From Committees of RUSA

 

The Reading List 2015

RUSA Reading List Council

RUSA Reading List Council members are Gillian Speace (chair), NoveList, Durham, North Carolina; Victoria Carlson Kemp (vice-chair), Flower Mound (TX) Public Library; Henry Bankhead, Los Gatos (CA) Library; Nanette Donohue, Champaign (IL) Public Library; Jennifer Hendzlik, Anythink Libraries, Adams County, Colorado; Jared L. Mills, Seattle Public Library; Janet Schneider, Bryant Library, Roslyn, New York; Ann Chambers Theis, Henrico County (VA) Public Library; and Valerie Taylor, librarian (retired).

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selections for the 2015 Reading List as well as the short lists and read-alikes. Established in 2007 by the CODES section of RUSA, The Reading List seeks to highlight outstanding genre fiction that merit special attention by general adult readers and the librarians who work with them.

The 2015 winners are:

Adrenaline

Beukes, Lauren. Broken Monsters. Mulholland (ISBN: 978-0-316-21682-1).

Detroit serves as the economically battered backdrop of this inventive, visceral suspense story about a series of bizarre murders that draws a group of memorable characters into a complex web of violence. Smart, stylish, and addictive, this page-turner shows how the American Dream has failed many on a personal level.

Read-alikes

• Koja, Kathe. Skin.
• Carrisi, Donato. The Whisperer.
• True Detective (HBO, 2014).

Short List

• King, Stephen. Mr. Mercedes. Scribner (ISBN: 978-1-4767-5445-1).
• Lee, Patrick. The Runner. Minotaur (ISBN: 978-1-250-03073-3).
• Nesbø, Jo. The Son. Knopf (ISBN: 978-0-385-35137-9)
• Koryta, Michael. Those Who Wish Me Dead. Little, Brown (ISBN: 978-0-316-12255-9).

Fantasy

Addison, Katherine. The Goblin Emperor. Tor (ISBN: 978-0-7653-2699-7).

Following the sudden, suspicious deaths of his entire family, exiled half-goblin Maia becomes emperor, a role requiring diplomacy and adherence to strict protocols. Focusing on the intricacies of court life, this elegant novel unfolds at a pace that allows readers to savor the rich tapestry of character, setting and plot.

Read-alikes

• Bujold, Lois McMaster. The Spirit Ring.
• Elliott, Kate. Cold Magic.
• Rawn, Melanie. The Ruins of Ambrai.

Short List

• Abercrombie, Joe. Half a King. Del Rey (ISBN: 978-0-8041-7832-7).
• Marmell, Ari. Hot Lead, Cold Iron. Titan (ISBN: 978-1-78116-822-6).
• Holmberg, Charlie N. The Paper Magician. 47 North (ISBN: 978-1-4778-2383-5).
• Johansen, Erika. The Queen of the Tearling. HarperCollins (ISBN: 978-0-06-229036-6).

Historical Fiction

Forsyth, Kate. Bitter Greens. Thomas Dunne (ISBN: 978-1-250-04753-3).

Banished from the court of Versailles, spirited Charlotte-Rose de la Force meets a nun who weaves together the strands that form the Rapunzel fairy tale, revealing its surprising origins. A captivating marriage of history and folklore featuring characters true to their time periods, yet timeless in their dreams and desires.

Read-alikes

• Dunant, Sarah. In the Company of the Courtesan.
• Valentine, Genevieve. The Girls at the Kingfisher Club.
• McIntyre, Vonda. The Moon and the Sun.

Short List

• Brown, Amy Belding. Flight of the Sparrow. NAL (ISBN: 978-0-451-46669-3).
• Griffith, Nicola. Hild. Farrar (ISBN: 978-0-374-28087-1).
• Burke, James Lee. Wayfaring Stranger. Simon & Schuster (ISBN: 978-1-4767-1079-2).
• Lawhon, Ariel. The Wife, the Maid and the Mistress. Doubleday (ISBN: 978-0-385-53762-9).

Horror

Buehlman, Christopher. The Lesser Dead. Penguin (ISBN: 978-0-425-27261-9)

Beneath the streets of 1970s New York, Joey meets the merry children, a gang of ancient child vampires, and discovers that immortality isn’t all fun and games. Gritty, clever, and gonzo, this fresh take on the vampire mythos gets darker and creepier as the pages turn.

Read-alikes

• Skipp, John, and Craig Spectorg. The Light at the End.
• Rowe, Michael. Enter Night.
• Wendig, Chuck. Double Dead.

