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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Best Books Read in 2010


The end of the year seems to be a popular time for "Best of" Lists. I couldn't miss the opportunity to make my own Best List. Of course mine is going to be all about books. Of the 97 books I've read in 2010, 26 of them received a 4 or 5 star rating. Looking back over those, 6 rose to the top as my choice for Best Books Read in 2010. Since not all of these books were published in 2010, this is not technically a Best Books of 2010 list, but a Best Books Read in 2010 list.

Pam's Best Books Read in 2010

Lord of the Flies by William Golding - The only book I read in 2010 to receive a perfect score of 5 Stars. If you haven't read this one since High School or College, you really need to revisit it. It is fabulous.

Room by Emma Donoghue -This book appears on lots of Best of 2010 lists. And for once, I agree!

The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education by Craig M. Mullaney - The 2011 Reading Across RI selection. I expected to dislike this book and absolutely LOVED it! Not at all what you would expect based on the title. The best book you haven't heard of.

The Red Thread by Ann Hood - Amazing book by a local author about the experience of both adoptive and biological mothers and their babies.

The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian - The book has a wickedly funny narrator. It deals with a serious topic in a lighthearted and engaging way. Another terrific book you probably haven't heard of.

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls - This is the second memoir by the talented Walls, author of The Glass Castle. This time her subject is her indomitable maternal grandmother, Lily.

2010 was a pretty good book year for me. While I managed to read 10 more books in 2010 than I did in 2009 and I rated twice as many of them 4 or 5 stars, I didn't really read any books that WOWed me. 2009 was a better year for books that blew me away. How about you? What are your top books of 2010? I'd love to hear from you. After all today is the first day 2011 and I can always use some recommendations.

1 comment:

  1. I loved Room by Emma Donaghue. This story made me grateful for even the most mundane things in my life. It kept me busy thinking of what it would be like to have been born into a "room" with no outside contact. I also found it interesting to think about how different this kidnapping experience was for the boy compared to his mother.

    I listened to the audio book and it really made my commuting time zip by. The narrators were excellent. I would have sworn I was listening to the actual 5 year old boy telling this story. I definitely recommend the audio version of this book!

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