Back in July, I posted a list of my favorite books read in 2010. Four of those books made this final list of my favorite books published or read in 2010. They have nothing to do with anyone else's lists, just the books I loved this year. Even though they're my favorite books, the list might give you a few last minute Christmas ideas. And, since I'm on vacation beginning tomorrow, for the next ten days I'll be reprinting my reviews of these books, with updates as to their status. (But, don't worry. I'll still be reading and answering comments.) I may drop a new review in now and then, if I have time to read and post.
My list is topped by Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. It's hard to believe the book came out in 2010, since I read it in August, 2009 for a Library Journal review. But, this wonderful story of CeeCee, the young girl with a troubled past, who was taken into the hearts of a wonderful group of women in Savannah, came out in 2010. It made the New York Times Bestseller List, and it's now out in paperback. So, if you haven't read it yet, or know someone who loves books set in the South, you might want to pick this one up.
Robin Brande has only written two YA novels, but I loved both of them. And, I could identify with Fat Cat. When I reviewed this story of a girl who suffered in school, many of my readers wrote in to tell of their fears in school. Cat was a science whiz who changed her lifestyle for a project, and to show up the boy who was her best friend until she heard him call her fat. It's a book that spoke to my heart.
Do you know Barbara O'Neal's books? O'Neal used to write as Barbara Samuel, and her books under either name are wonderful women's novels. I hesitated to put her book, The Secret of Everything, on this list, because she has a new book coming out December 21, How to Bake a Perfect Life. What if I like it even more than The Secret of Everything? I guess it doesn't really matter. In The Secret of Everything, a tour guide who had a tragic accident, ends up in a New Mexico town where she finds the secrets of her childhood.
God Never Blinks by Regina Brett makes this list for so many reasons. This was a book that hit home after Jim died. It's written by a newspaper columnist who offer 50 lessons for life's little detours. The book has lessons for life, no matter where you are. I used memorial money to buy copies of it for all of our libraries, buying it in memory of Jim, because I thought it was so important. My mother gave a copy to the hospital library. It's a book for crisis, grief, changes in life, or, as the author says, "life's little detours."
My favorite book in an on-going mystery series is Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny, who somehow manages to get better with every book. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is on leave in Quebec City in a story that describes that winter setting beautifully. While he agrees to look into a death, he also investigates the secret of Champlain's missing body and ponders a recent tragic mistake. Penny manages to juggle three storylines in her latest masterpiece. 
My favorite finale to a series was Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay. It's the last of the Hunger Games books, and the rebellion against the Capitol has finally happened, with a reluctant Katniss as the symbol of rebellion. There's no short summary that can do adequate justice to this strong series. But, it was a series that attracted readers of every age and both sexes. I turned my copy over to my nephews, seventeen and twenty-five, after I finished it. 
My discovery of the year was Lisa Genova. When I received her novel, Left Neglected, to read for Library Journal, I also went back to read her book, Still Alice. One book has to deal with a disorder called Left Neglect. The other tells the story of a Harvard professor who discovers she has early-onset Alzheimer's. Genova, with a PhD in neuroscience, uses her scientific background to take readers into the minds and hearts of women suffering from disorders. These two stories were beautiful, as women triumphed even in tragedy.
And, my final favorite of the year was a picture book, one that is not available as an e-book, which gives you a hint. It's a book that, unfortunately, might represent the past in a few years. I hope not. I shared this book with co-workers, family, and loaned it to my sister to take to her workplace. It's funny, while also being a little scary. It's Lane Smith's It's a Book. I've read 175 books so far this year, but these are my top ten. Not necessarily ones that top the "Best of" lists, but my favorite books of 2010. I'm looking forward to 2011, and more book treasures.
