The Dust Lounge

Tag: best books of the year

  • 2020 – reading roundup and the Dust Lounge Book Awards

    2020 – reading roundup and the Dust Lounge Book Awards

    It’s that time of year again—the flashing of lights, the spewing of smoke machines, the glittering of impractical dresses and ankle-killer shoes. Yes, that’s right, it’s the Dust Lounge Book Awards 2020. In which I bring you the best of the books I’ve read over the past 12 months (yes, 12 months, if we still consider time to be any sort of reliable concept).

    And 2020 was a great year reading-wise for me. A combination of not studying this year, and pandemic escapism meant I cracked through nearly 50 books this year (compare that to 22 last year and you get the drift of how much fun I’ve been having hiding in the pages of other people’s imaginations). And, damn, I’m grateful to all them there authors out there for giving me that.

    I read on the basis of don’t-finish-it-if-it-ain’t-working-for-you-right-now—so every book I finished is one I’d heartily recommend you get your readerly eyeballs wrapped around. And for those books I didn’t finish, I left them because there’s probably another time in another place for me and that book. Take this case in point—Han Kang’s The Vegetarian I read and loved this year, but I’d actually DNF’d it only a year or so before. Times change, moods change, readerly vibes align.

    And speaking of vegetarianism (*segway segue*), I’m just gonna go ahead right here and insist you read Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. If I had an official best read of the year, this would be a strong contender. And also one that you might need a strong stomach for.

    It also turns out I read quite a lot of pandemic based fiction—perhaps a dubious choice of escapism for 2020 but somehow it worked. Maybe that’s just my readerly bag (*ha-ha I say maybe like we all don’t know it totally is*), and there were mighty fine entries in this category from the likes of Lauren Beukes’ with Afterland, Chuck Wendig’s Wanderers, and Paul Tremblay’s latest novel Survivor Song.

    If you fancy tripping your head off in a safe and responsible way, you’d be well advised to check out Jeff Noon’s A Man of Shadows. You may or may not have taken mind altering drugs when reading, but that book will make you think your gran has put something in your tea *and your gran wasn’t even in the house*.

    Horror had a particularly bumper year in my reading pile—I won’t list them all here but Stephen Graham Jones’ The Only Good Indians was beautifully, hauntingly good, while Stephanie Ellis brought bloody, fiery folklore to my nightmares with The Five Turns of the Wheel.

    And then there was the downright weird, the unsuspected, the wait-one-goddamn-minute-while-I-pick-myself-up-off-the-floor kinda strange. You’ve got the likes of Jess Hagemann’s shocking, challenging but fascinating Headcheese (including stunning illustrations from Chris Panatier). Sayaka Murata’s Earthlings creeps behind its cuddly exterior to bring you horror escalating into possibly one of the weirdest scenes I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. And there’s Ross Jeffery’s Juniper which has meant I can’t look at the chonky ginger cat that stalks our neighbourhood in quite the same way ever again.

    I feel the need to make a few special mentions, for books that will sit in my soul for some time to come. The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa is right up there as one of my favourite books of the year, if not ever. It’s a quiet read, sinister and dreamlike. It’s the sort of book you want to linger over. It’s just beautiful. Donald Ray Pollock’s The Devil all the Time was bleakly brilliant, so good I can’t watch the Netflix adaptation yet while it settles in my brain. And finally, the only non-fiction book of the year for me was Chuck Palahniuk’s inspiring Consider This which now lives on my desk, prodding me to write at any given opportunity.

    And that brings us to the very moment you’ve all been waiting for. Drum roll please, raise your glasses and get your cheering cheeks ready, because here we have the Dust Lounge Book Awards in all their finery. *Insert digital confetti, oversized party poppers, plus suitable brass section jingle here*

    Top Five reads of the year (in no particular order)

    Notable achievement awards (hotly contested)

    Thank you for joining me on this most excellent of reading roundups. Please mind the steps on your way out, don’t forget to pick up copies of books that take your fancy from your preferred book outlet, and if you want to catch the full list of this year’s reads then head on over to my Goodreads 2020 Year in Books page. Every single one of them was a real, readerly treat.

  • Best reads of 2018

    Best reads of 2018

    2018 has been another year filled with studying, change and all-round busy-ness. Which has left the fiction writing gathering dust, and the reading mostly confined to textbooks and journals. That being said, there’s still been enough fiction read to give you a best of 2018, so without further ado, let’s just talk about all the good words of the year.

    1. Day 4 by Sarah Lotz

    This book was so much fun, and I possibly enjoyed it even more than the first in the series. A stranded cruise ship, a murder, and a Medium – what more could you want. It’s the apocalypse on the sea. If you have any boat trips planned, probably save this book for after that. Or not – if you enjoy the creeping feeling of INTENSE HORROR OH MY GOD WHAT ARE WE DOING GET ME OFF THIS FLOATING HELL HOLE.

