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Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2010 > July > 07 > Entry
Ten best books of 2010 (so far) ?
Amazon.com sells more books on-line than anybody else. They have millions of books for sale. They even sell rare and collectible books. If I’m looking for a book I always check out Amazon first before looking at other websites, Amazon will usually have the cheapest prices on books. If Amazon doesn’t have what I’m looking for I’ll go to eBay but that is usually a much more expensive option.
Amazon has a team of book editors who write about books. At the midway point of the year they have compiled their top ten books of 2010 so far. It is an unusual list. These books are not ranked. They are in alphabetical order by author name. Check it out:
“The Passage” by Justin Cronin: Just when you thought (or even hoped) vampires were dead, Justin Cronin’s grand, gorgeously written and terrifying new novel lands-with a 1,000-page thud-pulling readers into an American landscape ravaged by monstrous, mutated immortals.
“The Irresistible Henry House” by Lisa Grunwald: Inspired by real-life “practice babies” (orphans who were used as teaching tools in Home Economics courses), Grunwald’s inventive novel follows the life of a child with many mothers and an inborn talent for making women love him.
“Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory” by Peter Hessler: Hessler is a modest but intrepid observer of China and its dramatic change over the last 15 years, capturing the ambitions, the failures and the comedy of a country in which everybody, it seems, is on the move.
“The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” by Stieg Larsson: The finest example of a book that saves the best for last, “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” roars with an explosive storyline filled with revelations that make the end of this game-changing suspense series all the more bittersweet.
“The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine” by Michael Lewis: Of the many books about our economic meltdown, “The Big Short” is arguably the one to read, told from the perspective of a few iconoclastic thinkers who saw the collapse coming-and bet big on it.
“Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War” by Karl Marlantes: A highly decorated Vietnam veteran himself, Marlantes takes readers deep into the jungles of Vietnam, giving us a new perspective on the ravages of war, the bureaucracy of the military and the peculiar beauty of brotherhood.
“The Imperfectionists” by Tom Rachman: A fictional English-language newspaper based in Rome is the stage for this sensational debut novel from a former foreign correspondent who has crafted a story that’s as much about the disillusion in everyday life as the dissolution of a venerable industry.
“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot: From a single, abbreviated life grew a seemingly immortal line of cells that made some of the most crucial innovations in modern science possible. From that same life, Skloot fashions a rich and haunting story that redefines what it means to have a medical history.
“Just Kids” by Patti Smith: Smith’s memoir of her friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe is tender and artful, told in the style of her rock anthems and balanced by her memories of their bohemian youth.
“The Lonely Polygamist” by Brady Udall: Beyond soap opera or sensationalism, Udall reveals the side-splitting slapstick, tragedy and redemption in the life of a man with many wives. His large-hearted story shows particular sympathy for the loneliest members of this crowded family.
Vick Mickunas
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: in the Amazone
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By victor mickunas
October 14, 2010 10:03 AM | Link to this
One book on this list, “Just Kids” by Patti Smith has been named as a finalist for the National Book Award in non-fiction.
By Victor mickunas
September 29, 2010 4:12 PM | Link to this
Penny, “The Help” was published on February 10, 2009. The paperback reissue came out this year. This list covers only new hardcovers that were first published during the first half of 2010 so “The Help” would not qualify. It might certainly make the list of the best books that came out in the first half of 2009….
By Penny
September 29, 2010 2:11 PM | Link to this
What happened to the BEST BOOK out this year…The Help?
By Brad
September 10, 2010 12:19 AM | Link to this
I read “The Passage”. I have to disagree with pmt. This was one of the best books I’ve ever read. If you like to get lost in fiction, I would definitely recommend it.
By pmt
July 26, 2010 6:51 PM | Link to this
I just finished “The Passage”. Lots of pages, lots of plot twists, but not worth the time it took to read it.
By Blowfly
July 7, 2010 3:08 PM | Link to this
I read the Big Short, very good book.
By Page Turner
July 7, 2010 12:45 PM | Link to this
Rafe Bartholemew’s “Pacific Rims” is worthy of the top ten of 2010 list.
By vick
July 7, 2010 12:19 PM | Link to this
LMJ, I have read “Just Kids,” “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” “The Imperfectionists,” “Hornet’s Nest,” and “The Big Short.” I’m using “The Passage” for a doorstop. I have not gotten the motivation to crack it open yet. That’s a biggie!
By lmj
July 7, 2010 11:58 AM | Link to this
So, Vick, how many have you read? I’ve read one (Henrietta Lacks), 4 are on my TBR list and one (The Passage) is toying with me - not my usual fare.