2010 Roundup

I've been struggling with choosing a top 10 list for 2010.  There were so many great reads, that it's been so hard to narrow it down to such a short list.  A huge THANKS to Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner for creating this awesome end of year survey! It was exactly what I needed to get my thoughts in order.  So, if you haven't been over to her blog yet, get clicking and check it out.

Best book of 2010?
For me the best book of 2010 had memorable characters, snappy dialog, and a world that I didn't want to leave.  In fact, I didn't want to stop reading because I wanted to stay in that world a bit longer, so I kept going back to reread different scenes.  The Demon’s Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan was that book.  It took weeks for it to get out of my head and more than 7 months later I still find myself taking it off the shelf to read favorite scenes.

Least favorite (or worst) book of 2010? 
Honest answer - I’m not sure.  There were books I thought were bad, not great, simply okay but not one that I could point to and say “that’s the worst of 2010.” I try to find at least one good thing about each book I read.  Maybe that’s a copout answer, but that’s how I feel. 

                                                                                                    

But, if you ask me what my least favorite book I read this year was, it was Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast.  I know a lot of people love this series, it just isn’t for me.


Most disappointing book of 2010?
Infinity: Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  I just expected a lot more from the author.


Most surprising (in a good way) book of 2010?
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.  Okay, I love fantasy, that's not a secret.  But, I wasn't really sure how much I would like Incarceron, it was my first serious dystopian read.  But the writing was just amazing and the world building terrific.  And there wasn't any explicit romance, it was all super subtle/make of it what you will, which suited the story beautifully.


Other books that surprised me were: 
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, for the relationships and the story within the story.
You by Charles Benoit, for the second person point of view and the intense but sparse prose.

Book you recommended to people most in 2010?
Recommending books is part of my job, so this list could get long really fast.  But, if I take out all the work related recommendations, the books I rec the most are: The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (the whole series really, but since The Thief is the first book that's the one that actually gets put into hands), Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Mistwood by Leah Cypess, The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan and The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.


Best series you discovered in 2010?
The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa - a series that just keeps getting better and better!


Favorite new authors you discovered in 2010?
Leah Cypess, Julie Kagawa, Heidi R. Kling, Lauren Oliver and Rachel Hawkins - all debut authors in 2010, all authors who are now on my "automatic buy" list.


Most hilarious read of 2010?
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.  Two words - Tiny Cooper!  Although recently, Dash and Lily's Book of Dares was funny too.

Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2010?
Maybe not most thrilling, but the most unputdownable book: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.  I read it in two days and by the time I got to the end, I was in tears - partly because of the ending and partly because I was emotionally drained.  Plus, Ms Oliver grew up not too far from me - a town or two over from where I lived as a teen - so the characters really felt like people I could have gone to high school with or run into at the Dunkin Donuts or the mall.  


Book you most anticipated in 2010?
There were a bunch of books that I couldn't wait to read in 2010:
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
White Cat by Holly Black
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl and
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megah Whalen Turner  topped my list.


Favorite cover of a book you read in 2010?
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Most memorable character in 2010?

I feel like there are expectations to answer Katniss or maybe even Rose (from Vampire Academy) and while I like both of them - they are both unforgettable characters - they were't the most memorable.  So to me one of the most memorable characters I read in 2010 was Mae from The Demon's Covenant.  She's feisty, a bit bossy, loves her brother dearly, knows how to diffuse a tense situation, and can help pull together an army of fighters.  Plus she's got pink hair! And she gets to kiss 3 guys, all in the same book.  Mae has gotten some heat for all that kissing, but I think she's young, smart and makes good decisions most of the time - she deserves some fun! Plus, if she was a guy, she's be getting pats on the back.  

I like Mae so much that I named my kitten after her because she shows some of the same qualities - she's stubborn and thinks she's in charge.  After being left behind by her mama and litter mates when she was only a couple weeks old (I have a feeling she was the runt of the litter and she has extra toes, so she was abandoned), she managed to find a hiding spot in my back garden and meowed/cried loudly for 3 days before she finally came out and adopted me (much like Mae and Jamie adopt the Ryves brothers). (I tried to find a cute picture, but Mae hates having her picture taken and actually runs away when she sees the camera)  


Most beautifully written book in 2010?
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater. Lyrical and pitch perfect in my opinion.  I can't wait to see how she wraps up Sam and Grace's story in Forever.

Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2010?
This is a hard one, but the book that had the greatest impact on me was Sea by Heidi Kling.  Sea is about the aftermath of the tsunami in Indonesia combined with the story of Sienna (Sea) dealing with the loss of her mother, facing her fears and finding romance in the most unexpected of places.  Sea is a book that really shows what the aftermath of a devastating event is like for people - from the residents who are directly affected to responders and people halfway around the world.  It also is a book about finding beauty and love among the chaos and while grieving.  Ms. Kling does a masterful job of combining all of the elements together.


Book you can't believe you waited until 2010 to finally read?

The Silver Kiss and Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause 
and The Changeover by Margaret Mahy.  All three were out when I was a teen, but I didn't read them until this past year which is a shame because my teen self would have really enjoyed them.