2010s Books, Films And TV: The Decade Guide
Streaming takes over, prestige drama everywhere, and a decade of huge crossover novels.
Below: the books worth reading from the 2010s, then the films and television year by year from 2010 to 2019.
Useful for a themed night, a reading list, a reminiscence session or working out what someone grew up with.
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Years covered in the 2010s
- 2010 - A hung parliament, a volcano that stopped the planes and the first iPad. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2010
- 2011 - The royal wedding, the riots and Adele's 21. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2011
- 2012 - The Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics in one extraordinary summer. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2012
- 2013 - A royal baby, Andy Murray at Wimbledon and the horsemeat scandal. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2013
- 2014 - The Scottish referendum, the ice bucket challenge and streaming joining the chart. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2014
- 2015 - The Queen's record reign, Leicester's title run beginning and Adele's return. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2015
- 2016 - Leicester won the league, Britain voted to leave and a lot of people died. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2016
- 2017 - Grenfell, the Manchester Arena attack and a snap election that went wrong. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2017
- 2018 - A royal wedding, a heatwave and England reaching a World Cup semi-final. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2018
- 2019 - A cricket World Cup final nobody could believe and a December election. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2019
- That is every 2010s year we have written up so far: 2010 to 2019.
Books of the 2010s
- Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl (2012).
- Paula Hawkins, The Girl on the Train (2015).
- Jojo Moyes, Me Before You (2012).
- Sally Rooney, Normal People (2018).
- Michelle Obama, Becoming (2018).
- Gail Honeyman, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (2017).
- Kazuo Ishiguro wins the Nobel Prize in Literature (2017).
- Rachel Bright and Jim Field, The Lion Inside (2015).
- Bernardine Evaristo, Girl, Woman, Other (2019).
Film and television, year by year
- 2010 - Downton Abbey and Sherlock both began.
- 2011 - Game of Thrones began in April.
- 2012 - Netflix launched in the UK in January.
- 2013 - Breaking Bad ended and box-set watching became the normal way to view.
- 2014 - The Grand Budapest Hotel and Guardians of the Galaxy were the films people liked.
- 2015 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened in December.
- 2016 - Planet Earth II drew audiences that beat The X Factor.
- 2017 - Blue Planet II changed how the country talked about plastic.
- 2018 - Bodyguard drew the biggest drama audience in years.
- 2019 - Avengers: Endgame and Joker were the films of the year.
More from the screen
- 2010 - Toy Story 3 and Inception were the films of the year.
- 2011 - The final Harry Potter film was released in July.
- 2012 - Skyfall was the biggest film at the British box office to that point.
- 2013 - Frozen was released in December.
- 2014 - Bake Off moved to BBC One and drew over ten million viewers.
- 2015 - Poldark and The Night Manager brought Sunday drama back.
- 2016 - Bake Off moved to Channel 4, and Mel, Sue and Mary Berry stayed behind.
- 2017 - Peaky Blinders and Line of Duty were the dramas people shared.
- 2018 - Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War filled cinemas.
- 2019 - Chernobyl and Fleabag's second series were the dramas everyone talked about.
How to use this
- Themed night: one film from the decade, the matching party playlist, and a quiz round from the trivia page.
- Reading list: pick one book from the decade someone was born in and one from the decade they turned eighteen.
- Reminiscence session: read the television lines out and let people finish the theme tunes.
- Anyone born in 2010 turns 50 in 2060, 60 in 2070 and 70 in 2080.
Found your words? Now find the card
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How to write it so it lands
- Pair one film and one playlist from the same decade for an easy themed night.
- For a card, name the book or programme they grew up with rather than the decade.
- Charity shops are still the cheapest place to find the older titles on this list.
Where to shop next
- Look back to 2010
- Look back to 2011
- Look back to 2012
- Look back to 2013
- Look back to 2014
- Look back to 2015
- Look back to 2016
- Look back to 2017
- Look back to 2018
- Look back to 2019
- 2010s history: events, politics and culture
- 2010s calendar: year by year
- 2010s music: songs, genres and trends
- 2010s films and directors
- 2010s books: novels and authors
- 2010s art: artists and styles
- 2010s fashion: styles, designers and trends
- 2010s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
- 2010s travel: destinations and holidays
- 2010s technology: gadgets and computers
- 2010s shopping guide: what to buy
- 2010s games: board, card and video
- 2010s trivia: fun facts
- 2010s quiz: questions and answers
- 2010s party playlist
- The 2010s: the whole decade
- The decade before: the 2000s
- The decade after: the 2020s
- All decade guides in one place
- Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
- Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
- Decade history by era
- Decade calendars: every year from 1920
- Decade music: songs, genres and trends
- Decade films: best movies and directors
- Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
- Decade art: artists, styles and trends
- Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
- Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
- Decade travel: destinations and holidays
- Decade technology: gadgets and computers
- Decade shopping guides
- Decade games: board, card and video games by era
- Decade trivia: fun facts by era
- Decade quizzes: questions and answers by era
- Decade trivia game: play for points
- Decade quiz: test your memory
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- Phone party games
- How to run a quiz night
- Decade music round questions
- Guess the year quiz
- Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
- Care home reminiscence quiz
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
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- Birthday cards for kids
- Wedding cards
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- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What are the best books of the 2010s?
The list above names real titles published between 2010 and 2019, with their years - a mix of the novels that defined the decade and the children's books that have stayed in print since.
What films and TV shows were popular in the 2010s?
The year-by-year list above gives the screen highlights for each year of the decade. For the full picture of any single year, open that year's page.
Where do these come from?
The film and television lines use the same checked facts as our year pages. The book lists are our own picks - real titles with real publication years, nothing invented.
Do you sell books or films?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read and free to copy.