Book List 2010
SO yeah, I read a lot of books again this year.... I did a lot of graphic novel ordering for NOPL, and hence, read a lot of them, which obv adds to the high number.
Those with * next to their numbers have a mini-review or other comments noted at the bottom.
The ratings:
hyperlinked: my favorites. This may or may not speak to its literary merit. If I couldn't put it down, it got a top rating.
Bold: Very good, but not great.
Italics: Good.
Underlined: BAD.
NF: adult nonfiction
YA: young adult fiction
SS: Short Stories
F: Adult fiction
GN: graphic novel
J: Juvenile fiction
SF: Science Fiction
1. Babylon Rolling by Amanda Boyden F
2. Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand by Alex Kapranos NF
3. How to be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward F
4. Revelation by Kate Brian YA
5. Token by Alisa Kwitney and Joelle Jones GN
6. Water Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day at Work ed. by Joni B. cole and B. K. Rakhra NF
7. Paradise Lost by Kate Brian YA
*8. Homer & Langley by E.L. Doctorow F
9. The New York Four by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly GN
10. Suspicion by Kate Brian YA
11. Kimmie66 by Aaron Alexovich GN
12. French Milk by Lucy Knisley GN
13. Last Christmas Kate Brian YA
14. Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne YA
15. Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School by Katherine Darling NF
*16. Gone by Michael Grant YA
17. The Beast by Walter Dean Myers YA
18. Lessons From a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles YA
19. 31 Hours by Masha Hamilton F
20. Some New Kind of Slaughter: or Lost in the Flood (and How We Found Home Again) by mpMann and A. David Lewis GN
21. Trapped by James Molony YA
*22. Stitches: A Memoir by David Small GN
23. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides F
24. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers NF
25. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney JF
26. Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan GN
27. Fade by Lisa McMann YA
28. Water Baby by Ross Campbell GN
*29. Mortified: Real Words. Real People. Real Pathetic.ed. David Nadelberg NF
30. The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes: and other surprising true stories of zoo vets and their patients ed. by Lucy Spelman and Ted Mashima NF
31. The Magicians by Lev Grossman F
32. Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs by Hans Rodionoff GN
*33. The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders by Anthony Flacco NF
34. Under the Jolly Roger: Being an Account of the Further Nautical Adventures of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer YA
*35. Half-Minute Horrors: A Collection of Instant Frights from the World's Most Astonishing Authors and Artists ed. Susan Rich
JF
36. I Saw You... Comics Inspired by Real-Life Missed Connections ed Julia Wertz GN
37. Bizenghast by Alice LeGrow GN
38. Candor by Pam Bachorz YA
39. Looking for Alaska by John Green YA (Printz Award Winner)
*40. Dandy in the Underworld: An Unauthorized Autobiography by Sebastian Horsley NF
41. Up For Renewal: What Magazines Taught me About Love, Sex, and Starting Over by Cathy Alter NF
42. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson YA
43. Remembering Raquel by Vivian Vande Velde YA
44. House by Josh Simmons GN
45. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck F
46. A Perfect Waiter by Alain Claude Sulzer F
*47. Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan JF
48. Splendor by Anna Godberson YA
49. Archenemy by Frank Beddor YA
50. Have You Found Her by Janice Erlbaum NF
51. Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter YA
52. An Officer and a Junkie: From West Point to the Point of No Return by Michael Winder NF
53. Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid by Lemony Snicket JF
54. The Wyrm King by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black JF
55. No Bone Unturned: Inside the World of a Top Forensic Scientist and His Work on America's Most Notorious Crimes and Disasters by Jeff Benedict NF
56. Pitch Black by Youme Landowne and Anthony Horton GN
57. Hunger by Michael Grant YA
58. Crash Into Me by Albert Borris YA
59. Ordinary Victories by Manu Larcenet GN
60. The Bordon Tragedy by Rick Geary GN
61. I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after 20 Years Away by Bill Bryson NF
62. In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber L. A. Meyer YA
63. Goldengrove by Francine Prose F
*64. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson YA
*65. Irish Girl: Stories by Tim Johnston SS
66. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart YA
67. The Nightengales of Troy: Stories of One Family's Century by Alice Fulton SS
68. Ordinary Victories: What is Precious by Manu Larcenet GN
69. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson F
70. The Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead: The Frank Meeink Story by Frank Meeink NF
*71. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall F
72. The Traveling Death and Resurrection Show by Ariel Gore F
73. Flesh For Fantasy: Producing and Consuming Exotic Dance ed. R. Danielle Egan, Kathering Frank, and Merri Lisa Johnson NF
74. The Apple's Bruise: Stories by Lisa Glatt SS
75. She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother: A Memoir by Bryan Batt NF
76. Gator A-Go-Go by Tim Dorsey F
77. Mercury by Hope Larson GN
78. CatBurglar Black by Richard Sala GN
79. The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer YA
80. Mississippi Jack: Being the Account of the Further Waterborne Adventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman, Fine Lady, and Lily of the West by L.A. Meyer YA
81. A La Cart: The Secret Lives of Grocery Shoppers by Hillary Carlip NF
82. Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston GN
83. Vanilla Bright Like Eminem by Michael Faber SS
84. Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity by Kerry Cohen NF
85. The Maze Runner by James Dashner YA
86. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel by Seth Grahame-Smith and Tony Lee GN
87. Startled by his Furry Shorts by Louise Rennison YA
88. Zoe by Dick Wittenborn F
89. Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba GN
90. Buddha: Volume 1: Kapilavastu by Osamu Tezuka GN
91. My Bonny Light Horseman: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, in Love and War by L. A. Meyer YA
92. Star Island by Carl Hiaasen F
93. Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler NF
94. Heathentown by Corinna Bechko GN
95. Secret Society by Tom Dolby YA
96. Mrs. Candy and Saturday Night by Robert Tallant F
97. City of Memory: New Orleans Before and After Katrina by John Woodin NF
98. Glacial Period by Nicolas De Crecy GN
99. I was Seven in '75 by Ellen Forney GN
100. The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee by Sarah Silverman NF
101. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld YA
102. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins YA
103. Bayou, Vol 1 by Jeremy Love GN
*104. Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern NF
105. Right Behind You by Gail Giles YA
106. The Absolute Sandman, Volume 1 by Neil Gaiman GN
107. After by Amy Efaw YA
108. The Terrible Axe-Man of New Orleans by Rick Geary GN
109-111. Lost Girls, Vol 1-3 by Alan Moore GN
112. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall J National Book Award Winner
113. The Bunny Years: The Surprising Inside Story or the Playboy Clubs: The Women who Worked as Bunnies, and Where They Are Now by Kathryn Leigh Scott NF
114. Room by Emma Donoghue F
115. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris SS
116. Children of the Sea, Vol 1 by Daisuke Igarashi GN
117. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card SF Nebula Award Winner, Hugo Award Winner
118. Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay F
119. Scandal by Kate Brian YA
120. Skim by Mariko and Jilliam Tamaki GN
121. Weird Fishes by Jamaica Dyer GN
120. Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story by Mat Johnson and Simon Gane GN
121. American Vampire by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque and Stephen King GN
122. A Special Place: The Heart of a Dark Matter by Peter Straub F
*124.American Photobooth by Nakki Goranin NF
125. Pigeons From Hell by Joe Landsdale GN
126.Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere by Mike Carey and Glenn Fabry GN
127. The Good Neighbors: Book 1: Kin by Holly Black GN
128. The Museum Vaults: Excerpts from the Journal of an Expert by Marc-Antoine Mathieu GN
129. Wonderland by Tommy Kovac GN
130. Vanished by Kate Brian YA
131. Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter YA
132. Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection, Field Notes by Dr. Robert Twombley by Don Roff GN
133. The Good Neighbors: Kith by Holly Black GN
134. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner YA
135. The Walking Dead, Vol 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore GN
136. The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists by Amy Wallace NF
137. The Walking Dead, Vol 2: Miles Behind Us by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore GN
138. Super Spy by Matt Kindt GN
139. On the Odd Hours Eric Liberge GN
*140. The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Didier Lefèvre and Emmanuel Guibert NF/GN
141. Freaks, Geeks and Strange Girls: Sideshow Banners of the Great American Midway by Last Gasp Publications NF
*142. The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin YA
143. The Walking Dead, Vol 3: Safety Behind Bars by Robet Kirkman GN
144. Junko Mizuno's Cinderella by Junko Mizuno GN
145. Awkard and Definition: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag by Ariel Schrag GN
146. Chew, Volume 1: Taster's Choice by John Layman and Rob Guillory GN
147. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney JF
148. A Visit From the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan F
149. Gunnerkrigg Court by Thomas Siddell GN
150. Chew, Volume 2: International Flavor by John Layman GN
152. Love is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison YA
153. The Walking Dead Vol 4: The Heart's Desire by Robert Kirkman GN
154. The Walking Dead, Vol 5: The Best Defense by Robert Kirkman GN
155. 100 Young Americans by Michael Franzini NF
*156. Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa GN
157. The Walking Dead, Volume 6: This Sorrowful Life by Robert Kirkman GN
158. The Walkind Dead, Volume 7: The Calm Before by Robert Kirkman GN
159. Class Pictures by Dawoud Bey NF
160. Pretty Young Things by Anna Godberson YA
...and 1/2: Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading: A Reading Memoir by Lizzie Skurnick NF
I only read half of this because I found that if she was writing about books I had read, I loved it; if she was writing about books I hadn't, I wasn't interested. So I only read what was interesting.
*8. I loved this more for Doctorow's writing than the actual story (though the story is very good, too). His use of language is glorious.
*16. This is really good... would recommend for teen boys or girls. A little violent, a lot supernatural (animals mutate and talk! some kids develop powers! everyone over 14 disappears in a poof!), and very apocalyptic. And we know how much I like that.
*22. Good story. AMAZING illustrations. Gorgeous.
*29. Bonus: One of the contributers is a good friend from college. I didn't know that until I was reading the book and came across her name and photo. Awesome surprise.
*33. I am amazed that someone could make such a fascinatingly terrible story such a dull read.
*35. If you've got kids that love scary stories (Goosebumps, ghost stories, etc.), turn them onto this book. It's AWESOME.
*40. I went into this thinking I was going to dislike the guy, but it turns out he's pretty clever and self-deprecating, which I always appreciate, and I found myself thinking he'd be a good guy to sit next to at the bar. However, the reviews (and he himself) go on and on about how revolting and perverse his life and autobiography are. Maybe I'm spoiled by life on Decatur Street, but bisexuality, drug addiction, criminal friends, and crucifixion just aren't that unusual, or shocking. I see that stuff all the time.
*47. Stories and illustrations equally beautiful
*64. Teens (girl teens) that are into theater would really like this, I think.
*65. The writing is beautiful and says more in fewer words than anything else I've read. But I think I was expecting more and came away a little disappointed. I think if I had gone in without expectations, I would have given it top marks.
*71. I give it top marks, but with reservations. It's more inbetween my two top ratings, but veering closer to the top than not. Beautiful writing, great story, funny, real, etc. It just didn't take my breath away, but it came awfully close.
*104. I LOL'd. A lot. Simply a quick hilarious read.
*124. The photos are so good that it gets this rating. HOWEVER. I would have liked to have read the history of the photobooth, but the writing was awful -- bad grammar, bad style... just ugh. I'd red 1/2 a paragrpah and have to stop. So that sucked. But the photos are pretty amazing, so I'm ok.
*140. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Loved it. So much.
*142. Starts promising, but the last 25% turns into that "hitting you over the head with a lesson" issue that plagues YA lit. Also not totally believable in terms of character emotion.
*156. I almost felt like giving up on this in the middle, but the ending made it more than worthwhile. It was thisclose to getting top ratings.
Books I quite reading after 50 pages:
1. Year Zero: A Year of Reporting From Post-Katrina New Orleans by nolafugees.com (I got tired of being stereotyped and demonized for living Uptown. Because Uptown = rich, white, self-absorbed, greedy, heartless, racist, oblivious, uncmopassionate, and entitled. Of course.)
2. Going Bovine, by Libba Bray. It was the Printz Award Winner (for young adult fiction) last year, but I realized about 1/3rd of the way in that I just didn't care anymore.