Books of the Year

Going over my reading log (yes, I AM that dorky!) from 2010 there were some fabulous books that I discovered. There are too good to keep to myself, so here are my top ten of adult reads from the year just past:

1. "The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society"- I originally got this book because the title was such a mouthful and tickled my funny bone,but it has become a firm favourite of mine. Here's a read that will make you laugh, cry, has a plethora of delightful characters, and even weaves the love of books into a superb plot.

2."Griffin and Sabine"- In keeping with my love of epistolary novels here is a unique winner. My teacher Mr.Murdock read this to us as a class when I was young, but rediscovering this was sheer delight. You get to read the correspondence between the two title characters, even taking their beautifully illustrated letters from the envelopes as their mysterious romance unfolds. Read all three of the books in this series, they're well worth it.

3."Cod: The Biography of the Fish That Changed the World"- Who would have thought that a humble fish would wield such power over world events throughout time? Fascinating.

4."The Host"-Arguably Stephanie Meyer's best novel yet. Forget those sparkly vampires and enjoy this one. I came into this book determined to hate the main character only to fall in love with her. Full of surprises, the book made me cry it was that good.

5."One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies"- Don't you just love the title of this one? Brilliantly told in a series of poems of all things, our teenage heroine must move to California after her mother dies of cancer to live with the moviestar father she has never met.

6."All New Square-Foot Gardening"- A practical guide to growing a successful garden without investing vast swatches of time. This one even explained the wonderful mysteries of effective composting to me.

7."Salt: A World History"- Written by the same author as "Cod" here is another great tale of humankind's pursuit of the most precious resource throughout our entire history. Now commonplace and easily accessible, this now humble element once shaped mighty empires and sparked wars.

8."Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery"-Finally a well-written and compelling biography of a forgotten historical figure that has fascinated me for years!

9."The Happy Hooker"-This is not what you think, it's a book about crochet! Clear instructions, funny writing and with cool projects that range from purses, bunny slippers and cowboy hats it has convinced even a die-hard knitter like me to learn this craft.

10."Stich'n Bitch Superstar Knitting"- You didn't think that there wouldn't be at least ONE knitting book on my list now did you? Superb with great instructions, funny quips and fantastic projects that make me eager to tackle such daunting techniques as fair isle, beading or cables with confidence.

Happy reading all and stay tuned for my kid picks from 2010!