Readers and Reading discussion

Please vote for your 2009 favorites** here.....up to 10 fiction and 10 non-fiction books (total of 20) in no particular order.

I would appreciate it if you could list the title first and then the author -- and ***PLEASE list the books without numbers***. This makes it easier for me to compile the votes. I forgot to mention this earlier and am amending this post.

Please vote soon.

**These are books you read in 2009, published in any year.

Thanks!

Wow, I'm flattered that I'm the first to respond here. Happy New Year from Tokyo, everyone!
and I'm editing the list with no numbers.


My favorites for the year were (in no special order)

Fiction:
The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Watchmen by Alan Moore
Ghost World by Daniel Cloyes
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon

Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks
Akiko on the Planet Smoo by Mark Crilley
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattinson
The Pirates! in an Adventure With Whaling by Gideon Defoe

Nonfiction

Islam in the World by Malise Ruthven
Buried in Treasures by David Tolin et al.
Dreaming the Dark by Starhawk
The Punishment of Virtue by Sarah Chayes

Fiction:
1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (audio)
2. Skeletons at the Feast by Christopher Bohjalian (audio)
3. The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb (audio)
4. Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult (audio)
5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (audio)
6. An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
7. When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall
8. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
9. The Last Secret by Mary McGarry Morris
10. The Lost Quilter by Jennifer chiaverini

Non-fiction:
1. Escape by Carolyn Jessop (audio)
2. The Poet's Corner by John Lithgow (both audio and regular book)
3. American Lightning--Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century by Howard Blum
4. The Brigage--An Epic Story of Vengeance, Salvation, and WWII by Howard Blum
5. Quiverfull--Inside the Christian Patriarhy Movement by Kathyrn Joyce
6. Know the Bible in 30 Days--Discovering Historical Facts, Biblical Insights and the Inspiring Power of God's Wod by J. Stephen Lang
7. A Homemade Life--Stories and REcipes from my Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg
8. The Unlikely Disciple--A Sinner's Semester in America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose
9. Stitched in Time by Alicia Paulson
10. Encyclopedia of Sewing Machine Techniques by Nancy Bednar and JoAnn Pugh-Gannon

Happy New Year all..
I really enjoyed the following novels:
1. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
2. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
3. The Pact by Jodi Picoult (she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors)
4. Evening by by Susan Minot
5. Girl With Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
6. Little Children by Tom Perrota
7. Beloved by Toni Morrison
8. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Mine in Fiction: (in no particular order)

1. Too Much Money - Dominick Dunne
2. Angel Time - Anne Rice
3. South of Broad - Pat Conroy
4. The Witching Hour - Anne Rice
5. A Reliable Wife - Robert Goolrick
6. The Story Sisters - Alice Hoffman
7. Angels of Destruction - Keith Donohue
8. The Little Giant of Aberdeen - Tiffany Baker
9. The Hour I First Believed - Wally Lamb

The only non-fiction I read were several biographies, but none that really impressed me enought to rate 5/5 stars.

Time is a River by Mary Alice Monroe
Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult
While my Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinski
The Lost Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverni
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah
Happiness Key by Enilie Richards
The Associate by John Grisham

Non-Fiction

The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow
Beautiful Boy by David Sheff

My most favorite was Guernsey Pie. I usually read few Non fiction but these 2 did stand out

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Please vote for your 2009 favorites here.....up to 10 fiction and 10 non-fiction books (total of 20) in no particular order.

I would appreciate it if you could list the title first and then the au..."
Here are some of the books I recall enjoying in 2009...did not keep a list so I’m sure there are others but these are the ones I remember!

Fiction...

1. A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein
2. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
3. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
4. Labor Day by Joyce Maynard
5. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
6. Blame by Michelle Huneven
7. The Sheep Queen by Thomas Savage
8. Passing by Nella Larsen
9. A Year of Cats and Dogs by Margaret Hawkins
10. The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith


non-fiction

1.Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley
2.Cowboy and Wills by Monica Holloway
3.A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
4.The Possibility of Everything by Hope Edelman
5.Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards
6.Columbine by Dave Cullen
7.The Clinton Tapes by Taylor Branch
8.True Compass by Edward Kennedy
9. Why my Third Husband Will Be A Dog by Lisa Scottoline


Jeanie/KY

Fiction:

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
November 22, 1963 by Adam Braver
The Piano Teacher by Janice Lee
The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson:
The Girl WIth the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl Who Played With Fire
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
The Believers by Zoe Heller
Labor Day by Joyce Maynard
Blame by Michelle Huneven
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay


