Top Twelve Books of 2010

2010 has been a great year for me and my family. As the year comes to an end today, I decided to make a list of the top twelve books that I read in 2010 (they weren't all published in 2010). The books are listed only in the order that I read them this year.


1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
You can read my review here.











2. Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris.
I read The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt in 2009 and loved both very long biographies. The third volume: Colonel Roosevelt released in November and I am so excited to read it in 2011.

3. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard.
It's pretty obvious that I'm a huge fan of Teddy. I loved this historical account of Roosevelt's trip down a previously unexplored tributary of the Amazon.

4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
I ordered this by accident. I spent an afternoon enthralled by Steinbeck's writing and his unique view of the world. A story about two men working together to attain their own version of the American Dream, it brings up many ethical questions and can lead to some interesting discussion and thought. It's definitely a classic.









5. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
After reading Moby Dick and Ahab's Wife, I became obsessed with reading about whaling ships. In the Heart of the Sea is the true historical account of the Whaleship Essex that inspired Melville to write Moby Dick in the first place.








6. The Seamstress : A Novel by Frances De Pontes Peebles.
You can read my review here.











7. Brooklyn : A Novel by Colm Toibin
You can read my review here.












8. The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
I don't think I ever got around to writing a review for this novel but I did really enjoy it.











9. Of One Heart :The Glory of the City of Enoch by Neal A. Maxwell.
Utah Dad made me read this but it was fabulous. You can read my full review here.

10. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
You can read my full review here.












11. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
You can read by review here.

12. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen SimonsonYou can read my review here.

I wish everyone a Happy New Year.

Here's to more fabulous books in 2011!