they would be safe and protected from the Ticks.  This story follows a girl and her autistic sister as they plot their escape from one of these Farms.  Actually not a bad little read, though I am in no real rush to grab the sequel since I wasn't happy with the end of this installment.  I did give it five stars because the author made her autistic character believable rather than making her some sort of genius/super hero.

 

4.  Little Star by John Ajvide Lindqvist - I think this will be the last book I read by this author.  I loved his first book, but everything else since has just been a disappointment for me.  This one started out great, but then fizzled in the second act and the ending was just ... blah. 

 

5.  Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue - Loved it.  I enjoy a good period piece and this certainly met that requirement.  Not to mention the whole obsession with clothes the main character has and all the crap she went through.  Really just a good read.

 

6.  This Dark Earth by John Hornor Jacobs - Set of four short stories that follow a group of survivors during a zombie apocalypse.  Enjoyed the fact that this was set up in short story format because it allowed the author to skip ahead in time and visit the group at different points of their survival.  We get to see how they started out at the beginning and how they kept on throughout the years.  A little dry at times, but overall a decent addition to my zombie collection.

 

7.  The Gates by John Connolly - LOVED IT!  Demons trying to break into Earth by using the Hadron Accelerator in Sweden.  Spotted by a little boy and his little dog.  So. Much. Fun.  I laughed a lot while reading this book.  Just a great way to spend a couple of days.  Characters are well fleshed out and the story just motors along.  Finished this and immediately moved into the sequel ....

 

8.  The Infernals by John Connolly - LOVED IT!  Just as much fun as The Gates with some of the same characters and the addition of new characters that round out the cast so well.  I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next Samuel Johnson story.

 

9.  Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden - My first five star read of the year.  Completely fell into this story and loved every minute of it.  A young Native American comes home from WWI and is picked up by his old aunt who canoes him back to their home.  During the trip we learn his story in flashbacks that are intertwined with her telling her own history to her nephew in hopes that it will help him come back to her.  Just fantastic writing all the way around.  Loved it.

 

10.  The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - So much fun.  Con-artists in a fantasy world.  Loved the characters (though the villan story line was weak and took away from the book a little) and the setting and the way the story was told.  I was hooked from the beginning and a little sad when it was over.  I am going to continue the series; just waiting a bit before I go off on another book buying spree.

 

11.  The Troop by Nick Cutter - First book of the year that actually made me queasy.  I love me a good horror story and this one was, while not exactly /scary/ per say, enough to make my skin crawl.  Not exactly sure how the author came up with the idea of setting a book around genetically modified tapeworms, but man oh man does it work.  Enjoyed the little reports and interviews set between the chapters that gave more insight into what was happening on the little island.  Certainly one to check out if you don't mind gore and creepy crawlies.

 

12.  The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper - I'd been wanting to read this one for a while and I'm glad I waited until I got the paperback edition.  So not what I was expecting and rather a let down for me.  I didn't find it terrifying or scary.  It wasn't a /bad/ read, just not what I was hoping for in terms of a good demon story.  It was more like a Dan Brown story and not enough like the Exorcist which was what I was looking for it to be I guess.

 

13.  The Bear by Claire Cameron - The premise of this book is what hooked me into getting it.  Two children left in the wilderness after their parents are killed by a bear.  Sounds pretty great, right?  It was a super fast read and I can honestly say my favourite part was the epilogue.  I realize the author was trying to convey the way a six year old thought process would work, but it ended up being very confusing to follow at times.  Overall it was an interesting read, but not one that I'd likely read again or gush about to my friends.

 

And that's what I've read so far this year.  Currently working on The Humans by Matt Haig.