My best reads of 2007.

At the end of every year I count how many books I've read and how many were the best. This year I've read 67 books and 18 of those I regard as very good which is 26% of the total. They were (in no particular order)
Lies of Locke Lamora
Ysabel
Well of shades
Black sun rising and its sequels
Temeraire Throne of Jade
Temeraire Black Powder war
Notes on a scandal - the only non-fantasy (from my reading group)
Ptolemy's gate
Harry Potter and the Deathly hallows
Never let me go
Voices
Shadowplay
The Fourth bear
Crown of stars
The Sharing Knife
Fatal Revenant

Not a bad year :)

PS - have no idea why Harry Potter and the Donaldson have no Touchstone and the Voices is Ursula LeGuin

My favorite fantasy reads this year were:

Fevre Dream
The Mists of Avalon
War for the Oaks: A Novel
First Among Sequels: A Thursday Next Novel
Ysabel
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

I'm not sure how many books I read this year. I am going to try and keep count for next year.

We agree on Ysabel. I am interested in how many others will have it on their "best of the year" list.

I discovered the Artemis Fowl YA fantasies in 2007 and had a great time with them, but my favorite fantasy of the year was The Lions of al-Rassan. I read Ysabel and, while it was good, it wasn't a favorite.

In 2007 I liked:

Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey
Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg
Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
Acacia by David Anthony Durham
Maledicte by Lane Robins
Fortress of Ice by C. J. Cherryh
Territory by Emma Bull
Alchemist's Apprentice by Dave Duncan
The Mirador by Sarah Monette
A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik

I'd also like to add two fantasy romances--
Lord of the Fading Lands & Lady of Light and Shadows by C. L. Wilson

Added later (I'm horribly forgetful as well as disorganized... so no doubt I'll be reminded of some good books I read...)--

Inda by Sherwood Smith
The Fox by Sherwood Smith
Beguilement --The Sharing Knife, Book 1 by Lois McMaster Bujold
Legacy - The Sharing Knife Book 2 by Lois McMaster Bujold
(hmm... there's a third book coming out in the spring...)

(gah... not having any luck with the touchstones lately!)

My best fantasy reads of 2007 were the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik and The Eternal Rose by Gail Dayton.

My favourite fantasy reads came right at the end of the year and sread into 2008 - The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ysabel too, but I liked The Sarantine Mosaic books better (Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors).

I also discovered Terry Pratchett through LT and am enjoying the Discworld books.

My favourite kids lit fantasy was Tom's Midnight Garden which was a re-read for me and a new read for my kids.

I'm just echoing other people - I clearly don't many oriignal reading impulses but I also really enjoyed the Temeraire series, Mesluine + sequels, Swordspoint and it's companion, and The Lies of Locke Lamora although I'm petrified to read the next in case it loses direction and goes horribly downhill.

Here are some of my favorites for this year. (Sorry for all the YAs, I'm a YA Librarian) In a fairly random order:
White Night by Jim Butcher
Ill Wind by Rachel Caine
Quantum Prophecy: The Awakening by Michael Carroll (YA)
Hood by Stephen Lawhead
Terrier: The Legend of Beka Cooper by Tamora Pierce (YA)
Nightlife by Rob Thurman
Fables vol.1-8 by Bill Willingham (Graphic Novels)

Oh! When I posted above (#3), I totally forgot to mention the Harry Dresden series, which I discovered this year also. I read the first 3 and am loving it (and Harry). (And Bob.) (And Mister.)

By far and away my best discovery of 2007 was Innocent mage and the sequel awakened mage, by an author new to me, whom I'm going to keep a very close eye on for future work. I believe there is a new novel due this spring.

Other favourites various pratchett and some Jim Butcher, plus Last of the wilds by another austrailian author Trudi Canavan

Janny Wurts's Hell's chasm and Sorcerer's legacy made it to 4* along with the short story collection Legends I

My outstanding fantasy of 2007 was Inda by Sherwood Smith. I had to go out and buy the sequel The Fox in hardback straight away.

Flesh and spirit by Carol Berg and The sharing knife by Lois McMaster Bujold came a close second.

Thanks for the reminder! I really enjoyed--
The Fox by Sherwood Smith as well!

