2010 Reading
Whew, this was quite the year of reading for me. In 2008, I read 149 books. Last year, I finished 199. This year I was DETERMINED to hit a nice round number. 200 books for the win!
According to my unbelievably nerdy spreadsheet, I read 26,478 pages this year, which means my books were, on average, 298 pages long.
Looking over my books for the year, I’d say this was the year of Harry Potter (I reread all of them in the last five weeks), Jacky Faber, Janette Rallison, Ellen Emerson White, and Malcolm Gladwell. Not to mention the six trillion books I brought home from ALA Midwinter. I shall stain my pillow tonight with tears that I am not going this year.
And for my top ten books in 2010. . . I’ve got to say this wasn’t the best year for books. I read a lot of things I liked, but very few books that I just absolutely LOVED. Tragic. Nevertheless, I shall press on. In no particular order!
my top books in 2010
- What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (also Outliers)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
- Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge (review here) (also Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs)
- The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White (review here) (also her President’s Daughter series)
- Just One Wish by Janette Rallison (review here) (along with My Double Life)
- Matched by Ally Condie (review here)
- A Family of Readers: The Book Lover’s Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Literature by Roger Sutton and Martha Parravano
- Nightshade by Andrea Creamer (review here)
- Shiver
by Maggie Stiefvater (along with the sequel, Linger) - Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (review here)
by Maggie Stiefvater (along with the sequel, And if you’d like a printable copy of this list that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
What about you? What was your favorite book (or books. . . I’m not picky) in 2010?
Malcolm Gladwell is on my to-read pile and list; I only have The Tipping Point at home but plan to find the others at the library. Reading 200 books and becoming a mother makes 2010 a very good year for you.
Congrats on meeting your goal. I always read the most when I'm pregnant or nursing, lots of extra time laying around:-)
Ken and my boys have you to thank. I bought them all 3 of the Hunger Games Series for their beach reads over Christmas vacation and they loved them.
My favorites from this year:
Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden
After Dark, by Haruki Murakami
Twelve Angry Men, by Reginald Rose
The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
the Dresden Files series, by Jim Butcher
Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding
East, by Edith Pattou
The Boyfriend List, by E. Lockhart
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver
Empire, by Orson Scott Card
and Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
My favorite books from this year (that I've not read before) were: Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I plan on reading some stuff this year that isn't young adult literature. (Well, I'll read some of that too, but other stuff also.)
I am determined to read more this year, and I think I'll start with your top 10 list! I reread Deathly Hallows last month too, it was better than ever.
you astound me. 200 books!? you are a rockstar.
great list!
i loved shiver too, but thought linger was only so-so. i'm excited for the third one.
nightshade is on my list.
of course my 2010 book list is on my blog. 53 whole books! 🙂 haha.
happy 2011 to you!
My favorites of 2010, in no particular order:
Hunger Games Triology by Suzanne Collins
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
Darkness Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane
So looking forward to 2011!
It's interesting, the majority of the books I rated with five stars this year are non-fiction. I think I'm pickier about fiction; I want a great plot, characters, and writing to transport me. With non-fiction I'm just looking for interesting information presented in a coherent fashion.
I really, really loved The Devil in the White City.
I loved Outliers, too! Another favorite was The Glass Castle – so unbelievable, but really good.
Wow. Can we still be friends if the ONLY entire book I read in 2010 was Hunger Games!? Let's just say I have a hard time finishing what I start… And sleep gets the best of me when I pick up a book. Sad.
Wow!
I felt the same way: lots of books I liked very few that I loved. I did however love Countdown by Deborah Wiles.
I love Malcolm Gladwell…such an incredible writer!
xox
I'm reading Gladwell's What The Dog Saw: And Other Adventures (collection of essays) right now and loving it! I am totally impressed by your number of books. I think I might have read thirty at the most…
I am ALMOST at the top of the Finnikin of the Rock hold list and am SUPER excited to read it! Still working on my 2010 reading list…
SLOB
I was gripped thoroughly by Jellicoe Road this year and am looking forward to Finnikin on the Rock.
My surprise favorite book this year was The Agony and the Ecstasy. I am utterly in awe of Michelangelo.
I too felt it was a year of good, enjoyable books (or books that I just could. not. finish.) but not a year of GREAT books. I'd say What the Dog Saw is in my top 10. (Although I can't actually remember if I read it this year or last year… Oh well.)
My favorite was Incendiary by Chris Cleave – really well done. And really, vastly different from Little Bee. (Although not different in how devastating it is. It is possibly MORE devastating.)
In 2010 I started reading "David Copperfield" by Dickens. I'm reading it with my husband, so it's slow going and we haven't finished it yet. But it has been wonderful so far, and I can't wait to finish it.