Amazon.com, which has been selling books online for just about as long as anyone, puts together some great Best Books lists every year, and 2010 is no exception. With dozens of categories to choose from, it’s difficult to sum them all up in one post, so I’ll just hit the highlights:
Editor’s Picks: The Top 5
THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS by Rebecca Skloot
FAITHFUL PLACE by Tana French
MATTERHORN: A NOVEL OF THE VIETNAM WAR by Karl Marlantes
UNBROKEN: A WORLD WAR II STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE AND REDEMPTION by Laura Hillenbrand
THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS: THE EPIC STORY OF AMERICA’S GREAT MIGRATION by Isabel Wilkerson
See the full list of the Top 100 Editor’s Picks here.
Top 5 Customer Favorites (these are ranked according to customer orders through October, and only include books first published in 2010)
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST by Stieg Larsson
WOMEN FOOD AND GOD: AN UNEXPECTED PATH TO ALMOST EVERYTHING by Geneen Roth
MOCKINGJAY (THE FINAL BOOK OF THE HUNGER GAMES) by Suzanne Collins
DEAD IN THE FAMILY by Charlaine Harris
THE BIG SHORT: INSIDE THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE by Michael Lewis
See the full list of the Top 100 Customer Favorites here.
Top 5 Books For Teens: Editor’s Picks
WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green
REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly
BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver
INCARCERON by Catherine Fisher
FAT VAMPIRE: A NEVER COMING OF AGE STORY by Adam Rex
See the full list of the Top 10 Editor’s Picks for Teens here.
Top 5 Books For Teens: Customer Favorites (these are ranked according to customer orders through October, and only include books first published in 2010)
MOCKINGJAY: THE FINAL BOOK OF THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
THE SHORT SECOND LIFE OF BREE TANNER: AN ECLIPSE NOVELLA by Stephenie Meyer
BURNED (HOUSE OF NIGHT, BOOK 7) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
THEODORE BOONE: KID LAWYER by John Grisham
SPIRIT BOUND (VAMPIRE ACADEMY, BOOK 5) by Richelle Mead
See the full list of the Top 10 Customer Favorites for Teens here.
I think the differences between the Editor’s Picks and the Customer Favorites prove that what is considered great literature isn’t always what is most popular. This is especially true in books for teens, and leads to an important question for library collection development: What makes a good collection, great books or popular books?
The quick answer, of course, is both, and I’m pleased to say that most of the titles on both lists for teens are available in the Academy Library collection.
Another interesting point: one of the top 5 customer favorites for teens is by John Grisham, an author known for his courtroom dramas. This follows the recent trend of popular authors of adult books writing for a teen audience, including James Patterson, Kathy Reichs and Ridley Pearson. I think this proves that the market for popular novels for teens is a strong one, and popular authors are beginning to recognize that fact.
Tomorrow, we’ll see which books the editors of School Library Journal, the leading professional publication for librarians that work with children and teens, have selected as their best books for 2010.