The twenty best books I read in 2009

[endymions_bower]

In no particular order:

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, by L. Frank Baum
The Worm Ouroboros, by E. R. Eddison
Black God's Kiss, by C. L. Moore
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, by Winifred Watson
Angelique in Revolt, by Sergeanne Golon
Being and Event, by Alain Badiou
Alphabet of Thorn, by Patricia A. McKillip
The Secret of Sinharat/People of the Talisman, by Leigh Brackett
Wolfskin (The Light Isles, #1), by Juliet Marillier
Space: 1999 Survival, by Brian N. Ball
Hand of Isis, by Jo Graham
Ramáyana, Vols. I-V (Clay Sanksrit Library), by Valmiki, together with Adhyatma Ramayana: The Spiritual Version of the Rama Saga
The Figure In the Shadows, by John Bellairs
Hoshruba: The Land and the Tilism, by Muhammad Husain Jah
Thunderer, by Felix Gilman
The Sand-Reckoner, by Gillian Bradshaw
The Wizard of London (Elemental Masters, #5), by Mercedes Lackey
Secret of the Veda, by Sri Aurobindo
Rosemary and Rue (October Daye, #1), by Seanan McGuire
Gakuen Alice, Vol. 1, by Tachibana Higuchi

Comments

[neowiccan.livejournal.com]

i loved 'alphabet of thorn' but i pretty much love everything she writes. her 'forgotten beasts of eld' is one of my desert island books.
i was kind of surprised how much i liked 'hand of isis'. it's not really my usual kind of book, but it seems so....authentic. i'm guessing the author is an actual kemetic pagan.
khairete
suz

[lemon-cupcake.livejournal.com]

I read Od Magic after Alphabet of Thorn and it felt rather insubstantial by comparison, but I'm quite open to reading more McKillip.

As for Jo Graham, Black Ships grabbed me, although I felt it had some flaws (the story kind of just gave out about 2/3 through). Hand of Isis was a hard sell for me, because I felt as though I've heard this story told before, and it's always depressing, but it was pretty gripping. I'm pleased to see these books out in mass market paperback, I think they'll reach a much larger audience. As for Graham's personal beliefs, sannion told me that she is indeed a pagan of some eclectic variety.