# Top ten reading picks for 2010 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 27, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520 "2010-12-27T16:00:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/1 "2010-12-27T16:00:04Z")
Just went back through a year’s worth of “Whatcha Readin’” threads to figure out what my top ten books this year were. Drumroll, please: [ol] [li]_The Imperfectionists_ by Tom Rachman[/li][li]_Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche_ by Ethan Watters[/li][li]_Star of the Sea_ by Joseph O’Connor[/li][li]_Parrot and Olivier_ in America by Peter Carey[/li][li]_Ella Minnow Pea_ by Mark Dunn[/li][li]_Remarkable Creatures_ by Tracy Chevalier[/li][li]_Terrible Lizard: The First Dinosaur Hunters and the Birth of a New Science_ by Deborah Cadbury[/li][li]_Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America_ by Robert Charles Wilson[/li][li]\*The Forger’s Spell \*by Edward Dolnick [20th-century forger of Vermeers][/li][li]_Game Change_ by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin ['08 election][/li][/ol] These are pretty much in order of enthusiasm. Nos. 3 and 5 were Doper recommendations, for which thanks. #6 is a historical novel that led me to read more about the period and personalities (#7). ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/2 "2010-12-27T17:53:20Z")
This year for me was the Year of North Korea. Here’s the best 3 that I read: [Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea](http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Envy-Ordinary-Lives-North/dp/0385523912/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293472023&sr=8-1) [North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea](http://www.amazon.com/North-Dmz-Essays-Daily-Korea/dp/0786428392/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1293472023&sr=8-7) [The Aquariums of Pyongyang](http://www.amazon.com/Aquariums-Pyongyang-Years-North-Korean/dp/0465011047/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1293472023&sr=8-3) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/3 "2010-12-27T18:12:38Z")
The Aubrey-Maturin series was my favorite, by far. Others that stood out: _A Distant Flame_ – Philip Lee Williams _Exiles_ – Ron Hansen _The Lonely Polygamist_ – Brady Udall _The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet_ – David Mitchell _Cutting for Stone_ – Abraham Verghese _The Photograph_ – Penelope Lively _The Good Wife_ – Stewart O’Nan _So Brave Young and Handsome_ – Leif Enger _Songs for the Missing_ – Stewart O’Nan _The Salterton Trilogy_ – Robertson Davies If I had to choose one, it’d probably be _A Distant Flame_. It reminded me of _Flanders_ by Patricia Anthony, except that it’s set in the Civil War rather than WWI. Very personal and emotional, without being sappy. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/4 "2010-12-27T19:30:11Z")
Well, the first thing I notice when I look at my Goodreads list is that I read about ten fewer books than usual this year. Grrrrr! But I did get some good ones. In no particular order, here’s ten: 1. [The Wicker Man](http://www.amazon.com/Wicker-Man-Novel-Robin-Hardy/dp/051753259X) by Robin Hardy and Anthony Shaffer. I never saw either of the movie versions, thank goodness. Although I knew how this must end, it still blew me away. 2. This was my year for Joe R. Lansdale. I’ve read him before, but this year I had the Best Of collection, plus I finally started the Hap & Leonard series, so I’m going to cheat and put all of his books as one item on my list. 3. Stephen King’s newest, [Full Dark, No Stars](http://www.amazon.com/Full-Dark-Stars-Stephen-King/dp/1439192561/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293476320&sr=1-1). I’m always jazzed to get a new book from my favorite author, and this particular one is a step above the other things he’s churned out lately. Hope for the future! 4. [Side Jobs: Stories from the Dresden Files](http://www.amazon.com/Side-Jobs-Stories-Dresden-Files/dp/045146365X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293476501&sr=1-1) by Jim Butcher. 5. [So Cold the River](http://www.amazon.com/So-Cold-River-Michael-Koryta/dp/0316053643/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293476648&sr=1-1) by Michael Koryta. 6. [I Am Not a Serial Killer](http://www.amazon.com/Serial-Killer-John-Cleaver-Books/dp/0765327821/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293476747&sr=1-1) by Dan Wells. Interesting beginning of a trilogy. 7. [Before I Fall](http://www.amazon.com/Before-I-Fall-Lauren-Oliver/dp/006172680X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293477021&sr=1-1) by Lauren Oliver. A young adult novel with a Groundhog Day premise; I couldn’t put it down. 8. [Never After](http://www.amazon.com/Never-After-Dan-Elconin/dp/1416979670/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1) by Dan Elconin. A dark retelling of Peter Pan. Great story, weak ending. The author is very young and this is his first book…I really hope he has more like this in him. 9. [Horns](http://www.amazon.com/Horns-Novel-Joe-Hill/dp/0061147958/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293477613&sr=1-1) by Joe Hill. 10. [Top Dog](http://www.amazon.com/Top-Dog-Jerry-Jay-Carroll/dp/B000IOERS4/ref=pd_sim_b_2) by Jerry Jay Carroll. A recommendation from **Auntie Pam**. I liked this one a lot, although the sequel wasn’t as good. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/5 "2010-12-28T04:52:26Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Just went back through a year’s worth of “Whatcha Readin’” threads to figure out what my top ten books this year were… The December thread: [Whatcha Readin' Dec 2010 Edition - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=587468) I’ll come back to post my top ten after I think about it a bit more. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/6 "2010-12-28T05:04:08Z")
