Year in Review: My Favorite and Best

Just how much did I read in 2010? I read 812 books in 2010. (July was the month I read most, December was the month I read least.) Review copies made up 58.2% of my reading (470). Library books were 30% of my reading (242). Borrowed books were 7.9% of my reading (64). Bought-books made up 3% (24). Gift-books made up  .9% (7). I am pleased to see that 42% of what I read came from sources other than review copies. In total, I read 143,766 pages this year.

My Favorite Board Books: I read 71 board books. (8.7%) My top ten:

• Pig-a-Boo! A Farmyard Peekaboo Book. Dorothea DePrisco. Illustrated by Treesha Runnells. 2009. Simon and Schuster. 14 pages.
• Animal Soup. Todd H. Doodler. 2010. May 2010. Random House. 14 pages.
• Tubby. Leslie Patricelli. 2010. September 2010. Candlewick Press. 28 pages.
• What Does Baby Say? A Lift the Flap Book by Karen Katz. 2004. Simon & Schuster. (Little Simon). 16 pages.
• Bouncy Baby. Begin Smart Books. 2009. October 2009. 12 pages.
• I Like Bugs. Lorena Siminovich. 2010. March 2010. Candlewick. 10 pages. 
• I Like Fruit. Lorena Siminovich. 2010. July 2010. Candlewick. 10 pages.
• Who am I? Salina Yoon. 2011. [January 2011] Scholastic. 12 pages. 
• ABC, Baby Me! Susan B. Katz. Illustrated by Alicia Padron. 2010. September 2010. Random House. 28 pages. 
• Where's Your Nose? Begin Smart Books. 2010. May 2010. 16 pages.

My Favorite Picture Books: I read 164 picture books. (20.2%) My top twenty:

• The Cow Loves Cookies. Karma Wilson. Illustrated by Marcellus Hall. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 40 pages.
• Finn Throws A Fit! By David Elliott. Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. 2009. Candlewick Press. 32 pages.
• Clever Jack Takes the Cake. Candace Fleming. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. 2010. August 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
• Bedtime for Mommy. Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2010. (March 2010). Bloomsbury. 32 pages.
• Higher! Higher! Leslie Patricelli. 2009. [March 2009] Candlewick Press. 32 pages.
• The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah. By Leslie Kimmelman. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. 2010. February 2010. Holiday House. 32 pages.
• Please Take Me For a Walk. Susan Gal. 2010. May 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
• I'm the Best. Lucy Cousins. 2010. May 2010. Candlewick Press. 32 pages.
• Dogs Don't Do Ballet. Anna Kemp. Illustrated by Sara Ogilvie. 2010. June 2010. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages  
• Miss Brooks Loves Books (And I Don't) by Barbara Bottner. Illustrated by Michael Emberley. 2010. March 2010. Random House. 32 pages.
• How Rocket Learned to Read. Tad Hills. 2010. July 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
• Dirtball Pete. Eileen Brennan. 2010. August 2010. Random House. 32 pages.
• The Gobble Gobble Moooooo Tractor Book. Jez Alborough. 2010. September 2010. Kane/Miller. 32 pages. 
• Mad at Mommy. Komako Sakai. 2010. October 2010. Scholastic. 40 pages. 
• Miles to Go. Jamie Harper. 2010. Candlewick Press. 32 pages.
• All The Things I Love About You. LeUyen Pham. 2010. November 2010. HarperCollins. 40 pages. 
• Farm. Elisha Cooper. 2010. April 2010. Scholastic. 48 pages.
• What's Your Sound, Hound the Hound (A Cat the Cat book) by Mo Willems. 2010. April 2010. HarperCollins. 32 pages.
• Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy by Denise Fleming. 2010. August 2010. Henry Holt. 32 pages.
• My Garden. Kevin Henkes. 2010. February 2010. HarperCollins. 28 pages.