Short List

• Thomas, Lee. Butcher’s Road. Lethe (ISBN: 978-1-59021-470-1).
• Hendrix, Grady. Horrorstör. Quirk (ISBN: 978-1-59474-526-3).
• Cantero, Edgar. The Supernatural Enhancements. Doubleday (ISBN: 978-0-385-53815-2).
• Cutter, Nick. The Troop. Orbit (ISBN: 978-1-4767-1771-5).

Mystery

Weaver, Ashley. Murder at the Brightwell. Minotaur (ISBN: 978-1-250-04636-9).

This classic English mystery follows Amory and her estranged husband, Milo, whose paths cross at a seaside resort where suspicious deaths implicate Amory’s former fiance, Gil. A vivid mystery that sparkles with personality as Amory and Milo puzzle out the truth behind the murders and negotiate their own complicated relationship.

Read-alikes

• Christie, Agatha. Tommy and Tuppence Series.
• Greenwood, Kerry. Cocaine Blues: A Phryne Fisher Mystery.
• Satterthwait, Walter. Escapade.

Short List

• Hayder, Mo. Wolf. Atlantic Monthly (ISBN: 978-0-8021-2250-6).
• Holsinger, Bruce. A Burnable Book. William Morrow (ISBN: 978-0-06-224032-3).
• Edwards, Graham. Talus and the Frozen King. Solaris (ISBN: 978-1-78108-199-0).
• Cameron, W. Bruce. The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man. Forge (ISBN: 978-0-7653-7748-7).

Romance

Dev, Sonali. A Bollywood Affair. Kensington (ISBN: 978-1-61773-013-9).

Comic misunderstandings ensue when playboy Bollywood director Samir travels to America to secure an annulment for his brother, married at age four to Mili in a traditional arranged Indian wedding ceremony. Appealing protagonists, a diverse supporting cast, and a colorful multicultural backdrop lend this charming story unexpected emotional depth.

Read-alikes

• Bride and Prejudice (Miramax Films, 2004).
• Freudenberger, Nell. The Newlyweds.
• Venkatraman, Sundari. The Malhotra Bride.

Short List

• Thomas, Sherry. My Beautiful Enemy. Berkley (ISBN: 978-0-425-26889-6).
• James, Julie. It Happened One Wedding. Jove (ISBN: 978-0-425-25127-0).
• McCarty, Monica. The Raider. Ballantine (ISBN: 978-0-345-54393-6).
• James, Eloisa. Three Weeks with Lady X. Avon (ISBN: 978-0-06-222389-0).

Science Fiction

Weir, Andy. The Martian. Crown (ISBN: 978-0-8041-3902-1).

Stranded on Mars, wisecracking botanist Mark Watney proves that an astronaut has to be smart, resourceful and, perhaps, a little crazy to survive. Strong characterization, well-researched but accessible technical detail, and a deft blend of suspense and humor will please science enthusiasts and fans of survival stories on any planet.

Read-alikes

• Gravity (Warner Brothers, 2013).
• Roach, Mary. Packing for Mars.
• Heinlein, Robert. Farmer in the Sky.

Short List

• VanderMeer, Jeff. Annihilation. FSG Originals (ISBN: 978-0-374-10409-2).
• Bach, Rachel. Fortune’s Pawn. Orbit (ISBN: 978-0-316-22111-5).
• Scalzi, John. Lock In. Tor (ISBN: 978-0-7653-7586-5).
• Sternbergh, Adam. Shovel Ready. Crown (ISBN: 978-0-385-34899-7).

Women’s Fiction

Walton, Jo. My Real Children. Tor (ISBN: 978-0-7653-3265-3).

Patricia Cowan, an elderly woman suffering from dementia, remembers two different lives, two different careers, two different families, and two different worlds. A striking novel of how tragedy turns to joy and heartbreak turns to love with a narrative twist that hooks the reader and never lets go.

Read-alikes

• Atkinson, Kate. Life After Life.
• Sliding Doors(Miramax Films, 1998).
• Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time Traveler’s Wife.

Short List

• Reid, Taylor Jenkins. After I Do. Washington Square (ISBN: 978-1-4767-1284-0).
• Jewell, Lisa. The House We Grew Up In. Atria (ISBN: 978-1-4767-0299-5).
• Moran, Caitlin. How To Build A Girl. Harper (ISBN: 978-0-06-233597-5).
• Umrigar, Thrity. The Story Hour. Harper (ISBN: 978-0-06-225930-1).