Top 5 NerdyGirl Books of 2009

It’s the time of year when everyone is making “best” lists. I always find it really difficult, because there are so many great books out there, it’s hard for me to pick. So I narrowed it down very specifically to genre works, published in 2009, that female readers will enjoy. I’m calling them “NerdyGirl” books.

#1: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Buy it now at Amazon). The Hunger Games became a sensation last year. A lot of people, myself included, thought that the sequel could never measure up, especially since the first book involved a televised fight to the death. But, after a bit of a slow start, Catching Fire grabs hold and never lets go. It’s truly amazing what Suzanne Collins has accomplished with this series. She’s proven how very awesome YA literature can be. There’s no doubt that the third book (to be released next Summer) will be one of the biggest hits of 2010.

#2: The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Buy it now at Amazon). Time columnist Lev Grossman’s first book was one of the most high-profile fantasy debuts this year. I was hesitant to put it on the list, however, because this was a list of NerdyGirl books. The Magicians is decidedly fanboy-centric. The man character grows up a huge fan of a CS Lewis-type book series, and when he gets accepted to magic school–he learns that it was all real, but not exactly what he expected. I’m not a big fan of the main character, or the ending of this novel, but it’s definitely worth a read. The beginning of the novel is so rich, and the dream-come-true element will strike a chord with anyone who grew up loving Narnia, or even Harry Potter.

#3: Soulless by Gail Carriger (Buy it now at at Amazon). TDF Pamela already put this book on her year-in-review post (see below), but I just can’t help mentioning it again. A novel with strong-willed female characters, werewolves, vampires, parasols, high-necked dresses, Queen Victoria and mad scientists really has it all. …Oh, and there’s romance too.

#4: Masterpiece Comics by R. Sikoryak (Buy it now at Amazon). You may have already seen some of Sikoryak’s literary and comic mash-ups over the last decade or so, but surely any collection that includes “Mephistofield” (a combination of Dr. Faustus and Garfield) deserves a second look. And, really, didn’t we always want Bazooka Joe to go to Dante’s Inferno? For a literary and comic book nerd like myself, this is Heaven.

#5: Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs by Molly Harper (Buy it now at Amazon). Though this book hasn’t been as popular as the others listed here, I’m throwing this up here anyhow. Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs is the story of Jane, a children’s librarian, who is fired from her job and ends up turned into a vampire when she very nearly meets an ignoble end. What I love about this is the voice, which sounds more like a Joss Whedon show than your typical romance novel. Plus, it’s a novel about job loss and vampires–what better sums up 2009 than that?

So that’s my list, what are your favourite books of 2009?