Authors and Their Books: THE JAMES MASON BOOK OF THE YEAR- 2010

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

As we approach the twilight of 2010- and the first anniversity of The James Mason Group (October 7th 2010) I would love to hear what all of you consider the best book you have read that was published in 2010- As we are a wonderfully diverse Group- this is not a poll- but rather a discussion!
The book mentioned most will be crowned- JAMES MASON BOOK OF THE YEAR-2010

[Annalie]

Rick, please help: Is there a list on Goodreads of books published in 2010? Thanks!

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

sure! here are somelinks that may help!

http://bookcoverarchive.com/year/2010

http://www.amazon.com/2010-Books-Look...

http://www.themillions.com/2010/01/mo...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category...

http://bestsellers.about.com/od/newup...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_...+

[Martha]

Even though I haven't read it yet (it's next up when I finish the audiobook I'm listening to now), I have to vote for by Stieg Larsson. It's certainly the one I'm most excited about reading.

[Annalie]

Thanks for your help, Rick!
I haven't read many 2010 books yet; probably because I get most of my books from the local library. So far, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" gets my vote too.

[Karen]

Of the books that I've read that were published this year my favourites so far are The Dead-Tossed Waves, Dark Days, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Whisperer, The Tenth Chamber, Down Among the Dead Men and Book of Souls.

Of those currently sitting on the tbr pile that will be read before the end of this year I am sure these ones will be among my best books of the year.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Fever Dream, The Passage, Mockingjay, Mortal Coil and The Secret Crown.

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

some great choices so far!

[Maggie]

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest, and I'm really looking forward to reading The Passage (when its out in paperback in UK!)

[Emma]

wow, after looking through all those lists, I realized I have only read one book that came out in 2010 and it was such an early-in-the-year read for me, I didn't even think it counted for 2010. But I would nominate The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova. I was really taken by this book and thought it was engrossing and enchanting. But I know it was one of those books that some people loved and some people hated. I should keep searching...

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

Emma wrote: "wow, after looking through all those lists, I realized I have only read one book that came out in 2010 and it was such an early-in-the-year read for me, I didn't even think it counted for 2010. Bu..."

very interesting!
well this post will be up until December 30th- after which- the most mentioned book willbe crowned THE JAMES MASON BOOK OF THE YEAR. I can think of no award more sought after :>)

[Emma]

Going to be hopping into Hunger Games soon and if all the hype and good things I have heard from Goodreads members is true, then I may be nominating that one. As well as the Girl...Tatoo-marked to read after the Hunger Games trilogy. We shall see!

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

Emma wrote: "Going to be hopping into Hunger Games soon and if all the hype and good things I have heard from Goodreads members is true, then I may be nominating that one. As well as the Girl...Tatoo-marked to..."

sounds good- we have until Dec 30th to decide!!

[Barbara]

Annalie wrote: "Thanks for your help, Rick!
I haven't read many 2010 books yet; probably because I get most of my books from the local library. So far, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" gets my vote too."

ditto for me. My reading is usually a bit behind because I'm a library user...but I did enjoy The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I'll give it my vote as well.

[Shay]

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet was the best book I read that was published this year. Amazing, accessible, it faltered a little toward the end, though.

[Marialyce (absltmom, yaya)]

Oh Shay, I so want to read that one.

[Sharon]

This is the best book I've read in 2010, out of a large and eclectic batch.

[Shay]

Marialyce wrote: "Oh Shay, I so want to read that one."

One of the great things about this book was that it didn't take the easy path. It's set on a little manmade island caled Dejima that the main character lives on, with very little access to the actual "Japan". So, it couldn't take the cop out of going look at the funny things people eat/wear/live in. All of the exploration of cultural differences had to come through conversation, through one-on-one contact with other people. It was also a time when the Japanese began to realize how outgunned they were compared to the rest of the world. They were scared of losing their whole identity and yet coming to the conclusion that they were going to have to adapt a little and let the world in a little to not lose everything. So, it was the beginning of that tightrope that the Japanese have been walking on since their first European contact.

[Shay]

Sharon wrote: "

This is the best book I've read in 2010, out of a large and eclectic batch."

The goodreads giveaway for this book ends on Sept 13. 25 copies, a little over 500 entries.

[Sharon]

Shay wrote: "The goodreads giveaway for this book ends on Sept 13. 25 copies, a little over 500 entries.

If you haven't entered the giveaway for the paperback edition of Homer's Odyssey: a Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat, do so! Author Gwen Cooper has added a brand-new afterword to the book.

[Martha]

Thanks, Shay & Sharon. I just entered that giveaway & a few others. That's something I hadn't done on GR yet.

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

Sharon wrote: "

This is the best book I've read in 2010, out of a large and eclectic batch."

I love the title!!! Sharon!

[Gary F]

Without a doubt best book was Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

[~~*Julie]

I know it is a YA book but Mocking jay is a contender- My opinion the HANDS DOWN winner-- It got kids and adults to read! I have hooked y whole office, some of there husbands, my mother in law, my day care person, and my kids!

[Wendy F]

~~*Julie wrote: "I know it is a YA book but Mocking jay is a contender- My opinion the HANDS DOWN winner-- It got kids and adults to read! I have hooked y whole office, some of there husbands, my mother in law, my ..."

I was going to say that book too, in fact the whole trilogy.

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

interesting picks so far- we will have the offical JAMES MASON BOOK OF THE YEAR announced 12/31/10 at 11:58pm EST

[Dingus]

Fourteen or fifteen years from now, when Time Magazine or the New York Times (in the USA) or The Times or The Guardian (in the UK) publishes their list of the "Best Novels of the Last 25 Years," the one book published in 2010 that almost certainly will be included among the titles on that list is Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.

The good reviews of Freedom by the professional critics haven't just been good; some of them have been "Best book of the decade"-good. And even the bad reviews of that book, both from a small minority of the pros and from the occasional readers here on GR who've disliked it, have been indicative of a book that is going to be a topic of debate for generations. Indeed, some of those bad reviews give off the self-conscious impression of "taking pot shots at the Monarch's coronation parade with a pea shooter."

From my own reading of Freedom, and based on the opinions of the others I know who have read it, I'd say it is superior to his last novel, "The Corrections," and that book fared quite well in such recent rankings as "The Times 100 Best Books of The Decade," and Time Magazine's "100 best English-Language novels from 1923 to 2005," and The Guardian's "The 50 Books That Defined the Decade."