My Favorite Children's Books: I read 79 children's books. (9.7%) My top ten:

• A Birthday for Bear. By Bonny Becker. Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton. 2009. (September 2009). Candlewick Press. 56 pages.
• Clementine, Friend of the Week. Sara Pennypacker. Illustrations by Marla Frazee. 2010. July 2010. Hyperion. 176 pages.
• I Am Going! (An Elephant & Piggie Book). Mo Willems. 2010. Hyperion. 64 pages. 
• My Best Frenemy. Julie Bowe. 2010. May 2010. Penguin. 240 pages. 
• Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same. Grace Lin. 2010. July 2010. Little, Brown. 43 pages. 
• Word After Word After Word. Patricia MacLachlan. 2010. HarperCollins. 128 pages.
• Justin Case: School, Drool, And Other Daily Disasters. Rachel Vail. 2010. Feiwel & Friends. 256 pages. 
• We Are In A Book! Elephant and Piggie Series. Mo Willems. 2010. September 2010. Hyperion. 64 pages.
• The Road to Paris. Nikki Grimes. 2006. Penguin. 160 pages.
• Anna Hibiscus. Atinuke. Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. 2010. Kane/Miller. 112 pages.

My Favorite Middle Grade Books: I read 81 middle grade books. (10%). My top ten:

• The Boneshaker. Kate Milford. 2010. May 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 372 pages.
• A Tale Dark and Grimm. Adam Gidwitz. 2010. November 2010. Penguin. 192 pages.
• Moon Over Manifest. Clare Vanderpool. 2010. October 2010. Random House. 368 pages.
• Smells Like Dog. Suzanne Selfors. 2010. May 2010. Little, Brown Young Readers. 360 pages.
• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling. Maryrose Wood. 2010. February 2010. HarperCollins. 267 pages.
• Out of My Mind. Sharon M. Draper. 2010. March 2010. Simon & Schuster. 295 pages.
• Countdown by Deborah Wiles. 2010. May 2010. Scholastic. 400 pages.
• Cosmic. Frank Cottrell Boyce. 2010. [January 2010]. HarperCollins. 313 pages.
• One Crazy Summer. Rita Williams-Garcia. 2010. [January 2010] HarperCollins. 218 pages.
• The Magician's Elephant. By Kate DiCamillo. 2009. (September 2009). Candlewick Press. 208 pages.

My Favorite YA Books: I read 116 YA books. (14.3%) My top fifteen:

• Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. 2010. [March 2010]. HarperCollins. 480 pages. 
• Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney. 2009. Chronicle Books. 366 pages.
• For Keeps. Natasha Friend. 2010. [April 2010] Penguin. 272 pages. [YA Realistic Fiction/YA Romance]
• Scarlett Fever. Maureen Johnson. 2010. February 2010. Scholastic. 352 pages.
• Airhead. Meg Cabot. 2008. Scholastic. 340 pages.
• The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunkle. 2010. September 2010. Henry Holt. 160 pages.
• Ship Breaker. Paolo Bacigalupi. 2010. May 2010. Little Brown. 326 pages.
• Grace. Elizabeth Scott. 2010. September 2010. Penguin. 208 pages.
• Monsters of Men. Patrick Ness. 2010. September 2010. Candlewick Press. 608 pages.
• Real Live Boyfriends. E. Lockhart. 2010. December 2010. Random House. 240 pages.
• The Wee Free Men. Terry Pratchett. 2003. HarperCollins. 400 pages.
• Wintersmith. Terry Pratchett. 2006. HarperCollins. 325 pages.
• Prom & Prejudice. Elizabeth Eulberg. 2011. [January 2011] Scholastic. 288 pages.
• Jane. April Lindner. 2010. Little Brown. 373 pages.
• Perfect Chemistry. Simone Elkeles. 2008. [December 2008] Walker & Company (Bloomsbury). 368 pages.

My Favorite Adult Books: I read 92 adult books (11.3%). My top twelve:

• The Daughter of Time. Josephine Tey. 1951/1995. Simon & Schuster. 208 pages.
• Venetia. Georgette Heyer. 1958/2009. Harlequin. 368 pages.
• Doomsday Book. Connie Willis. 1992. Random House. 592 pages.
• Miss Hargreaves. Frank Baker. 1940/2009. Bloomsbury. 336 pages.
• North and South. Elizabeth Gaskell. 1854-1855.* 452 pages.
• Sylvester: Or the Wicked Uncle. Georgette Heyer. 1957/2009. Harlequin. 368 pages
• Jane Slayre. Charlotte Bronte and Sherri Browning Erwin. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 396 pages.
• The Disappeared. Kim Echlin. 2009. Grove/Atlantic. 224 pages.
• The Weed That Strings The Hangman's Bag. (Flavia de Luce #2). Alan Bradley. 2010. Random House. 364 pages.
• Sweet Thursday. John Steinbeck. 1954. Penguin. 272 pages.
• The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. 1868. 544 pages.
• He Knew He Was Right. Anthony Trollope. 1869/2009. Oxford University Press. 992 pages.

