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What Was Your Favorite Book Published in 2010?

December 15, 2010 by Nathan Bransford 135 Comments

It’s been a great year in books, whether you were reading pixels or ink, and it’s always fun to look back at the year that was.

Two books that were of great significance to me in my former life as an agent (and current life as major fan of my former clients) were released in 2010, Jennifer Hubbard’s The Secret Year and Lisa Brackmann’s Rock Paper Tiger, and both belong on every best-of year-end list ever anywhere as they’re quite thoroughly awesome.

If I had to choose a non-former-client book that was my favorite of 2010, well, I’d have to go with the overdog and cast my vote for Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom.

What about you?

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: book recommendations, You Tell Me

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. laurasibson says

    December 16, 2010 at 2:08 am

    I can't do favorites. I can never choose just one. So it has to be a three-way tie between Matthew Quick's SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR, Jandy Nelson's THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE and Jennifer Donnelly's REVOLUTION.

    Reply
  2. Jim Bessey says

    December 16, 2010 at 2:27 am

    My vote goes to Lee Child's latest Jack Reacher novel, "Worth Dying For".
    Pure it's-a-guy-thing pleasure to read.

    Reply
  3. Terin Tashi Miller says

    December 16, 2010 at 2:53 am

    Can't help weighing in on this one. You did leave it wide-open, and at least one commenter mentioned a self-published novella.

    So. My favorite book that came out in 2010?

    "Down The Low Road," by me.

    Watch out, Franzen…:)

    Reply
  4. Beckony says

    December 16, 2010 at 3:13 am

    2010 was a really good year, but my favorite was Finny by Justin Kramon. It was gorgeously written, a joy to read, and only the third book ever to make me cry.

    Reply
  5. Susan Cushman says

    December 16, 2010 at 3:25 am

    "The End of the World As We Know It" by Robert Goolrick and My Reading Life by Pat Conroy. For 2009: Lit by Mary Karr and The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

    Reply
  6. Donna Weaver says

    December 16, 2010 at 4:04 am

    "The Towers of Midnight" by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.

    Reply
  7. Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado says

    December 16, 2010 at 4:11 am

    There were many great books written in 2010 and mine (Magic Made in Mexico) can't hold a candle to most but nonetheless, it was absolutely my very favorite! The "best" book? ROOM gets my vote.

    Reply
  8. wendy says

    December 16, 2010 at 6:29 am

    I've read nada books that were published this year. Too busy being a full-time carer for my mother. Some of those mentioned sounded my thing, though. Freedom, I'm curious about.

    Reply
  9. Myrna Foster says

    December 16, 2010 at 6:47 am

    I love getting recommendations from the comments. It looks like I need to read ROOM and FREEDOM. My favorite was ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, by Stephanie Perkins, but there were a lot of great ones this year.

    Reply
  10. hannah says

    December 16, 2010 at 9:08 am

    HER AND ME AND YOU by Lauren Strasnick.

    Reply
  11. hannah says

    December 16, 2010 at 9:10 am

    Oh, and hellis72–BREAK was 2009, but thank you so, so much.

    Reply
  12. Dan Holloway says

    December 16, 2010 at 10:12 am

    The Dead Beat by Cody James
    https://eightcuts.wordpress.com/collaborate/coming-in-2010/the-dead-beat-by-cody-james/
    A heartbreaking, hilarious, humane story of a dead beat trying – and by and large failing – to get his life in order in late 90s San Francisco – given the setting, maybe one you'd enjoy, Nathan

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    December 16, 2010 at 11:22 am

    Pat Conroy's MY READING LIFE. Conroy knows how to put a word in its place.

    Reply
  14. Timothy Fish says

    December 16, 2010 at 1:52 pm

    Whosoever Will from B&H Academic.

    Reply
  15. Elena says

    December 16, 2010 at 2:34 pm

    "Just Kids" by Patti Smith

    Reply
  16. Anonymous says

    December 16, 2010 at 3:43 pm

    Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin

    Reply
  17. Anonymous says

    December 16, 2010 at 4:02 pm

    My favorite was the Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. The breadth of it was amazing. Plus, it had a monkey named William Pitt.

    Reply
  18. Laurie Boris says

    December 16, 2010 at 4:22 pm

    The Help was stultifyingly good (although I think it came out last year?) I wanted to love Freedom. I enjoy Franzen's writing style but I hated all of the characters. Just wanted to slap them. And I felt he was making fun of a couple of characters…looking down on them. That really turned me off. On the bright side, I'm getting some great ideas for what to read next from all of these comments!