Nonfiction:

Happens Every Day by Isabelle Gillies
Closing Time by Joe Queenan
Home Game by Michael Lewis
A Lucky Child by Thomas Buergenthal
Life With Sudden Death by Michael Downing
Hands of My Father by Myron Uhlberg
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
Losing Mum and Pup by Joe Queenan
Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards

Best books read in 2009 (ranked in order of bestness)(I have, per request, removed the numbers--I hope the date read does not bother, JoAnne)

I. The best NON-FICTION books I read in 2009 (all outrank the best fiction listed below):

FDR, by Jean Edward Smith (read 8 Aug 2009) (Book of the Year)

An Infinity of Little Hours Five Young Men and Their Trial of Faith in the Western World's Most Austere Monastic Order, by Nancy Klein Maguire (read 4 Feb 2009)

From Colony to Superpower U.S. Foreign Relations since 1776, by George C. Herring (read 10 Mar 2009)

Lords of Finance The Bankers Who Broke the World, by Liaquat Ahamed (read 23 Aug 2009)

Manhunt The Twelve-Day Hunt for Lincoln's Killer, by James L. Swanson (read 18 Apr 2009)

American Lion Andrew Jackson in the White House, by Jon Meacham (read 23 May 2009) (Pulitzer Biography prize in 2009)

Thunder Below! The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II, by Eugeme B. Fluckey, Rear Admiral, USN (Ret.) (read 28 Jun 2009)

The First 125 Years An Illustrated History of The Georgetown University Law Center (read 20 Aug 2009)
Nixonland The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America, by Rick Perlstein (read 20 Jan 2009)


Nothing To Fear FDR's Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America, by Adam Cohen (read 9 Dec 2009)

II. The best FICTION I read in 2009 (all less good than the non-fiction listed above):

Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky translated by Sandra Smith (read 27 Feb 2009)

True Grit a novel by Charles Portis (read 25 Aug 2009)

Stones for Ibarra, by Harriet Doerr (read 21 Oct 2009)

the Egg Lady and Other Neighbors, by Tricia Currans-Sheehan (read 23 Feb 2009)

The Executioners, by John D. MacDonald (read 21 Oct 2009)

The Prairie, by James Fenimore Cooper (read 16 Sep 2009)

Let the Great World Spin A Novel, by Colum McCann (read 21 Dec 2009) (National Book Award fiction prize in 2009)
The Judas Tree, by A. J. Cronin (read 23 Oct 2009)

The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley (read 26 Sep 2009)

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Please vote for your 2009 favorites here.....up to 10 fiction and 10 non-fiction books (total of 20) in no particular order.

This is my favorite time of the year when we get to see what books everyone loved.

Cutting For Stone -- Abraham Verghese
The Help -- Kathryn Stockett
The Boleyn Inheritance -- Philippa Gregory
The White Queen -- Philippa Gregory
That Old Cape Magic -- Richard Russo
The Book Thief -- Markus Zusak
Leaving The World -- Douglas Kennedy
The Brass Verdict -- Michael Connelly
The Scarecrow -- Michael Connelly
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo -- Stieg Larsson

FICTION:

The Secret Between Us-Barbara Delinsky
Handle With Care-Jodie Picoult
Life Expectancy-Dean Koontz
The Christmas Dog-Melody Carlson
The Paper Bag Christmas-Keven Alan Peale

NON-FICTION

Here, There, and Everywhere-Geoff Emerick
Pills For Parents in Pain-Lee Ezell
Jackie, Ethel and Joan-Randy Taraborelli

JoAnn, thanks for keeping me in the loop. I will have to check back with the books I read this past year -- it hasn't been too many though. I just finished reading the last three Harry Potter books -- just because. Thanks, again.

I just received this list from Karen/Sandn2shoes - I kidded her and asked her if she dislikes GoodReads so much that she did not even want to post her list in the thread!!!!

Sandn2Shoes/Karen wrote:

Here are my votes for 2009.

FICTION

The Leisure Seekers - Michael Zadorian
The Blue Zone - Andrew Gross
The Associate - John Grisham
The Gate House - Nelson DeMille
American Wife - Curtis Sitterfeld
Sarah's Key - Tatiana deRosney

NON-FICTION

29 Gifts - Cami Walker
A Church of Her Own - Sarah Sentilles
Always Looking Up - Michael J. Fox
Called Out of Darkness - Anne Rice
Next Stop, Reloville - Peter T. Kilborn

Happy New Year all and thanks for taking this on, JoAnn.

