1. Best book of 2010? Wow, that's tough! Several Persephones are on top of my list, including Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Miss Buncle's Book, and The Priory. But Fingersmith was just great, and I loved Barchester Towers.
2. Worst book of 2010? The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell.
3. Most Disappointing Book of 2010? Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier. I had high hopes after Rebecca, but it was just meh.
4. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2010? Lady Bird: A Biography of Mrs. Johnson by Jan Jarboe Russell. I'm not really into politics or biographies but this was an absorbing, fast read.
5. Book you recommended to people most in 2010? Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and Fingersmith.
6. Best series you discovered in 2010? I just read my first Miss Read novel between Christmas and New Years and just loved it, it's sure to be my new favorite series. And of course I discovered Persephone Books this year -- technically, it's a publisher, but I feel like I need to mention them as well.
7. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2010? Sarah Waters, Emile Zola, Dorothy Whipple, Miss Read, and D. E. Stevenson.
8. Most hilarious read of 2010? Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson. My Family and Other Animals Gerald Durrell was another hoot.
9. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2010? Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. I'd seen the BBC adaptation and I still couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read more of her books.
10. Book you most anticipated in 2010? The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. Sadly, a little disappointing after the first two, though it had its good points.
11. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2010? Nightingale Wood by Stella Gibbons; The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett; Where the Mountains Meet the Moon by Grace Lin.
12. Most memorable character in 2010? Tom Sawyer; Miss Pettigrew; Ethan Hawley from The Winter of Our Discontent.
13. Most beautifully written book in 2010? The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley
14. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2010? The World that was Ours by Hilda Bernstein. A shocking, frightening memoir of the 1963 Rivonia trial in South Africa. The blantant racism and miscarriage of justice was mind-blowingly awful.
15. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2010 to finally read? The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.
This was fun! I'd love to hear about other bloggers' year-end roundups; if you've posted one please leave a link in your comments and I'll add them below.
