My Top 10 of 2010

We are mere days away from beginning a new year! The new year means all new possibilities for us as a book blog, and for books in general. Think about all the amazing things that are going to happen in the next year: both The Hunger Games and City of Bones movies will make big production strides, The Mortal Instruments series will be refreshed with a new installment, several other amazing YA series will get new additions, and new ideas will be born. It's so exciting to think of everything that a new year can bring!

With the beginning of a new year, we have to say goodbye to the old one and everything it gave us. This year was not short on amazing, however, and it should definitely be celebrated. Therefore, I give you my top ten book and film releases of 2010. Most of my fellow blog colleagues focus strictly on book releases, but not this lady. We like to keep all forms of entertainment into consideration, so I also plan to drop a little music faves on you at the end. Hope you enjoy the list!

Top 10 of 2010

Number 10: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Say what you will about the Twilight franchise, I've heard it all. I recognize that the films are mediocre at best. I understand that the writing in the books themselves is not exactly top-notch. I agree that the next two films will probably be awful because the source material is the worst of the series. It doesn't matter, I still love it. I will still be out in full force on opening day with my Team Edward shirt, wishing my husband was a borderline-stalker-sparkly-vampire-whose-babies-would-kill-me. Because, as a woman with operational ovaries and an active libido, I can't not love this franchise. Robert Pattinson haunts my dreams with his unconventionally-yet-unbearably attractiveness. I would have made a significantly better Bella than KStew, though.

My sub-par photo manip skills do not properly reflect the awesomeness of this.
MizzLizzy Bella...how Twilight should have been...far less twitchy.

Number 9: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Swedish film release)
I tried to get through the book. I really, really, REALLY tried. But I just couldn't bear another page of Blomkvist reading. I couldn't, no matter how good I knew it would get at the end. I know that the series picks up eventually, but I really wanted to beat my head against the wall while reading Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Lucky for me (and everyone else on the planet), the wonderful country of Sweden has presented us with the film version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. And my, oh my, did they do a great job. If you haven't seen the film, I recommend checking it out before the American film release. The pacing is great, which is such a refreshing change based on how sluggish the book is. Noomi Rapace, who plays Lisbeth Salander, is a very talented actress and breathed amazing life into the character that was, for most of the book, missing. The film is available for Instant Watch on Netflix, so go check it out. Warning: There are some pretty graphic scenes in the film, so wait till the kids go to bed for this one.

Number 8: The Wicked Lovely Series
Melissa Marr has etched herself a permanent place in my heart for one of my favorite writers. She is AMAZING, and so is her Wicked Lovely series. Every book in the series is incredible, especially the most recent releases. (Radiant Shadows got a 5-star review from me on this blog.) I love this series so much that I've made it a point to gobble up all of the little side stories she has out as soon as possible, including the mangas. And I am not a big fan of manga. If you haven't read this series yet, you are missing out big time. It's one of my top series of all time, not just 2010. And I thought I'd have trouble getting into books about faeries...

Number 7: The Other Guys
This is definitely the funniest movie I saw in 2010. I laughed through the entire thing, sometimes to the point of nearly losing bladder control. Everything about this film was hilarious. It's the best work I've seen from Will Ferrell in a long, long time. His comedic timing was perfect, and Mark Wahlberg was surprisingly incredible this comedic capacity, which is something I hadn't seen from him before. Michael Keaton was another bright spot, ans every scene he was in was hilarious. He stole the show for me big time. Watch this one and you will be on the floor laughing, I promise.

Number 6: Jane
Jane is now one of my favorite YA novels. The modern take on the classic tale of Jane Eyre is truly awesome. It's a beautiful story of growth, love, loss and rediscovery that I loved being able to share with you all. After having such a great experience with the book, I had an even better experience with my dealing with April Lindner. She's a really great lady! She was so nice and genuine, and her interview is at the top of my list of most awesome things I've done on this blog. If you haven't had a chance to check out the interview, head over to the post here. Also, you can see my review of Jane here.

Number 5: Bloodthirsty
This book was HILARIOUS. I was excited to have a chance to review a book that poked fun at the popularity of vampire books (aka The Twilight Effect) without being, well, stupid. There are plenty of book and film offerings that make fun of Twilight and it's vampy buddies by being silly and childish, but this book showed the funny side of the vampire craze in an intelligent, witty and entertaining way. Flynn Meaney is fast becoming a favorite author of mine, and I really look forward to seeing more of her work. Yes, I said her. I know this because I have been arranging a sweet interview to post on here, and she revealed the "secret" to me. I love being privy to hidden information! Check out my 5-star review of Bloodthirsty here.

Number 4: Sherlock Holmes
Robert Downey Jr. has a piece of my heart in his figurative pocket. I LOVE HIM. I have never been disappointed with any of his work, and Sherlock Holmes kept the streak going by being INCREDIBLE. Appropriately funny, action-packed and emotional at just the right parts, Sherlock Holmes was one of the best movies I saw this year. I also liked Jude Law in this one, which doesn't happen for me often. He's not exactly chosen the best films in the past, but lucky for us, this one was top-notch. Rachel McAdams was also very good in the movie, but I expected no less than a stellar performance from her and Mr. Gorgeous Downey Jr. I'm really looking forward to the sequel for this film, which is due out December 2011.

Number 3: The Girl Who Played With Fire (Swedish film release)
The people of Sweden definitely know how to make a great movie. The Girl Who Played With Fire was somehow even better than it's predecessor, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I was pretty much glued to the screen for the entire film, save for one or two pretty graphic scenes. There was a lot less of that than there was in the first film, however. Noomi Rapace brought it again, really blowing her earlier portrayal of Lisbeth Salander out of the water, which was already incredible in it's own right. The film was so good, I considered trying to push through the book series again. Not quite sure if 'll actually do it, though.

Number 2: The Hunger Games Trilogy
This is not only one of the best releases of 2010, but of all time. The Hunger Games is primarily responsible for me starting a book blog, and that's the honest truth. Each installment of this series was written perfectly, in spite of what some fans might call a depressing ending. Of course it's depressing, it's a story about war and violence and terrible loss. I was perfectly satisfied with the ending to the series, as you can tell from my review. I loved this series so much that I got into an RPG and started writing fanfic about it. Isn't that insane?! This also helped perpetuate my love for Robert Downey Jr., who HAS to be Haymitch Abernathy in the film adaptation. Just saying.

Number 1: The Mortal Instruments Series
Oh. My. Gosh. The Mortal Instruments series is the best series I have read, possibly ever in my life. Cassandra Clare is my IDOL. She is such an amazing talent! Every character in this series is perfectly written, the imagery is incredible, the story is moving, the mythology behind it is perfect, everything about this series is PERFECT! I could gush and gush for years about how incredible this series is, but I won't subject you to that. I will, however, link you to my epic review of the series here. I will be reviewing the first installment of the companion series, The Infernal Devices, very soon. You may have heard of it recently: Clockwork Angel...one of the most anticipated books of 2010? Yeah, that one.

I hope you guys liked my top ten list! In closing, I'll leave you with some music videos for my favorite songs of 2010.

Christina Perry: Jar of Hearts
A raw and emotional song with a beautiful video by a woman with a killer voice.


Katy Perry: Firework
This song really showcases Perry's vocal talent, and I love the message.


Neon Trees: 1983
Pretty much everything Neon Trees records is awesome.


Paramore: The Only Exception
Another band that cannot do wrong in my eyes.


Metric: Eclipse [All Yours]
Not my favorite Metric song, but still amazing.


Happy New Year, everyone!