Fiction:

The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory
White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Queen of Swords by Sara Donati
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child
The Shanghai Moon by S J Rozan
City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin
Ha'Penny by Jo Walton
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
The Lion's Game by Nelson Demille

Non-Fiction

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

My 2009 fiction top ten were:
Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert (martial arts vampire fiction)
Floodgates by Mary Anna Evans (mystery)
The Memorist by M. J. Rose (paranormal thriller)
Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti (urban fantasy)
Mulengro by Charles De Lint (gypsy fantasy)
The Good Yeomen by Jay Williams (Robin Hood historical fiction)
The Daughters of Bast: The Hidden Land by Sarah Isidore (historical fantasy)
Drawing in the Dust by Zoe Klein (contemporary archaeological fiction)
Chalice by Robin McKinley (fantasy)
Sorceress by Celia Rees (YA contemporary/historical fiction)

My top rated 2009 Non-Fiction

Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson (animal behavior)
The Horse Boy by Rupert Isaacson (memoir)
Zen Ritual ed. Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright (theology essays)

Thanks for maintaining the tradition, JoAnn, and Happy New Year to all. I enjoyed many books this year, it was difficult deciding on my ten favorites.

FICTION (in no particular order)

People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks
Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout
Live Flesh, by Ruth Rendell
Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear
Barabbas, by Par Lagerkvist
A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver
No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See

NON-FICTION (didn't read very much in this category)

Duty: A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War, by Bob Greene
About Alice, by Calvin Trillin
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver

Hmmm...........for the last several years I haven't had many really great reads and this year continues that pattern. One of the books i have marked as a favorite I dont' even remember much about at all. Obviously I liked it at the time, but it's gone from my memory.

Here's my sad little list:

The Given Day--Dennis Lehane
Olive Kitteridge---Elizabeth Strout
The Help--Kathryn Stockett
Dark Places--Gillian Flynn
South of Broad--Pat Conroy
To Kill a Mockingbird--Harper Lee
Edgar Sawtelle---David Wroblewski

Kate

JoAnn, thanks for continuing this!
Happy new year to all!

FIREFLY LANE Kristin Hannah
SARAH'S KEY Tatiana De Rosnay
VERY VALENTINE Adriana Trigiani
FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB Kate Jacobs
LOVING FRANK Nancy Horan
WATCHERS Dean Koontz

Shelly S. voted for:

Fiction

Falling Boy by Alison McGhee
The Chameleon's Shadow by Minette Walters
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
The White Russian by Tom Bradby
Chasing the Devil's Tail by David Fulmer
I read only one Non-Fiction book, but it's worth voting for:

We'll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives by Paul Shaffer

Deb/Silverloc sent me her votes

FICTION

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Anne Barrows

Once Upon a Day: A Novel by Lisa Tucker

The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash

Non-Fiction

The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman

The Match by Mark Frost

The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin

A Place of My Own: The Architecture of Daydreams by Michael Pollan

Notes from the Underwire by Quinn Cummings

13 Ways at Looking at the Novel by Jane Smiley

Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath

Extraordinary Knowing: Science, Skepticism, and the Inexplicable Powers of the Human Mind by Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer

The Candy Bombers by Andrei Cherny

Titanic’s Last Secrets by Brad Matsen

I made my list before the guidelines came out, an arbitrary list of ten books that I enjoyed very much and think I will remember years from now. There were other good books, including some re-reads I enjoyed even more on this reading, but my list only includes books read for the first time.

fiction:
Affinity, Sarah Waters
The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery
Evidence of Things Unseen, Marianne Wiggens
The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
Reservation Blues, Sherman Alexie
A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame

nonfiction:
In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan
Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonaide Springs, Wallace Stegner

I found when making this list that I had read a lot more good books than I remembered. Here are my favorites:

Fiction

The Housekeeper and the Professor - Yoko Ogawa
The Elegance of the Hedgehog --Muriel Barbery
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -- Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played with Fire -- Steig Larsson
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society --
Mary Ann Shafer and Anne Barrows
Home -- Marilyn Robinson
Angle of Repose -- Wallace Stegner
Olive Kitteridge -- Elizabeth Strout
The Deptford Trilogy -- Robertson Davies
The Help -- Kathryn Stockett

Nonfiction

Outliers -- Malcolm Gladwell
The Irony of American History -- Reinhold Niebuhr

Louise

My candidates, in no particular order:

Fiction:

An Echo in the Bone -- Diana Gabaldon
Vienna Prelude -- Bodie Thoene
Puritans -- Jack Cavanaugh


Non fiction:

Street Dogs -- Tracer Scott

My Favorite reads in 2009

Virgin of the Small Plains Nancy Pickard
The Book Thief Marcus Zuzak
World Without End Ken Follet
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo

Meredith

I always mean to record the books I've read in a given year but never quite get there. These are the books that stand out in my memory -- goodness knows there were probably books I read in January and February that were equally good....

