The Best 10 Books I read in 2010.

I have only read an abysmal 29 books this year. Rather than listing them all as I normally do, I thought I would only list 10 books that I read for the first time this year that I actually enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who loves a good read:

1. The Likeness by Tana French 466 pages 4/29/10
2. Farhrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 179 pages 9/24/10
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 390 pages 8/29/10
4. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton 560 pages 11/29/10
5. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare 496 pages 9/6/10
6. Thirteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher 288 pages 3/12/10
7. My Life in France by Julia Child 317 pages 1/23/10
8. Love the One Your With by Emily Giffin 368 pages 2/9/10
9. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer 192 pages 6/6/10
10. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr 400 pages 6/2/10
    

A non-spoiler brief summary of each by number.

1. A slow starting chiller that is well worth the first 40 pages to get to a suspenseful, oddly pleasant, thrill ride with whitty well rounded characters. By far the best read of the year.

2. A sci-fi look at what society will inevitably come to in the futur due to short attention spans and lack of thought that is oddly prophetic being 50 years or so ahead of it's time. Definitely a must read for everyone at least once in life.

3. A spectacular ending to the Hunger Games Trilogy that was worth the hype and reading the first two to get through. I had no idea where the last book would go, but wow. Definitely a satisfying tie-up overall.

4. A bit too long, as so many novels are, honestly a note to all authors: you do not have to be over 300 pages to have well-developed characters and good story, some editing needed aside it was still a cannot put down read with some twists and great character development.

5. Angels, demons, werewolves, vampires, Victorian England, slightly steampunk, what's not to love about this prequel to The Mortal Instruments series?

6. A bittersweet tale that has a good message overall, but read the back cover because you will want the inevitable ending to be different, but there is something gutwrenchingly beautiful about it.

7. Julie Child is a wonderfully entertaining cook, if you have not seen an episode of her cooking show, you are missing out. Travel the world with Julia as she and her husband move about the world and enjoy the great tales of their escapades abroad.

8. I have never read a book that is more perfect to be adapted into a sappy romantic comedy that could bring the bucks for a studio that can write, stay true to the novel, and cast properly. Really good characters, especially considering the genre.

9. I have never known of an author who can take a minor background character and make them a central part of a a spin-off novella and actually make you care about someone who you could have honestly forgotten about, but Meyer did it. Critics be gone, I am still a fan of her work.

10. Marr continues to delve into her fairy world created in Wicked Lovely. Overall a satisfying read. Think fairy tale meets teen drama (cast with 29 year olds) trying ever so hard to have a love triangle like Twilight, yet falling short somehow. Not the best book series out there, but probably the best one with fairies. Still, it has a great cover.