Another year has passed and another humongous stack of books has been read. Some books were treasured, others tossed aside and forgotten immediately!
I started off the year participating in several reading challenges but only ended up finishing one- the 50 books in a year challenge hosted at Goodreads.
In total, I managed to read 61 books this year, the most since I started keeping track of the titles a couple of years ago. Being without the distraction of a television for four months really helped in completing this challenge. That lightening strike on my tv turned into a positive after all!
You can see the whole list of books I read this year here.
When anyone asks me what I like to read, I always say historical fiction is my favorite genre. But this year there weren’t a lot of historical fiction titles that interested me. Of the few that I did read, The Wolf Hunt by Gillian Bradshaw was the best of the bunch. It reads like a scary fairy tale, with elements of the supernatural combined with a medieval setting and a love story for good measure. It reminds me of reading Grimm’s Fairy Tales as a child.
This year I read more mysteries than anything else. I always thought I’d hate to read serial mysteries with the same detective being the main character in each book, but that changed when I read my first Stephanie Plum book. I’ve really enjoyed the first few Plum novels and I hope to finish the rest this coming year.
I read so many good mysteries this year it’s hard to choose the best one. Both The Likeness by Tana French and When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson were excellent books, they’ve become two of my favorite writers. Each author writes characters you want to be friends with in real life.
Honorable mention goes out to Spencer Quinn for writing Dog on It, a mystery from a dog’s point of view. Chet the dog is so cute and charming it makes for an original read. I can’t wait to read his second book in the series.
I also have to mention The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. He wrote one of the best child characters I’ve ever read- funny, smart, smart-mouthed, brave– the kind of kid I wish I had been.
The only other genre of books I’ve read consistently was the thriller. I tore through the entire Sigma Force series by James Rollins. Now I need to get my hands on the newest book in the series, The Doomsday Key. I like Rollin’s mixture of ancient history, science, and action.
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Best Book I read in 2009: The Likeness by Tana French
Simply put, I did not want this book to end. I wanted it to go on and on, to remain part of the tight cocoon world she created with Cassie and her group of friends. French is so good at creating characters that are so real you want to befriend and hang out with them. This is her second book and it’s miles ahead of her first book, In the Woods, which I read (and loved) last year.
Newly Discovered Author of 2009: Andrew Davidson
The Gargoyle was one of the best books I read this year. What a powerful, mesmerizing, and charming book this turned out to be. The many stories that are told by Marianne are even more touching and lovelier than the main story.
Reading Goals for 2010:
1. To not focus so much on the number of books I’m reading. Time to focus more on enjoying the words instead of rushing through to the next book.
2. Re-read some old favorites and not feel guilty about all the new books I’m ignoring in favour of those old familiar books
3. Stop visiting the library so damn much! I got mountains of books at home to read!
That’s all she wrote for 2009! Happy reading to all you bookworms in 2010!
Booger Bottom Books 