The Top Ten Books Jess Read in 2010

So, I've had this post half-written for over a month!  Finally got around to finishing it...the things you do when your husband is away. 

I'm always looking for a good book recommendation, so here are a few from me and I hope that you will comment with a few of your own for me to read this year.

Here they are (in no particular order, because they were all good), the top ten books that I could not put down in 2010:

1.  Redeeming Love:  Last year I fell in love with Francine Rivers.  She is the best Christian Fiction writer I have ever read, bar none.  This is definitely one of her best!  It is a retelling of sorts of the story of Hosea set in the days of the Gold Rush.  Its beautiful story of love had surprising impact on me.

2 & 3.  The #1 Ladies Detective Agency Series (Books 10 and 11):  I know that some of you just cannot seem to get into these, but I love them!  They are light, quick reading with a super lovable main character, Precious Ramotswe.  The stories are interesting, yet not intense and I love all the background of Botswana.  And doubly great, they have turned the books into an HBO mini-series that are well worth a watch.

4 & 5.  Her Mother's Love/Her Daughter's Hope:  Like I said, I fell in love with Francine Rivers, so I read a lot of her books last year.  This sequel was precious in its telling of mother/daughter relationships; how we so often misunderstand each other thereby missing really knowing each other and really loving each other well.  Plus, I loved that it starts out in Europe and in places that I've seen. 

6.  Committed:  This is sort of a sequel to "Eat, Pray, Love" but can be read on its own.  While I do not subscribe to her type of spirituality, Elizabeth Gilbert is a great writer and has some great insight.  In this book she dives into the issues of what it means to be married.  It is part memoir, part informational.  I found it to be thought-provoking and interesting and would love to read it with a group one of these days and discuss it more in depth!  Side note: her tales of her travels in Thailand and Cambodia were especially endearing to me having just been last year.

7, 8, & 9.  The Hunger Games Trilogy:  I put off reading the first two books until the third was released in August and I'm glad I did because once I picked the first one up, I couldn't stop until all three were read.  These are an incredibly intense and well-written work of fiction!  The story line and characters are vivid.  Warning: these books are quite graphic in their depictions of violence. So, if you are a sensitive soul, these may not be for you. 

10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: Kind of a weird title, but a sweet and satisfying book.  Takes place post World War II in England and Guernsey Isle.  Written as a series of letters, the characters are beloved and the story is wonderful, how a group of friends move on after war has changed them.  I was sad when it was over only because I could have read more of these characters.


 So there you have it.  I've already raced through The Mark of the Lion Trilogy which is sure to make it onto this year's list.  Now it is your turn...what do you recommend?