The Best of 2010

Books-A-Million sent me an email today. The subject read "The Best of 2010" and the email advertised all of 2010's bestsellers. That got me thinking. What are my Best of 2010 books?? As I thought about it, I realized that I didn't read very many books over the summer, and I can't remember at all what I read in the spring, so really this list will be my Best of Fall 2010, but that's close enough, right?

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Of course. Picking my number one book of this year wasn't really a hard choice, since nothing else came close to The Hunger Games. For those of you who haven't read it, this book takes place in a post-apocalyptic society and tells the story of Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is selected to participate in The Hunger Games, which is a national event where two teens from each district must compete with each other to the death. Sounds awful right? Teens forced to kill each other on national TV? And it's young adult? No way. Those were my first thoughts. But boy was I wrong. I literally could not put this book down. And when I did put it down, I could not stop thinking about it. Definitely the best book of 2010, and one of my favorite books ever.

2. The Uglies by Scott Westerfield. This is another young adult dystopian society book. After reading The Hunger Games I was desperate to read something else like it. The Uglies is the first in a series of four. Main character Tally Youngblood lives in a world where everyone gets plastic surgery on their 16th birthday. And we're talking extreme plastic surgery. Tally is 15 and therfore still an Ugly, and she can't wait until she gets to be a Pretty. I would definitely recommend this entire series, especially for fans of The Hunger Games.

3. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. I started reading Brandon Sanderson's stuff after I found out he would be finishing the Wheel of Time series for the late Robert Jordan. I have enjoyed all of Sanderson's books, but Warbreaker is by far my favorite. This fantasy novel centers around two princesses.. Spirited, likable Princess Siri is sent to a foreign land to marry the terrifying God-King. Her realistically unlikable sister Vivenna follows Siri to protect her. The thing that I liked most about Warbreaker is that it is a stand-alone fantasy novel... that's right stand-alone fantasy. Seems like an oxymoron right? Fantasy stories are often never ending... 14 books at 1,000 pages each? I mean come on. Those books are really good, or at least really good at first, but there is no need to drag them out for that long. But Warbreaker was refreshingly short. An entire world, in depth characters, and a detailed plot was introduced, played out, and wrapped up in only 652 pages.

4. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. I almost stopped reading this book after the first few pages. It is a story that takes place in Germany during World War II, and it is narrated by death. How weird and depressing is that?? But I'm glad I kept going. Death tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl who has a thing for stealing books. The point of view makes this books intriguing, and the characters and plot make it heart-wrenching. Be prepared to cry.

So there it is, my Best Books of 2010, just in time for 2011. Why not start your new year with a great book?!