Best Books of 2010

Best Books of 2010
click on cover to go to my review

The following is my top ten of 2010. Deciding on just ten books was amazingly difficult, and I could have easily pushed the number up to 15, but I thought I should limit myself somehow. I tried ranking them 1 - 10 but that proved impossible, so here they are in the order I read them.

Quentin Jacobsen's infatuation with the infamous Margo Roth Spiegelman causes him to have one night, one daring adventure with her.  Then she is gone, and he embarks on an even more daring adventure to find her, starting with a poster of Woody Guthrie.

The characters, the poignancy, the beautiful language, it all combines to create an absolutely moving read.

Fingersmith tells the story of Sue Trinder, a young woman orphaned at birth who grows up among the thieves and con artists of London. When a conman named Gentleman offers her a money-making opportunity, she grabs it.  Maud is the unfortunate patsy in Gentlemen and Sue's little con, but Maud has secrets of her own.  Sue and Maud's schemes and plans are no match for the path their lives were set upon before they took their first breath.

The twists and turns, the interweaving stories and characters, must be experienced first hand.

Todd Hewitt lives in Prentisstown, a strange place where all the men can hear each others' thoughts.  They call this the Noise, an ever present stream of over 100 consciousnesses pouring out into the world and into the minds of the rest of the town.

One day while walking in the woods, Todd comes across a presence...a silent presence, and this silence weighs on him heavier than the noise.  But silence isn't supposed to exist.  What other lies are the men of Prentisstown telling?

This is an absolutely fantastic read, a unique and well developed world, believable and sympathetic characters, and wonderfully original plot lines.

Horatio's ability to think deeply and logically is only challenged by his encounter and subsequent relationship with Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, who is "an outrageous, provocative, and flamboyantly beautiful young man".  Their tragically flawed relationship soars and suffers under the manipulations of Horatio's patroness Lady Adriane.  Soon, Horatio finds himself rivaled by another poet who seems to have earned the admiration of both Hamlet and Lady Adriane.

An absolutely gorgeous, thought-provoking, and unique read!

Dorian Gray is young, innocent, and beautiful, but his friendship with two different men forever alter young Dorian.  Basil Hallward loves Dorian as his muse, beauty and inspiration.  Lord Henry Wotton sees in Dorian a chance to influence, to mold.  The feelings, the image of himself, that these two men create for Dorian cause him to spontaneously wish that he remain young forever while the painting of him created by Hallward feel the effects of aging.  His wish is granted.

Every single beautiful page of this fascinating story has an idea, a claim, that is discussion worthy.

The House of the Dead is a semi-autobiographical accounting of Dostoevsky's time in a Siberian prison.  While many of the stories, experiences, and even the people are true-to-life, Dostoevsky created a fictional narrator, Alexandr Petrovich, who is serving ten years for murdering his wife. By creating a fictional character, Dostoevsky was able to insert biting political and social commentary into his writing; quite the brave thing to do after he had already been imprisoned for disagreeing with the government.  Reading like a well-lived man recounting memories, The House of the Dead is a beauteous philosophical ramble that will stay with me for a long time.

We have a couple things going on here: first, we have Bram Stoker's Dracula, the vampire tale to kick all other vampire tale's pointy teeth.  Second, we have Leslie S. Klinger's amazing annotations of the text which add a wonderful depth to the narrative.  Third, we have Neil Gaiman, a man I would leave my husband for (not really sweetie, I swear), introducing the text.  Finally, we have Appendices which have my geek heart pounding.

The story of Dracula itself is entertaining, thought-provoking, beautifully Victorian, and compelling; but to read the story with a scholar's notes at your side - a scholar who chooses to believe it is a true story - is absolutely fantastic.

Milo is a bored kid who finds no pleasure in anything until one day a special package arrives for him, a tollbooth. Once he pays his passage, he is transported to a new world where a fight between two brothers makes them imprison their sisters, Rhyme and Reason. Without Rhyme and  Reason, the kingdom of Wisdom has fallen. Each brother’s kingdom thrives: Dictionopolis, where words reign supreme, and Digitolopolis, where only numbers matter. Now Milo must save Rhyme and Reason to bring Wisdom back to the kingdom.

Delightfully clever and thematically important, The Phantom Tollbooth is one of my favorite reads of all time.

Alexia Tarabotti resides in a brilliantly mannered Victorian London where vampires and werewolves form a small chunk of the population. As a preternatural, one who is soulless, Alexia possesses the ability to counteract the supernatural elements of those she comes in contact with. She also enjoys treacle tart, verbally sparring with Lord Maccon, and having a parasol handy.

The novel combines so many elements I enjoy: paranormals, romance, Victorian London, steampunk, overblown propriety, eccentricity, comedy, sex, and on and on and on.

A Pilgram takes a heaven-ordained journey with the poet Virgil as his guide. On his way, he travels through the Nine Circles of Hell, each of which is partitioned into separate sections where sinners of the same type are tortured in a method appropriate to their sin.

The story is beautifully unique, thematically deep, and artfully written. And we have to remember, of course, we are talking about Hell here, so it is also wonderfully interesting in a macabre sort of way.