Best Books of 2010

On the final day of 2010, I thought I would reflect on my favorite reads of the year.  These books weren’t all published in 2010, but they were on my reading list during the past year.

Best Classic: 
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The story of the Joads, fleeing the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma for the promise of California, is as relevant today as it was when Steinbeck wrote it.  If you missed this classic in high school (or if you didn’t appreciate it then), you should really pick it up.

Best Professional Text (for Teachers):
The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller
This book really made me think about the way we teach books at the middle and high school levels.  In an educational climate permeated by standardized tests, Miller reminds us that we need to teach students to love reading.

Best Non-Fiction:
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
The story of one man trapped by Hurricane Katrina—and the atrocities he faces after the hurricane is over—reads like a great piece of fiction.  A story that, unbelievably, happened right here in the United States.

Best Young Adult:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This dark dystopian drama that raises questions about the disparity between the rich and the poor, the path of current technology, the ethics of genetic engineering, and society’s response to violence.

Best Short Story Collection:
American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell
These achingly beautiful stories—populated by men and women living in quiet desperation in the countryside and small towns of Michigan—are proof that the short story is still a powerful and vital form.

Best Novel (tie):
Cold Earth by Sarah Moss
Part character study, part ghost story, part apocalyptic nightmare, part historical fiction, this novel really delivers.  Six archeologists explore an ancient Viking settlement in Greenland, but unexpected complications develop.

Best Novel (tie):
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
The story of a young Dominican man living with his mother and sister in New Jersey is hilarious, profane, informative, and fresh.  Simply, it is written with a sense of voice that I won’t soon forget.

Here’s to another year of great books in 2011!