Book of the Year

I know the year's not over yet, but I feel like this is the time I look back and think about everything I've read this year and narrow in on one particular book that really shone for me. And it's hard this year. There are a lot of great possibilities, like Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races (actually, I may have read that late last year, but I can't quite remember... either way it's fantastic) and This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers; there were a lot of exciting second or third installments in series I love; quite frankly, I read a ton of good books this year.

But I've managed, somehow, to pick one. And here it is, my book of the year.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

by Carol Rifka Brunt

1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life—someone who will help her to heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.

At Finn’s funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn’s apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she’s not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most.

An emotionally charged coming-of-age novel, Tell the Wolves I’m Home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again.

(Summary from Goodreads)

If you haven't read this, please do. I don't think I've ever loved and hated a protagonist in such equal measure. I bawled my eyes out. Just sayin'. 

Did you read anything this year that really sparkled for you?

My Book of the Year

I've decided to start a blog feature where I talk about my favourite book of the year and month and invite all of you to mention yours too. 

And as we're smack bang in the middle of December and the year's nearly out, I thought I'd kick this off with my Book of the Year.

Now, obviously, this is hard to do. I read a lot. Steve likes to tease me about it. He claims he can go to work and come home and, if I've been home that day, I'll probably have finished two, maybe three, full-length novels while he's been gone. I only wish I had the time to read like that, but he's not far off the mark. I can read very fast and I get through books like water. So choosing a favourite book from every single one I've read this year is incredibly difficult. But I've done it.

My 2010 Book of the Year is Tabitha Suzuma's Forbidden. 

Bear in mind, this is the year I read Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, which I loved. And Lucy Christopher's Stolen, which is amazing. And this has also been the year two of my blog-friends (Alex and Talli) have released debut novels, both of which I adored. And this is the year I read countless other novels I've keeled head over heels in love for. So, you know, Forbidden had a hell of a lot of tough competition.

But ultimately, it wins. 

I can't stop thinking about this book. I can't stop raving about it to anyone who will listen. I might wish it ended differently, because I'm a sentimental sop, but I also just love this book to pieces.

Fair warning to the faint of heart: the crux of the story and conflict is incest, so if that bothers you or squicks you out, you might want to tread carefully. But it's not the creepy, locked-in-a-room kind of thing you immediately associate with an incest story and, even if the concept bothers you, I'd strongly encourage you to try this anyway, because it never, ever feels like Incest with all the connotations that conjures up. 

It's a love story, between a teenage brother and sister, the two eldest siblings in a family of five who have to look after the younger ones because their parents have as good as abandoned them. Naturally, there's a lot of the Greek tragedy in this novel, and it plays out beautifully. At no point did I find Lochan and Maya, the protagonists, disgusting. I thought what happened between them perfectly natural given the circumstances. 

The characters are spectacular, the writing incredibly moving, and if you don't feel every single thing these characters feel along the way, I'll be stunned.

I could go on about this forever. But I think I've made my point. This is one of those books you can't stop thinking about for days after you've put it down.

What would you say your Book of the Year has been?