(grrr... what's with the author touchstones lately???)

mrkgnao -I've just finished Red seas under red skies and while it isn't quite as good as the first one, quite as good is still pretty good. Gambling, politics and pirates! And a kitten that Locke determinedly tells he is not getting attached to (you can guess the rest).

Fatal Revenant was the blockbuster (for me) of the year. I had been waiting a long time for it.

I also spent a lot of time on the discworld.

I am the Messenger and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
Romeo's Ex by Lisa Fiedler
The Pilgrims of Rayne by D.J. MacHale
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
My Sister's Keeper and The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
The Return of Jonah Grey by Heather Cochran
Sabriel by Garth Nix
The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
I haven't been reading much fantasy, I see... :D

Many thanks, Infjsarah. I did actually crack and buy the book but it's just sitting there, looking at me and flicking it pages temptingly. Anyway, I'm reassured - you can't go wrong with pirates!

Makes me sad that I couldn't get into Lies of Locke Lamora...!

Ah, well... Sherwood Smith's The Fox was pirate-y, at least. *sigh*

{bleh, touchstones still wonky...}

Ack, I'm leading us off topic ... but I'm curious. Why couldn't you get into The Lies of Locke Lamora? I found it some of the most enjoyable fantasy I've read for a while.

I'm not actually sure why I didn't like it--I tried reading it a while back. I think I didn't like the main character or the story (heheh--that would do it, I suppose!). Perhaps I should try it again sometime, just to see if I was in a pissy mood or something (although it's rare that I dislike a book, I have to say! I seriously can read a phone book pretty happily). I know people have absolutely loved it. Maybe I should look at it again--at least to find out why I didn't care for it. I just remember not at all enjoying it and putting it down in frustration. *sigh*

Not to blow my own brass instrument but I wrote quite a long review of it here: http://ferretbrain.com/articles/article-194.html - although it rapidly degenerated into a childish commentary on the fact that Scott Lynch looks a bit like he ought to be at a Renaissance Fair which I'm a bit ashamed about and not that I'm suggesting that a detailed breakdown of why I quite liked it is likely to change your mind -P

I have to admit I'm struggling a bit with Red Seas - some of things that seemed mildly problematic in the first book but were dismissed in the general novelty and excitement are starting to bug the heck out of me. And I'm starting to think that maybe I can't stand the main character either; which is a shame because not liking Locke does sort of render the books unreadable since they are, in essence, a paean to his cool.

Heheheh... read your review. I think perhaps I took offense at the book because the author should be at a Ren-Faire instead of writing dialogue such as , "Oh, please"???

It takes a VERY cool character to satisfy me these days. More often I start finding them obnoxious and full of themselves, rather than even vaguely interesting... *sigh*

aprillee - based on shared books and a few other titles, for way cool characters with depth, I recommend:

Kristine Smith's Jani Killian series, beginning with Code of Conduct - bear with the opening, like Inda it's worth it.

Sarah Zettel - Isavalta series, any book, nice love stories, great character, good backdrop. You like Bujold, you may enjoy this author.

If you haven't read Jennifer Roberson's Tiger and Del series - grab it. Awesome quick read, great characters. Book one would be Sword Dancer

Oh poor Scott Lynch! I quite like the natural, modern sounding dialogue - I'm running out of patience of ponderous and pointless medievalisms.

JannyWurts--Thank you so much for your recommendations! (I've long enjoyed both your writing and your artwork, btw.)
I have one of Kristine Smith's books in my TBR pile--it will be the first I've tried by her.
I also have a Sarah Zettel--again--no previous experience, but I'll be looking forward to reading it now.
And I'll keep an eye out for Sword Dancer.

mrkgnao--- heheh... well, I may be in the mood for the contemporary dialogue someday and will try reading Scott Lynch again.

..and I almost forgot, The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. It's the third in the Attolia series and it's even more subtle and devious than the first two.

I loved "Ptolemy's Gate" myself. tell me what you thought of it?
Thanks.
patryclus

re: Ptolemy's gate. I liked the way J. Stroud played with your expectations in this series. You expect Nathaniel to be the good guy and Bartimaus to be the bad guy but by the second book you realise it is in fact mostly the other way around. And that you like Bartimaus rather more than you like Nathaniel!

'scar night.' not an easy start but fantastic nonethe less!