1. Best Book of 2010?
Young adult - Paper Towns by John Green. I read all of his books in a burst this year, but Paper Towns was my favourite. The ending left me with a weird feeling of sadness because it was so damn perfect.
Adult lit - Slaughterhouse-5 by Kurt Vonnegut. Read for Banned Books Week and, seriously, why had I never read this before? Why?
2. Worst Book of 2010?
Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie. Sadly, one of her later books which made it painfully slow reading, not to mention all the times when plot elements got skated over or forgotten. Didn't help that I read it after watching Mark Gatiss's phenomenal ITV adaptation, which fixed every problem the book had.
3. Most Disappointing Book of 2010?
Ack, um...feel like a traitor but...Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett. Just because, as much as I liked it, it wasn't one of his best. Possibly couldn't live up to my expectations, which were high, especially as the cover pretty much sets it up as "the wizards play football - the WIZARDS play FOOTBALL".
4. Most Surprising (in a good way!) Book of 2010?
The first four Vampire Diaries books. I tried reading them when I was a teenager and remember not being impressed, but I found them cheap and bought them on a whim. Ripped through them over the course of a couple of days. Surprisingly fun (and Damon! Oh dear, one of my few Bad Boy literary crushes).
5. Book You Recommended to People Most in 2010?
Looking for Alaska by John Green and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - albeit the latter had a caveat of You Are Not Prepared.
6. Best Series You Discovered in 2010?
The Hunger Games trilogy - have only read the first one, and am viewing the last two with some trepidation because they are definitely not going to be happy clappy cheerful books I can lose myself in for fun and frolics.
7. Favourite New Authors You Discovered in 2010?
John Green, Julie Halpern and Kurt Vonnegut.
8. Most Hilarious Read of 2010?
Movies in Fifteen Minutes by Cleolinda Jones, and anything by Lucy Mangan or Charlie Brooker. I likes the rants. Also may have laughed a little too hard at some of the things Caravaggio was getting up to in Rome.
9. Most Thrilling, Unputdownable Book in 2010?
The Hunger Games and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, both of which had me sitting up late into the night and wandering the house like the book was permanently attached to my hand.
10. Book You Most Anticipated in 2010?
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I had it on pre-order forever, and then the snow delayed the actual delivery (thanks, nature).
11. Favourite Cover of a Book You Read in 2010?
Either Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane because it features one of his self-portraits and he's my favourite artist; the British Hunger Games because of the origami effect; or Wake by Lisa McMann, because it is a collage of awesome.
12. Most Memorable Character in 2010?
Katniss Everdeen because she is a badass, and Damon Salvatore because he cracks me up.
13. Most Beautifully Written Book in 2010?
Paper Towns, and Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
14. Book That Had the Greatest Impact on You in 2010?
Slaughterhouse-5 and Mother Night, both by Kurt Vonnegut and both ridiculously amazing.
15. Book You Can't Believe You Waited Until 2010 to Read?
Slaughterhouse-5. In terms of a book I've owned for ages and finally got round to reading: A Passage to India.
We have several common answers in hhis summary. Hunger Games, "The Girl With/Who ..." Books. And so glad to see another Vonnegut convert out there. I rediscovered him this year, in conjunction with the opening of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library here in Indianapolis. I just read Mother Night last month and am on Player Piano right now.
ReplyDelete-Jay
P.S. Thanks for naming your blog after me :-)
Hmm I'll have to give Slaughterhouse 5 a try. I've tried reading Kurt Vonnegut before and not liked him that much but maybe it was just not the right time. I might give it another go in 2011.
ReplyDeleteI must find and read Paper Towns. I think I'd heard too much hype for Looking for Alaska and it spoiled the story for me.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Best Of list: http://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2010/12/sunday-salon-best-of-2010-in-books.html
John Green was a big discovery for me this year too. Paper Towns was my favorite too. Well, actually Will Grayson Will Grayson was my favorite--best YA I read this year. Just discovered your blog!
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