Another year, another top 10 list:
Best zombie love story
Jane Austen reached the 21st century in a whole new way with “”Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance – Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!”” by Seth Grahame-Smith, mashing the timeless love story with the everyday fear of having to squelch a zombie attack.
Best book for bros
Barney Stinson may be a fictional character on “”How I Met Your Mother””, but his hit book “”The Bro Code”” is hilarious and true to his style. A collection of the most important rules for those with a Y chromosome, Stinson is not afraid to go there.
Worst book title innuendo
Though “”Strip & Knit with Style”” is one of the more intriguing titles for a book, author Mark Hordyszynski disappointingly was referring to strips of clothing. The book helps you put together clothes to put them on, not to take them off.
Book written for the money
Let’s face it: J.K. Rowling wrote “”Tales of Beedle the Bard,”” a collection of fairy tales mentioned in “”Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,”” purely to make bank off the Harry Potter franchise. Of course, every cent was donated to charity, but still.
Most disappointing celebrity autobiography
A generation of fans were anticipating Sean Connery’s autobiography, “”Being a Scot,”” and all of them were disappointed when they found out it was one generic chapter of Connery going from milkman to actor followed by 300 pages of Scottish history.
Best book with the solution to global warming
“”Ten Technologies to Save the Planet”” by Chris Goodall talks about the most cutting-edge ideas that are happening right now to make the world a greener place, without the bullshit. Some are pretty standard, like electric cars, while others, like efficient ways to generate energy from the ocean, are brand new possibilities.
Book most likely to be made into a Lifetime original movie
Jodi Picoult has written another heartfelt drama, “”Handle with Care.”” It follows a regular family that has a child born with a serious disease: extremely brittle bones. The mom sues the doctor because she feels she could’ve gotten an abortion if she had known about it sooner. Drama. Family struggle. Female lead. What else is there?
Book most likely to make your head hurt
“”Anathem”” by Neal Stephenson is near a whopping 1,000 pages and weaves a wild story of invented words and in-depth characters in a futuristic world where the most intelligent people are in communes closely watched by the political heads. Add in aliens and real conversations about philosophy, physics and math, and it is science fiction at its best.
Worst final book in a series
Even though “”Twilight”” came out in 2005, it wasn’t until last year’s “”Breaking Dawn”” that everyone else in the country finally caught on that there was a craze. Millions of girls hurried to catch up with the popular vampire gossip and many were disappointed by the poor writing, contrived happy-ending plot, and a heroine who had no desire to actually be her own hero.
Book you’ve never heard of that was brilliant
“”Insects Are Just Like You and Me Except Some of Them Have Wings”” by Kuzhali Manickavel is a fantastic collection of (very) short stories unlike any other. It plays with words and reality in ways that make you crazy and impressed, plus it’s funny and, seriously, just that good.
