Best of 2010 Book List

So, the great recap of the year. No particular order...

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious--and Perplexing -- City by David Lebovitz (This was a fun little foodie's biography as a Paris transplant. Great for getting great gritty daily city details & the otherness of being a cultural transplant.)

Ooku: The Inner Chambers. by Fumi Yoshinaga.(series. manga. fantastic alter-history. Good enough that I got her entire early series, Antique Bakery, through ILL. Looking forward to anything she does in the future.)



Portable Childhoods: Stories by Ellen Klages (Wonderful fantasy short stories of a similar vein as Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things, only found because Gaiman did the introduction. She should be better known.)




The Anxiety of Everyday Objects by Aurelie Sheehan (Wonderfully written. The adventures of whimsical dreamer in an office job. You can relate? Excellent.)



The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault (A fun little mystery in a dictionary office. A treat for etymology geeks. Found by using that Amazon Recommends thing at the bottom of the page for Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie.)



The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: a Flavia De Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Flavia has definately joined Witch Baby & Lisbeth Salander on my list of Fictional Rolemodels. She may be eleven but she's a chemistry genius with a knack for poisons, oh but she's the good guy/gal. I don't read a ton of mysteries but I can imagine resisting any bit of snooping Flavia might let me tag along for. Waiting for the third Flavia book in Feb 2011.)




The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson (The original title in Swedish translates to "Men Who Hate Women," and although fitting in many ways I would probably not have read this if that had been the title in english. I love this book and the main female character even if she is only sparsely characterized early in the book. She was instantly added to my fictional rolemodels. Not for the faint of heart; well worth the time.)




The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger (This is a picture book look graphic novel. Very different style graphicly from Three Incestous Sisters and the Adventuress, and not as thematically difficult as the former & Her Fearful Symmetry. This is a the perfect bedtime story for bibliophiles in general, bibliophiles who work in libraries in particular.)



The Magicians by Lev Grossman (If Harry Potter were written for adults then it would be The Magicians. Excellent, also the mechanism of the magic system were way more likely than in the Potter-verse. Followed this up with Grossman's Codex, same main character for all purposes so is prbably standing in for Grossman himself, but I kind of like him so I didn't mind. Feel free to hit Codex instead if you'd rather paly with old books than magic.)




A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse' (I love this book! I made pages of notes on things to read, and there's some really lovely quotes on the importance of good books. It's a book about books, a mystery, a love story. Little bit of a slow start but well worth it. Sort of want to mail this to almost everyone I know.)

Dec. 2010

168. I am neurotic (and so are you) by Lianne Kong (Fans of PostSecret check this out.)

169. Emma 1 by Kaori Mori (Manga in 1800's England. Brainy maid meets gentleman, love & caste conflict.)
170. Emma 2
171. Emma 3

172. Scott Pilgrim's Fines Hour (Vol. 6) by Bryan O'Malley (I'm so done with this series.)

173. Eisenstaedt on Eisenstaedt (Photos & his notes. Amazing.)

174.Emma 4

175. A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse' (I love this book! I made pages of notes on things to read, and there's some really lovely quotes on the importance of good books. It's a book about books, a mystery, a love story. Little bit of a slow start but well worth it.)

176. Emma 5

177. Flight, Vol 4.

178. The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (If you liked the Thursday Next novels this will be right up your alley. Mystery novel with carnivals and in-dreaming scenes.)

179. The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace (Quite good. Wasn''t sure where it was going, but I liked it.)

180. Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye (Audiobooked. A fun little adventure with mouse characters. Delightful.)

181. The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World Most Elegant Woman by Karen Karbo (Sort of Coco Chanel biography crossed with a self-help book. Great fun.)

182. 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson. (Excellent world-in-the-wall fantasy without feeling like a Narnia rehash. Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.)

183. Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jilliam Lauren (Writing style was so-so but I stuck with it for the content.)

Nov. 2010

157. Space: Japanese Design Solutions of Compact Living by Michael Freeman

158. Possession by A. S. Byatt (re) (Audiobooked. A.S. Byatt is amazing, and the writing styles of the writer characters are excellently crafted, also really great depiction of the Joy of Research.)