My Favorite Christian Books: I read 95 Christian books. (11.7%) My top ten:

Five favorite Christian nonfiction:

• The Evangelicals: What They Believe, Where They Are, And Their Politics. Christopher Catherwood. 2010. August 2010. Crossway. 168 pages.
• The Bookends of the Christian Life. Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington. 2009. March 2009. Crossway Publishers. 160 pages.
• Raised With Christ: How The Resurrection Changes Everything by Adrian Warnock. 2010. January 2010. Crossway. 272 pages.
• The Gospel In Genesis: From Fig Leaves to Faith by Martin Lloyd-Jones. 2009. Crossway. 160 pages.
• Be Still, My Soul: Embracing God's Purpose & Provision in Suffering. Edited by Nancy Guthrie. 2010. February 2010. Crossway Books. 176 pages.

Five favorite Christian fiction:

• While We're Far Apart. Lynn Austin. 2010. October 2010. Bethany House. 416 pages. 
• Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz. 2010. Revell. 368 pages.
• Sixteen Brides. Stephanie Grace Whitson. 2010. April 2010. Bethany House. 352 pages.
• Hearts Awakening. Delia Parr. 2010. [March 2010] Bethany House. 352 pages.
• A Lady Like Sarah. By Margaret Brownley. (A Rocky Creek Romance). 2009. Thomas Nelson. 320 pages.

My Favorite Nonfiction Books: I read 56 nonfiction books. (6.9%)

 Top five for younger readers:

• The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy). Barbara Kerley. 2010. (January 2010). Scholastic. [Picture Book Biography/Picture Book Nonfiction] 48 pages.
• Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal. Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. 2009. [September 2009]. Lerner. 40 pages.
• Orangutans Are Ticklish: Fun Facts From an Animal Photographer. Steve Grubman and Jill Davis. 2010. June 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
• Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan. Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Steve Adams. 2010. August 2010. Penguin. 40 pages.
• Just One Bite: 11 Animals and their Bites at Life Size! Lola M. Schaefer. Illustrated by Geoff Waring. 2010. September 2010. Chronicle Books. 40 pages.

Top five for older readers:

• They Called Themselves the K.K.K: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group. Susan Campbell Bartoletti. 2010. August 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 172 pages.
• The War to End All Wars: World War I. Russell Freedman. 2010. August 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 192 pages. 
• Sir Charlie: Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World by Sid Fleischman. 2010. June 2010. HarperCollins. 268 pages.
• Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared To Dream. Tanya Lee Stone. 2009. Candlewick. 144 pages. [Paperback is coming in February 2010.]
• Candy Bomber: The Story of The Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot". Michael O. Tunnell. 2010. Charlesbridge. 120 pages.

My Favorite Graphic Novels: I read 30 graphic novels. (3.7%) My top five:

• The Sons of Liberty (#1). Alexander Lagos and Joseph Lagos. 2010. Random House. 176 pages.
• Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation. Ray Bradbury. Illustrated by Tim Hamilton. 2009. July 2009. FSG. 160 pages. 
• The Odyssey. Gareth Hinds. 2010. October 2010. 256 pages.
• Frankenstein The Graphic Novel -- Original Text -- Mary Shelley
• Jane Eyre The Graphic Novel -- Original Text -- Charlotte Bronte

My Favorite Poetry Books: I read 22 books poetry books. (2.7%) My top three:

• Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse. Marilyn Singer. Illustrated by Josee Masse. 2010. Penguin. March 2010. 32 pages.
• Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Salley Mavor. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin. 72 pages.
• Guyku. Bob Raczka. Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. 2010. October 2010. Houghton Mifflin. 48 pages. 

My Favorite Short Story Collections/Novellas: I read 6 short story/novella collections. (.7%) I've got two short story collections I'd like to highlight:

• Cloaked in Red. Vivian Vande Velde. 2010. October 2010. Marshall Cavendish. 128 pages.
• A Pleasure To Burn: Fahrenheit 451 Stories. Ray Bradbury. 2010. Subterranean Press. 300 pages.

 

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews