#ReadWomen2014: Sarah Waters

For the second time, I'm recommending you read an author who I haven't had the time to read yet (but in my defense, several of her books are on my shelf, waiting for the Christmas vacation to be consumed).  As Wikipedia says, "She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists." So, there you go.

I became aware of Sarah Waters via NPR's Barrie Hardymon. At this point, our tastes have aligned so closely that I will read anything she recommends, and she has been one of Sarah Waters' most vocal supporters in 2014. The Paying Guests was her big novel of the year, and has been included on many year-end lists (including NPR's Book Concierge, where you can read a review by Barrie herself).

This Week in Books the Obamas Follow in my Footsteps...

It's that time of year, when publications start dropping their "Best of" lists. A lot of people seem to hate these for some reason, but I love them. The Millions has a unique spin on it, with each contributor (including a lot of great writers) doing a short essay "A Year in Reading 2014." This gives them the opportunity to write about the books they loved without the strict structure of a list and ranking.

The greatest year end book list is undoubtedly NPR's Book Concierge, which is one of my favorite things, ever. I go back and look at the previous year's Concierges on a regular basis. It is beautifully designed and has a really terrific interface. Try selecting one of the tags along the top of each review in order to filter by their very clever categories. A favorite feature is the fact that all the reviews are written by recognizable NPR contributors, including many who don't normally write/report for the Books or Arts sections.

Finally, the Obama family celebrated Small Business Saturday by visiting Politics and Prose in DC. They bought a ton of great books, including many notable 2014 titles, but my favorite part is the batch of Redwall books the girls took home. It makes me really happy to know kids are still reading those.