Subtly hinted by blogging sweethearts Ingrid and Brenna, I figured out I had to do the year-end review of my readings. It's not going to be my year-end review of 2010 publications, because the number would be two. And it's not worthy of a year-end review. I'm going to give my 2010 awards to the books I have actually read this year. All in all I might have read what? Sixty of them, more or less? Don't refer to my review section only, I started it in May. The price comes with a little (fictional) platinum statue called an Hemingwette. Also, every book I will finish from now to December of 2011 will be available to next year's Hemingwettes.
Best Book Of 2010: In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote. The race was close, but Capote won with his human approach to senseless violence.
Worst Book Of 2010: Veronica Decides To Die by Paulo Coelho. It's garbage, I don't even know why it sells.
Most Disappointing Book Of 2010: The Given Day by Dennis Lehane. Excellence is a harsh mistress. You can't ever produce lower quality books after. It wasn't bad, just meh.
Most Surprising (in a good way) Book Of 2010: How To Survive A Garden Gnome Attack by Chuck Sambuchino. I did not expect to raise an eyebrow, but it was pretty funny. More funny than Max Brooks' survial guide.
Book You Recommended To Most People in 2010: Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. It probably won the race to this prize in 2009 and 2008 also.
Best Series You Discovered in 2010: Read zero series this year, so no award. I'm not a series reader, but if you want one, check out the Patrick Kenzie series by Dennis Lehane.
Favorite New Authors You've Discovered In 2010: The literary bffs David Foster Wallace and Jonathan Franzen. For the sum of their being.
Most Hilarious Read In 2010: How To Survive A Garden Gnome Attack by Chuck Sambuchino. Two Hemingwettes for Chuckie S. who would've known?
Book You Most Anticipated in 2010: Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane. And it delivered, somewhat.
Favorite Cover To A Book You Read In 2010: A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace.
Most Memorable Character of 2010: Melanie Holland from Jonathan Franzen's Strong Motion and Jack Gladney from Don DeLillo's White Noise.
Most Beautifully Written Book Of 2010: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver and In Cold Blood By Truman Capote. Both kicked my ass.
Book That Had The Greatest Impact On You in 2010: Strong Motion by Jonathan Franzen. Literally started to make me doubt my novel's POV.
Book You Can't Believe You Actually Waited UNTIL 2010 to finally Read: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.