Mine are also listed in order of enthusiasm. [ol] [li]_Your Face Tomorrow_ by Javier Marias[/li][li]_Skippy Dies_ by Paul Murray[/li][li]_Matterhorn_ by Karl Marlantes[/li][li]_The Thing Around Your Neck_ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie[/li][li]_The Ask_ by Sam Lipsyte[/li][li]_City of Saints and Madmen_ by Jeff VanderMeer[/li][li]_Future Missionaries of America_ by Matthew Vollmer[/li][li]_Nox_ by Anne Carson[/li][li]_Novels in Three Lines_ by Felix Feneon[/li][li]_Far North_ by Marcel Theroux[/li][/ol] _Your Face Tomorrow_ is actually a trilogy, but I read all three volumes this year. It starts slow, but builds into something amazing. Now I have to track down everything else that Marias has written. I am pretty happy with what I read this year-- some dreck, but these ten books more than made up for the rest of them. I highly recommend all of them. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/7 "2010-12-28T15:04:08Z")
Mine, in no particular order: 1. _The Book Thief_, Markus Zusak 2. _Strange Wine_, Harlan Ellison 3. _Prince of Tides_, Pat Conroy 4. _Johannes Cabal the Detective_, Jonathan Howard 5. _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_, Stieg Larsson 6. _Before They are Hanged_, Joe Abercrombie 7. _Carrie_, Stephen King 8. _The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian_, Sherman Alexie 9. _The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death_, Charlie Huston 10. _City of Thieves_, David Benioff ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/8 "2010-12-28T15:58:37Z")
1. _Home_, Marilynne Robinson 2. _The Hours_, Michael Cunningham 3. _The Sea, The Sea_, Iris Murdoch 4. _Norwegian Wood_, Haruki Murakami 5. _The Road Home_, Rose Tremain 6. _War for the Oaks_, Emma Bull 7. _The Happiness Hypothesis_, Jonathan Haidt 8. _The Invisible Circus_, Jennifer Egan 9. _The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao_, Junot Diaz 10. _The Hero and the Crown_, Robin McKinley I didn’t do nearly enough reading this year. A paltry 27 books. Lame-o. I’m aiming for 52 next year. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/9 "2010-12-28T16:30:24Z")
It’s funny how my ratings on goodreads don’t exactly add up to my top ten. In no order, or actually, it seems to be the order in which I read them according to goodreads: 1. _Tender Morsels_, by Margo Lanagan (dark depressing YA fantasy) 2. _Before I Fall_, by Lauren Oliver (YA, this book is so much better than it has any right to be) 3. _Wind, Sand and Stars,_ by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (classic essays) 4. _Lips Touch: Three Times_, by Laini Taylor (more dark depressing YA fantasy) 5. _The Magicians_, by Lev Grossman (fiction) 6. _Faithful Place_, by Tana French (mystery) 7. _Monsters of Men_, by Patrick Ness (awesome end to an awesome trilogy, YA science fiction) 8. _Ransom_, by David Malouf (fiction) 9. _Mirror, Mirror_, by Gregory Maguire (fiction) 10. _Confederates in the Attic_, by Tony Horowitz (essays) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/10 "2010-12-28T16:41:45Z")
I don’t have time right now to finish my list - but what fun it was to go back and read the threads! I found that some books got better reviews from me than my memory would give them and some good reads were forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/11 "2010-12-28T16:52:50Z")
I only read between 15-20 books a year (18.5 for this year), so my top ten is more or less just a ranking of everything I read. 1. **Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter** by Seth Grahame Smith 2. **Shit My Dad Says** by Justin Halpern Not just a reprinting of the Twitter feed, a real memoir of Halpern’s memories of his dad. It was great. 3. **The God Engines** by John Scalzi 4. **Star Wars: Death Troopers** by Joe Schreiber Star Wars zombies! Be still my heart. 5. **Accidental Billionaires** by Ben Mezrich I haven’t seen The Social Network yet, but the book it was based on was thoroughly entertaining for a story where nothing happened and the “villain” was a saint. 6. **Game Change** by John Heinemann & Mark Halperin 7. **Horns** by Joe Hill Would have been higher, but the flashbacks were pretty lame and the secret villain was obvious from his first appearance. 8. **Under the Dome** by Stephen King Would have been higher, but that ending was pretty fucking dumb. 9. **Feed** by Mira Grant 10. **Ancestor** by Scott Sigler ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/12 "2010-12-28T16:54:17Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > 1. _Monsters of Men_, by Patrick Ness (awesome end to an awesome trilogy, YA science fiction) It’s in my TBR pile, and thanks for the original recommendation! ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/13 "2010-12-28T17:18:33Z")
