Am I overselling it with that post title? Possibly.

This was another eclectic year for honored books. Two were underwhelming to me (One Whole and Perfect Day and Reposessed). Another was a delightful and unusual book of poetry (which reminds me, I still haven’t read any Sylvia Plath. Too many books, not enough time….). Dreamquake was not as good as the first book in the duology, but I still enjoyed it — but caution that you do need to read both, you can’t just jump in to the second, award-winning book.

This year’s winner, The White Darkness, was a strange and uncomfortable read. I’m not sure I would have picked it up, based on the description, but I’m glad I got the chance to read it. I think that’s why we need passionate librarians, who can get to know their patrons and encourage them to read interesting books that they might not choose on their own.