Best of 2010

It’s nearing the end of the year and I figure it’s time to compile 2010′s Best Books list. I realize I have quite a few days of 2010 left, but I figure that this list might be useful for people still looking to get gifts for their bookish loved ones. Not all the books I will cite have been published this year; some have been published earlier, but I hadn’t gotten around to them until 2010. Nevertheless, here are the books that have stood out for me.

Best Book JJ Has Read This Year: THE LITTLE STRANGER by Sarah Waters
Not a YA and not published this year, but it’s a creepy gothic novel, and as we all know, creepy gothic novels are totally up my alley. I will admit that this book isn’t for everyone, but for those who love atmosphere, ambiguous supernatural elements, social critique, and some black humor, this novel is absolutely for him/her.

Best New Author: Jo Walton
I happened upon Jo Walton after someone recommended her books to me. We (Macmillan as a whole, not St. Martin’s Press) publish her, so I started with the World Fantasy Award winner TOOTH AND CLAW before falling head over heels in love with her work. Walton is exactly my sort of writer: interested in social critique and satire, wickedly clever, and wildly imaginative. TOOTH AND CLAW is Anthony Trollope’s FRAMLEY PARSONAGE…WITH DRAGONS. Her SMALL CHANGE series is a trilogy of alternate history novels about What if England made peace with Hitler? and is a fascinating study about the inexorable slide into fascism. Brilliant. She doesn’t write YA either, but she would be a great gift for a reader of 19th century fiction who also happens to like fantasy.

Best New Series: THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST by Rick Yancey
Oh, what to say about this series! If I’m honest, THE CURSE OF THE WENDIGO might be the best YA book I’ve read this year, and it’s up against some stiff competition. I didn’t read THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST until very recently; somehow, its Printz honor went entirely over my head. Although I will admit that at first glance, THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST isn’t a book I would have picked up. Based on the description, it sounded very much like a MG boys’ horror novel. In many ways, it is a MG boys’ horror novel, but oh what a good one it is! THE CURSE OF THE WENDIGO is even better. Warning: these books are not for the faint of heart. There is a very fine line between deliciously disgusting and outright revolting. Yancey toes it A LOT. Also, I hesitate to recommend this book to some friends because the series has a sad dearth of ladies. It’s seriously the series’ biggest (and only) flaw. Still, Pellinore Warthrop is ♥.

Best Conclusion to a Series: MONSTERS OF MEN by Patrick Ness
The CHAOS WALKING series is one of the best I’ve come across in a long time. Like THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, it’s a bit of a boy book series, but it’s also a fantastic series for fans of science fiction. And unlike THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, the series has some really awesome ladies who are front and center to the action. I would recommend these books to anyone, but probably to boys who like science fiction.

Best YA Debut: MATCHED by Ally Condie
I read MATCHED in galley form when I got a copy from BEA and of the galleys I got from the tradeshow, it was the standout. Of course, I like dystopian novels, but I found MATCHED rather good. It differed from HUNGER GAMES in that it was a high-tech, highly controlled “utopian” society, but the tension was no less stressful. I found MATCHED closer to THE GIVER by Lois Lowry and BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley rather than THE HUNGER GAMES and 1984 by George Orwell. As it is with the best dystopians, it raises the question of free will, and as John the Savage said in BRAVE NEW WORLD, “the right to be unhappy”. I would recommend this book to fans of dystopian and romance. I never thought those two terms would ever go together.

Best YA Character: Mae from THE DEMON’S COVENANT by Sarah Rees Brennan
I will admit to wavering between Mae and Pellinore Warthrop for this category, but I had to come down on Mae’s side for two reasons. 1) Dr. Warthrop isn’t really YA, and while he’s certainly the main character of his series, he’s not the narrator, and 2) Mae has the advantage of being someone whom I admire. For ethical reasons, I felt Dr. Warthrop was not a viable option because I have a crush on him. Just because I want to date a character doesn’t necessarily mean said character is awesome. (Especially if the crushworthy character is actually a terrible, terrible human being.) Mae is practical and fiercely loyal to her loved ones, which makes her similar to my beloved Lyra Belaqua. Mae is also something of a hopeless romantic, which flies in the face of her otherwise sensible and pragmatic nature. I find this hilarious, but also ridiculously endearing. So Mae wins over Pellinore Warthrop.

Best Romance: Todd and Viola from MONSTERS OF MEN by Patrick Ness
I had a hard time finding one for this category, mostly because nothing really stood out for me. However, I do think Todd and Viola are amazing and I’d like to thank Patrick Ness for my newest term for a significant other/boyfriend/girlfriend/partner/lover/etc. My “one in particular”. I love this SO MUCH. Excuse me while I swoon.

I have tons of other books that I read this year that I enjoyed and feel deserve mentions.

Most Interesting Magical System: WHITE CAT by Holly Black
Makes Me Hungry: SILVER PHOENIX by Cindy Pon
Favourite Gay Character: Tiny Cooper from WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green and David Levithan
Biggest Tearjerker: SEA by Heidi R. Kling

I’m sure I’m leaving tons out, but those are my recommendations! What are your best reads of 2010?

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