I managed to read quite a few really good books last year, so I thought I would share a little bit about them with you. I have been keeping a journal since 1999 of every book I have read, and I highly recommend doing so. Unfortunately, I don't have the best memory, so some books that I read just slip away into the back of my brain. Maybe I should add a one line summary to each entry in the future.
1/13/09 Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
--Very British. Interesting characters but not much plot.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Sutterfield
--excellent story telling. Hard to put down book about books
3/2009 Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
--New York Times reviewer and her incredible reviews. Fascinating!
The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher
--Won lots of awards, but I didn't enjoy it. Very British, very dry.
3/26/09 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruis Zafon
--mystery set in Spain. told from a little boy's perspective. keeps you reading
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
--I didn't get this book. Maybe because the author uses Spanish almost as much as English.
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
--love this book. read it today. then see the movie.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
--another book club read. it is one of those jump-around-in-time kind of books and left me a little confused
Adventures of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
--amazing! hilarious!
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
--sad story. I did not really 'connect' with the characters although I couldn't put this book down.
6/1/09 Welcome to the Great Mysterious by Lorna Ladvik
--easy chick-lit kindof book
the Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
--this is a Christian-parallel type book with a message. A gift from my dad.
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
--I don't remember a thing about this book. I don't think I liked it much!
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
--loved every page of it. I love character development, so Tolstoy is right up my alley. All 900+ pages of it!
Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
--Mama has magical powers in a fictional island town on the east side of the US. Far fetched but interesting.
When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
--hilarious! Read all of Sedaris's books if you haven't. this is about quitting smoking.
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
--another Christ-parallel kindof book, but I think I missed the parallel. Sorry CS Lewis; I did love the Narnia books.
Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
--I admit it. I loved reading these tween books. Might read 'em again one day.
My Life in France by Julia Child
--fascinating story of Julia Child learning to cook. What an interesting woman.
Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl
--the story of Ruth Riechl (NY Times food critic) learning to love food and cooking and wine. yum!
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
--brilliantly written but oh so sad. End of the world saga with a little boy as the main character.
Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
--I loved reading about the food and Child's cookbook, but Julie Powell was a little whiny for my liking.
9/09/09 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
--check another classic off my list! This was good but depressing. The characters made it hard for me to feel sorry for them.
Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen
--I flew through this book. She is the author of Water for Elephants, which I loved. This is the story of a girl and her horse and I just ate it up.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan S. Foer
--so good. The story of a boy whose father died on 9/11. The little boy is amazing.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
--everyone raved about this book, but I didn't love it. the mystery seemed too drawn out and the ending was clearly set up for a sequel.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
--oh what a story. This book offers a glimpse into another culture, a love story, and a hero. what else do you need?
Howard's End by EM Forster
--another classic. I enjoyed this one and the leading female characters. Things were so different for women then.
12/15/09 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
--another excellent book for middle school kids. a real page turner.
The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck
--An award winning book about pre-revolutionary China. I thought it was hard to get through and I didn't care for the main character.
What was the best book you read in 2009? I love good book suggestions!
2 comments:
I think the best book I read in 2009 was Water for Elephants. And you've already read it! But someone just recommended The Help to me and now I really want to read it. It's set in Jackson, MS during 1962 and tells the story from the point of view of the black maids in a white house. LG
Well, shoot. I have actually read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Somehow I forgot to put it on the list, but I loveloveloved this book! You should read it now!
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