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Top 10 Reads for 2010

Dec 18, 2010

by cpw1952
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

As the clock ticks ever closer to the end of 2010 and we approach midnight on New Year's Eve, what reader among us will not think back to those books that he enjoyed the most over the twelve months past. In no particular order, here are my top ten for the year.

Of Mice and Men

For all its simplicity and brevity, the power and pathos of the themes of helplessness and loneliness embodied in Steinbeck's story about George and Lennie, two itinerant field workers in 1930s depression era California, are not to be denied.
See the full review, "A powerful exploration of loneliness and helplessness!".

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

Do you ever dream of being an astronaut? Do you enjoy well written popular science? Do you enjoy a good laugh? Are you unembarrassed or undisturbed by a good fart joke? If this sounds like you, then PACKING FOR MARS is a book that you really must read. PACKING FOR MARS is the story about why man's biology is the sole impediment to a space flight to Mars!
See the full review, "100% educational, 100% entertaining and 100% hilarious!".

A Town Like Alice

One of my Top 100 All-Time Best Novels! A superb tale of courage, romance and achievement built on the Japanese atrocities in World War II Malaya and climaxing with the development of a pioneering community in the northern cattle country of Australia.
See the full review, "Some bonzer story-telling!".

The Book of Negroes (Illustrated Edition)

THE BOOK OF NEGROES gives today's readers the opportunity to savour a novel like Alex Haley's ROOTS and to experience the horror, shame and embarrassment of acknowledging that such abhorrent conduct towards black people is an indelible part of North America's past.
See the full review, "A powerful indictment of Canada's part in the history of slavery!".

The Hunger Games

THE HUNGER GAMES, inspired by the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur, is an innovative, dare I say unique, young adult twist on the recurring themes of violence, cruely, despair, privation and revolution that are the mainstays of post-apocalypse novels. It is BRILLIANT!
See the full review, "THE HUNGER GAMES is a bestseller for very good reason!".

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume One

Solid proof that mainstream comic books can be combined with exciting, imaginative adventure and story-telling, illustrated with serious, skilled artwork.
See the full review, "Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill stand on the shoulders of the giants who preceded them!".

A New Birth of Freedom: The Visitor

A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM is a provocative blend of genres - speculative fiction, sci-fi and alternate history - that brilliantly uses the irony of slavery and prejudice in early America as a springboard to deal with considerably less obvious sociological issues that Pielke is convinced mankind will ultimately face - alien first contact and communication.
See the full review, "The eternal paradox of time travel!".

Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy)

A compelling re-telling of the history of Europe through the first 25 years of the twentieth century!
See the full review, "A magnificent re-telling of the history of World War I!".

Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (Three Pines Mysteries)

A debut mystery novel set in rural Quebec that can be characterized as roughly halfway between the cozy mysteries of Agatha Christie and the deeper, psychological much darker mysteries starring the likes of angst-ridden detective Harry Bosch.
See the full review, "A uniquely Canadian mystery ... brava!".

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

A provocative, complex mystery that is more than exciting enough to justify reading and enjoying an extraordinarily long novel. Slightly below the surface, we have a number of cautionary tales on topics as disparate as sexual abuse, the abuse of trust by those in a position of power and, finally, the confounding ethics of legitimate journalism.
See the full review, "A phenomenal best seller but Lisbeth Salander is NO Harry Potter!".

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Scotman December 22, 2010

Great list -- I need to do this too. I just finished a comic book film list.

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Adrianna December 22, 2010

Great list of reads, Paul! Thanks so much for highlighting your top ten reads of 2010. I'm going to add a lot of the titles to our 2010 Reader's Choice Badge. If you haven't received it, you should shortly. :)

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MichaelN created a list. December 23, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

My Top 10 Reads for 2010 (10)

I read about forty to fifty books a year. I looked over the list of what I had read during 2010 and these were the ten best.

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About the list creator

Paul Weiss (cpw1952)
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A modern day dilettante with widely varied eclectic interests. A dabbler in muchbut grandmaster of none - wilderness camping in all four seasons, hiking, canoeing, world travel,philately, … more

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