Favourites of 2010

This is the Great Post of Lists! Yes, my lists of my favourite reads, films, and music of 2010! Ordered and ranked, no less!

To the listmaking, then . . . .

Favourite Novels/Books Read in 2010 (Out of 4 Stars)
1. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (David Mitchell, 2010)  *****
2. Blue Mars (Kim Stanley Robinson, 1996)  ****

3. Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro, 2005)  ****

4. Redemption Ark (Alastair Reynolds, 2002)  ****

5. Autumn Rain Trilogy (David J. Williams): The Mirrored Heavens (2008), The Burning Skies (2009), The Machinery of Light (2010)  *** 1/2

6. Dreaming in Books: The Making of the Bibliographic Imagination in the Romantic Age (Andrew Piper, 2009)  *** 1/2

7. The Windup Girl (Paolo Bacigalupi, 2009)  *** 1/2

8. Absolution Gap (Alastair Reynolds, 2003)  *** 1/2

9. The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins, 2008)  *** 1/2

10. The City & The City (China Miéville, 2009)  *** 1/2

Honourable Mention: I Am Legend (Richard Matheson, 1954).

Notable Disappointments: Boneshaker (Cherie Priest, 2009); The Quiet War (Paul McAuley, 2009); Wordsworth Translated (John Williams, 2009).

Currently In Progress (i.e., Could Get Finished By the End of the Year and So Might Affect the Above Top 10): Under Heaven (Guy Gavriel Kay, 2010).

Favourite Short Fiction Read in 2010 (Out of 4 Stars)
1. Charles Oberndorf, "Another Life" (2009)  ****
2. Peter Watts, "The Island" (2009)  ****

3. Stephen Baxter, "The Ice Line" (2010)  ****

4. Sarah Genge, "Malick Pan" (2010)  ****

5. Allen M. Steele, "The Jekyll Island Horror" (2010)  ****

6. Geoff Ryman, "Blocked" (2009)  ****

7. John C. Wright, "The Far End of History" (2009)  *** 1/2

8. Mary Robinette Kowal, "The Consciousness Problem" (2009)  *** 1/2

9. Chris Roberson, "Wonder House" (2010)  *** 1/2

10. Carol Emshwiller, "The Wilds" (2010)  *** 1/2

Honourable Mentions: Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, "Boojum" (2008); Stephen Popkes, "Jackie's-Boy" (2010); Michael Swanwick, "Slow Life" (2003); Rachel Swirsky, "Eros, Philia, Agape" (2009); Peter Watts, "The Things" (2010).

Notable Disappointments: Neal Asher, "Shell Game" (2009); Peter M. Ball, "On the Destruction of Copenhagen by the War-Machines of the Merfolk" (2009); Damien Broderick, "Dead Air" (2010); Marissa K. Lingen, "The Calculus Plague" (2009).


Favourite Films Released in 2010 (Out of 4 Stars)
1. Io Sono L'Amore (I Am Love)  ****

2. The Ghost Writer  ****

3. Never Let Me Go  ****

4. The American  ****

5. Inception  ****

6. Green Zone  *** 1/2

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1  *** 1/2

8. Monsters  *** 1/2

9. Nowhere Boy  *** 1/2

10. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World  *** 1/2

Honourable Mentions: Get Him to the Greek; The Girl Who Played With Fire; Greenberg; Kick-Ass; The Trotsky; Waiting for "Superman".

Notable Disappointments: Megamind; Splice.

Still To Be Seen, Possibly, Before The End of 2010: All Good Things; Black Swan; The King's Speech; Rabbit Hole; Somewhere; True Grit.


Favourite Films Seen But Not Released in 2010 (Out of 4 Stars)
1. The White Ribbon (2009)  ****

2. Un Prophète (2009)  ****

3. Sin Nombre (2009)  ****

4. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009)  ****

5. The Cove (2009)  ****

6. An Education (2009)  ****

7. The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos) (2009)  ****

8. The Hurt Locker (2009)  ****

9. Moon (2009)  ****

10. 8 1/2 (1963)  ****

Honourable Mentions: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans (2009); Crazy Heart (2009); Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009); A Serious Man (2009); A Single Man (2009).

Notable Disappointments: 9 (2009); Amelia (2009); Chloe (2009).

Favourite Albums Released in 2010
1. The Arcade Fire, The Suburbs

2. Kate Nash, My Best Friend Is You

3. The National, High Violet

4. Belle & Sebastian, Write About Love

5. Titus Adronicus, The Monitor

6. Drive-By Truckers, The Big To-Do

7. Of Montreal, False Priest
8. Love Is All, Two Thousand and Ten Injuries

9. Die Antwoord, $O$

10. Junip, Fields

Honourable Mentions: The Apples in Stereo, Travellers in Space and Time; Surfer Blood, Astro Coast; Tokyo Police Club, Champ; Neil Young, Le Noise.

Favourite Band Discovered in 2010: Wussy.

Favourite Concerts in 2010: Drive-By Truckers; Titus Adronicus.

Just Received and Still Listening To (Released in 2010): Black Eyed Peas, The Beginning; The Corin Tucker Band, 1,000 Years; No Age, Everything In Between; The Roots, How I Got Over.

Favourite Albums Discovered But Not Released in 2010: Drive-By Truckers, Brighter Than Creation's Dark (2008); The Church, Untitled #23 (2009); Wussy, Funeral Dress (2005) and Wussy (2009).

Favourite Singles/Songs Released in 2010

1. Of Montreal, "Our Riotous Defects"

2. The Arcade Fire, "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

3. Titus Andronicus, "To Old Friends and New"

4. Kate Nash, "I Just Love You More"

5. The National, "Anyone's Ghost"

Honourable Mention: LCD Soundsystem, "Drunk Girls" (This Is Happening)