2010 In Books: A Private Book Review

A Private Book Review from Someone – Well – Private!

 

I’m a reader. Of many things, from biographies, to good fiction of all types, to true-crime stories (my absolute favorite). Reading has been my hobby, my escape, my love since I was a child. I continued reading as a young mother, then a working woman, a business owner, and an adult college student. Oddly, once empty nest time rolled around, I had my first job as a full-time SEO Strategist and copywriter at the ripe old age of 50, where much of that reading finally paid off!

So…although my tme is focused differently now, the reading continues. Since 2008, I have been keeping track of the books I read each year. (Another quirk – part of my list-making obsession, I guess!) Last year, in 2009, my favorite book was “Garlic and Sapphires” by former NY Times Food Critic Ruth Reichel. I highly recommend it.

Private book reviews really aren’t important, but I did get through about 3 dozen books this year. (The real stinkers I just put down…) So, for what it’s worth, here are some books I enjoyed that you may also:

• In 2010 I discovered series – haven’t done that since I was a young girl reading Nancy Drew. Read most of the Harlen Coben books (entertaining – great characters!), some John Sandford and then a few Lee Childs till they got boring.
• I read “I Am The Central Park Jogger” by Trisha Meili, who turned 50 in 2010, and is a warm and lovely lady as well as an inspiration.
• “Terror in the Adirondacks” by Lawrence P. Gooley is a thoroughly researched, riveting account of the crimes and subsequent manhunt for this Upstate NY killer. This was particularly interesting to me, as I was raised near where the events took place and remember it all vividly.
• “Black Water” by Joyce Carol Oates. Blew me away…how did I get to this age without ever having read this woman?
• Steig Larsson…”The Girl Who Played With Fire”
• “Murder in Brentwood” by Mark Fuhrman. Don’t know how I missed this either, will read more by him. Interesting to have read this AFTER OJ the idiot’s subsequent fate.
• “The Laughing Policeman” by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

…and some I considered stinkers:

• “The Rescue” by Nicholas Sparks. Ugh.
• “The Hard Way” by Lee Childs. Too much of the same.
• “Not Without My Sister” by Kristina Jones, Celeste Jones, and Juliana Buhring – an extremely compelling story, would have benefitted from some skilled editing.
• “Dogtown” by Elyssa East – ok, not great considering all the press it got.

My #1 favorite book of 2010?

Based upon my super-secret and complex rating system, I’d have to name “The Road Out of Hell” by Sandford Clark. An amazing story a human triumph over fear and terror.

Can’t wait to see what books emerge in 2011!