OneZenMom: Of Zombies and Happy Endings: 12 months, 78 books, 19,364 pages

Happy New Year!

The end of the year means my annual "What I read this year" post.

As always, this is more of a record for myself. But I love recommending books I enjoy to others, too. So if someone peruses this list and sees something they might not otherwise have read, that's awesome, too. Let me know! :)

Happy Endings
(or: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.")

It seems 2014 marked the end of several favorite series for me:

The Witch With No Name (The Hollows #13) by Kim Harrison

Thirteen books. Do even need to tell you how much I love this series, if I've eagerly pounced on all 13 books? Rachel Morgan is my favorite itchy witch and I will miss her and her found-family in the Cincinnati Hollows more than is probably mentally healthy.

Shaman Rises (Walker Papers #9) by C.E. Murphy

This Urban Shaman series has a great protagonist, a fantastic supporting cast and an interesting take on Native American and Celtic shamanism. Joanne Walker feels very "real" throughout her massive story arc from book one to book nine. And I'm half in love with her septuagenarian sidekick and totally in love with her purple muscle car.

Agave Kiss (Corine Solomon #5) by Ann Aguirre

Ann Aguirre writes great women and great worlds. Corine Solomon, she of small magics and big destiny, is no exception. This book is probably tied with book 2 in the series as my favorite.

Wild Justice (Nadia Stafford #3)

by Kelley Armstrong
I actually re-read the first two books in this trilogy that centers on a hitwoman and her mentor before starting this final book. I was glad I refreshed my memories on the first two, because the character development arc of the heroine's journey probably would have lost of some momentum by the long break in between if I hadn't. As it was, this was a satisfying conclusion to the story.

Wild Card (Raine Benares 0.5) by Lisa Shearin

Okay, this one is cheating the theme just a tiny bit, because it's technically a prequel to the Raine Benares series. But I don't even care. I loved it. I loved re-visiting this fantastic heroine and her world. For the record, you can totally read this without reading any other books in the series. So it's fine to start the series with this one and them move on to the main books. Which you should. Because, they are great fun stories with a kick-ass heroine. My (obviously?) favorite kind of book.

I have mixed feelings about most of these books, not because they were unsatisfying: They were all good reads, every one! But because ...

... yeah, it's like that.

I'm going to really miss some of those worlds and characters.

Maybe my mourning for those imaginary friends had something to do with the other interesting trend I noticed for 2014 ...

Zombies!

I don't think I'd read any "zombie" books before 2014. But apparently I must enjoy this previously unexplored genre, because, unplanned, I ended up reading more than a few books - whole series even! - on the subject:

Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines

This was my favorite zombie series of the year. It was a really interesting premise to me: Superheroes in post-zompocalypse L.A.? Sure, why the hell not? I expected a fun, light read. And this was that, kinda. But it was a little more, too. It had some storytelling weaknesses, but I really liked the characters and the world; I ended up quickly devouring all four books in this series and I look forward to the fifth.

My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

This was the start of a funny and interesting series. I ended up reading all of them that are out so far and will definitely pick up the next. It's a very different take on the typical zombie mythos, addressed in a very irreverent fashion, and yet it made for a really compelling story and I ended up quite interesting in Angel and her Zombie white trash zombie blues.

Out of Darkness by Jason D. Morrow

To be honest, I was kinda "meh" about this first book in this trilogy by about halfway through it. But I'm glad I stuck with it and read the next two, because I was definitely emotionally invested in the characters and their world by book three. Overall: Not brilliant or amazing, but still a good story.

But wait, there's more!

There were, obviously, many other books I read in 2014 that didn't fit these categories. A few other favorites:

The Silent Grove by David Gaider

A graphic novel trilogy sequel to my most favoritest video game ever? YES, PLEASE.

Perdition by Ann Aguirre

It can't be easy to build characters the reader can relate to when you set your series in a prison full of hard-core lifers. But, as usual, Ann Aguirre has created a really interesting world and characters in her latest series. You really want to root for Dred and her crew, even if they are killers and cons. The second book, Havoc, was great, too. Can't wait for Breakout. I'll miss these characters when they're gone. (Note: This is set in the same universe as Aguirre's Grimspace series, which I would also recommend, But you don't need to have read those to completely enjoy these.)

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich

Nope, I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of the hilariously ridiculous adventures of Stephanie Plum, Bounty Hunter, and her certifiably insane family and friends.

Heist Society by Ally Carter

This YA series was not exactly what I expected when I picked up the first book. But I liked it a lot. I love outrageous "heist stories" so I thought all of the books in this series were a blast. I ended up reading her "Spy Girls" YA series, too. Somewhat silly, but also fun.

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews

I love everything I've ever read by Ilona Andrews and she's on this year's book list several times. In addition to this most recent book in the Kate Daniels series, I re-read the whole series this year. For the third time. I don't re-read books a lot, because, well, so many books, so little time, right? But Kate and her world are just too awesome and I love re-visiting them. Can't wait for the next book in 2015.

Traveling with Your Octopus by Brian Kesinger

Since I have his art tattooed on my body, I might be biased. But I love all of Brian Kesinger's publications. (I even have his coloring book!) Santa brought me this latest Otto and Victoria adventure this year and it's absolutely gorgeous.

The Whole Shebang
12 months, 78 books, 19,364 pages