Friday, December 31, 2010

Best Reads of 2010




My grand total for 2010 (114) isn't anything to sneeze at, but it is the lowest total of books I've read since before I started this blog in 2006. However, I did surpass my yearly personal requirement of reading 52 books, so I'm thrilled that I doubled that plus. My only quasi-goal for 2011 is to continue reading what I want to read, but I have to make more time to do it. I'm hoping to do that by weeding out my google reader . . . again. That's going to be a difficult task, but one that is necessary. I spend waaaay too much time reading blogs when I would like to be reading books.

I'm itching to make some changes to my blog template, but time will not allow for that right now. I have a digital scrapbook that must be completed by the middle of February and every spare minute (outside of must-read time) is devoted to that project. I will be making changes to my monthly stats, though. A list of all the genres I've read is no longer a need, but I am still interested in tracking the following on a monthly basis:

Audiobooks
Best Reads
Books
DNF
eBooks
New-to-Me Authors (new)
Off My Shelf Reads (new)
Published in 2011 (new)
Ratings (new)
Short Stories

There are no other changes planned at this time. I will do what I have done for the last 4 1/2 years and post my thoughts on the books I read - nothing fancy, nothing lengthy.



Now for my list of my best reads of 2010 (in reading order):


Thriller


YA NF Graphic Novel


Thriller


Non-Fiction Crime


Science Fiction


Thriller


Southern Mystery


Realistic Fiction


Historical Fiction




Clicking on a title will link you to "Thoughts of Joy..."

13 comments:

  1. You had a great year; Can't wait to read Lisa Genova's new book.

    Have a great New Year.

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  2. Anonymous9:56 AM

    Truly Joy, you are amazing. Quite an accomplishment, 114 books. I also enjoyed THINK OF A NUMBER. I want to read several others on your list and am currently reading LEFT NEGLECTED. It has sucked me in very quickly and I know I will be touched by it. STILL ALICE impacted my emotions so much.

    Happy New Year and I hope you have a great 2011 with much "joy" and some great reading.

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  3. You read way more than I did! I still need to put my stats together, but I know I was under 100.

    I'm probably helping you with your blog-hopping by not posting as often as I used to, huh? ;)

    From your Best Reads list, I enjoyed Still Missing, but absolutely loved Crooked Letter, and Left Neglected. Most of the others are on my TBR list.

    Happy New Year to you, Joy!

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  4. Anonymous10:22 AM

    Not sure how I missed some of these!!! Have added them to my TBR 2011 ;)......glad you will still be here!!!Thanks for the recent list of "review" contacts....one of my goals for 2011. New Year hugs to you!!!

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  5. I've got my pen out so I can take notes! I'm really looking forward to reading Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter as well as Columbine this year. And Think of a Number. So many good books to look forward to!

    I hope you have a very Happy New Year, Joy!

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  6. 114 is a really pretty number. Way to go! I haven't read a single one of your favorites.

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  7. I'm glad to see Think of a Number on your top 10! I still have to read that one.

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  8. Diane ~ She is fantastic. I can't wait for her next one! :)

    Kay ~ Still Alice remains an all-time favorite of mine. I absolutely adore Alice. Left Neglected didn't have as strong of an impact on me, but it was still an excellent book. Enjoy!!!

    Les ~ I'm so hoping to read more books this year, but more importantly, I want to read "excellent" and "absolutely superb" books. (Can you arrange that for me, please?) *grin* I'd rather read less with more 5 ratings, than more with lower ratings. My intentions are always in the right place, but the outcome doesn't align as often as I would hope.

    Happy New Year to you, as well!

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  9. Danielle ~ You're welcome. :) The ARCs can become overwhelming, so be cautious in your choosing. Thanks for the hugs - backatcha!

    Literary Feline ~ Ohhh yes, you do have some great books ahead of you! I look forward to your thoughts. Happy New Year to you!

    Bookfool ~ LOL That doesn't totally surprise me, does it you? :) There are few that I know you would really like - others not so much.

    Nicola ~ That was a creative book. I can't wait for more by Verdon. I hope you like it as much as I did.

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  10. Oh the Google Reader. Such a pain in the ass, huh? ;) This past year (and continuing) I've tried to spend less time on the computer in front of Google Reader--it's amazing how time consuming it can be. But, I do love connecting. What's worked for me is allowing myself to NOT comment on every single post like I sometimes want to.

    Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. That's one I definitely have my eye on! Hope 2011 is a wonderful year for you, Joy! And curious--do you digital scrapbook for you or others?

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  11. Trish ~ I really held back on posting comments on blogs for the majority of 2010, but continued to read and read and read them. This year I have to cut back on reading the blogs, if I want to read my books (and I do). I considered not deleting blogs and just skim the posts instead; however, I do that often enough as it is and I still spend hours upon hours skimming. :(

    I have created one college graduation "brag book" size digital scrapbook gift for one of my daughters. That was my first attempt at digital scrapping and loved it! I have been in the process of creating a "Sisters" 8 x 8 book for my daughters. It's their lives from birth, so it consists of numerous pics, and it has taken me forever! So, to answer your question - at this point I have only digital scrapped for others, but they are still for me as they are my daughters. :)

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  12. Anonymous11:14 PM

    The only one I've read is Think of a Number and I liked it too :)

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  13. Stacybuckeye ~ I really enjoyed the puzzle part of it. I hope he continues along those lines.

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Thank you for taking the time to comment. :)

I hope you have a great day and ...
Happy Reading!