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?
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.
My vote goes to Lee Child's latest Jack Reacher novel, "Worth Dying For".
Pure it's-a-guy-thing pleasure to read.
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…:)
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.
"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.
"The Towers of Midnight" by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.
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.
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.
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.
HER AND ME AND YOU by Lauren Strasnick.
Oh, and hellis72–BREAK was 2009, but thank you so, so much.
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
Pat Conroy's MY READING LIFE. Conroy knows how to put a word in its place.
Whosoever Will from B&H Academic.
"Just Kids" by Patti Smith
Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia.
A DOG'S PURPOSE, by Bruce Cameron.
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.
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
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.
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
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…
I'm really loving China Mieville's KRAKEN, but I haven't quite finished it yet.
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.
"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.
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.
The "marjorie-cartoons":
https://marjorie-cartoons.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-holidays.html
My best read, by far, is The Fountain Head by Ayn Rand