Presenting the second part of my Top Ten list, #5 to #1. The first part is here.
With the exception of one book, the remaining entries are from different series. This part of the Top Ten was more difficult, what with the number of Star Wars books I’d read this year and the number of on-going mystery series I started last year and still enjoyed enough to continue them. However, now that I look at the list again — especially starting with #7 — it all came down to the men in the books.
5. Rapture in Death (J. D. Robb) – 4th in the series. I only managed one book this year, so it felt like a treat. I love the characters, especially Roarke: Roarke and Feeney bonding over some electronics; Roarke exacting retribution; Roarke and Mavis bonding over Eve.
4. Star Wars: Outbound Flight (Timothy Zahn) – Even though I thought the Revenge of the Sith novel was exceptional, I still liked this book better. Again, it was a guy, Thrawn, who won me over. Zahn made it all possible, by showing a side of the character I hadn’t see before.
3. Murder in a Mill Town (P. B. Ryan) – 2nd in the series. The only historical-set book on the list. Though it’s only the second book, I’m very attached to the series. Only a few books have ever tempted me to immediately go back to page one and start re-reading certain scenes. . . chapters. . . the book, or inspire me to pull out the previous book(s) and read excerpts . I simply love this series. And the guy? Will Hewitt is extremely flawed and self-destructive. It’s his feelings for Nell, who wouldn’t let him throw his life away, that really caught me.
2. The Battle of Mogadishu: Firsthand Accounts From the Men of Task Force Ranger (Edited by Matt Eversmann and Dan Schilling) – The only non-fiction read on the list. Because of the different writing styles of the contributors, it wasn’t always a smooth read. It’s worth reading if you’re interested in the incident and leery reading the longer, more denser Black Hawk Down. And the men? I have a soft spot for the 75th Ranger Regiment.
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J. K. Rowling) – 7th in the series. The last book in a fantastic series. I’m sad to see it end, but I’m happy with how it all turned out.
I said it would be anticlimactic. 😉