My Favourite Books of the Decade | 2010 to 2020

With the arrival of 2020 comes the demise of the 2010s – AKA the decade that occupies most of my living memory. And it was a decade during which I read some pretty great books!

Let’s go way back, shall we? At the beginning of the decade I was just about to turn 10 years old. It wasn’t long before I had my sights set on some pretty big books. (I find it highly ironic that I went straight to adult books aged 10, then really got into YA at 17.) So don’t worry if you’re thinking the first half of this list will be boring – I read things as a child that I wouldn’t pick up now! I kid you not, at 6 years old I stole one of my mum’s true crime books while on holiday and read the whole thing.

My Favourite Books of the Decade 2010-2020

2010 – Postcard Killers by James Patterson & Liza Marklund

Like I said, not bad for a 10-year-old. I don’t remember much of this book at all, and I doubt I would still like it if I reread it now, but it makes it on this list because of how fond I was of it at the time. I bought this in the airport before going on holiday and I still have the copy – water damaged from getting splashed while reading by the pool.

2011 – Watchers by Dean Koontz

I was obsessed with this book for the longest time. It features brutal murder (you can tell what I was into at the time) and a talking dog!! Honestly, my love of Einstien (said talking dog) sparked a lifelong fixation and is the reason I have a Goodreads shelf labelled talking-dogs. It is sadly rather barren.

2012 – The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

I knew I wouldn’t make it through this list without mentioning this one. I was 12, okay?? You find me one person who isn’t ashamed of anything they did when they were 12, I challenge you. So yes, these awful books about toxic behaviour were my favourite at one point.

2013 – The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine

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Now we’re catching up to my current tastes. While I wouldn’t blame you for looking at the covers and assuming this is Twilight 2.0, Morganville is vampires done right. The characters if this series are some of my favourites ever, and I still reread Glass Houses every time I’m sad. Turning the pages feels like coming home.

2014-2016 – Uhhhh…

*cricket noises*

2017 – Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

My triumphant return to reading came in late 2017. If I remember correctly, I was bored at the end of the summer holidays and decided to pick up this book with the pretty cover that had been sitting on my shelf for ages. The rest of that year was consumed with a reading frenzy as I powered my way through all 9 Chronicles of Ixia books in a matter of weeks. I managed a 600-page book in one day, a feat I could only dream of now. (It wasn’t even the full day!!)

2018 – Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

This is the first of many mentions from the year that led me to bookstagram, Goodreads, and finally my blog. Illuminae is a game changer. This book is not like anything I’ve read before – it’s written in a unique dossier format, like a folder comprised of emails, transcripts, and chats. The characters are so memorable, and the story made me laugh and cry – a winning combination.

2018 – The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

This is the book that saved the epic fantasy genre for me. After being bored half to death by A Clash of Kings, this funny and fast-paced heist story was a breath of fresh air. I’m a sucker for good characters, so Kelsier was a dream for me.

2018 – History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

Tears. So many tears. I bawled my way through this book. In a slightly masochistic fashion, I love books that can make me feel strongly enough to cry. So one that made me cry the entire way through? Mega bonus points.

2019 – Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

So one of the things I learnt in the last decade is that I adore Jay Kristoff’s writing. ‘Blood, sex, and cigarillos’ would be my summary of Mia Corvere in 3 words. The twists this series throw at you are enough to give you whiplash. A brutally good fantasy read.

2019 – Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson & Emily Carroll

A raw and heartbreaking story told in a highly emotional format. I connected so strongly to this story, and fell in love with the raw emotions the artwork depited. This story opened me up to the idea of reading graphic novels, and I often find myself returning to it and getting lost inside the pages.

It’s been fun looking back and seeing how much I’ve developed over the last ten years, even just in terms of reading. I was expecting some differences, obviously, given that I started it as a child and ended up an adult (wow that’s scary, who decided I could adult?).

I’m glad I grew out of generic thriller novels and toxic rubbish, but I also have to acknowledge them as part of my reading journey. Ultimately, anything that had me enjoying reading can’t really be a bad thing! I’m excited to see where the next ten years take me! I wonder how many books I can read in a decade…

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What were some of your favourite books this last decade? Have your reading tastes changed much? Chat with me in the comments!