Each year I set a personal goal of reading an average of three books per month and rarely do I fail to meet this. 2009 was a banner year.... I read almost double this amount! Sure, many of them were lightweights, but I read for pure pleasure and entertainment. They don't have to be lengthy tomes that impact the world or make a statement.
I can honestly say I liked every book I read this year. Some are always better than others, though, so the following is a list of the ones I enjoyed most. I've never been good at reviewing books so I'll just make a comment or two then provide the Amazon link for more information.
In no particular order:
1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (Recommended by my sister-in-law, it's possibly my favorite of the year. If you're a dog-lover, it's a must read.)
2. Matthew Shardlake Mysteries by C.J. Sansom (I read the first three and decided to group them as one here. Thanks again to Petty Witter for introducing me to this author.)
3. Day After Night by Anita Diamant (A gift from Quid who knew that I loved Diamant's novel The Red Tent. I liked this one even more.)
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (One of many great recommendations from Bob.)
5. T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton (This series "sagged" a little for me about midway, but the past few installments have been very good. I look forward to reading U.)
6. The Forest by Edward Rutherford (I love Rutherford's writing style and have read all his novels with the exception of the two about Ireland. They're in my TBR stack for 2010.)
7. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Another pick from Bob, I didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. Written in an interesting format, it reads quickly.)
8. Imperium by Robert Harris (I love reading books set in ancient Rome. This was almost as good as Pompeii, also by Harris.)
9. The River Wife by Jonis Agee (Parts of this novel were much better than others, but overall I enjoyed it.)
10. I couldn't decide between these three for my last pick: The Sweet By and By (Todd Johnson), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson), and The Good Thief (Hannah Tinti).
- Kelly
- Making my way through the ups and downs of life, holding fast to my favorite Bible verse: "For we walk by faith, not by sight." ~2 Corinthians 5:7. I began blogging in earnest at Yahoo360 on October 24, 2005. (briefly using LiveJournal and blog-city prior to that) In June 2008 I moved to Blogger. I'm now at WordPress where I hope to remain.
8 comments:
Now I definitely need to read some of your recommendations! I am only on "B" in Grafton's series and did not enjoy it nearly as much as "A." On to "C" in the New Year! BTW, I HIGHLY recommend my latest, The Elegance of the Hedgehog.
I'm afraid my reading had suffered this past year with all that's going on.
I finished the second Melanie Well's book the other night ( The Sould Hunter) and started book three (My Soul to Keep).
I also read quite a few books of poetry. I'd have to look them up, but I think I've already written about them somewhere this year.
A great list Kelly. I've only actually read two on it, one of which I agree with and the other I don't. The Matthew Shardlake series of course - brilliant, possibly my favourite reads and The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society which, whilst I agree it was well written, just wasn't my cup of tea, I didn't like the author's style at all.
Pooter being unwell, I was sad that I didn't really get to wish you a Merry Christmas and so was determined to wish you a Happy New Year. All the best to you and your family Kelly, may 2010 be a good one.
I'll try to recall a few of my favorite reads from 2009. They're in no particular order:
1. "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman (Quintessential Southern fiction, an amazing first novel!)
2. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Girl Who Played With Fire" both by Stieg Larsson. Unputdownable reads. Can't wait for the 3rd book in this trilogy, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" due out in May this year!!!!
3. "Olive Kitteridge" by Elizabeth Strout (This is a must read. I loved this book more than chocolate!)
4. "Lit: A Memoir" by Mary Karr (Her 3rd memoir after "The Liar's Club" and "Cherry". Great writing and she's an amazing poet, too!)
5. "The Widow and the Tree" by Sonny Brewer
6. "The Blue Notebook" by James Levine
7. "The Flamenco Academy" and "How Perfect is That?" by Sarah Bird (All of her books are great, funny.)
8. "The Starter Wife" by Gigi Grazer (Really hilarious!)
9. "The Best American Erotic Poems from 1800 to the Present" edited by David Lehman.
10. "Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times" edited by Neil Astley
No "Twilight"????
I have read "T is for"...(just finished "U"), Dragon Tattoo and Imperium in prior years.
So we only intersect on "Day After Night" this year. I've hemmed and hawwed on "Sawtelle" and wished I would have read it!
My list... on my blog in a couple of days.
Twilight series was in 2008 for me, Quid. Did you enjoy "U"?? It's never too late for "Sawtelle"!
Your list looks great, Marion! It gives me lots of good ideas for reading. The second Larsson is in my TBR pile. Did you like it better than the first?
Tracy, I'm looking forward to getting the 4th Matthew Shardlake soon. I have the softcover pre-ordered from Amazon.
Glad you're still enjoying the Melanie Wells books, Pam. I really liked them.
Bob, I looked up "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" at Amazon and I'm just not sure about it. Have you finished it? Was it not slow reading??
Kelly, I liked the second book as well as the first. I can't choose which was better.
I did read "Edgar Sawtelle" and loved it but it made me cry too much. LOL! (Not hard to do.) I'm posting pics of my new grandpuppy later today if I get the energy. Ray and I both have a case of the flu that we brought home from Tennessee. :-( Blessings!
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