Top 10 (Book Edition)

In 2010 I read probably 70 books and some of them were utter crap. Plenty were good, but this is the list of books I recommended the most:

1. The City and The City, China Mieville

I got this first on audiobook and loved it so much I got it on my Kindle. While I can’t say I’m a huge Mieville fan, this book is super accessible – a sci-fi-ish conundrum wrapped in an old fashioned Cold War-ish hard-boiled detective fiction. I have literally recommended this book to everyone I know – sci fi fan or not.

2. Feed, Mira Grant

Yeah, this is the book I recommended second most to every single person who asked for book recommendations this year. It was a little slow to grab me in the beginning, but once it took hold it was a screaming, heart-pounding ride. I loved the (different) take on zombie apocalypse and the effects on US culture (pop or otherwise). I read World War Z after this and it paled in comparison. When I say heart-pounding, I’m not exaggerating. At the climax of the book, I actually noticed the fierce thumping in my chest. It’s that fucking good.

3. the Heart series, Chelsea Cain (Heart Sick, Sweetheart, Evil at Heart)

If you like mystery and crime fiction, you’ve probably gotten to these already. If you even  have a passing interest in the genre, or didn’t like the Stieg Larsson books, READ THESE. This is an amazing series that features an awesome sociopathic villain and deals with the emotional fallout of the detective who caught her. That’s right, HER. And she’s incredible. Not only that, Archie is incredible. Intensely broken, aware of it and attempting to function (and not) in the only ways he can. As the series unfolds, it gets even more crazy/fantastic/awesome. The third book, Evil at Heart, BLEW MY MIND. Cain keeps finding depths and intensity you wouldn’t expect and I read all three books within 48 hours or something equally absurd.

4. The Lady Julia Grey Bundle, Deanna Raybourn

Another cheat (kinda) as it’s three books I got on my Kindle. I’m not a fan of regency or romance, especially. These books are more regency mystery with a dash of romance and they were FANTASTIC. The characters and stories were great, the mysteries weren’t hackneyed and they were a really fun read. Another batch that I read in rapid succession because I enjoyed them so damn much. Think Sarah Tolerance mysteries by Madeline Robins and you wouldn’t be far off the mark. (More Sarah Tolerance books, please!)

5. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

Probably the most controversial book I read this year – see Cat Valente’s excellent dissection of problematic elements over on her livejournal. I’m going to preface this with the fact that I’d been working around picking this book up all year but the first three paragraphs of this post made me buy it and read it immediately. Read the book before you read her post. There are a lot of things she says that I agree with, but there is a commenter – way at the end of the list – I agreed with more. This is an interesting story told by Death during WWII. Death seems to focus on the experience of this one little girl – and its interactions with her – because it can’t focus on the vast horrors humanity was ravaging upon itself. To me it came across as a novel about life, about death and about how the little things we do change us in ways we don’t expect and the big things we do, while so much bigger than ourselves, are still sometimes not so much. It’s about how politics and fear change the way we look at our neighbors and ourselves and that we still have to live with ourselves at the end of the day. It’s worth a read, whether you hate it or not.

6. Mind Games, Carolyn Crane

This book (I gave it 4 of 5 stars) makes it on the list because it has a different take on urban fantasy than I’ve seen before. It w as a good read, not cookie cutter and created an interesting set of problems that aren’t easily solved. The hallmark of a great genre book, in my opinion.

7. East of Eden, John Steinbeck

I know there are plenty of people who love Steinbeck but I’m not one of them. I read this because it was part of a GoodReads reading group and I’m really glad I read it. You don’t hear the words ‘timeless’ accurately applied to a lot of things, but that is what this novel is. Set in a different – and not so different – time, the economic challenges will resonate with anyone who’s paying bills these days. The convoluted family dynamic is also nothing strange to anyone with complicated relations. Sweeping and expansive and surprisingly modern. If you’ve never read it – or if it’s been years – pick it up.

8. The Apprentice, Tess Gerritson

You may have seen the shockingly terrible Rizzoli and Isles TV show. The pilot and a couple of episodes were based on the first book in the series (which was really not good) and this book – a solid procedural with interesting characters. While some of it was a bit heavy handed, I really enjoyed this read. It may say something, however, that I haven’t picked up the next in the series.

9. World War Z, Max Brooks

This is a solid book. If I hadn’t read Feed first, I might have enjoyed it more. The interview-style writing and short vignettes were interesting and covered far more personal experience  (as a self-billed Oral History should, I guess) but I was left with the sense that something was… lacking.

10. The Passage, Justin Cronin

Possibly the most overrated book of the year. Not that it wasn’t a good book, because it IS, but because if I’d known it was part of a series I’d never have picked it up. Actually, having read it, it’s a good book but I still won’t pick up the next in the series. It did a great job of creating a post-vampire-apocalypse culture and I think it succeeded where WWZ failed. On the other hand, GD some of it was SLOW GOING. There were pages where I was like REALLY? THIS IS WHAT WE’RE DOING? There are interesting characters and complicated challenges and slightly unrealistic cultural resets in a very short timeframe, but at the end it was a pretty satisfying read. There was some cryptic supposed cliffhanger that didn’t feel like much of a cliffhanger (though it’s cryptic enough that I still don’t know WTF it means, though I won’t buy the next book to find out) but it was a good book. I just reread this and realized it’s not the most glowing endorsement ever but I really did like it, I swear.

Books I wanted to read in 2010 that I’ll get to in 20eleventy:

The Windup Girl (already on my K3)

The Autobiography of Mark Twain

Never Let Me Go (already on my K3)

Matterhorn

Dreadnought (already started)

Kraken

Juliet, Naked

Territory

Freedom (hardcover gift for Xmas)

any of the 150 free books I have lingering on my Kindle

(edit: Anyone who wants to exchange email addresses for Kindle loaning purposes, let me know!)