    Reply
  19. Michelle says

    December 16, 2010 at 4:24 pm

    My favorite book of 2010 is the one that I've written, but you did say "published"….

    I'll have to go with "Scumble," by Ingrid Law. It's the second book in an MG series.

    Reply
  20. M.E. Pickett says

    December 16, 2010 at 4:24 pm

    I guess I'll have to put in a plug for the book I'm reading right now:

    THE PASSAGE by Justin Cronin

    It's the first book that has ever made me miss by subway stop.

    Reply
  21. Layla Morgan Wilde says

    December 16, 2010 at 5:13 pm

    Only one? After reading and posting photos of 200+ books over the past year, it's all a blur. I'm currently reading The Help and loving it.

    Reply
  22. Random Chick says

    December 16, 2010 at 8:26 pm

    You get so many damn comments not sure you'll even read this one but here's mine:

    "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary" By David Sedaris

    Reply
  23. Lyn Miller-Lachmann says

    December 16, 2010 at 8:38 pm

    One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia.

    Reply
  24. N. Gemini Sasson says

    December 16, 2010 at 9:32 pm

    A DOG'S PURPOSE, by Bruce Cameron.

    Reply
  25. chloe says

    December 16, 2010 at 10:17 pm

    THE LAST DAYS OF PTOLEMY GREY by Walter Mosley. FREEDOM was two hundred pages too long, full of unlikeable characters and a wee bit too much in love with itself. Sorry.

    Reply
  26. cwsherwoodedits says

    December 16, 2010 at 11:53 pm

    For adult books, a tie between The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender and Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue.

    For YA, The Death Day Letter by Shaun David Hutchison.

    For MG, Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord

    Reply
  27. Anonymous says

    December 17, 2010 at 3:45 am

    Like you, Nathan, I loved "Freedom"–the story, the characterizations, and was blown away by the brilliance of the writing in handling the time frames. What a talent! Also loved "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" for the same reasons, which I also read in this year. But then I like BIG books. Unfortunately, publishers don't.

    Reply
  28. Clare WB says

    December 17, 2010 at 3:50 am

    I wrote the comment about
    "Freedom" and "Kavalier and Clay". Not sure why my comments published as anonymous. No doubt my lack of skills with anything technical. Have a Happy Holiday, Nathan. Thanks for keeping up your blog. We miss your agent tips, but still enjoy hearing from you.
    Clare WB

    Reply
  29. Other Lisa says

    December 17, 2010 at 5:57 am

    Thanks for the kind words for ROCK PAPER TIGER. As Jennifer said, that was a pretty meaningful one for me too! It wouldn't have happened without you (Nathan) and I am continually gratified by the responses the book has received.

    Loved THE SECRET YEAR, and Jenn, one of these days I'm going to come to your neck of the woods and get it autographed.

    I want to read FREEDOM and ROOM but haven't yet. I am terrible at remembering what I read and favorite anythings, but a book that made a big impression on me this year (though not published this year) was NEVER LET ME GO. Powerful like a depth charge…

    Reply
  30. Geoff says

    December 17, 2010 at 5:07 pm

    I'm really loving China Mieville's KRAKEN, but I haven't quite finished it yet.

    Reply
  31. Francy says

    December 17, 2010 at 8:00 pm

    The Poet-John Serpent-available on Kindle-Amazon or https://stephenstoller.com
    I became hysterical crying at the end-I had no idea that a book can do this anymore/I traveled with the Poet M THROUGH TWO-HUNDRED PAGES-past/violence/ hope and futility/Aids/drugs/sex /it sings and I appreciate when an auther can ring the reader out.

    Reply
  32. Steve Bradley says

    December 19, 2010 at 4:06 am

    "Elegies for the Brokenhearted" by Christie Hodgen. I bought it on a whim after reading a short blurb about it on a blog. I was intrigued by the fact it is written in second person. It's not the sort of material I usually read, but I loved it so much I read all of Hodgen's back catalog and enjoyed it as well.

    Reply
  33. Denise says

    December 19, 2010 at 9:05 am

    I've read so many great books this year, but the one that still lingers is FINNY by Justin Kramon. An incredible debut novel by such a talented young writer. The book made me laugh and cry–all on one page. I'll be recommending this one for a long time.

    Reply
  34. Marjorie says

    December 19, 2010 at 7:44 pm

    The "marjorie-cartoons":

    https://marjorie-cartoons.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-holidays.html

    Reply
  35. Barrywrites.blogspot.com says

    December 24, 2010 at 2:05 am

    My best read, by far, is The Fountain Head by Ayn Rand

    Reply
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