Top Ten Tuesday: 10 favorites written in the last decade

Finding one favorite book from each of the last 10 years was harder than it sounds. Some publishing years are feasts and some famine, which made this week’s TTT a fun challenge: Top Ten favorite reads from the last decade (one for each year).

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl since January of 2018. Jana writes, “it was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” In that spirit, link up with your list at That Artsy Reader Girl and comment with your list, link, or thoughts below.

2010

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption | Laura Hillenbrand

Are some people fated to live remarkable lives? I don’t know, but the almost too-incredible-to-believe stunts Olympian Louis Zamperini committed as a young child foretold a life of intrepid acts and nearly will-breaking suffering that would take a remarkable human spirit to survive it all.

2011

The Night Circus | Erin Morgenstern

Only just fell in love with this beauty last year but I predict it’s fantastic story elements will be timeless–reviewed here

2012

The Secret Keeper | Kate Morton

My go-to reader’s advisory recommendation at the library. Also, my first introduction to the flashback dual storyline narrative and a solid historical fiction page-turner.

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2013

The Golem and the Jinni | Helene Wecker

Imaginative, brutal, dark, beautifully written and endlessly thought-provoking. Not only one of my favorite reads of the decade, but of all time. Originally reviewed here.

2014

2014 would prove to be a banner year for books, I’m still catching up and reading through them. One stand-out in a year of original storytelling:

All the Light We Cannot See | Anthony Doerr

The only pulitzer winner on this list, previously reviewed here.

2015

The Day the Crayons Came Home | Drew Daywalt

2015 held lots of worthy reads, fiction and non, but no book of that year made me smile more than this lighthearted children’s tale. I remember it getting quickly passed around between my library co-workers right after its pub date. A Toy Story-esque tale of rather woeful adventures had by the members of the crayon box who quit in Daywalt’s companion book, The Day the Crayons Quit. A laugh-out-loud story for the young and young-at-heart.

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2016

Scythe | Neal Shusterman

Plenty of contenders for favorite of ’16, but Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) edged out the competition. Incredible future world-building, thought-provoking story implications, intrigue, and a scathing descent into free will vs. the common good. Not to mention first in a trilogy that I’m actually looking forward to finishing.

2017

Lincoln in the Bardo | George Saunders

Likely the most intense book I’ve read in the past decade, and the most inventive.

2018

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer | Michelle McNamara

Powerful, hold-your-breath and stay up all night reading. True crime citizen detective work may not be for everyone, but damn it’s as good as any thrilling novelization I’ve read.

2019

(*crickets*)

So…I haven’t actually read a book with a 2019 pub date yet. Stay tuned because I have a few planned for this summer that I’m determined to squeeze into my Bookish Jay and Reading Mermaid Reading Challenge.

Go on and share your memorable reads from the past decade, I’d love to hear them.