Booktrust: Books of the year 2010

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Books of the year 2010
2010 saw the return of heavyweights like Peter Carey, David Mitchell and, after a long sabbatical, Jonathan Franzen. It was also the year that
newcomers like Lee Rourke, Laura Dockrill and Anjali Joseph made a mark. It was the year of Tom McCarthy's astonishing C, and a sterling
year for translated fiction, especially with the growth of new imprints like Pereine.
Here is Booktrust's books of the year, a mixture of literary fiction, graphic novels, short stories and translated fiction, hopefully showcasing the diversity not only of the books
that we like here at Book House, but also, that have been commercially available this year.
It's been a great year for fiction. Here are our books of the year. Do let us know in the comments whether you agree or disagree, and what we missed!

Skippy Dies
By Paul Murray
Despite the tragi-comedic nature of the plot, the book is fun and brimming with humour, and bounces along throughout.
Read our review of Skippy Dies

Wilson
By Daniel Clowes
Daniel Clowes proves himself to be the master of the graphic novel and the celebrator of the loveable loser
Read our review of Wilson

The Lost World
By Patricia Melo
An intelligent fast-paced and murderous road trip across Brazil
Read our review of The Lost World

C
By Tom Mccarthy
...a profound meditation on the nature of communication, on how we transmit our emotions, feelings and fears
Read our review of C

The Canal
By Lee Rourke
Not just a book about boredom, The Canal is a debut novel filled with humour, pathos and a stunningly odd relationship nurtured on a bench
Read our review of The Canal

Beside the Sea
By Veronique Olmi
Beautifully written and translated, this is the powerful story of a mother who kills her young children because she simply cannot cope.
Read our review of Beside the Sea

How I Escaped My Certain Fate
By Stewart Lee
This is a comedic book about comedy, perhaps the finest book ever put together about stand-up comedy, and certainly the funniest book you will read all year
Read our review of How I Escaped My Certain Fate

The Great Perhaps
By Joe Meno
With a Beatles soundtrack whistling wistfully in its ear, The Great Perhaps is a sharp and spiritual political story about a family falling apart
Read our review of The Great Perhaps

Even the Dogs
By Jon McGregor
...an intimate exploration of life at the edges of society, life overwrought with love, loss, despair, and the faint glimmer of redemption.
Read our review of Even the Dogs

Saraswati Park
By Anjali Joseph
Saraswati Park is a book about loss and longing, love and regret
Read our review of Saraswati Park

Death of an Unsigned Band
By Tim Thornton
If you’ve ever been in a band that went nowhere, read this book. Even if you haven’t, read this book.
Read our review of Death of an Unsigned Band

Freedom
By Jonathan Franzen
Franzen's new novel nine years after The Corrections is, as expected, about an ailing middle-class marriage
Read our review of Freedom

Echoes
By Laura Dockrill
A ghoulish new collection of reinvented fairy tales from Laura Dockrill
Read our review of Echoes by Laura Dockrill

The Financial Lives of the Poets
By Jess Walter
No, this is actually not recession novel. Instead, The Financial Lives of the Poets is about that age-odd battle: desperate measures versus bankruptcy
Read our review of The Financial Lives of the Poets