Your Top 5 Reads of 2010

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Now that we've moved on to 2011, what were your top 5 reads from last year?

Mine were:
1. Winter Bloom
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
3. The Lace Makers of Glenmara: A Novel
4. Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children
5. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

[Terri]

1. Broken Open
2. Eat, Pray, Love
3. Farm City
4. 50 Acres and a Poodle
5. Shutter Island
6. Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

Sorry, I just HAD to list all six. :)

[Miriam]

Gosh, Jo, you are asking me to pick out five from over 300? I read so voraciously that it is hard to even remember what I have read. I know The Helper would be on the list, and Cutting for Stone. I don't keep most books after I read them, so I can't even look at my shelf to see what else stands out. Hmmmm. Will have to think on this some more.

[Cheryl S.]

I'll have to go back and look at my list for 2010 and see what the stand outs were and get back to you.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Miriam wrote: "Gosh, Jo, you are asking me to pick out five from over 300? I read so voraciously that it is hard to even remember what I have read. I know The Helper would be on the list, and Cutting for Stone. I..."

:-) Has to be a few that stood out from all of those!

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Terri, I loved EPL!

[Terri]

Me too! I even LOVED the movie! I got it for Christmas and have already watched it and want to re-read the book--so much to glean from it. :)

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

I went to see the movie the day it opened; I took myself out for a movie date, lol! They did a great job with the movie; I wasn't sure it would translate well into a movie. I honestly didn't expect to like the book (as is the case usually with overly hyped books that 'everyone' tells me I have to read, lol!) but I saw Liz on Oprah and liked her so I have EPL a try and was pleasantly surprised.

[Terri]

It gives you hope that there truly is magic in the universe! At least that's how I felt. Sometimes we just have to let go of all the mess that's holding us back and make room for the good stuff to roll in. :) I definitely would give it a 10--course I'm partial to chick flicks or spiritual growth movies.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

What I liked most was her honesty and still think it's one of the most honest memoirs I've ever read. And because of her honesty I could relate to her in many area's and I applaud her for writing so openly about depression, her relationships with men and her desire to find what made her truly happy instead of settling for what didn't because others felt she should be.

[Cheryl S.]

Best books I read in 2010:

The Yokota Officers' Club
The Book thief
Extreamly Loud and Incredibly Close
Unburnable
Cutting for Stone
I Know This Much is True
The Last Child
Thread of Grace
The Help

I know this is more than 5, but these are the ones that I still think about for various reasons. Not every book I read is a gem, but for me, these were.

[Terri]

Cheryl: I read The Last Child also and it stuck with me too. I really enjoyed it--not bad for a first novel. I LOVED "I know this much is true." The Book Thief and Cutting for Stone are both on my TBR list so I'm glad to hear they're good too.

[Terri]

Jo wrote: "What I liked most was her honesty and still think it's one of the most honest memoirs I've ever read. And because of her honesty I could relate to her in many area's and I applaud her for writing s..."

Yes, her honesty was very refreshing. If you liked her style, you might try another book by Elizabeth Lesser called "Broken Open." She too was brutally honest about her flaws and failures. It's about how hard times give us an opportunity for remarkable spiritual growth.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

I have that book on my shelf!!! Good to know.

[James]

WOW!!! Who knew there would be a pop quiz at the end of the year??!?? I did find a new author I really like a lot, Georgette Heyer, but my five favorite books, sorry. I need to start keeping notes.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Lol It's not a pop quiz silly! We do this @ the beginning of each year; sharing the top reads of the prev year. I envy those who read so much or enjoyed so much of what they read that nothing immediately comes to mind. I always seem to have ones that stand out to me though.

[Cheryl S.]

I love being able to keep track of what I've read each year on GR. I've tried to keep lists in the past, but for some reason this just works for me.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

That's one of the reasons I love goodreads; I can see what I've read & when and what I haven't finished!

[Terri]

I just finished reading another "green" book called "Farewell my Subaru". It was very funny and informative. Made me want to have a little ranch with some goats--ha! The goats were very entertaining throughout the book.