RBA’s Best Reads of 2008: The Yearbook Edition (Part 3 of 4)

Here we go with part 3 of my Best Reads of 2008! Here’s the relevant stuff I said in the previous posts:

• I thought I’d have a little fun, and do this in yearbook “Superlatives” style.
• These books weren’t necessarily published in 2008. They are books I read this year.
• If some of my reviews sound familiar, it’s because I’ve borrowed shamelessly from my previous posts.

This week will very roughly be:

• Part 1-Romance
• Part 2-Speculative Fiction & M/M fiction
• Part 3-YA & Mystery (today)
• Part 4-Urban Fantasy

I’m not so good with categories, but today is very loosely the best YA and Mystery I read in 2008.

Most “Spirited”… Rev. Clare Fergusson  The Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne series by Julia Spencer Fleming OK, so I went for the easy and cheap pun. Clare’s an Episcopal priest. Sue me. This series came to my attention from a free book promotion by the publisher, St Martin’s Press. They were giving away the first two books in the series in ebook format. I started reading book 1, In the Bleak Midwinter and was sucked in. (To all publishers: Those book promotions pay off! Please do more!) Ahem. Groveling for free books is over. Clare is such an original character. She’s independent, spiritual, impulsive, compassionate. A former career-Army helicopter pilot who felt called to enter seminary, and become an Episcopal priest. At the beginning of book 1, she has just arrived in Miller’s Kill, in rural upstate New York, newly-appointed as rector to the town’s conservative Episcopal church. Here is the description for book 1, In the Bleak Midwinter,  from the author’s site: It’s a cold, snowy December in the upstate New York town of Millers Kill, and newly-ordained Clare Fergusson is on thin ice as the first female priest of its small Episcopal church. The ancient regime running the parish covertly demands that she prove herself as a leader. However, her blunt manner, honed by years as an army pilot, is meeting with a chilly reception from some members of her congregation. Chief of Police Russ Van Alystyne, in particular, doesn’t know what to make of her, or how to address “a lady priest” for that matter. The last thing she needs is trouble, but that is exactly what she finds. When a newborn baby is abandoned on the church stairs and a young mother is brutally murdered, Clare has to pick her way through the secrets and silence that shadow that town like the ever-present Adirondack mountains. As the days dwindle and the attraction grows between the novice priest and the married police chief, Clare will need all her faith, tenacity, and courage to stand fast against a killer’s icy heart. On so many levels, Clare is an outsider in this community. She’s a progressive, outgoing, Southerner, the first female priest in her new church. She’s in her mid-30’s and has had a full, varied life before she comes to Millers Kill. I love how, when she’s confronted by a challenging situation, she either hears her genteel Southern grandmother’s voice or her drill instructor’s voice, giving her advice. Russ Van Alstyne, Millers Kill’s police chief is in his late 40’s, married, and ex-military. He’s not-religious, a recovering alcoholic, and more than a little world-weary. When Clare comes into his town, his world is gently, gradually shaken. These books are primarily mysteries. Really great, tightly plotted ones. But, the relationship between Clare and Russ which develops over the series is such a complex one. He is married and fidelity is important to him. Clare’s religious principles require her to to be celibate if she isn’t married. Not to mention that Russ is married. The third interesting character in this series is the town of Millers Kill itself. JS-F does a great job of depicting small town life, with all its connections, history, and attitudes. Julia Spencer-Fleming’s site. In the Bleak Midwinter excerpt.