Fiction:
Home - Marilynne Robinson
The Professor & the Housekeeper - Yoko Ogawa
The Samurai's Garden - Gail Tsukiyama
Street of a Thousand Blossoms - Gail Tsukiyama
Mr. Pip - Lloyd James
Fasting, Feasting - Anita Desai
Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barberry
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad

Non-fiction
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare - Stephen Goldblatt
A Distant Mirror - Barbara Tuchman
The Children's Blizzard -- oops, can't remember author!
The Worst Hard Time - Timothy Egan

Here are mine from 2009

* Guernsey and Literary Potato Peel Pie Society
* The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
* Still Alice
* The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
* The Cellist of Sarajevo
* Willow
* Undercover
* A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table
* Little Bee
* Undone
* Labor Day
* The Grand Sophy
* The Road

Non Fiction

- Looking for Lincoln - Philip B. Kunhardt III
- Team of Rivals- Doris Kearns Goodwin
- The Know it all - A.J. Jacobs
- Not For Ourselves Alone- The story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony - Geofrey Ward
- Lighting the Way: 9 women who change Modern America- Karenna Gore Schiff
- Brain Rules - John Medina
- Columbine- Dave Cullen
- Travels with Charlie- John Steinbeck
- Death at an Early age- Jonathan Kozol
- In Cheap we Trust- Lauren Weber


Fiction

- Rules for Old Men Waiting - Peter Poncey
- Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout
- Les Miserables- Victor Hugo
- The Eligance of the Hedgehog- Muriel Barberry

Staci wrote: "Here are mine from 2009

Welcome, Staci (whom I know from someplace and invited here! LOL - where did we meet, Staci?

Could you do me a huge favor and divide your list into Fiction and non-fiction and re-post it?

Thanks so much

Sherry (sethurner) wrote: "I made my list before the guidelines came out, an arbitrary list of ten books that I enjoyed very much and think I will remember years from now. There were other good books, including some re-read..."

Reservation Blues came with one of those smack you in the face moments -- what a terrific book. And Wind in hte Willows is a book I can read and re-read until the day I die.

I only wrote down 17 books read this past year and here are the top FICTION I don't even have 10 I would recommend. There are 3 on my list I can't recall at all. I need to go back to a brief description....

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--- Steig Larson
American Fuiji --- Sara Backer
The Art of Racing in the Rain --- Garth Stein
Peony in Love --- Lisa See
A Bitter Feast--- S. J. Rozan
Shoot the Moon --- Billie Letts
Whisper to the Blood --- Dana Stabenow
South of Broad --- Pat Conroy

I only have 2 non fiction but I'll only recommend
The Worst Hard Times --- Timothy Egan

My list started out in chronological order, but now it's in no order at all.

Fiction

The Soloist - Mark Salzman
Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese
The Believers - Zoe Heller
Passing - Nella Larsen
Await Your Reply - Dan Chaon
Labor Day - Joyce Maynard
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
The Unit - Ninni Holmqvist
Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay
Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry - Leanne Shapton

Nonfiction

The Know-It-All - AJ Jacobs
A Little Bit Wicked - Kristin Chenoweth
Unlikely Disciple - Kevin Roose
Columbine - Dave Cullen
Yellow Lighted Bookshop - Lewis Buzbee
In the Sanctuary of Outcasts - Neil White
Dean and Me: A Love Story - Jerry Lewis
Cartwheels in a Sari - Jayanti Tamm
Lost in Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia - Mark Salzman

I love it that Mark Salzman is on both of my lists! He's great.

Connie

Alison wrote: "The Children's Blizzard -- oops, can't remember author!
..."