159. The Magicians by Lev Grossman (If Harry Potter were written for adults then it would be The Magicians. Excellent, also the mechanism of the magic system were way more likely than in the Potter-verse.)

160. Something Missing: a novel by Mathew Dick (Excellent first novel. Told by a burgler who burgles the same people for years & never gets caught, find out how. Wonderful character building, recommending to anyone who will listen.)

161. Koko Be Good by Jen Wang (Loved the art style, but confused by Koko, but I think I was supposed to be...)

162. Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough (Pretty good YA novel with a cute play on inheriting magic & feeling like a sub-par member of your family or community, interesting theory of magic object mechanics. Will likely read the sequel.)

163. A Man Without A Country by Kurt Vonnegut (Read this, it's good for you, but you'll like it too.)

164. Muse & Reverie: A Newford Collection by Charles de Lint. (Three cheers for Newford Collections! No one does fantasy like De Lint.)

165. Avatars, Book One: So This Is How It Ends by Tui T. Sutherland (Started as a great post-apocalyptic teen novel, but the end got silly and by the time it was over I didn't even care that it had a cliff-hanger ending & the library doesn't have the sequel.)

166. Codex: a novel by Lev Grossman (Another exploration of the Joy of Research, also video game & rare books. Pretty much the same main character at The Magicians, but I like him okay so I'm alright with it. I will be watching out for Grossman's books in the future.)

167. How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton (Not an easy read but I do love Proust quotes, also trying for some self-improvement, not sure it worked.)

Oct. 2010

140. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger (This is a picture book look graphic novel. Very different style graphicly from Three Incestous Sisters and the Adventuress, and not as thematically difficult as the former & Her Fearful Symmetry. This is a the perfect bedtime story for bibliophiles in general, bibliophiles who work in libraries in particular.)

141. The Octonauts & the Only Lonely Monster by Meomi

142. The Octonauts & the Sea of Shade by Meomi

143. The Octonauts & the Great Ghost Reef by Meomi

(Meomi is a delightful art company. I (heart) them, they make me smile.)

144. Four Word Self Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives by Patti Digh (Given more shelf space in my life I would definately want to own this book. Beautiful art & very good for the soul.)

145. You are one-third daffodil and other facts to amaze, amuse, and astound. compiled by Tom Nuttal (This is was delightful, great for a couple days with a short attention-span.)

146. Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 4. by Fumi Yoshinaga (Still loving this series.)

147. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (This was actually quite sweet--but no toothache--& had some great quotable lines. Save yourself from the movie, don't see it before or after, or ever.)

148. The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel by Diana Gabaldon & Hoang Nguyen. (I keep thinking I'm done giving Gabaldon chances, but I did really enjoy the first few Outlander books. Really this is Outlander minus any classiness I may have internally-imposed on it.)

149. At Home in Japan: A Foreign Woman's Journey of Discovery by Rebecca Otawa (Because this was the travelogue of someone who wasn't just a traveler but actually transplanted for life. Way more detailed than any similar book about living in Japan, also rural which is a whole other world from city-dewelling or non-modern, most of my previous reading have been one or the other.)

150. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (Who else could sell a story concept of being able to taste the emotions of the person who prepared your food = awesome. See also Willful Creatures: stories.)

151. How They Met And Other Stories by David Levithan (Very sweet, but not a toothache.)

152. You Know Where to Find Me by Rachel Cohn (Great YA novel about the effects of a suicide on those left behind, also interesting sidenotes of the politics of Washington D.C. as a stateless state, and I feel for the main character. Well done.)

153. The Character of Rain by Amelie Nothomb (re) (Insert love letter to Amelie Nothomb here.)

154. Loving Sabotage by Amelie Nothomb (re) (Insert love letter to Amelie Nothomb here.)

155. Japanese Style by Sarah Lonsdale (Little pop culture overview.)

156. The Life of Hunger by Amelie Nothomb (re) (Insert love letter to Amelie Nothomb here.)

Sept. 2010 (cont.)

