The Postmistress by Sarah Blake It's been a while since I read this book, and there are still scenes I describe to people: that is how deeply this book affected me. This is one of the most human books about World War II I have ever read.The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall In a year that a polygamist family sc
ored a reality TV show, this book is no imitator. This story about a polygamist family contains some of the sharpest writing of the year.
Lady Matador's Hotel by Cristina Garcia If you love magical realism, (or if you don't know if you do) pick up this book. This novel was a sheer joy to read.Marrowbone Marble Company by Glenn Taylor You know when a book just
hits you to the core? That's what this one did to me. A story about a rural West Virginia glass company, this book echoes the civil rights era (right up until today).
God Is Not One by Stephen Prothero This history of 8 of the world's great religions is a fascinating read. An easily readable must-read!
The Passage by Justin Cronin What can I say about this one? It was fun to read, it had apocolyptic and zombie-like overtones, and there's going to be more to come!
At Home by Bill Bryson Nearly six months after reading this book, there isn't a week that goes by when I don't find cause to mention it. Perhaps because once again, Bill Bryson has managed to cram an entire world's worth of fascinating history into a book! 
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen Franzen is a master at taking apart our society and allowing us the privilege to look at it as if through the benefit of many years... Cutting, dark, humorous, wonderful.
The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass If in Freedom we have Jonathan Franzen looking at the dissolution of the American family, here Julia Glass provides us a more optimistic (but no less realistic view) of the possibilities of new families... This enchanting story of Percy Darling and his family is worthy of multiple reads.
Adam & Eve by Sena Jeter Naslund A refreshingly new take on a very old tale, this book is more than a novel, but a meditation on science and faith. And three runners-up that I had to mention:
The Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer-Purcell- perhaps the most successful urbanite-returns-to-the-country story ever!
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin - haunting and beautiful.
Maryann In Autumn by Armistead Maupin- One more dive back into the world of "Tales of the City", like going home again!
And, because 2011 is rapidly approaching, here is a brief list of the books I'm most excited about being published in the next few months:
Day of Honey by Annia Ciezadlo. A memoir about food and war. Delicious and harrowing.
Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard A story told from a collective point-of-view.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain---a look at Hemingway told through his first wife.
--Happy Reading!
-Joe
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