This list is my own personal top 10 favourite books of the decade. This list has been drawn from the books I've read during the last ten years, and isn't a list of the best published books of the decade. Each book chosen has stood the test of time in my own personal reading experience. Some were new releases, some were backlist and some were published decades (or in one case more than 100 years) ago.
Here are my Top 10 Books of the Decade (2010 - 2019) in the order I read them:
Here are my Top 10 Books of the Decade (2010 - 2019) in the order I read them:
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
A dual narrative historical fiction novel about a 4yo girl abandoned on a ship bound for Australia in 1913.Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K Jerome
Published in 1889, this Penguin Classic is about a trip up the Thames river by three men and is an absolute hoot.Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth
An historical fiction fairytale retelling of Rapunzel full of passion, love, hardship, revenge and redemption.Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
A uniquely Australian novel about two families. Incredibly memorable and moving.The Martian by Andy Weir
I don't read much science fiction but this was MacGyver in space with an awesome sense of humour.
Stoner by John Williams
A deeply honest portrait of an average man told with such care and beauty that the ending brought a tear to my eye.
The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
The only non fiction book of the list, I learned a lot about myself and others in this book and still think about it every few days.The Corset by Laura Purcell
A Victorian gothic thriller about secrets, friendship, needlework, gruesome hardship, betrayal, revenge, redemption, hope, poison and mystery with an ending that made me gasp.
The Binding by Bridget Collins
A combination of fantasy and historical fiction about the art of binding memories into a book.Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
A young adult fantasy novel about a boy who grows up in a library and is obsessed by the mysteries surrounding the lost city of Weep.Thoughts?
Wow, what an eclectic list! What are your thoughts? It was great to see three Australian authors on the list and a good combination of genres represented.
An honourable mention should go to one of my favourite authors Philippa Gregory. Two of her books were included on my Top 5 books of 2015 and 2016 respectively, but she just missed out on making it onto my Top 10 Books of the Decade.
Have you read any of the books on my Top 10 list?
Carpe Librum!
Carpe Librum!
Bitter Greens would probably top my list :) The Martian might just make it too.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny isn't it? Bitter Greens and The Forgotten Garden were the first books I read by Kate Forsyth and Kate Morton respectively and which made them both automatic future reads for me. I read Artemis by Andy Weir and was disappointed that it didn't have the same magic. It's hard to improve on perfection.
DeleteKate Morton and Kate Forsyth are both must read authors for me.
ReplyDeleteGreat aren't they Marg? I'm hoping for another Kate Morton novel soon. Do you know anything?
DeleteGreat list, and no, I haven't read any of these.
ReplyDeleteThanks Davida, sometimes it's exciting to see someone else's list full of books you haven't read before isn't it? I hope something caught your eye.
DeleteI’ve been meaning to do one of these decade lists too. Bitter Greens is my favourite Forsyth, thanks for reminding me if it.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do a best of the decade list too Brona, I'd love to see yours. I just used my Top 5 book lists to choose the best of each year. Then I referred to GoodReads for the years I didn't compile Best of Lists, to look at all the 5 star reads for each year in order to select my favourites. Lots of fun!
DeleteUnfortunately not. She tends to have 3 or 4 years between releases so I am thinking next year at the earliest.
ReplyDeleteThanks Marg, I'm sure it'll be worth the wait. And there's always plenty to read in the meantime, right?
DeleteThere's some good books here! I've read - and loved - five of them!
ReplyDeleteThanks Theresa! And very cool to hear you've read half of my list, woohoo!
DeleteI love this list! The Martian is certainly on my top ten and I loved Bitter Greens. I could love to look back at my decade and see what my top ten would be.
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy and great to know we share a couple of special favourites. I'd love to see what your top ten of the decade would be. It's not too late ;-)
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