136. Antique Bakery Vol. 4.

137. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman. (I love this book! Took pages of notes on things to read. Will probably definately re-read.)

138. The Physic Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (Audiobooked. I wasn't expecting this to be all that good, and while not something I'll recommend for years to come, it does do a great job of portraying the Joy of Reseach, at least as well as People of the Book.)

139. Kushiel's Dart (re). (I seem to be good to reread this about yearly, but I probably wouldn't have at this point if I hadn't just rebound a discarded paperback of it. Pretty successful rebinding if I do say so myself.)

88. Ooku: the Inner Chanbers. vol. 2. by Fumi Yoshinaga

89. Ooku: the Inner Chambers. Vol 3. by Fumi Yoshinaga

90. Dreaming of Dior by Charlotta Smith, ill. by Grant Cowan (A bunch of nice little stories matched with amazing illlustrations of the dresses the women of the stories wore.)

91. Spendor by Anna Godberson

92. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

93. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson (The original title in Swedish translates to "Men Who Hate Women," and although fitting in many ways I would probably not have read this if that had been the title in english. I love this book and the main female character even if she is only sparsely characterized early in the book. She was instantly added to my fictional rolemodels. Not for the faint of heart; well worth the time.)

94. By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Ann Peters

95. Scott Pilgrim (vol 5.) vs. The Universe by Bryan Lee O'Malley

96. The Good Body by Eve Ensler

97. Angelography by Danielle Trussoni

98. Chobits. 1. by Clamp

99. Britten & Bulightly: a graphic novel by Hannah Berry

100. French Milk by Lucy Knisley (a fun sketchbook travel journal of paris. full of all those little details that make a reality.)

101. The Meaning of Herbs: Myth, Language & Lore by Gretchen Scoble & Ann Field

102. Chobits. 2. by Clamp

103. Chobits 3 by Clamp

104. Design Your Life: The Pleasures & Perils of Everyday Things by Ellen & Julia Lupton (recommended by JB. A series of fun little essays about the every day things that generally go unnoticed because of how common they are. instills a lingering tendancy to thing about why things like toasters and bras look the way they do. wonderful.)

105. Show Me How: 500 Things You SHould Know: Instructions for life from the everday to the exotic by Derek Fagerstrom, Lauren Smith & the Show Me team. (A wonderful full-color manual on a wonderful array of things. well worth a thourough browse.)

106. Antique Bakery 1. by Fumi Yoshinaga (an earlier comic by the creater of Ooku. the antic of three guys running a french bakery in Japan. romance hijinks between gay & straight characters, the mysteries of personal histories. not as well thought out as Ooku but not inteded to be.)

107. The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha (a delightful list of things that will make you smile no matter what mood you were in when you opened it.)

108. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larrson

109. This is Water: Some Thoughts Delivered on a Signifigant Occasion About Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace (The speech everyone should get at soem point, or many points, in their life.)

110. Heroes: Saving Charlie: The Untold Story of Hiro & Charlie by Aury Wallington

111. the Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

112. The Arrival by Shaun Tan (re) (Easily & by miles my favorite book about the immegrant experience. no preaching, no whining, just honest & compassion inducing. Apropriate for a human of any age, readign level or lack there of, no words.)

113. Chobits 4 by Clamp

114. Chobits 5 by Clamp

115. Chobits 6 by Clamp

116. M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman. (a little disappointing because so many of the stories have appeared in other collections, nothing against the stories themselves. Neil is always a Magician of the highest order.)

117. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: a Flavia De Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Flavia has definately joined Witch Baby & Lisbeth Salander on my list of Fictional Rolemodels. She may be eleven but she's a chemistry genius with a knack for poisons, oh but she's the good guy/gal. I don't read a ton of mysteries but I can imagine resisting any bit of snooping Flavia might let me tag along for.)

118. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag: a Flavia De Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (No more Flavia until February 2011, very sad.)

119. Lulu Meets God & Doubts Him: A Novel by Danielle Ganeck (The title is the title of painting that is the lust-point for most of the characters in this book. not a bad book, but I probably wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't been missing New York at the moment & mourning the wait for Flavia, Lisbeth & manga.)

