2010: Ruth's Year in Books
Best of the Year
Here are the five best books I read last year, with first lines (where I could find them online). Usually I just put these in alphabetical order by last name; this year, the best book is first and the other four are in alphabetical order.
A couple of years ago, I decided that I would keep a list of all the books I read. It would be, I thought, interesting to see how much, and what, I actually read. So when I read a book, I wrote it down in my notebook. I liked the whole project so much that I've been doing it again each year.
What's here:
January 11-22 Cast in Silence by Michelle Sagara. Fourth in a series I love. Review. First reading.
January 36-31 Bonk by Mary Roach. Review. First reading.
February 27 Style Statement by Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte. Review. First reading.
March 5- Dreams and Nightmares by Bob McCabe. I was doing research for a story that was set on a movie set, but I just wasn't into this book. First reading (unfinished).
March 13 Ash by Malinda Lo. Very good YA fairy tale retelling, but could have been excellent with a little more work. Review. First reading.
April 11-17 Snoop by Sam Gosling. Review. First reading.
April 17-24 Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. Excellent YA novel. The best book I read this year. First reading.
May 1-6 What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson. Deeply, deeply flawed YA novel. Review. First reading.
May 9-22 Emissaries From the Dead by Adam-Troy Castro. Excellent sci fi detective story. First reading.
June 3-10 Poker Nation: A High-Stakes, Low-Life Adventure into the Heart of a Gambling Country by Andy Bellin. Another thing I read for research. Depressing. Review. First reading.
July 3-5 Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. Ah, a comfort read. I finally bought my own copy instead of always checking it out from the library. Fourth reading.
July 10-16 The Third Claw of God by Adam-Troy Castro. Excellent sci fi detective story. Sequel to Emissaries From the Dead. First reading.
July 17-18 Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. Since I love Agnes and the Hitman, I thought I would try reading this again. It's still not very good. Second reading.
August 9-15 Cast in Chaos by Michelle Sagara. Fifth in a series I love. First reading.
August 17-21 The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Review. First reading.
August 23-27 Light Raid by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice. I reread this to see if it was staying on my bookshelf. It was only okay, so I gave it away. Third reading.
September 5 Aurelia by Anne Osterlund. Good YA fake historical story. (Think fairy tale without the magic.) First reading.
September 6 Mexican Heat by Laura Baumbach and Josh Lanyon. Terrible erotic novel. Review. First reading.
September 11-14 The No Asshole Rule by Robert Sutton. Review. First reading.
September 30 Matt & Ben by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers. I've been wanting to read this for years. It was okay, but not great. It's a play, so I imagine it's much funnier on stage. First reading.
October 17- Orlando by Virginia Woolf. I tried so hard to read this, but couldn't make it very far. First reading (unfinished).
October 21-22 The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard. I still very much enjoyed this book. Second reading.
October 30-November 2 Unveiling the Sorceress by Saskia Walker. I own an anthology with a Saskia Walker story that I really like. Unfortunately, this book was not good at all. First reading.
November 6 Look Both Ways by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Sequel to The Midnight Twins. I thought it had some issues, but I read it all in one sitting, so it was still quite compelling. First reading.
November 7-12 Rumors by Anna Godbersen. Second in The Luxe series. Totally compelling and lots of fun. First reading.
November 13-16 Fires of the Faithful by Naomi Kritzer. Very good fantasy novels incorporating lesbians and religion in interesting ways. Third reading.
November 17-18 Turning the Storm by Naomi Kritzer. Very good fantasy novels incorporating lesbians and religion in interesting ways. Third reading.
November 21-22 Envy by Anna Godbersen. Third in The Luxe series. Totally compelling and lots of fun. First reading.
November 23-25 Chalice by Robin McKinley. If you read a lot of books, it's obvious where this is going from the very beginning, but it's still quite good. Second reading.
December 6- The White Road by Lynn Flewelling. I've loved all of Lynn Flewelling's other books, but I couldn't get into this one. First reading (unfinished).
December 14-15 Splendor by Anna Godbersen. Fourth and last in The Luxe series. Totally compelling and lots of fun. First reading.
December 28-January 1 The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I finally saw the movie and it made me want to re-read the book. Excellently written, and much darker and more sexual than the movie. Second reading.
Here are the five best books I read last year, with first lines (where I could find them online). Usually I just put these in alphabetical order by last name; this year, the best book is first and the other four are in alphabetical order.
- Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die.
- The Third Claw of God by Adam-Troy Castro.Later, much later, after I died, I tried to remember why.
