Best Reads of 2010

Welcome to my Best Reads of 2010 entry.

Most people do a top 10 list; mine is only a top 5. "Why?" you ask. Well, for years I have kept a journal of everything I read. Unfortunately, my journal went into storage inadvertantly in about September 2009. I failed to keep track of my reads in any other journal, and work was busy until mid-May. So there was a lot of lost data. Also, to be fair, if I fleshed it out to 10, half of them would be Philip K. Dick books, and I've written enough about him already (and I'm sure I will write more!)

To shorten up an already too-long story, I could do a top 10, but it would be composed of basically everything of book-length I read this year. So I'm only doing a top 5 this year.

Without further delay:

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba - This is the true story of a young boy from Malawi. Too poor to afford basic schooling, he taught himself the science necessary to build his family a windmill. (Out of scavanged parts and a bicycle generator, no less.) With the windmill, he brought electricity to his central African home, and helped keep excess water out of his father's fields. It is a little slow at first, but it really picks up about Chapter 9. This story is a heartwarming tale of the triumph of the human spirit.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - Crime fiction of the highest order, this book by the late Larsson is a pageturner of the best kind.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - If I had to classify this one, I suppose it would be cyber science fiction. It is about 14 years old, but has aged really well. (Mostly. It's take on the internet is ambitious for its time, but does manage to resemble the online world of Half Life, World of Warcraft, etc.) This book takes place 20 minutes into the future - again, my favorite kind of sci fi - and it is a really insightful take on the power of language. It's also a real pageturner. A+. (PS - I love my Cosa Nostra Pizza t-shirt.)

Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein - First, forget the Paul Verhoven movie. Absolute crap. The book gets a bad rap in some quarters as a fascist, pro-military jingoistic orgy. I suppose. I liked it though, and thought it was very well written, and well thought-out. You may not agree with his politics (and I probably don't) but you can't say it isn't philisophically consistent. I wish he had written ten books like this.

1984 by George Orwell - easily my favorite book. You can read why here.

Honorable Mention:
Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson