Books of 2010

Holy moley. I almost can't believe I went through 196 books last year.

I'm surprised I outdid my 2009 count of 122. My reduced writing activities and general online time-wasting may have contributed to the increased output. I certainly hadn't begun "reading" differently, e.g. skimming, skipping paragraphs, pages or whole chapters. Well, as far as skimming, at least not 100% of the time.

I'd like to say I utilized a nifty speed-reading technique I picked up from a semester I took in junior high school. The class was called "Reading Improvement" and the only reason I signed up was to get the A. I recall nobody taking the course seriously and the newer teacher being quite humorless and angry most of the time. I felt sorry for that woman. The one method I can remember requires the utmost concentration which isn't something I easily conjure.

To be fair, I couldn't complete 7 out of the 196, however much I deigned to try. Sometimes it's not meant to be, y'know? Sometimes my brain can't work with printed words arranged in certain ways. Or when it's beyond boring and seems an absolute waste of time. And when the book is tossed into the bag I use for library trips, you won't even find me sneaking a look at the final chapter.

Which books I found impossible to complete? They are: Mrs. Lirriper by Charles Dickens, Nana by Emile Zola, Once on a Moonless Night by Dai Sijie, On the Road by John Kerouac, Jane and the Barque of Frailty by Stephanie Barron, Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart, and The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

There were quite a few titles I found enjoyable but the ones I marked as stand-outs in my little spreadsheet last year were:

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
The Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff
The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey (Jack Nicholson)
The Corset Diaries by Katie Macalister
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (2011 movie!)
Washington Square by Henry James
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin (movie out in May, 2011)
Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
Lilith by Jean Plaidy
The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (movie!)
The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
Jane Austen in Scarsdale by Paula Marantz Cohen
Elegance by Kathleen Tessaro
The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart
Rich Boy by Sharon Pomerantz
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (never saw the movie)
Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Dead As a Doornail by Charlaine Harris (for turning me on to the Sookie Stackhouse series and to True Blood the TV series)
Simon the Coldheart by Georgette Heyer
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake


Stories that converted literary classics, popular literary characters or historic figures into the horror genre seemed to pique my interest. Do note that none are part of my stand-out list above:

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange
Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford
Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
Jane Slayre by Sherri Browning Erwin
Little Women and Werewolves by Louisa May Alcott and Porter Grand
Android Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Ben C. Winters
Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter by A. E. Moorat
Dracula in Love by Karen Essex
Frankenstein's Monster by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe
Mansfield Park and Mummies by Jane Austen and Vera Nazarian


Virtually all books were obtained from the library. I purchased off-price 8 titles:
3 titles by Sheila Rosalynd Allen: The Meddlesome Ghost, The Helpful Ghost, and The Passionate Ghost; 3 titles by Kathleen Tessaro: Elegance, Innocence, and The Flirt; Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (couldn't resist at 50-cents), and The Matchmaker in Perigord by Julia Stuart


A few novels I'm looking forward to in 2011 include:

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare - April
Dreams of Joy by Lisa See - May
Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris - May
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare - Sept.
Gold Boy, Emerald Girl by Yiyun Li


About the same time last year I wrote about the books I tackled in 2009. See it here. :)


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