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?
"The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" by Aimee Bender or "Sum: 40 Tales From The Afterlives" by David Eagleman. Also, "The Hunger Games" books.
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadry
well, it's not a book, but it's the only 2010 publication I've purchased this year.
This was the first year I subscribed to the new yorker.
I read Freedom based on your recommendation. I'm apparently just not a Johnathan Franzen fan. I do think he's a brilliant writer, but I can't say I enjoyed the book. I appreciated it from an intellectual standpoint, but not really in an "I love this book!" kind of way. I felt the same way about The Corrections.
I think The Secret Year sounds more like my thing. I still need to read it!
Paige Shelton's Farm Fresh Murder. Great mystery. Awesome writing.
Paige Shelton's Farm Fresh Murder. Great mystery. Awesome writing.
I just finished A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, by Lauren Grodstein.
Hands down, best I've read all year.
Room by Emma Donoghue of The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff.
Quite honestly, I haven't read it yet, but it's set in a place I know well. OLD WORLD MURDER by Kathleen Ernst. I hope to read it soon. It's very cool that the setting is an actual real place I know every inch of.
yay! I love this Q – I always get such good recs.
My fave this year was How To Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
totally awesome and brilliant. hilarious and heartbreaking.
Adult best: It's a tie
ROOM by Emma Donoghue
and
THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman
YA best: THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson.
That's a tough one to answer. I have read so many great books this year. I guess I would say Mary E. Pearson's THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX. That was pretty great. But I love James Dashner's work as well.
Room by Emma Donghue
Dust by Joan Francis Turner
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
and Punk Minneapolis by Peter Joseph Swanson
I have to agree with you Nathan-Freedom was the best book I read this year. I think it lived up to the hype and then some.
I'm telling everyone I know about WHO FEARS DEATH by Nnedi Okorafor. A must-read for its compelling and strong female protagonist.
I read several books this year but only one was published in 2010 – a writing book – Showing & Telling by Laurie Alberts. Scenes and summaries are discussed in detail in this informative book.
For writing purposes, I was gathering data for a future novel while travelling this year. My fiction reading only included a few 2009 books, but I'm thinking of perhaps picking up Franzen's FREEDOM in the near future.
I still have one Hemingway, one M. Atwood, and D. Galbaldon waiting to be read. Eventually, I'll catch up.
I'm kinda over the whole Franzen writing the best book ever thing. I tried the Corrections and hated it.
I'd have to say Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver was brilliant and I'm surprised it hasn't shown up here yet. She's an amazing writer and her next book Delirium will totally put her in the top of her game.
She's one to watch.
Don't know if it was published in 2010, but the best book I read this past year was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (and the two follow-ups). Fabulous author who is no longer with us…sad.
Mockingjay !
THE CANDIDATES, by Inara Scott (YA paranormal)
I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU SOMEONE ELSE, by Erin McCahan (YA contemporary)
THE VEIL OF NIGHT, by Linda Howard (confession: I only read a couple of adult books this year — adult romantic suspense)
Uh, did you read Freedom? Terrible book.
This year, the best read was Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey. It's become an all-time favorite.
Other awesome books were Memory Wall by Anthony Doerr and Bloodroot by Amy Greene.
Linger by Maggie Steifvater. It's the second in her Wolves of Mercy Falls series, and they are the kind of books you run out and buy for anyone you think might read them, because you know they're missing out if they don't.
Also, I read The Secret Year and thought it was phenomenal. It's a keeper.
Scott Westerfeld's YA steampunk adventure trilogy book 2, "Behemoth" (the first is "Leviathan").
Louise Curtis
Nic Pizzolatto's Galveston. Hands down.
I'm not done with Rock, Paper, Tiger yet, but it's wonderful. Wow.
And I'm waiting for A Secret Year to come out on e-book format.
I really enjoyed Terry Pratchett's Unseen Academicals. Supposedly it was published in 2009, but I read it in 2010, so that counts. I also re-read all of Jane Austen's books. They were pretty good too.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. No question. I've read that book four times since Amazon delivered it to my dorm the day it came out.
I agree THE SECRET YEAR by Jennifer Hubard was a great book! I can't wait for Jen's next book to come out.
I enjoyed so many great novels this year I can honestly say it was a good year for books.
Kings of the Earth by Jon Clinch
"Mockingjay" wasn't the ending I was hoping for, but I read it as a whole with the other two books and the Hunger Games trilogy just blew me away. Definitely the books I've burned through fastest this year.
SKIPPY DIES. Paul Murray.
The Passage, by Justin Cronin. Enough said.
In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut, published in 2010 and a Booker finalist. Stunning first/third-person narrative, disturbing and unapologetically intelligent.
I always have a hard time picking favorite books, especially over as long a time as a whole year. I read so many novels and nonfiction books.
But poetry doesn't get as much attention, so I'll call out an outstanding poetry book and an excellent verse novel I read this year:
BORROWED NAMES, by Jeannine Atkins
THREE RIVERS RISING, by Jame Richards
I agree about ROCK, PAPER, TIGER.
And finally, thank you not only for mentioning THE SECRET YEAR, but for supporting it from the beginning. It's been a book of great significance in my life as well! And I so appreciate the kind words from the commenters on this thread.
Hmm, toss up between Mockingjay and Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid.
PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ by A.S. King (YA fiction) was a huge hit both with my teenage son, his friends and me.
Changes by Jim Butcher. Harry & Mabs…nuff said.
Emma Donoghue's ROOM — brilliant!
We still have two weeks to go, Nathan! Who knows what might be published before New Year's Day?
I can't make up my mind yet, but I agree with Susan Kaye Quinn and Twittertales that Scott Westerfeld's YA steampunk novel BEHEMOTH is excellent.
You know, I don't think I read a single book that was published this year. I had enough books to read simply by going through my 2009 list that more books wasn't an option.
The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes and Cutting for Stone. I don't know when Stephenie Meyers' "The Host" came out but I just listened to it and, against expectations, really enjoyed the idea that the invaders were a better and kinder race than the humans.
LIVES LIKE LOADED GUNS: EMILY DICKINSON AND HER FAMILY'S FEUDS
OOps, The Help was great!
All the Girl Books…Tattoo, Fire through Hornet's Nest along with all three movies…
Loved The Poisoner's Handbook… by Deborah Blum and The Help. Didn't love Freedom.
Mockingjay.
The first two books blew my mind–the third was disappointing, but it was still a great book and the most eagerly anticipated title for me in YEARS.
Empire of the Summer Moon (NONfiction of course).
I was disappointed in more than I liked (The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, Freedoms, Mockinjay was so-so and sorry Nathan but I think Rock,Tiger was good but not great). I'm reading Grisham's The Confession now & it's really good but I think the surprise was I found a fantastic indie (sorry again Nathan!) and it was so good I just bought 2 paperbacks for Christmas gifts for friends of mine in Chgo (I read it as an ebook) because it's set in Chgo (I used to live there so that was fun too) and I even pd extra for faster shipping. It's January Moon and it was really very good. My husband is reading it now and he agrees.
Sorry, but I want to write about my non-favorite book. I know I am in the vast minority, but I think Freedom sucks, starting with the lame title. No question Franzen can write, but given how short and difficult life is, do I really need to spend countless hours reading about such uninspiring characters? The answer is no. We need writers who
lift our spirits, not depress them.
The Charlatan's Boy, by Jonathan Rogers.
MG frontier fantasy that is great for a the whole family as a read aloud.