Monday, December 13, 2010

2010 Reading Wrap Up

Again, I had a great reading year. There are so many books to read both old and new that I will never get to them all. But that just means I'll never run out of great reading material. I am sad to say that I did not meet my own personal 5x4 Reading Challenge goal but I did read 100+ books this year. Perhaps I'll do better next year on my personal challenge.

Absolute favorites of 2010:

The Art of Racing in the Rain
Elvis and the Dearly Departed review
Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck review
Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
The Three Miss Margaret's review
The Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright review
Thereby Hangs a Tale by Spencer Quinn review
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley review
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin review
The Double Comfort Safari Club review
Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin review

Other Favorites:
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot review
Jackdaws by Ken Follett review
Master of None by Sonya Bateman review
The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin review
Snow Angels by James thompson review
The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke review
To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn review
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris review

Books out of my comfort zone:
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
Nineteen Minutes by Judy Pichoult

Books I just knew I would like but didn't so much:
And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer

Some of my least favorites:
The Gate House by Nelson DeMille
Falling Man by Don DiLillo
The Front by Patricia Cornwell

Perpetual Page turner is hosting an end-of-year survey that I'm going to take a crack at:

Best Book of 2010
I had a hard time choosing the best book I read in 2010 but decided on Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck. No, it would be Pride and Prejudice. Wait, really it's Shepherd of the Hills....

Worst Book of 2010
I thought I would never get through The Gate House by Nelson DeVille, but The Falling Man was even worse for me. I didn't know anything about the Falling Man or it's author so I wasn't particularly disappointed. However I've read several books by DeVille and just knew I'd like this one. :(

Most Disappointing Book of 2010
And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer . I just knew I would love this. It wasn't nearly as funny, to me, as the books that came befor it.

Most Surprising (in a good way) Book of 2010
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley . I was surprised by how very much I liked this book.

Book You Recommended to People Most in 2010
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. This was such an interesting book, it was a great read all the way around.

Best Series You Discovered in 2010
Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. I read Mistress of the Art of Death and was transported to Adelia's world. I found the next two as soon as I could and read them.

Favourite New Authors I Discovered in 2010
Ariana Franklin, Spencer Quinn,Tana French, Alan Bradly

Most Hilarious Read of 2010
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. His books always make me laugh.


Most Thrilling, Unputdownable Book of 2010
Void Moon by Michael Connelly. This was a great mystery.


Book You Most Anticipated in 2010
The Likeness by Tana French. I read Into the Woods and enjoyed it so I was really looking forward to the next book.

Favourite Cover of a Book Read in 2010


I loved the cover of The Wake of Forgiveness, I thought it was beautiful. The cover of Elvis and the Dearly Departed made me laugh. Both are among my favorites.




Most Memorable Character in 2010
Flavia de Luce from The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Most Beautifully Written Book in 2010
The Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright. This is a book I read every so often and love it more each time.

Book That Had the Greatest Impact on You in 2010
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. This affected me in several ways. It has caused me to want to read more books like this, historical fiction.

Book You Can't Believe You Waited UNTIL 2010 to Finally Read
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin This was my first read of this great book. I loved the humor.

New Favourite Book Blog Discovered in 2010
I can't choose just one!

Favourite Review I Wrote in 2010
Just from skimming a few, I like my retro review of The Hours by Michael Cunningham (click to read).

Best Discussion You Had on Your Blog
I enjoyed the Monday Mailbox and It's Monday, What Are You Reading? memes. I have found several great books through these. It is always interesting to me to see what others are reading.

Most Thought-Provoking Review or Discussion You Read on Someone's Blog
Hummmmm.......

Best Event That You Participated In
It would have to be the memes that I participate in. They are all fun.

Best Moment of Book Blogging in 2010
I found the gadget that posts flags from the countries of people who visited your blog. Wow!

Best Bookish Discovery
That our library now has a digital branch and I can borrow audio books for my iPod! I am getting a Nook for Christmas and will be trying to figure out how to borrow books for it as well.

If you participate in this survey, leave your link in the comments field. I'd love to read your responses :)

1 comment:

Teddyree said...

Totally agree with you, so many good books and not enough hours in the day :)

I love reading everyone's best of list and taking note of their favourites. The Art of Racing in the Rain is one I plan on reading this year & The Sweetness At the Bottom Of the Pie!