Top Ten books that devoured my life in the Year Two Thousand and Ten.

These are in no particular order, because getting them all picked and pictured was HARD, and I don't want to try messing with the HTML again. *Tired Medusa is Tired*

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Ally Carter

So I have a history of liking school stories. I may have read all the school stories in all the local libraries moved past that stage, but I still have a certain fondness for the genre. So I thought I'd enjoy this book. And I did, right up until the point where the characters started talking about fathers who go away to be in danger of death and/or torture, for work. 

And then I loved it. I may have mentioned here that my Dad was in the military (mentioned it once or twice,) and that aspect of worrying about your parents, not just because they're irresponsible, but because they're VERY responsible, is something I don't see in books very often. In this case, it was all it took to move me from "this book is fun," to "THIS BOOK IS ENGRAVED ON MY SOUL." And not cause of the romances, sorry. ^_^

Fire

Kristin Cashore

A fascinating, dangerous world, a main character I actually empathized with, and the ethics of duty. This was a beautiful book, and you should all read it. 

White Cat

Holly Black

OOOOOOOOh my gosh. Where do I even start? I'd read Holly Black before, and liked it, but didn't LOVE it. And then I met this one.

 Organized crime, and family loyalty, and TWISTING family loyalty, and unreliable memory, and totally emotionally bashing the MC- Of COURSE I loved this book! Can I have Red Glove please? Now?

Restoring Harmony

Joelle Anthony

It's a HOPEFUL Dystopian, with the mob and rescuing children and the importance of the black market, canning and music. I mean- need I say more?

Victory Of Eagles

Naomi Novik

This book made me care about the Napoleonic war. I actually started supper conversation about it and everything. And it made me think about war and what it costs, WAY more than a certain book by Suzanne Collins did. Psh.

P.S. TEAM WELLINGTON.

Going Too Far

Jennifer Echols

A romance that I believed in and could follow. I think I've mentioned how scarce those are? And at the base of it, this is about how traumatic things in your past mess you up hardcore, and how people can help you recover from that. About grief and rebellion and helping others and relationships... 

It's just really GOOD.

Rosemary and Rue (October Day #1)

A Local Habitation (October Day #2) 

An Artificial Night (October Day #3)

Seanan McGuire

I read these books um- very fast and close to each other. It may have been a matter of hours. So they're indelibly LINKED in my mind. 

But I ask you. Stories about a half-fae PI/Knight who keeps getting called in to defend her family and friends. Only she's not very powerful, and so very breakable- and so very stubborn, which is why she's still standing. 

GO TOBY.

(Also the world is lovely and deadly and menacing. *adores it*)

The Rise of Renegade X

Chelsea Campbell

This might be one of my favourite books of the year, it's VERY possible. A young villain who finds out on the eve of his acceptance to super-villain university that his father (who is never spoken of,) is actually the city's most notorious (if you're evil,) Super HERO. Now he has to go live with the hyper-moral hypocritical looser and his heroic family, and go to public school, all while figuring out how to not jeopardize his acceptance to his REAL choice school. That's all I knew about it when I bought it, and then I found, to my surprise and joy, that there's all kinds of ethics and snarky teenagers and a love triangle that I actually didn't hate, and SUCH good snark, and, and and...

You see, when I love a book this much it's really, really hard to talk about it! It's one of my favourites of all time, okay?

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1)

Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson #2)

Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson #3)

Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #4)

Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson #5)

Patricia Briggs

I read these back to back to back, so I feel justified in naming them as one book. And if you don't agree? Get your own blog. ^_^

I loved the world that Ms. Briggs has fashioned, all the mythology working together, and how it WORKS! They don't just say "people turn into wolves," there are rules for how it works, and how they could stay hidden. I love how people have to worry about money, and how the Media and Government are something which normal people DO think about (have I mentioned this already?) It just seems like a very real world, only with more awesomeness added. And I really love how Mercy is not an aethiest, and you can fight on Vampires with faith, (oh man, the lamb? Best scene EVER!) 

And I am delighted by how the plots tend to be machiavellianly twisted, and I love all the characters, (well, almost all,) and I love the writing style. I picked up the books, and it felt like reading back when I was 14 and 15, when it was my LIFE. I just love the whole series! :D 

Leviathan, 

Scott Westerfeld

I have a soft spot for alternate histories with heroic princes and awesome tutors and snarky woman scientists and cross-dressing girls and amazing steampunk science and WONDERFUL ILLUSTRATIONS, what can I say? 

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And that's it! This took me WAY longer than I expected. *dies*