Saturday, August 16, 2014

The 2014 ALIXIRS!

This has been one hell of a fecund summer: so much so that it doesn't bear going into much at this moment. I've made some big life decisions - like, several - and so stay tuned to hear those ruminations. But for today, I'm announcing the ALIXIRS! 

Last year I read 60 books and it was pretty darn cool. This year I read 58. I think this is still pretty good; furthermore, I think that it merits an awards post! So, this is the 2nd annual Alixirs awards: wherein I sort and rank the myriad and random assortment of books I've read over the past year.

Like the Oscars, each of the books nominated in the award categories (aside from the 'groaner' group) is a fabulous read and comes highly recommended!

THE ALIXIRS!

First, the basic demographics:
Written by a woman: 60%

Nonfiction: 22% 
450+ pages: (approximately) 22% 

Young Adult Literature: 21%
Written by a POC: 12% (shameful!)
LGBT-themed: 12%
Re-read: 2% (just Catching Fire)


The Funniest Read All Year:
You Shall Know Our Velocity - Dave Eggers
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? - Maria Semple
Beautiful Ruins - Jess Walter
Ask the Passengers - AS King

And it goes to. . . Where'd You Go, Bernadette?!!!





Wherein I Took Breaks to Cry it Out:
On the Beach - Nevil Shute
The Sky is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson
White Teeth - Zadie Smith
Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt

And it goes to. . . On the Beach!!! (by a teardrop)


The Most Searing Memoir:
Are You My Mother? - Alison Bechdel
Wild - Cheryl Strayed
Don't Let's Go To the Dogs Tonight - Alexandra Fuller
The Goldfish Went on Vacation - Patty Dann
Into the Wilderness - Kim Barnes

And it goes to . . . Are You My Mother?!!!





Could Not Put Down: Or, the <48-Hour Club:
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler
Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? - Maria Semple
Girls I've Run Away With - Rhiannon Argo

And it goes to. . . Tell the Wolves I'm Home!!! (for shortest time)


Kick-Ass Girls Not Afraid to Tackle the World:
Swamplandia! - Karen Russell
The Hangman's Daughter - Oliver Pötzsch
Girls I've Run Away With - Rhiannon Argo
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? - Maria Semple
Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt
The Green Glass Sea - Ellen Klages
Serena - Ron Rash
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
Ask the Passengers - AS King
Year Of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks
Fingersmith - Sarah Waters
Letters From Skye - Jessica Brockmole
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler
Into the Wilderness - Kim Barnes

And it goes to. . . Who am I kidding? All of them: Ava to Magdalena to Rosemary to Susan!


Important Social Reads:
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
There Are No Children Here - Alex Kotlowitz
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot
Tess of the D'Ubervilles - Thomas Hardy

And it goes to . . . One Hundred Years of Solitude!!!


Big-Hearted, Beautiful YALs:
The Green Glass Sea - Ellen Klages
The Sky is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Saenz
Ask the Passengers - AS King
Mockingbird: Kathryn Erskine

And it goes to. . . Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe!!!




If You're a Lady-Loving Lady:
Pages For You - Sylvia Brownrigg
Ask the Passengers - AS King
Are You My Mother? - Alison Bechdel
Girls I've Run Away With - Rhiannon Argo

Read all of them. SRSLY. Or you'll no longer be a card-carrying member.


Misfit Dudes:
The Last Policeman - Ben H. Winters
The Gamal - Ciarán Collins
Grendel - John Gardner
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Díaz
Wonder - RJ Palacio

And it goes to. . . The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao!!!




Most Accurate Portrayal of Grief:
The Sky is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson
Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt
The Still Point in the Turning World - Emily Rapp
The Goldfish Went On Vacation - Patty Dann

And it goes to. . . The Sky is Everywhere!!!


The Groaners (not a one bad, but the lowest-rated of the year):
Sarah's Key - Tatiana Rosnay
Ship Breaker - Paolo Bacigalupi
The Uglies - Scott Westerfield
Bossypants - Tina Fey

I won't single out these poor guys further!

FINALLY! All the 9+ Rated Books of the Year (in chronological order):
Swamplandia! - Karen Russell
On the Beach - Nevil Shute
Maddadam - Margaret Atwood
Tenth of December - George Saunders
The Goldfish Went On Vacation - Patty Dunn
Pages For You - Sylvia Brownrigg
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot
Grendel  - John Gardner
White Teeth - Zadie Smith (the only perfect 10!)
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? - Maria Semple
Beautiful Ruins - Jess Walter
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler
The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt
The Sky is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson

Congrats! Now, get reading! I know I will! (I'm about halfway through The Bone People - fab!)

Over and out ~