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Favorite Reads of 2010

The books have been good to me this year.  I read around 85-90 new to me books.  Counting in the rereads of old favorites, the total comes to somewhere between 100-110.  I figure that's not bad considering how much of my day is unavailable for reading time.  I read a lot of really great books this year and discovered some authors that I adore.  I read very few books that I didn't like.  It turned out, when I was looking back over my year of reading, that 12 books (13 really but two of them count as one story) stood out as my favorites.  I can't knock two of them out and bring it down to the traditional top 10 list.  This, obviously, averages out to one great book a month.  The funny thing is that is pretty much how it happened.  Nearly each month I read a book I really fell in love with.  The exception was the month of April.  I made up for it by reading two wonderful books in August.  Only two of the books on this list were published in 2010, the rest were books I only just got around to reading.

My Favorites of 2010

January:  Busman's Honeymoon by  Dorothy Sayers (my review)
I actually read this one twice this year, I liked it so much.

February:  The Chestnut King by N.D. Wilson
I have adored this entire trilogy.  It's conclusion was everything I anticipated and more.  More because it was actually quite different from the first two volumes in a lot of ways.  I will  have to a post here on the whole trilogy so I can sing its praises appropriately.   Wilson is an amazing writer.  I really envy the gift he has with words and the power in how he uses them.

March:  A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
This one I read three times because you can never read a Megan Whalen Turner book just once.  They usually require immediate rereading the first time you finish one and this one was no different.  Then I reread the entire series in July and read it then too.

May:  To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (my review)
Connie Willis where have you been all my life?  I am more happy than I can say that I am no longer ignorant of the existence of this wonderful author.  This is another one that I read twice.

June:  Enchantment by Orson Scott Card (my review)

July:  Forest Born by Shannon Hale (my review)
Definitely my favorite one in the series.

August:  The Runaway Princess and The Runaway Dragon by Kate Coombs (my reviews here and here)

September:  Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (my review here)

October:  The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones (my review here)
I really loved the whole Chrestomanci series but this was my favorite.

November:  Blackout and All Clear by Connie WIlis (my review here)

December:  Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta (my review here)

The Books I Didn't Like So Much
Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (my review here; warning:  I got a little snarky in this one)

Fire by Kristen Cashore
I liked Cashore's first book, Graceling, okay but felt it didn't come close to the hype that surrounded it.  This one I detested so much I have no intention of reading the third.

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
I can almost hear the gasps of horror as I type this.  You don't find many people who have anything bad to so say about Robin McKinley's books, particularly fans of YA.  I just really hated this book and it was the first McKinley I ever read (somehow she escaped my notice when I was younger) so I have been scared to try any of her others.  Feel free to try and convince me otherwise.

I hope I can read even more books in 2011 as my TBR list is seriously out of control.

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