Brainiest… Isabel Dalhousie The Sunday Philosophy Club series by Alexander McCall-Smith This series is not as well known as AM-S’s Precious Ramotswe/No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, but I just fell in love with this series.  At first, I felt a little unsure about all the literary, philosophy, and art references, but once I fell into the groove of the first novel, I didn’t care so much that I’d never read the artists referenced in the story. Here is the The Sunday Philosophy Club (book 1) description: Isabel Dalhousie, philosopher, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics and host of the Sunday Philosophy Club, is also an amateur sleuth who uses her training to discover the truth behind curious occurrences in Edinburgh. TBehind the city’s Georgian façades, moral compasses spin with greed, dishonesty and murderous intent. Instinct tells Isabel that the young man who tumbled to his death in front of her eyes at a concert in the Usher Hall didn’t fall. He was pushed. Isabel Dalhousie is the Scottish counterpart to Botswana’s premier female detective, Precious Ramotswe – ready to tackle murder, mayhem . . . and the mysteries of life. Most of the action of the book is an interior, reflective kind of action. Isabel observes everything around her through a philosopher’s lens, making desicions based on her ethical principles. I feel like whatever I say about these books makes them sound boring. They’re not. They’re poetically written, reflective mysteries. I listened to the audiobook productions for this series. The narrator, Davina Porter (narrator of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon,) is my favorite all-time audiobook narrator. She captures accents, personalities, and drama with incredible facility. Her reading of this series really adds to the poetic writing. Isabel’s life goes through many changes over the course of the series. I love seeing these changes in Isabel’s life, and how she needs to make room for them. This series has been such and enjoyable change of pace from my usual reading. Alexander McCall Smith’s website. The Sunday Philosophy Club excerpt from the author’s site.

Nicest Hair… Lord John Grey The Lord John Grey series by Diana Gabaldon Lord John is everything an 18th century English gentleman should be. He’s honorable, loyal to his friends, generous to a fault, and of course, beautiful, with his long, blond queue. He is also hopelessly in love with Jamie Fraser, the protagonist in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. (He has great taste, doesn’t he?) He is introduced as a boy of about 16 in Dragonfly in Amber, and thru the course of the Outlander series he becomes man. He has earned his own mystery series, starting with Lord John and the Private Matter. Negotiating life as a gay man in the military of the 1700’s is fraught with danger and risk. He does this with grace and an understated toughness. Lord John and the Private Matter, book 1 description from Barnes and Noble: Major Lord John Grey, opens the door to his own part of this world — eighteenth-century London, a seething anthill of nobility and rabble peopled by soldiers and spies, whores and dukes. Great Britain is battling France for supremacy on three continents — and life is good for a soldier. The year is 1757. On a clear morning in mid-June, Lord John Grey emerges from London’s Beefsteak Club, his mind in turmoil. A nobleman and a high-ranking officer in His Majesty’s Army, Grey has just witnessed something shocking. But his efforts to avoid a scandal that might destroy his family are interrupted by something still more urgent: the Crown appoints him to investigate the brutal murder of a comrade in arms, who may have been a traitor. Obliged to pursue two inquiries at once, Major Grey finds himself ensnared in a web of treachery and betrayal that touches every stratum of English society — and threatens all he holds dear. From the bawdy houses of London’s night-world to the stately drawing rooms of the nobility, and from the blood of a murdered corpse to the thundering seas ruled by themajestic fleet of the East India Company, Lord John pursues the elusive trails of a vanishing footman and a woman in green velvet, who may hold the key to everything — or nothing. The early days of the Seven Years War come brilliantly to life in this historical mystery by an author whose unique and compelling storytelling has engrossed millions of readers worldwide. Aside from my total literary crush on Lord John, the mysteries in this series are engrossing and keep me guessing throughout the story. They are woven seamlessly into the personal story of Lord John. Diana Gabaldon has an excellent section of excerpts from the series (see below.) Diana Gabaldon’s site. Lord John series excerpts.

Best Ink… Leslie  Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr It was really a toss-up, between Ink Exchange and Wicked Lovely for my list. They are set in the same world, and the events and characters are related. I liked Ink Exchange just that little bit more, mostly because the way Melissa Marr concludes the story (which I will not give away.) MM never “writes down” to her YA audience, depicting some really difficult issues (drug abuse, sexual abuse, violence) in a straight forward, never preachy, manner. The Wicked Lovely/Ink Exchange world is really interesting. The fae live among humans without their knowledge. The fae’s great beauty sometimes conceals a brutal, cruel reality. Here is the book description from the author’s site: Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance between the Faerie Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly-vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow. 17-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life. The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind that Leslie had dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faerie world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. I’m looking forward to book 3, Fragile Eternity, which returns to Wicked Lovely’s characters, Aislinn, Seth, and Keenan. It comes out April 2009. Melissa Marr’s website and blog. Wicked Lovely description. Ink Exchange excerpt (pdf file.)

