Christian Report post Posted October 25, 2014 Library Journal kicks off this year's lists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
J. Henry Waugh Report post Posted October 25, 2014 I'll give a hearty huzzah for The Martian, which is on the Library Journal list. I never read science fiction, but gave it a try because I for some reason I thought it would be like The Road set in space. It is nothing like that at all, but really fun. I don't consider likability of the characters as a huge selling point in general for fiction, but the titular Martian is as likable a character as I can ever remember. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LibrarianDeb Report post Posted October 27, 2014 The Storied Life of AJ Fikry is a fun read about book nerds but I wouldn't put it in any top 10 overall list for the year. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LibrarianDeb Report post Posted November 3, 2014 The 2014 Publishers' Weekly list plus a spreadsheet of other lists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christian Report post Posted November 22, 2014 The Washington Post's roundup includes: The 10 Best Books of 2014 The Top 50 Fiction Books of 2014 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction Tomorrow's Arts & Style section also has lists for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Best Romance and Best Audiobooks, but I can't find those online. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christian Report post Posted December 2, 2014 (edited) The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2014 Liv Ullmann! Edited December 2, 2014 by Christian Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christian Report post Posted December 3, 2014 Slate staff picks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christian Report post Posted December 4, 2014 New York Times 10 Best Books of 2014. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NBooth Report post Posted December 6, 2014 (edited) Entropy's best fiction of 2014 ditto best poetry and best nonfiction. I've been sorely tempted to grab a copy of Running through Beijing. Edited December 6, 2014 by NBooth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christian Report post Posted December 15, 2014 Entertainment Weekly's lists have been helpful to me in the past. Here's the nonfiction list, and the fiction list. Vulture's list is topped by Lila. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Report post Posted December 15, 2014 Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but there's quite a bit of overlap between the NYT and EW lists. Also, I just finished the #1 novel on the EW list (Station Eleven), and while I'm not convinced it will last as great literature, it was a helluva post-apocalyptic tale. Unless I've missed it, I'm surprised that Ian McEwan's The Children Act hasn't made any lists. That was my favorite new novel, and I'm not even a huge fan of McEwan. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NBooth Report post Posted December 16, 2014 The Folio Prize has just announced its 80-book longlist. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christian Report post Posted December 16, 2014 John Wilson's list at Books and Culture includes Donald Westlake's posthumously published nonfiction collection, The Getaway Car. It also has me rethinking my decision to stop reading Stephen Carter's novels, which I've liked -- sometimes very much -- but which had grown to feel too similar in structure and payoff. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christian Report post Posted December 18, 2014 Dwight Garner's list reminds me of this title: I’LL TAKE YOU THERE: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers, and the March Up Freedom’s Highway by Greg Kot (Scribner). Mr. Kot’s biography of Mavis Staples and the Staple Singers is rich musical and social history. It charts the family’s origins in gospel music; their drift into folk, soul and pop; and the reverberations of their music during the civil rights era. It’s involving from beginning to end, and will send you racing back to listen to the music. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christian Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Salon's What to Read Awards. We know you’re inundated with year-end best books of the year lists–hence our annual tradition in which we reach out to top critics to try to come to some kind of consensus on the best books of the year. We also incorporate lists from some other publications (like the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, AV Club, Slate, and the Chicago Tribune) to come up with our final tally. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christian Report post Posted January 1, 2015 USA Today. I don't know if some of these titles haven't appeared often enough, or at all, on other lists, but I found myself highly engaged by this list much. YMMV, of course. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites