I broke the 75-book barrier this past weekend, but as usual, I didn’t get to all of my TBR pile. I did, however, enjoy a lot of what I read. Without further ado, here are my notable book picks for the year:
Fantasy with the best brooding anti-hero and smart, introverted heroine

The Soul Mirror by Carol Berg
Best epic fantasy
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Best indie published book(s)
The Emperor’s Edge (and sequels) by Lindsay Buroker
Science fiction series I’ve been meaning to read for years and wonder why I waited so long
The Miles Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
Best YA steampunk/alternate history
The Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
Best YA/MG historical (this Vikings-time book reminded me of Rosemary Sutcliff’s fabulous historical fiction)
Icefall by Matthew Kirby
Best adult alternate history/fantasy
Cold Magic (and sequel Cold Fire) by Kate Elliot
Book I didn’t think I’d enjoy (got this from the library, decided I didn’t want to read it, then snagged it on the Kindle for free and read it yesterday during a 12-hr drive–I loved it!)
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
I read a lot of good books this year, but I can’t showcase them all, alas. What about you? What were your notable reads of the year?