I read about 130 books this year. Goodreads has a handy statistics page - here are my 5-star books for 2010: 1. The First Law trilogy, beginning with _The Blade Itself_, by Joe Abercrombie. Swords & Horses fantasy, but with a gritty realism that I really enjoyed. 2. _Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog)_, Jerome K. Jerome. Classic comedy of a trip down the Thames. 3. _In the Garden of Iden_, Kage Baker (although I’ve been a little disappointed in the rest of her books). Time travel fiction set in Tudor England. 4. _Flashman and the Redskins_, George MacDonald Fraser. My favorite so far of the outrageous historical adventures of Flashman. 5. \*Blackout \*and _All Clear_, Connie Willis. Time travel to WWII England during the Blitz. Other notable 2010 reads: 1. _A Deepness in the Sky_, Vernor Vinge. Space opera. 2. _The Lies of Locke Lamora_, Scott Lynch. Fantasy, sort of _Oliver Twist_ meets _Ocean’s Eleven_. 3. _A Free Man of Color_, Barbara Hambly. Historical mystery set in New Orleans in the early 1800’s. 4. _Boiling a Frog_, Christopher Brookmyre. So-called “Tartan Noir”, hilarious crime fiction set in Scotland. 5. _My Family and Other Animals_, Gerald Durrell. Classic comedy/memoir. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/14 "2010-12-30T15:22:25Z")
I’ve read 53 books this year. Assuming I don’t finish any in the next two days, which seems likely, these would be my Top Ten (in no particular order): _Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders_ by John Mortimer - The curmudgeonly British barrister recounts his very first case. _Hell to Pay_ by D.M. Giangreco - Detailed history of U.S. plans to invade Japan at the end of WW2. _Legionary_ by Philip Matyszak - Written as if it were a recruiting manual for a Roman soldier. _Await Your Reply_ by Dan Chaon - Absolutely gripping novel about identity theft and the tenuous and sometimes deceptive bonds of family. _First Among Equals_ by Jeffrey Archer - Re-read this favorite novel about the rise of three British politicians over the span of thirty years, each eventually vying to become Prime Minister. _Addie Pray_ by Joe David Brown - The inspiration for the movie _Paper Moon_, but has so much more good stuff in it you’ll be amazed. _Victory at Yorktown_ by Richard M. Ketchum - Good overview of the decisive last campaign of the American Revolution. _Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures_ by Menno Metselaar and Ruud van der Rol - Provides wonderful context, with great illustrations, for Frank’s story. _Ultimate Punishment_ by Scott Turow - A quiet, thoughtful, concise exploration of the death penalty today. _Blood Oath_ by Christopher Farnsworth - Really fun, readable novel about a vampire working as a secret agent for the President of the United States, with clever asides on the secret history of Watergate, _Friday the 13th_, the 1981 Reagan assassination attempt, etc. Would make a terrific movie. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/15 "2010-12-30T16:06:03Z")
Done v little reading this year, but did manage to read one top quality novel - _The Savage Detectives_ by Roberto Bolano - a stunner, really demands superlatives. Read Pynchon’s last one ‘_Inherent vice_’ as well. Not great to be honest, but probably worth it if you’re a Pynchon fan. Extremely easy to read in comparison to his previous two. It’s one of those late period offerings from a Grand Master who has nothing to prove in particular, and is more interested in ironing a few things out, stretching the limbs etc. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-reading-picks-for-2010/565520/16 "2010-12-30T22:15:45Z")
I don’t think I’d highly recommend ten books from this year’s 50 (I wasted a lot of reading time on George RR Martin this year), but how’s five grab you? 1. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame Smith I wasn’t expecting much from a guy who basically became famous by boldly plagiarizing, but this book was utterly fantastic. It’s one of those historical fiction novels where you have to occasionally remind yourself that [insert event] did not really happen that way, because the fiction was masterfully woven in with what we all know about ole Abe. 2. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher Yes, all of them. I read 2-12 this year, and they’re all **a lot** better than the first book. I found the most recent one, Changes, a bit heartbreaking because presumably the 14th book is going to find Harry having to deal with everything that’s different. (you probably know why I didn’t say the 13th, but I won’t elaborate in case you don’t know and want to remain spoiler-free about what it’s going to be about.) 3. Twilight by Meg Cabot The final book in the Mediator series ends just the way everyone’s inner teenage girl wanted it to. Sure, it’s completely wish fulfillment, but so what? The girl and her favorite ghost deserve their happy ending, dammit! 4. Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey In this YA novel Jessica was just your average high school senior, who occasionally wondered about her birth parents and if the boy she liked was interested in return. But only up until an arrogant, pushy exchange student moved into her family’s garage apartment…and insisted that she was a vampire princess in their native land. Oh, and had been promised as his wife while they were still infants. She expected her parents to tell her that it’s not true, but they don’t… 5. **In the Woods** by Tana French I’m happier with the ending of this mystery now that I know that some of the characters have been reused in other books. Perhaps that’s the reason why only one of the two mysteries was tied up neatly at the end. Lack of a completely satisfying ending aside, this was a fairly compelling novel. Everyone is also invited to talk about their [bottom five reads here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=591070).