Top 10 of 2010: Bookworm Edition

10. Denial- A totally bizarre and unrealistic (I hope!) story of a coked out detective and his stripper girlfriend, but it really made me think, and that is the sign of a good book.

9. The Fountainhead- A classic. This novel took me three months to read (and some crazy late fees at the library!) but this is a beautiful novel, and even if I couldn't really connect with the self destructiveness of the characters, I still have a crush on Roarke.

8. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel- A modern retelling of Hamlet. A must read for any one who is had a loyal dog or is a dog lover. This book was painful to read at times, not because of the language by any means, but because of the sheer raw emotion. A glorious tragedy.

 7. Strawberry Fields- A "wtf" book, in the best way possible. A crazy ride along with a group of seasonal field workers in Europe. One of the narrators is a dog, and he really makes the book. Read this for a laugh out loud time and a half!

 6. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest- This is the third novel in the Millenium Trilogy, and it took the reading of all three books before I fell in love. Now I know why everyone has been raving about this series and I'm pretty much in love with Lisbeth Salander.

 5. Shadow of the Wind- A dark and creepy novel that is beautifully written (this was my year of beautifully written books and I drank it up) and leaves you on the edge of your seat from the first page until the last. A book about a book, and so much more. 

 4. Agnes and the Hitman- You've already heard me rave about this novel. It's not the most sophisticated writing style, but it cracked me up, made me smile and made me fall in love.

3. Life of Pi- Apparently I'm a late bloomer reading this one, as it is classic summer reading material in high school? I don't know...my country school didn't give out a summer reading list. Anyways, this story of survival is woven with religion, philosophy, and mystery. A twisted story that leaves you with more questions than answers is is worth every "woah, what just happened" moment. 

 2. Water for Elephants- I bought this book on a whim in the Atlanta airport, after I finished the book I had in my carry-on. A lovely story of love and adventure on a circus train. And apparently they are making this into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Patterson. Pretty exciting.

1. With- Ok, Confession time. I read this book for the first time in the spring of 2009. I couldn't stop talking about it, thinking about it, wishing it never ended. So, I bought it for my personal library this year. And read it three more times. And forced encouraged all my friends and families to read it. I love it. It's on my reading list again. I think I have a problem. A wonderful problem.

 Happy New (Reading) Year! 

Love to all,

~the little booknerd, Jess

PS. I also read Lightening Bug by Donald Harrington this year and while it was pretty damn racy, I still loved it and can't get over the unique writing style of this author.