    2. The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

    I love Tremblay’s work, and this is no disappointment. I won’t say too much because it’s best to just dive in, but it’s a home invasion story with a touch of the fantastical and a lashing of horror that reaches beyond the physical and strikes at the heart of your own, personal fears. You can see my full review here, but suffice to know that it’s a book that still lives in my head, and works on levels that not many horror stories reach to. Read it, and then make sure you’ve got someone to sit with afterwards. Keep your loved ones close.

    3. Deadline and Blackout by Mira Grant

    What can I say? I love a good zombie horror. Give me The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, 28 Days Later, Zombieland, The Girl with all the Gifts… I can’t get enough. I don’t know what it is, but if it’s zombies then I’m probably all in. And Grant never disappoints with these action packed romps through her zombie-ridden world of the Newsflesh series.

    4. The Hunger by Alma Katsu

    I read this without knowing too much of the background, and it was such an interesting take into alternative historical horror. It was a slow burn, with a lot of characters each giving something different to the story. I can only imagine how hard and horrific wagon trains were, and Katsu adds to that even more. There are so many levels to this story I can’t even begin to go into them here, but if you’re looking for something that explores the many, different facets of humanity under extreme stress then you could do far worse than getting into The Hunger.

    5. The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

    This book is darkly poetic, with sinister threads taking you through what it is to grow up as a girl, the nature of control and the haunting loneliness of imposed isolation. You can check out my review here – if you’re looking for a subtle slow burn, an uncomfortable read, in all the best ways then pick this book up.

    6. REDACTED by REDACTED

    Ok, so you can’t get this (yet), but all I’m gonna say is I got to read my Mom’s book this year which she’s been working on for a while and it is the best thing I’ve read for some time. It’s sci-fi, the world building is phenomenal and the characters kick some major ass. Yes, I might be biased, but she taught me everything I know and it was truly amazing to meet her (and her crazy fiction friends) in print.

    [PS, Mom, if you’re reading this, you’d better be working on your synopsis and getting that beast of a book out there]

    And that’s it for the 2018 wrap up – it has to be said there were a few misses this year, with some overly tropey victim-girl crime thrillers, and some books with just waaaayyyyy too much boob in (which makes, weirdly, for one of my favourite reviews I’ve written so far). But all in all, it’s been a good year. So what did you think? What’s the one book you read this year that you just can’t stop trying to get everyone else to read? I’m in a reading lull so need your suggestions.

    I hope 2018 has treated you well, and I hope 2019 treats you even better.

    Here’s to a bloody marvellous New Year, y’all.

  • Best reads of 2017

    Best reads of 2017

    It’s been a bit quiet here at the Dust Lounge for a while (for once, my excuse is study plus Christmas plus too many sausage rolls – I think that’s pretty decent as excuses go) but you didn’t think I was going to let New Year’s Eve get by without a best-reads-of-the-year post did you?

    And I’ve gotta say it’s been a pretty damn good book year (even if I did miss my Goodreads target *shame bell tolls*).

    It’s been a year filled with non-fiction as well as fiction, plenty of crime and horror, with a dash of sci-fi and dystopia. And without further ado, in no particular order, I present to you the ones that still poke at the edges of my brain:

    1. A head full of ghosts by Paul Tremblay

    This year I’ve been indulging in rewatches of The Exorcist, hoping for the best from other exorcism films, and generally having a bit of an exorcism theme… don’t ask why. A head full of ghosts is a brilliant take on the genre – spooky, contemporary and downright page-turner-y.

    1. Behind her eyes by Sarah Pinborough

    Twisted thriller anyone? This book nearly made me miss my train-stop… and I really wouldn’t have minded. Don’t speak to anyone about it – *because spoilers* – just read it.

    1. The Power by Naomi Alderman

    Smart, strains of Atwood, appropriately timed lessons on power. Read the full review here.

    1. We have always lived in the castle by Shirley Jackson

    A gorgeously written traditional horror – perfect for pretending January doesn’t exist while hiding under blankets. Read the full review here.

    1. The Jigsaw Man by Paul Britton

    I’ve read a lot of true crime this year, and Britton’s The Jigsaw Man is probably my favourite. It’s fascinating but makes an effort not to glamourize. And it’s not just about the heroic successes, but also the downsides of media spin and the emotional weight. I went to see a lecture by Britton and found it so engaging I could have sat there for hours. If you’re interested in forensic psychology then put this to the top of your reading list.

    Honourable mention goes to:

    The man who mistook his wife for a hat by Oliver Sacks

    Looking back through my Goodreads account, it appears I only gave this book 3 out of 5 stars at the time of reading (still good, to be fair). And yet, it’s a book I think about on almost a daily basis, and constantly reference when talking about psychology and the strangeness of the mind (which I tend to do quite a lot). It’s simply fascinating.

