"My, you're full of many-faceted questions this morning."

Final book tally for the year: 103.
Including re-reads: 107.

Admittedly, a lot of this was garbage. I read almost every free trash novel I could get on my Nook. It's full of classics now that haven't been touched and it's my goal to read them all before anything else this year.

That is, before everything other than War for the Oaks by Emma Bull. I've started reading it again making it my first book of the year for four years running. It's an incredible modern fairy tale (yes, the '80s are still modern) set in Minneapolis about a rock guitarist named Eddi and her role in a war between two factions of the Folk. There are few books that can truly make me laugh out loud and this is one of them. It also makes me cry, every time I read it. The music and clothing are dated but they don't distract from the story at hand. This book is going to wear out long before I'm finished re-reading.

And when I look at the acknowledgments, I find that so many of my favorite authors are tied together. Bull thanks Patricia Wrede, an author I admire for her strong female characters and humorous prose. She also mentions being half of the Flash Girls, the other half being the Fabulous Lorraine, Neil Gaiman's assistant. Three authors I adore, all tied together.

With no further ado, I present my favorite books of 2010, in the order that I read them:

1. War for the Oaks by Emma Bull: I think I've been pretty clear about why I love this book.
2. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood: Atwood's dystopian novels are always chilling and intriguing and entirely too possible. Oryx and Crake is no exception.
3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: A ghostly retelling of Kipling's classic The Jungle Book, sure to become a classic in its own right.
4. Stardust by Neil Gaiman: A great story about a boy and his quest to bring a star to his beloved. Alert: Madness ensues!
5. Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer: Post-WWII author visits an island that was occupied by the Nazis during the war. It's one of the best epistolary novels I've read.
6. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane: Thrilling and chilling. It really was an interesting insight into old psychiatric practices and it had some great twists.
7. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane: I actually hadn't seen the movie before I read the book this year. I've experienced both by now and can happily say that the book is better.
8. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: An angel, a demon, a witch, and a witch-finder try to avoid the apocalypse. I really want to read more Terry Pratchett now.
9. American Gods by Neil Gaiman: This is one of my favorite books ever. I have lent it out numerous times and nobody's come away disappointed.
10. Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough: You've seen the movie, now read the book! It goes into much more than just Dillinger and it's far less romanticized.
11. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood: A fictionalized version of the story of Grace Marks, a maid convicted of murdering her employer in 1843. Atwood humanizes Grace and fills out her story.
12. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Let the Circle Be Unbroken; and The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor: These books were great when I first read them as a child. They're even better and more nuanced now that I'm older.
13. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman: Again, great when I first read them when I was younger and much better now.
14. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut: This man is the master of funny-because-it's-painfully-true.
15. Monster by A. Lee Martinez: A loaner from a friend at work, it's a really funny novel about mythical creatures in our modern world.
16. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman: Incredible story about an alternate universe underneath London. I love this novel so much.
17. The Millenium Trilogy by Steig Larsson: An intricately lain story about violence against women. The heroes of these novels are very, very human and at times it can be difficult to cheer for them but cheer you will.
18. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby: Another Hornby classic about people trying to save themselves and ultimately saving each other.
19. Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett: A sweet little boy charms his curmudgeonly grandfather and then all of England.
20. Mairelon the Magician and The Magician's Ward by Patricia Wrede: Regency London but with magic! Kim is one of the best, strongest female characters I've ever encountered.
21. Scott Pilgrim 1-7 by Bryan Lee O'Malley: A series of graphic novels celebrating video games, love, music, and stupid boys. I laughed repeatedly while reading these.
22. Casting Off by Nicole R. Dickson: A woman travels to the Aran Islands with her young daughter to escape her past only to find her future.
23. Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia Wrede: More strong females! A retelling of the original Snow White story.

Clearly I'll be writing more about Patricia Wrede sometime in the near future. Her Enchanted Forest Chronicles series is another great read and one that I didn't get to indulge in last year. There's always 2011!

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"Oh, I know that, my sweet, but dangerous to what portion of you? Your physical self? Your sanity? Your immortal soul? Or, perhaps, your heart?"
Eddi couldn't help but flinch a little at that. "Don't be annoying. You know what I mean."
"Yes," he sighed, "I do. But are you certain you don't want the answers to the others as well?
"No. Not from you, anyway."
"I didn't really think you would. No, my iris, you may go dancing fearlessly and with the utmost lightness of foot. You will be as safe as if you were at home with me."
"How safe is that?" Eddi asked.
The phouka's gaze was measuring. "My, you're full of many-faceted questions this morning."
-War for the Oaks by Emma Bull