- Rumors by Anna Godbersen.It has become almost regular for the lower classes of New York to catch glimpses of our native aristocracy in her city streets, tripping in for breakfast at Sherry's after one of their epic parties, or perhaps racing sleighs in Central Park, that great democratic meeting place.
- Aurelia by Anne Osterlund.The back of her gilt chair bit into her shoulder blades, and the heat generated by close bodies made the dab of face paint on her cheeks gleam.
- Cast In Silence by Michelle Sagara.
A couple of years ago, I decided that I would keep a list of all the books I read. It would be, I thought, interesting to see how much, and what, I actually read. So when I read a book, I wrote it down in my notebook. I liked the whole project so much that I've been doing it again each year.
What's here:
- Books I read in 2010.
- Authors of the books.
- Dates I read the books.
- Short notes about each book.
- Approximately how many times I've read the book.
- Magazine and newspaper articles.
- Web-published fiction I read.
- Short stories and individual chapters I read to remind myself of what the book was about.
January 11-22 Cast in Silence by Michelle Sagara. Fourth in a series I love. Review. First reading.
January 36-31 Bonk by Mary Roach. Review. First reading.
February 27 Style Statement by Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte. Review. First reading.
March 5- Dreams and Nightmares by Bob McCabe. I was doing research for a story that was set on a movie set, but I just wasn't into this book. First reading (unfinished).
March 13 Ash by Malinda Lo. Very good YA fairy tale retelling, but could have been excellent with a little more work. Review. First reading.
April 11-17 Snoop by Sam Gosling. Review. First reading.
April 17-24 Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. Excellent YA novel. The best book I read this year. First reading.
May 1-6 What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson. Deeply, deeply flawed YA novel. Review. First reading.
May 9-22 Emissaries From the Dead by Adam-Troy Castro. Excellent sci fi detective story. First reading.
June 3-10 Poker Nation: A High-Stakes, Low-Life Adventure into the Heart of a Gambling Country by Andy Bellin. Another thing I read for research. Depressing. Review. First reading.
July 3-5 Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. Ah, a comfort read. I finally bought my own copy instead of always checking it out from the library. Fourth reading.
July 10-16 The Third Claw of God by Adam-Troy Castro. Excellent sci fi detective story. Sequel to Emissaries From the Dead. First reading.
July 17-18 Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. Since I love Agnes and the Hitman, I thought I would try reading this again. It's still not very good. Second reading.
August 9-15 Cast in Chaos by Michelle Sagara. Fifth in a series I love. First reading.
August 17-21 The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Review. First reading.
August 23-27 Light Raid by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice. I reread this to see if it was staying on my bookshelf. It was only okay, so I gave it away. Third reading.
September 5 Aurelia by Anne Osterlund. Good YA fake historical story. (Think fairy tale without the magic.) First reading.
September 6 Mexican Heat by Laura Baumbach and Josh Lanyon. Terrible erotic novel. Review. First reading.
September 11-14 The No Asshole Rule by Robert Sutton. Review. First reading.
September 30 Matt & Ben by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers. I've been wanting to read this for years. It was okay, but not great. It's a play, so I imagine it's much funnier on stage. First reading.
October 17- Orlando by Virginia Woolf. I tried so hard to read this, but couldn't make it very far. First reading (unfinished).
October 21-22 The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard. I still very much enjoyed this book. Second reading.
October 30-November 2 Unveiling the Sorceress by Saskia Walker. I own an anthology with a Saskia Walker story that I really like. Unfortunately, this book was not good at all. First reading.
November 6 Look Both Ways by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Sequel to The Midnight Twins. I thought it had some issues, but I read it all in one sitting, so it was still quite compelling. First reading.
November 7-12 Rumors by Anna Godbersen. Second in The Luxe series. Totally compelling and lots of fun. First reading.
November 13-16 Fires of the Faithful by Naomi Kritzer. Very good fantasy novels incorporating lesbians and religion in interesting ways. Third reading.
November 17-18 Turning the Storm by Naomi Kritzer. Very good fantasy novels incorporating lesbians and religion in interesting ways. Third reading.
November 21-22 Envy by Anna Godbersen. Third in The Luxe series. Totally compelling and lots of fun. First reading.
November 23-25 Chalice by Robin McKinley. If you read a lot of books, it's obvious where this is going from the very beginning, but it's still quite good. Second reading.
December 6- The White Road by Lynn Flewelling. I've loved all of Lynn Flewelling's other books, but I couldn't get into this one. First reading (unfinished).
December 14-15 Splendor by Anna Godbersen. Fourth and last in The Luxe series. Totally compelling and lots of fun. First reading.
December 28-January 1 The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I finally saw the movie and it made me want to re-read the book. Excellently written, and much darker and more sexual than the movie. Second reading.