    …and… (*mwahahaha* I know I’m cheating!)…

    Metropolitan Dreams by Mark A. King

    Check out the full review here, but also know to look forward to a sequel from the author who has just been selected to be part of the British Fantasy Society’s Emerging Horizons. One to watch, and a damn well rather nice guy too.

    And, as they say, that’s a wrap (if wrap means another sausage roll… mmm…)

    Hope 2017 has treated you well and 2018 will treat you better.

    Happy New Year to y’all.

     

  • Books, the year’s books, and Christmas books

    Say what?

    It’s December?

    Really?

    Very funny.

    *checks calendar*

    *screams*

    You mean it’s 2016?

    Anyway, so, I don’t have an inkling as to where this year bloody went to. I think I was busy having a coffee and a cigarette on the doorstep and 2016 just snuck around the back.

    Which means:

    • It’s nearly time for Christmas
    • Bloody hell how did I eat that much?
    • It’s a bit goddamn chilly
    • New year’s eve parties will get people a bit overexcited, how about we stay in tonight
    • It’s nearly time for the best reads of the year!

    Huzzah. Insert party poppers and balloons here. Wait, scratch that, no insertions please.

    And that being the case I’m using my trusty friend Goodreads to remind me of what wordage I’ve been soaking up, what authors I discovered, what tales have kept ticking over in my brain. And there’s been a few good ones this year, I tell you.

    But while I’m working on that list, in the meantime I want to know:

    1. What’s been your favourite read of the year?

    2. What’s your favourite Christmas book?

    I’m not talking books necessarily written this year (I mean, that’s an added bonus, you get an extra piece of trivial pursuit pie for that), just books you’ve read this year – what book have you fallen in love with since January? And as for the Christmas books, I’m thinking wintery, chilly, festive reads. A book  that you know you just want to disappear with under a blanket by a roaring fire and devour in one sitting. Maybe it’s ghosts, perhaps a bit of scrooge, or something that rhymes that you read every year on Christmas Eve. Whatever it is, I want to know. Share it in the comments or over on Twitter or Facebook.

    Because Christmas is coming, fiends, and it is dark and full of damn fine books.
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  • Reading through 2015 – my favourite books of the year

    Have a good Christmas? Yes? No? Sort of, but shouldn’t have had so much sherry that you kissed your Grandma with a bit too much tongue? Great!

    Now give your Grandma her dentures back because it’s time for the obligatory BEST-OF post, right? While you’re recovering from an overdose of turkey and alcohol-fuelled Christmas pudding, here’s my top five favourite reads of 2015. Read them now, seriously. Don’t make me threaten you with all the left over toffee pennies.

    1. Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

    A beautifully written take on the world after society as we know it has collapsed. I am really not a fan of Shakespeare, but the references and theatrical core of the main character group didn’t put me off, but instead pleasantly contrasted with the harsh reality of the post-apocalyptic world. Gorgeous.

    1. Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey

    A proper space romp (yes, I just used the word ‘romp’, and I don’t take it back) with great characters. Typically my favourite character is the jaded cop rather than the slightly high-and-mighty moral space captain, but the dynamics work well and this is space escapism at its best.

    1. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematorium by Caitlin Doughty

    A rare foray into non-fiction for me, and a fascinating (and entertaining) insight into the history and development of funeral practices. I had a hard job not signing up to the first mortician course I could find after reading this.

    1. The Machine by James Smythe

    James Smythe is one of my favourite authors, consistently cutting to the core of his characters and making it look easy. His writing is a pure masterclass in how to do it, and how to do it well. The Machine is no exception; a beautiful, tragic take on grief and a modern take on Frankenstein. Read all of James Smythe’s books, and put The Machine somewhere near the top of the list.

    1. Top read of the year: The Girl with all the Gifts by M R Carey

    I’ve written about this book before, but I just can’t say enough about it. I’ve struggled to find a zombie novel that works for me. I love all things zomie-fied for TV or film – The Walking Dead and 28 Days Later topping some of my televisual lists – but written works haven’t cut it for me before. The Girl with all the Gifts turned that around. Smart, intelligent and from a perspective I’ve not come across before, whether you like zombies or not this is the sort of book that won’t let you put it down. It will make you forget to eat. It will make you late for work. It will give you papercuts as you eagerly turn each page, but you won’t care. It’s the zombie novel I’d been waiting for.

    Books-of-2015-low-res

    So there’s mine, not forgetting a few honourable mentions for books including Someone Else’s Skin by Sarah Hilary and Atlanta Burns by Chuck Wendig. But what about your favourites? What book(s) have kept you up at night in 2015?

    Here’s to reading more in 2016, fiends.