I read that last year, i think. David Laskin was the author. What a fascinating story, well told.

deborah

You are right, Deborah:

4056 The Children's Blizzard, by David Laskin (read 9 Aug 2005)

My comment on it:

4056 The Children's Blizzard, by David Laskin (read 9 Aug 2005) This is a 2004 book on the blizzard of Jan 12-13, 1888, in Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The story is well-told and carefully researched. The author concludes 250 to 500 died, many of them children. Jan 12, 1888, began as a warm day and the blizzard came up very fast, and teachers had to decide whether to send the children home or keep them in the schoolhouse. This is an excellent book--good to read in the summertime.

I still think about The Children's Blizzard at times. It was haunting.

kate

It was a weak year for me. If it weren't for my Determination List of reading books from my shelf (alphabetically, from A & from Z), i would have many fewer.

FICTION--
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Evidence of Things Unseen A Novel by Marianne Wiggins
Nana by Emile Zola
Native Son by Richard Wright
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
Père Goriot by Honore de Balzac

NONFICTION:
Team of Rivals The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
April Blood Florence and the Plot against the Medici by Lauro Martines
Cicero The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt

deborah

My top 10 in fiction:
~ South of Broad
~ A Reliable Wife
~ Firefly Lane
~ The Help
~ Desert Cut by Betty Webb
~ Love Mercy by Earlene Fowler
~ Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
~ The Wet Nurse's Tail by Erika Eisdorfer
~ Below Zero by C J Box
~ Borderline by Nevada Barr

Donna in Southern Maryland

Here are the top nine for me in 2009. I enjoyed all I read but these stood out.

FICTION:
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
Bangcock 8 – John Burdett
Death of a Tenor Man – Bill Moody
The Sound of the Trumpet – Bill Moody
Such a Pretty Fat – Jen Lancaster
Missing – Sharon Sala

NON-FICTION
Horse Boy – Rupert Isaacson
Dreaming in Hindi – Catherine Russell Rich
The Out-of-Sync Child – Carol Kranawitz

Thanks, JoAnn!!!

Stephanie

Schmerguls wrote: "This [Children's Blizzard:] is an excellent book--good to read in the summertime. ..."

Yes, this is exactly when i read it. My first summer here in Texas. Good choice! LOL!

deborah

I had a slow year this year.

Nonfiction
The Periodic Table, Primo Levi
A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914-1918, G. J. Meyer
The Captive Mind, Czeslaw Milosz
In Search of Memory, Eric Kandel
The Ascent of Money, Niall Ferguson

Fiction
To Say Nothing of the Dog, Connie Willis
The Bridge on the Drina, Ivo Andric
The Radetzky March, Joseph Roth

Sharon

Looking back I realised that 2009 was indeed a weak year for me. My favourite list don't even reach 10 and my non-fiction (almost non existence - don't really like what I read). Anyways here's my pathetic little list:

Fiction
Fall on Your Knees, Ann-Marie MacDonald
Elizabeth's Daughter, Marianne Fredriksson
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
Simple Genius, David Baldacci

Leo wrote: "Looking back I realised that 2009 was indeed a weak year for me. My favourite list don't even reach 10 and my non-fiction (almost non existence - don't really like what I read). Anyways here's my ..."

Leo, "Fall On Your Knees" is one of my all-time favorite reads!

2009 was just a so-so reading year for me

FICTION

The Little Prince Pop-Up - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Brilliant - Marne Davis Kellogg

Heroic Measures – Jill Ciment

Maisie Dobbs – Jacqueline Winspear

South of Broad - Pat Conroy

The Scarecrow – Michael Connelly

The Story Sisters – Alice Hoffman

Still Alice – Lisa Genova

The Leisure Seeker – Michael Zadoorian

Very Valentine – Adrianna Trigiana

NON-FICTION

How to Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food – Nigella Lawson

Acceptance: A Legendary Guidance Counselor Helps Seven Kids Find the Right Colleges---And Find Themselves – David L. Marcus

Calder at Home: The Joyous Environment of Alexander Calder – Pedro Guerrero

Eye of My Heart: The Hidden Pleasures and Perils of Being a Grandmother 27 authors, edited by Barbara Graham

The Forever War – Dexter Filkins

RNOCEAN wrote: "Leo wrote: "Looking back I realised that 2009 was indeed a weak year for me. My favourite list don't even reach 10 and my non-fiction (almost non existence - don't really like what I read). Anyway..."

Yeah, me too. I like it when every chapter seems to reveal more shocking surprises than before. And this reminds me that I did persuade one of my sis in law to read the book by lending it to her (a year ago), hmmm ... I dont think I got it back lol.