120. The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault (A fun little mystery in a dictionary office. A treat for etymology geeks. Found by using that Amazon Recommends thing at the bottom of the page for Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie.)

121. Chobits 8 by Clamp

122. The New Yorker Book of Literary Cartoons

123. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (the third in the Hunger Games trilogy. go read them if you have not. thanks to AR for the recommendation.)

124. Alice in the Country of Hearts. 1. by Soumei Hoshino & Quinrose. (not wonderful, haven't looked to see if there is or will be a sequel, so I guess I don't care. getting kind of tired of people trying to re-write Carroll's mythos, I liked it the way it was.)

125. Skim by Mariko Tamaki & Jilliam Tamaki (graphic novel, first love, the first time you don't tell your best friend the whole truth, being different. very well done.)

126. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (re) (still hilarous.)

127. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (re) (I still love this book, its language and its characters so much... it's very tempting to carry it about like a talisman as I used to with Dangerous Angels.)

128. Time's Magpie: A Walk in Prague by Myla Goldberg (a nice little travelogue, keen details from an authoress who seems to be interested in the same kind of little details of culture & curiousity that I would have been. a nice littel respite from the daily.)

129. Black Bird 1 by Kanoko Sakurakoji (a girl who can see demons finds out that her first love was a demon & that now that she is sixteen she is the most desired bride of every demon ever. very ramntic drama with a bit of magic. silly fun escapism.)

130. Black Bird 2

131. Black Bird 3

132. Black Bird 4

133. Black Bird 5

134. Antique Bakery 2

135. Antique Bakery 3 (Long term mystery building. I'll read something that isn't a comic again soon, really.)

the great catching up...

47. Tongue by Kyuang Ran Jo (An excellently written tale of food, sorrow & revenge.)

48. Twitter Wit

49. Enchanted Dreams by Nancy Madore

50. Red Carpet Rose by Pat Brady

51. Garden of the Perverse edited by Sage Vivant & M. Christian

52. Illustration Now edited by Julius Wiedeman

53. Paris Changing: Revisiting Eugene Ateget's Paris by Christopher Rauschenberg

54. Philip Marlowe's Guide to Life by Raymond Chandler (Words of wisdom from the master of the tough call.)

55. Steamed: a Steampunk Romance by Katie MacAlister (Kept expecting it to get better, silly me.)

56. Best American Erotica 2005

57. The Proof of the Honey by Salwa Al Neimi (A study of Middle Eastern feelings towards the erotic from an insider.)

58. Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange (A nice Pride & Prejudice novel from Darcy's side, carefully kept to original tones & word choice.)

59. A Touch of Deadly by Charlaine Harris (Brain-junk fun)

60. Rose is Rose: Right on the Lips by Pat Brady

61. Best American Erotica 2004

62. Love Poems by Nikki Giovanni

63. Fables 13: the Great Fables Crossover (the most disappointing volume in the otherwise fantastic Fables series)

64. The World According to Twitter by David Pogue & his 500,000 Followers

65. The Anxiety of Everyday Objects by Aurelie Sheehan (Wonderfully written. The adventures of whimsical dreamer in an office job. Excellent.)

66. Best American Erotica 2008


67. Autobiography of a Geisha by Sayo Masuda


68. Yellow Dog by Charles de Lint


69. Portable Childhoods: Stories by Ellen Klages (Wonderful fantasy short stories of a similar vein as Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things.)

70. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (Pretty good fantasy. Death sentence traded for a food tasting job, interesting scenario, but the main character wasn't enticing enough to get me through the sequel.)


71. The Bad Girl's Guide to Getting What You Want by Cameron Tuttle

72. The Wild Things by Dave Eggars (Pretty close to the movie, very emotionally dense.)


73. Instructions by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Charles Vess (Everything you need to know about how to live is in fairy tales, instruction manual by extract. Excellent.)

74. Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Charles Vess


75. The Year of Yes by Maria Dahvana Headley


76. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan


77. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Why would a teen girl commit suicide? What drives us to the bottom? What would you do if you got there? Excellent, not an upper. Strong argument for the importance of all actions, no matter how small a decision might appear to be.)

78. Demo by Brian Wood & Becky Cloonan (graphic novel) (A bunch of awesome short stories about extraordinary people.)


79. Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn

80. Shrimp by Rachel Cohn (sequel to Gingerbread)

81. Cupcake by Rachel Cohn (finishing the trilogy)

82. Luxe by Anna Godbersen (1899 NYC. betrothals, scandals, secrets...first in quartet.)

83. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer (Not as good as the main Twilight books, it exists for the obsessed, more so than I. Luckily short.)

84. Herotica 5

85. Ooku: The Inner Chambers. Vol. 1. by Fumi Yoshinaga. (Alterna-history. What if a disease killed off 75% of teen males in ancient Japan & kept doing so for centuries? How would it change culture, state infrastructure & interpersonal relationships? Excellent adult manga.)

86. Rumors by Anne Godbersen (The Luxe quartet continues.)

87. Envy by Anne Godbersen

a lot of reading can happen when you're out sick (nothing too strenuous though)

37. Rose is Rose: 15th Anniversary Collection by Pat Brady



38. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (re)



39. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (re)



40. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (re)



41. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (re)



42. The Big Bento Boy of Unuseless Japanese Inventions by Kenji Kawakami



43. Nightmares & Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Time... by Serena Valentino & FSc (re)



44. Tokyo: a certain style, text & photos by Kyoichoi Tsuzuki



45. Nightmares & Fairy Tales: Beautiful Beasts by Serena Valentino & FSc (re)



46. Rose is Rose: Running on Alter Ego by Pat Brady

30. The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery (This was a very engaging autobiography-style portrait of Japan as it was opening to the west, of the evolution of gaijin [foreigner] from the differences in cultural etiquette, and how a traditional art form updated itself to remain relevant in changing times.)

31. A Year in Japan by Kate J. Williamson (A delightful volume of wonderfully executed watercolors and observations.)

32. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (Two novella, engaging & sparse writing style.)

33. Stitches: a memoir by David Small (Tragic, moving, inspiring. The terror of a childhood made of secrets.)

34. The Floating World by Cynthia Gralla (Toyko's entertainment world in the '90s with amazing descriptions of the power of dance and feeling admired, heart-wrenching narration of anorexia.)

35. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (re) (As good as it was in elementary school, probably better. "Whole Story" edition was an added entertainment.)

36. High-Spirited Rose is Rose by Pat Brady

7. City Chic by Nina Willdorf

8. The Character of Rain by Amelie Nothomb (re)

9. The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint (re) (My first experienc with De Lint's Newford & Jilly Coppercorn)

10. Promises to Keep by Charles de Lint (So far the novel with the youngest Jilly, to my knowledge)

11. Memories of my Melancoly Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (re)

12. PostSecret: Confessions of Life, Death, and God edited by Frank Warren

13. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

14. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

15. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

16. Definately Dead by Charlaine Harris

17. A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids by Margot Diaz

18. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

19. Yotsuba&! 1 by Kiyohiko Azuma (re) (Manga made of joy.)

20. Yotsuba&! 2 (re)

21. Yotsuba&! 3 (re)

22. Yotsuba&! 4 (re)

23. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

24. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

25. The Lost Painting by Joanthan Carr (the true story of a lost & found Carravaggio)

26. Yotsuba&! 5

27. Yotsuba&! 6

28. The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious--and Perplexing -- City by David Lebovitz (Amusing musing on living in Paris)

29. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Book List 2010

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (re) (Comfort food.)

2. A Guide to Elegance by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux (Some of her reactionary stances make far more sense in light of the original copyright, 1964, but she can be admired through and through for her absolute faith in her own way.)

3. How to Wrap Five Eggs: Traditional Japanese Packaging by Hideyuki Oka with photos by Michikazu Sakai (Seldom instructional, but very inspirational.)

4. Sundays at Tiffany's (re) (Comfort food, too sweet still.)

5. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (Junk food.)

6. Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (More junk food.)