Yet Another End of the Year List

Submitted by Becker on December 14, 2010 - 7:11am

It seems like everyone from the New York Times to NPR is coming out with Best Books of the Year lists right now. As "best" is subjective, I instead offer you some of my favorites in various categories. Most of these are 2010 books, but are some are older books that I first read or listened to this year.

Post-Apocalyptic Fiction (no zombies): The Passage, Justin Cronin

Post-Apocalyptic Fiction (with zombies): The Reapers are the Angels, Alden Bell, Feed, Mira Grant

Memoir about an animal I'd never really thought about: The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, Elisabeth Tova Bailey

Graphic novel (comic compilation): Batwoman: Elegy, Greg Rucka

Graphic novel: The Night Bookmobile, Audrey Niffenegger

Graphic memoir: Smile, Raina Telgemeier

Book that continued a series that doesn't start with The Girl Who: The Lion, Nelson DeMille

Book that made me want to set sail to the Caribbean: The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating,and the Island Life, Ann Vanderhoof

Teen novel: By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead, Julie Anne Peters

Children's novel: Out of My Mind, Sharon Draper

Picture book: Shark vs. Train, Chris Barton

Author event: John Green & David Levithan--if you think teens don't read, I can only wish you'd seen this standing room only crowd for these authors promoting their collaborative novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Interesting looks at medicine: Complications, Atul Gawande, The White House Doctor, Connie Mariano

Memoir: Let's Take the Long Way Home, Gail Caldwell

Cookbooks: Perfect One Dish Dinners, Pam Anderson, The Pleasures of Cooking for One, Judith Jones

Poetry: Swan, Mary Oliver

Nonfiction that had me spouting random facts to anyone who would listen: Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Mary Roach

Book that made me appreciate pigeons, Birdology, Sy Montgomery

Audio (nonfiction): Losing Mum and Pup, Christopher Buckley

Audio (fiction): War Dances, Sherman Alexie

Cookbook that doesn't actually involve cooking: The Big Book of Juices, Natalie Savona

Memoir with food: Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life, Kim Severson

Book I'm not quite finished with yet, but is impressive so far: The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee

Book about the polar regions (nonfiction): Polar Obsession, Paul Nicklen

Books by Colorado authors: Orange, Mint and Honey, Carleen Brice, Wild Indigo, Sandi Ault

Book that made me claustrophobic: Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth, James Tabor

Vacation read: The Charm School, Nelson Demille

Here's to a great year of books and another one to come! What were your favorite reads of 2010?

Becker's blog

Comments

Submitted by Shanti on December 15, 2010 - 12:35pm.

LOVED The Passage, and I normally do not pick up books like it. I can't wait until the next installment comes out :)

Submitted by Becker on December 15, 2010 - 2:24pm.

Yes, it will be hard waiting for the next one! If you liked journey & the strong girl character of The Passage, try out The Reapers are the Angels, you may be surprised.

Submitted by DawninDenver on December 15, 2010 - 8:33am.

Fun list! I have "Reapers" checked out now I'd better hurry and read it and get it back!

Submitted by Becker on December 15, 2010 - 8:37am.

Thanks! Once you start Reapers, you probably won't have trouble finishing it quickly!