LOL, Leo. I know that feeling. Fortunately i can now afford to replace loaned books which aren't returned. In the past, i just suffered.

deborah

I've finally got enough energy to tackle this project - now I wonder if I can import my reviews from my books page to here??? let's see -

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - probably our winner this year, and rightly so. Those of us who read it know that it fulfilled all of our requirements for a good book - well written, great characters, an interesting plot and that cold Swedish setting. Loved it, as did DH.

Garden Spells by Sarah Allen Addison - I feel so ridiculous putting this in, but this was a can't put down book that was truly entertaining. Proof once again that the most stereotyped plot can come alive in a good writer's hands. Also liked The Sugar Queen.

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann - Oh, the agony! Mann's so close to Proust and that should tell you enough right there. In this 700+ page, closely written in small type book, Mann describes our hero, Hans', every breath, every meal, every nap, every conversation, every door closing. It's a good thing I read last pages early because I had the misforture of leaving this book behind in Montana while visiting my brother when I was only 600 pages into it:) It's brilliant, I'll never forget it, sigh.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh - I hadn't read this book yet, and I'm glad I rectified that omission. I love this whole era of English history, that Oxford group from before and after WWII. Waugh's book isn't nearly the tour de force that Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time is (and I can imagine how that must have annoyed Waugh), but it's a good book. I can feel that chill in the English air, notice that slight snub, and ache with unrequited love just as Charles Ryder does.

Elizabeth and Her German Garden and A Solitary Summer by Elizabeth Von Arnim - I can spend all day with this woman in her German castle with her husband, her visitors (wanted and unwanted), her children, her dogs and her garden. Despite being written at least 100 years ago, her thoughts about it all remain insightful, enlightened and entertaining.

Non-Fiction
A Walk in the Shade by Doris Lessing - The second book of her autobiography and another lesson in politics for me. One sees when reading Lessing that we've all walked a thin line politically, dealing with issues we don't want to deal with, dealing with people whose motives might be quite different than one's own, disillusionment with the system, whatever it is - all while we search for the perfect system. This sounds a little bleak but the book is also full of characters and life decisions that are the backbone of a good biography.

Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk - I'm so in love with this cute man. Istanbul has become our #1 travel destination since DH and I read this book. Ancient bridges, wooden houses, and that society where the aunt and uncle live on one floor, the grandparents on another and the family on another yet. Welcome to a world you haven't seen in this intimate detail before.

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin - I particularly liked the history in this book. M. Pepin lived through WWII in France, and I got a new picture of that period covered so well in Suite Francaise. Little did I know that the French hated the Germans and the English equally, so didn't particularly care which one won the war! Pepin learned to cook in his mother's restaurant when they didn't have recipes. He tells many stories of grand hotels and kitchens - a good read.

The Painted Veil by Somerset Maughn (What a nice name - Somerset) - Although a simple story of a girl who makes all the wrong choices, the book is etched in my memory as only really good writing can accomplish.

Bunny wrote: "Elizabeth and Her German Garden and A Solitary Summer by Elizabeth Von Arnim - I can spend all day with this woman in her German castle with her husband, her visitors (wanted and unwanted), her children, her dogs and her garden. Despite being written at least 100 years ago, her thoughts about it all remain insightful, enlightened and entertaining. ..."

Bunny, i've read two of her novels, Enchanted April & Mr. Skeffington, enjoying both. I look forward to reading the books by her which you mentioned.

deborah

I read a good number of books this year, but I didn't write them down. Resolution for the new year: write it down! Here were some of the memorable ones for me:

FICTION

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant. 16th century story of women sent to the convent because there was no money for a dowry. Dunant was recently interviewed by Nancy Purl (of librarian action figure fame) and won me over to her other books which include mysteries.

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd. Haunting tale of a British nurse during WW2 who finally goes to the family home of a man who died in her care to pass on a message, and discovers all sorts of other things.

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan A collection of short stories about children in Africa. (I must admit to feeling a bit smug that I'd gotten the book before Oprah made it a book club selection.


NONFICTION:

The Solace of Fierce Landscapes by Belden Lane. Not just physical landscapes here, but the personal, emotional ones as well, woven together with his story of his mother's Alzheimer's.

Shannon wrote: "I read a good number of books this year, but I didn't write them down. Resolution for the new year: write it down! Here were some of the memorable ones for me:

FICTION

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Duna..."

All of those sound good, and I've put them all on my TBR list. Thanks.

Shannon, GoodReads is a great place for keeping records of the books you read, your rating, and even a little review.

Just go up to the top of any GR page to MY BOOKS and start keeping track!