Picks (and Rejects) of 2010

Amist the holiday madness, I haven't had much time, or inclination, to read. However I thought I'd countdown my Top Fives of 2010. Originally I thought of doing a top ten, but that list quickly became a tribute to all things Dessen and Marchetta. There weren’t as many totally fan-tastic standouts like there was in 2009, but with the help of new authors (like Dessen) there was considerably less “Never Again!” books. Though now that I think about it, perhaps my standards for Awesome-rankings have been raised because the calibre of writing I've been reading. Hm....

Ooh! And Nin culls out a bunch of Never Again books so I dont waste my time reading them.

In no particular order, because I just can’t decide which was my favorite of 2010, the Faves…

1. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan – I finished the Percy Jackson series well before this blog was started so I never got to gush about how totally awesome it was. And Riordan’s sequel series does not disappoint. I know I’ll be a spoiler if I go on about how fantastic this book was. So I’ll just say it was an awesome adventure with great new kick-butt characters (I’m a Piper-fangirl all the way).
2. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare – I actually reviewed this book here and obviously I thought it was awesome. I might even like it better than The Mortal Instrument series. Will definitely gives Jace a run for his money. And the English accents are just brilliant.
3. The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen – Flat out loved this book. What’s not to love? Swoon-worthy male character. Great build-up to an uber fabulous and rabid fangirl worthy relationship. Interesting dialogue and side characters. And not a whiff of stinky Love-Pow. Sarah Dessen, where have you been all my life???
4. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta – This book made me a diehard Melina-fangirl. War. Tragedy. Mystery. And of course the best star-crossed couple ever written. Romeo’s got nothing on Jonah Griggs.
5. Book Thief by Mark Zusak – To be honest, this book didn’t quite grip me like Dessen or Marchetta’s books, but mostly because it was way too smart and brutal to swoon over. It was a bit harder to read, because Zusak’s got a totally different style of writing. But the story is like “rip your heart out and stomp on it” good. Totally intense and not for someone looking for an easy, light read. I used to read a lot of World War II stories. But Book Thief was the first one I can remember from the Nazi side, a very different and interesting perspective. And the ending…well you should read it for youself.

And of course a year-end wrap up can’t be complete without the Never Agains. There were quite a few I wanted to put on here, but I narrowed it down (reluctantly) to five.

Again in no particular order, though I did loath them in varying degrees, here are the Top Five Never (Ever) Agains -

1. Torment by Lauren Kate – Really the name just says it all. I could go off about what I did not like in this book, but I already did here. And rehashing boring couples and their mundane, angst-ridden plot lines is bad for my zen.
2. Time of the Witches by Anna Myers – For such a short book, it was insanely slow. The only redeeming quality (but not enough to redeem it out of the Never Again category) was that it was a rather interesting take on the Salem witch trials. But not interesting enough to recommend. Or read again.
3. Immortal by Gillian Shields – I don't remember too much about this book but it was the only one in about eighty books I noted as “Stupid.” Predictable plot with too much of idiot and oblivious girl. But not the endearing kind of obliviousness like Elizabeth Scott’s characters.
4. Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar – GG is a super popular tv show and it’s got a cult following for the huge book series. So I figured it was probably a good series to start. Boy was I wrong. If you’re interesting in reading about overindulgent, whiny rich kid’s lives, then this is the series for you. But overall I thought it was a bunch of stupid teens with absolutely zero plot. And there was no Veronica Mars voice-overs. How lame is that?
5. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins – If it was a standalone book, then it probably doesn't deserve to be in this category. But honestly, this was an extremely disappointing end to such a promising series. Perhaps I’m biased b/c I’m an ill-fated Gale shipper and I don't think he deserved to go out the way he did. However, the book seemed rushed. Did anyone else think it seemed way too convenient that Katniss would fall unconscious while critical parts of the storyline developed? And her constant emo-ness and poor me attitude grated on my nerves within the first few chapters. Katniss of Mockingjay just didn’t hit that level of awesomeness that she did in Hunger Games. It was almost like she was body snatched and replaced with an inferior model. But I suppose that’s what dating down will do to a girl.

And now that I can practically hear Nin's screams of indignation, she was after all a Peeta shipper. Ick.

Til next year...