Big (Wolf)Man on Campus… Jacob Black The Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer (I shamelessly stole this picture from Rob Thurman’s blog. I don’t know who he is, but he fits my idea of Jacob much more than the guy in the movie.) If I hadn’t made it clear before (and here), I’m on Team Jacob. My sister-in-law asked me to “pre-read” this series before my niece read it, to make sure it was age-appropriate. I picked up the audiobook from the library, and fell in love with this series (well, at least the first 3 books. Except for the awesome Jacob section in Breaking Dawn, I’m still traumatized by the whole pregnancy/birth thing. And don’t get me started on the name “Renesme”. *gak*) Twilight, book 1 description: OK, so I’m not going to even bother with one. Please don’t make me. Hasn’t it been done enough? If you don’t agree, you can find a description here. OK, enough whining. Back to why I love the series. Bella’s “girl-angst” rang true to me, and while she’d never become a feminist superwoman role-model, she grew over the course of the series. She blossoms from self-absorbed, self-consciousness to taking decisive action in the final confrontation of Breaking Dawn. Honestly, Edward leaves me cold, with his uptight moralizing that sometimes borders on priggishness. I understand that he’s incredibly hot-looking and noble, but I never really have any strong emotions about him. Jacob, however, is a great combination of best friend and passionate, anguished hero. When Bella’s heart is broken by Edward, it’s Jacob who brings her back to life. I love the sun/warmth imagery Stephenie Meyer uses for Jacob (in Eclipse, I think). Bella seeks out his warmth in the often-chilly Forks, WA. She finds his optimism irresistible and he’s always there to support her endeavors at independence. He also loves Bella with intense single-mindedness. Even when he knows Edward is first in Bella’s heart, he (eventually) puts aside his disappointment, and is a loyal defender of Bella and the Cullen’s. So much has been said about this book/series, I don’t think I need to say to much about Bella and Edward’s sparkly-vampire romance. Ms Meyer captures teenage girl-angst like few others. Also, I must mention, Ilyana Kadushin’s narration in the audiobook is able to capture Bella’s youth and also be complex enough to do a brilliant job of portraying Jacob’s laid-back speech patterns. Ms Kadushin does a great job, really owning the characters she narrates. Stephenie Meyer’s site. Twilight saga. Twilight excerpt from eReader.com

Best Dressed… Girl: Eve The Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine Eve is main character Claire’s gothy best friend. I love her fashion sense! I read the first 3 in this series in a 3 day binge My name is Renee, and I’m addicted to books. This YA series is by the author of the adult Weather Warden series. And, while I like Joanne and David in the Weather Wardens, I actually like Morganville better. The novels are short (they average 250 pages), fast-paced, and absorbing. Glass Houses, book 1 description: Welcome to Morganville, Texas. Just don’t stay out after dark. College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school’s social scene: somewhere less than zero. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don’t show many signs of life. But they’ll have Claire’s back when the town’s deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Claire, and her housemates Eve, Michael, and Shane create their own family, taking care of each other in the vampire town of Morganville. There is an “us against the world” feel of this book that I really like. Claire is smart, down to earth and a little bit innocent. Raised in Morganville, Eve is spunky and tough, and has great fashion sense. Shane’s “normal guy” demeanor hides his tragic childhood. Michael’s caring leadership hold their family together. Each MV book ends on a cliff hanger, and leaves me wanting more. Books 5, 6, & 7 are out in 2009, and I’m so glad that Rachel Caine is committed to writing through book 10! Rachel Caine’s site. Morganville Vampire series. Glass Houses excerpt.

Stay tuned for Part 4 of RBA’s Best Reads of 2008, coming soon! It will be (more or less) the Urban Fantasy and Dark Fantasy edition.

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