As the year draws to a close, it’s time to take a look back at the books that impressed us. We editors put our heads together and came up with a Top 40 list of books—fiction and nonfiction—that stood out from the crowd in 2010. From literary novels to memoirs to mysteries, they include established authors, new voices and a few surprises. We’re pleased to share them with you and hope you’ll chime in with your own favorites.
We’re revealing the list in reverse order, so books 26-40 are up first. Coming up over the next two weeks: books 11-25. The top 10 will be revealed in the Dec. 7 edition of BookPageXTRA. (not a subscriber? Click here! Our next edition will include a link to our Reader’s Choice: Best Books of 2010 ballot.)
26. The Tiger by John Vaillant (Knopf, September 2010)
27. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (Morrow, October 2010)
28. The Big Short by Michael Lewis (Norton, March 2010)
29. Hellhound on His Trail by Hampton Sides (Doubleday, May 2010)
30. The Line by Olga Grushin (Putnam, April 2010)
31. How to Read the Air by Dinaw Mengestu (Riverhead, October 2010)
32. I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman (Morrow, October 2010)
33. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes (Atlantic Press, April 2010)
34. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman (Viking, January 2010)
35. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (Random House, August 2010)
36. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Knopf, June 2010)
37. Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans (Riverhead, September 2010) (read a blog post about this book)
38. Breath by Martha Mason (Bloomsbury, July 2010)
39. The Grace of Silence by Michele Norris (Pantheon, September 2010)
40. Hitch 22 by Christopher Hitchens
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
My church book club read this one together and had a great discussion about the Civil Rights movement in our country afterward. The audio version is nicely done. The different characters being read by different readers gave the book an added dimension and made it even more enjoyable.
This was a great book. I grew up in that era and my mother was “the help”. It only scratches the surface of what domestic help had to endure during that time period. It was another form of slavery and during that time period the men of color were doing the same type of work as janitors. The book would make a wonderful movie.
I think the movie is in the works…characters chosen, etc.
I also picked The Help, it was an excellent book about down south in that period of time and can’t wait for the movie to be released next year.
Definitely a great book. That was one of our fave books of 2009 — we can’t wait for the movie, either!.
It’s easy for me to decide – The Passage comes out on top, with several close behind : Room ; Freedom ; The Girl who kicked the hornet’s nest ; and Await your reply (it’s not new but I just read it and it knocked me out.)
My number one book was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, I think every American should read that book. Others right up there would be The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke, The Tenth Parallel by Eliza Griswold, Aftershock by Robert Reich and How to Read the Air by Dinaw Mengestu which I see made this list
Breath by Marsha Mason. I’m generally not a reader of non-fiction but just happened to pick this book up one day. It was an amazing story that will stay with me a long time. Probably forever.
Volume 1 of Mark Twain’s Autobiography, how many books are worth waiting a century for?
There are no BookPage magazines at our book store this month? What’s the deal?
Oh no! Check with your bookstore manager and see. They may still be waiting for the December issue to show up . . .
Have to say The Help.
The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson is my pick. If you have not read it I highly recommend it.
The Glass Castle is among one of my favorites.
Wow…I can’t believe I read books on this list. THANKS for the list.
I read:
HOW TO READ THE AIR
I’D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE
SAVING CEE CEE HONEYCUTT
I have CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER in my to be read pile.
The other books sound wonderful.
Check out my reviews for the ones I read. They are on my blog if you care to stop by.
I would have to say the two book series by Francine Rivers.
Her Mothers Hope and Her Daughters Dream
Also, very good was Red Hook Road, by Ayelet Waldman
Of the 35 books I’ve finished so far this year, I thoroughly enjoyed Every Last One by Anna Quindlen, One Day by David Nichols, and The Hieghts by Peter Hedges. Ayelet Waldman’s Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, Alice Hoffman’s Blackbird House, and Lorrie Moore’s The Gate at the End of the Stairs were also high on my list.
Too many to mention, but here goes: Pope Joan, by Donna Cross, The Glass Castle, Pillars of the Earth, The Help, Sarah’s Key, and I’ll stop while I’m ahead!
So many good ones this year. Here’s a few- The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell, Room by Emma Donoghue, This Body of Death by Elizabeth George.
I read ROOM…loved it.
I have The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet ready to read.
The last great book I read was A Dog’s Purpose, if you ever wondered what your dog was thinking this enjoyable book may answer that question. It will make you smile.
The Help
The Nobodies Album
I liked Daughter of the Rain by Lily King. Howard Norman’s What is Left the Daughter, a rather odd little novel, also stuck with me. David Nicholls’ One Day was immensely enjoyable. The most moving texts, however, were young adult ones: Francisco X. Stork’s Last Summer of the Death Warriors and Neal Shusterman’s Bruiser.
I loved “Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter” by Tom Franklin and the biography of Laura Bush. Definitely two of my favorite reads this year, but I could go on and on and on and on…………………….
Can’t wait to read CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER now..thanks for the vote of confidence.
I loved Little Bee & City of Thieves.
My favorites were ALL I EVER WANTED by Kristan Higgins and BLACK HOLE SUN by David Macinnis Gill.
My favorites for 2010 – “Matterhorn” & “The Passage” – both very different than my usual yearly favorites (“The Help” and “Cutting For Stone” were my 2009 best)but both amazing books. Currently reading “Fall of Giants” and think I may have three favorites this year.