Blog Hiatus: This will be my last post until Tuesday, January 4th, 2011. For those who celebrate, have a splendid holiday season. I hope all of you have a safe and happy New Year!
I can’t believe that 2010 is coming to a close. It was a *slightly* busy year. I met a lot of my goals writing and non-writing wise. Fell short on a few others. But that’s okay. I made some real progress and in the end that’s what really matters.
For 2010, I didn’t get a lot of reading done due to the shades of crazy of my day job and the novel project revision(s), but I wanted to share with you some of my favorites. Some of these books were published before 2010, but I did discover them this year.
Favorite Fiction Picks
The following were just some of the novels whose characters and settings stuck with me long after I read the last page:
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Related Posts: Dystopian TBR List
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly — Book Review
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce — Book Review
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
Related Posts: Contemporary Fiction
The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell — Book Review
The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
The Duff by Kody Keplinger — Book Review
Related Posts: In the Moment
This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer — Book Review
Favorite Craft Picks
The following were some of the books where I gleaned inspiration and learned more about the fiction craft:
The Writing Warrior by Laraine Herring
Related Posts: Revision: Writing Warrior Style, Letting Go
BookLife by Jeff VanderMeer
Related Posts: Writing Schedules
The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass
A Writer’s Guide to Fiction by Elizabeth Lyon
Related Posts: Power Positions, Hot Writing, The Elixir of Writing
The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell
Related Posts: The Art of War (For Writers)
What were some of your favorites of 2010? I would love to hear some of your picks or if you have a 2010 book list on your blog, feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments. I’ll definitely stop by and check it out.
I’ll see everyone in 2011!
2010 Favorite Picks
December 21, 2010 Read Comments
Cool. Some of these novels I haven’t read, but I will now! I always get excellent titles from you.
Congrats on meeting your goals! I’m putting almost all your favorites on my to read list! Your taste in books rocks. My favorites were Mistwood by Leah Cypess and Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus. But you probably already know that. ;)
Nice list! I still need to pick up a copy of THE DUFF! One of my favorite books this year was THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson. It’s contemporary YA and definitely worth reading.
Happy Holidays!
Love both list! I really liked KETURAH, and still haven’t read INCARCERON yet, but I have a copy and it’s high on my to-read list. :)
@Vicky: I think you would really like FIRE and KETURAH AND LORD DEATH especially. :)
@Heather: I need to put MISTWOOD on my list. I’ve heard some many great things about it. I have SHADOW HILLS on my Kindle, so I’ll be reading that one soon.
@Ghenet: You must read THE DUFF — especially since you write contemp fiction. Great voice. I’ve heard so many kudos about THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE.
@Emy: I think you will really like INCARCERON. Excellent world-building in that novel. Compelling and complex characters too.
You’ve been a busy girl! I haven’t read any of the books on your list, but I know I will in the future.
Although it wasn’t published in 2010, I’m so glad I read Hunger Games. It was a great story, and I learned a lot from it. As for craft, my favorite by far was Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell (and I obsessed about that book on my blog!)
Merry Christmas, Karen. We’ll see you in 2011!
I read The Duff and I own a few of the rest.
My favorite book this year has been The Sky is Everywhere.
Happy holidays!
@Julie: I think you will just adore REVOLUTION. It’s a great read. :)
@Medeia: I must get my hands on THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE. First Ghenet and now you. It must be *really* good.
I love your 2010 book picks. I will check out some of the ones on craft as well! I miss you friend. You coming to SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC?
@Dhonielle: Hope you had a great holiday! :) Glad you liked the list — there are some on there that I think you would like really well. If you haven’t read INCARCERON yet, you should definitely do so.
Alas, I won’t be going to SCBWI NY because I’m going to Miami for SCBWI FL on MLK weekend. But we will exchange details for sure.