Ry Herman's Blog, page 20

Best Books I Read in 2019

Hey, all. It’s January. Which, yes, happy New Year, hurrah, but now is also the time when I post the best books I read this year. So:

GODS, MONSTERS, AND VILLAINS

BEST SUPERHEROES:
Who’s Afraid of Amy Sinclair?, by Jenn Gott

BEST SUPERVILLAINS:
Vengeful, by V. E. Schwab

BEST DEMONS:
The Border Keeper, by Kerstin Hall

BEST GODS:
The Raven Tower, by Anne Leckie

BEST ROBOTS:
Copper City, by Justin Robinson

BEST FAIRIES:
A History of Glitter and Blood, by Hannah Moskowitz

BEST GHOSTS:
Dead Remnants, by Armarna Forbes

BEST PIRATES:
Escape to Pirate Island, by Niamh Murphy

BEST GANGSTERS:
Jade War, by Fonda Lee

BEST GIANT SPIDERS:
Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

GRAB BAG

BEST MYSTERY:
The Infinite Blacktop, by Sarah Gran

BEST LITERARY MYSTERY:
Possession, by A. S. Byatt

BEST HISTORICAL ROMANCE:
Tell it to the Bees, by Fiona Shaw

BEST HISTORICAL FICTION:
Transcription, by Kate Atkinson

BEST SHORT STORIES:
How Long ’til Black Future Month?, by N. K. Jemisin

BEST COOKBOOK:
Plant-Based on a Budget, by Toni Okamoto

BEST NONFICTION:
Rejected Princesses, by Jason Porath

BEST COVER ART:
We Are Okay, by Nina LaCour

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL:
On A Sunbeam, by Tillie Walden

LITERARY AND CONTEMPORARY

BEST CONTEMPORARY YA (tie):
How to Make a Wish, by Ashley Herring Blake
Girl Made of Stars, by Ashley Herring Blake

BEST LITERARY FICTION:
Spring, by Ali Smith

BEST CONTEMPORARY FICTION:
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

BEST METAFICTION:
The 7th Function of Language, by Laurent  Binet

BEST WEIRDNESS:
Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino

BEST CLASSIC:
The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter, by Henry Murger

BEST WORK IN TRANSLATION:
Homo Sapienne, by Niviaq Korneliussen

SCIENCE FICTION

BEST SCIENCE FICTION:
A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine

BEST CLASSIC SCIENCE FICTION:
A Woman of the Iron People, by Eleanor Arnason

BEST LITERARY SCIENCE FICTION:
The Rift, by Nina Allan

BEST CYBERPUNK:
Gnomon, by Nick Harkaway

BEST ALT-HISTORY:
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, by Michael Chabon

BEST EPISTOLARY SCIENCE FICTION:
This is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

BEST SCIENCE FANTASY:
Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir

FANTASY

BEST FANTASY:
The Winged Histories, by Sofia Samatar

BEST CONCLUSION TO A FANTASY TRILOGY:
The Winter of the Witch, by Katherine Arden

BEST CONCLUSION TO A FANTASY SERIES:
Air Logic, by Laurie J. Marks

BEST CONTINUATION OF A FANTASY SERIES:
By Demons Possessed, by P. C. Hodgell

BEST FANTASY SERIES, ALL BOOKS READ IN 2019:
The Long Price Quartet, by Daniel Abraham

BEST GRIMDARK FANTASY:
A Little Hatred, by Joe Abercrombie

BEST MILITARY FANTASY:
The Dragon Republic, by R. F. Kuang

BEST YA FANTASY:
The Wicked King, by Holly Black

BEST CHILDREN’S FANTASY:
The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill

BEST HORROR FANTASY:
The Twisted Ones, by T. Kingfisher

BEST CHILDREN’S HORROR FANTASY:
Tunnel of Bones, by Victoria Schwab

BEST MAGICAL REALISM:
The Rust Maidens, by Gwendolyn Kiste

BEST FANTASY MYSTERY:
Magic for Liars, by Sarah Gailey

BEST RURITANIAN ROMANCE FANTASY:
Floodtide, by Heather Rose Jones

BEST FANTASY ROMANCE:
Swordheart, by T. Kingfisher

BEST 2019-PUBLISHED BOOK:
A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine

Buffalo

Some buffalo, who dwell in the city of Buffalo, when they find themselves buffaloed by other buffalo who live in that same town, will sometimes in their turn likewise buffalo another, third group of Buffalo-dwelling buffalo.

Clarity is important.