2. Worst book of 2010? The Lamentable Journey of Omaha Bigelow into the Impenetrable Loisada Jungle - It was required for a class or I would have dropped it after page 5. The Golden Compass - okay, so it has one nifty idea (daemons). Otherwise, it's way preachier than Narnia; I hate books with this obvious of an agenda, especially when they're geared toward kids who don't have the intellectual ammunition to see what's going on.
3. Most Disappointing Book of 2010? Eat, Pray, Love. Way too self-indulgent for me.
4. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2010? An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears. No one told me it was about rhetoric!
5. Book you recommended to people most in 2010? Probably Bel Canto. I was astonished by how well it captured my feelings about music in words-- something I hadn't thought was possible.
6. Best series you discovered in 2010? I suppose it would have to be the Hunger Games series, even though that's what everyone else will say.
7. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2010? David Foster Wallace, who I knew of but hadn't read until this year; Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, of whom I had the most incorrect mental image.
8. Most hilarious read of 2010? A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. Literally, I laughed until my nose ran.
9. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2010? The Hunger Games books. But that's not always a good thing.
10. Book you most anticipated in 2010? The Devil to Play by Jasper Rees. It didn't disappoint me.
11. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2010?
12. Most memorable character in 2010? Finn, without a doubt! Runners up: Katniss Everdeen, David Foster Wallace, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
13. Most beautifully written book in 2010? Bel Canto by Ann Pratchett.
14. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2010? Hard to tell, but I think I'll return most often to A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again.
15. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2010 to finally read? Cross Creek.
Other book highlights
I bought a Kindle! My first Kindle, purchased in August, gave up the ghost in late October. Not a very good record. To Amazon's credit, they replaced it the next day and the second one has worked flawlessly. I haven't yet finished a book on kindle; it tends to be my "waiting at the doctor's office" read, not my everyday read.
I've started to do Paperback Swap and find it pretty addictive; the only thing that keeps me from spending all of my money there is 1) I have set a strict limit for myself of $15/month and 2) I'm waiting for other people to request my books to get credits-- I'm not going to buy them!
Library Thing is still my go-to book site and my favorite website overall. I use it for my to-read list, to keep track of series, and as a record of what I've read.
Have you visited the Homestead up near Gainesville? http://www.floridastateparks.org/marjoriekinnanrawlings/
ReplyDeleteIf not, you should...I think there's still a cache there :)
Yes, I actually read it for a class this fall and we went there on a field trip. I didn't do the cache, though. I mostly spent the time imagining I was her and could spend my time writing on her porch.
ReplyDeleteHi Grace! I added your blog to my "Book Blog Neighborhood" in the sidebar over at my place.
ReplyDeleteI quite liked Thirteenth Tale also. I read Eat Pray Love years ago and loved it, but the more time goes by the more I cringe at how self indulgent it actually was. You're so right!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about Bel Canto . . . I'll have to pick that up and give it a try in 2011.
You had a lovely, book-ish year!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Best Of list: http://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2010/12/sunday-salon-best-of-2010-in-books.html
Oh, and I'm a new follower!
ReplyDeleteYay, thanks Deb! I think I will slowly get the hang of this blogging thing.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that same comment about Eat Pray Love being self-indulgent. I haven't read the book, but I watched the movie, and it seemed like it would NEVER END. Apparently, self-indulgence is not for the big screen -- or at least not the copious amount of it, anyway.
ReplyDeleteAmy, I haven't seen the movie, but I thought the section of the book set in India would never end!
ReplyDelete