Books I Read in 2009

So here's my 2009 book list. I read some great books, some really great books, some fluff, and a couple of stinkers. All together I think it was a pretty good book year. In 2010 I hope to read an Agatha Christie novel. I love Ms. Marple on PBS and bet I would love the real thing. Also for the past couple of years I have read a classic that I hadn't gotten around to before (in 2008 I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and in 2009 I read Tess of the D'ubervilles) and I want to do the same this year.

2009 Book List

1. Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci, illustrated by Jim Rugg - This is a graphic novel that Corinne recommended to me and I thought it was awesome!
2. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy by Sharon Lathan - Pure Pride and Prejudice fanfiction fluff.
3. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls - The most accessible and poignant autobiography I've ever read or non-fiction book for that matter. The story of this woman stays with you for a long time and even though she could have written her story with a lot of bitterness, she wrote about her upbringing in a surprisingly gentle way considering both her mother and father were awful parents. The book read like a novel to me and I loved that.
4. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - Again. I love this book!! And I love Heathcliff even though I know that's wrong and twisted.
5. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
   
6. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella
7. Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella
8. Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella
9. Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella - These books just crack me up and are a great way to fight off the winter-blues.
10. Tess of the d'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy - Another sick and twisted classic. I did not like any of the characters. They were all horrible. Especially the men. But I'm glad I read it. It was thought provoking if nothing else. Oh and well written of course. A classic.
    
11. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I REALLY liked this book, but am somewhat alarmed at being sucked into a scifi series because of it! Can we stop with all the sequels already?!!
12. Jane Eyre by Emily Bronte - Awesome of course and SO romantic. Mr. Rochester take me away to that white washed villa on the Mediterranean!! (Ooops that kind of slipped out, sorry Adrian.)
13. The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks (for a book club) - Stinker.
14. The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomas - I love this book and its right up my alley with all the art history. Fun fun.
15. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris - Alright so I'm being honest here in admitting I read this book as well at #17. I just wanted to know what all the "True Blood" hoopla was about. Vampire hoopla is very difficult for me to resist (we all have our faults right). Well this was fluff to be sure. Sookie is an interesting character and I like Bill the Vampire, but realized when I was reading #17 on my list that I needed to stop. Too naughty for me. I do not recommend this series at all.
    
16. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - Not a page turner. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be imprisoned in a Siberian work camp this is for you. It was bleak and made me feel cold when I was reading it. I seriously could not read it without a blanket. I'm glad I read it even though it was very dry because it was very informative and I feel like I learned about something I normally would know nothing about.
17. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris - Bad.
    
18. Rumspringa by Tom Shachtman - This was SO interesting and heart breaking at points. It's all about some kids deciding whether or not to be baptized into the Amish faith and their journey through that decision and its aftermath.
19. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo - Her writing is really cool. I liked it, but man that poor rabbit. I read this one to Sophie and she thought it was pretty depressing and I agree. It did have some neat symbolism and led to some good discussions though so that's nice.
20. Sleeping Arrangements by Madeleine Wickham - Fluff. Questionable morals. I think I'll stick with this writer's Sophie Kinsella stuff.
21. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - A book I read because I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie. After reading I didn't want to see the movie. Not after that ending. It terrorized me.
22. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - I liked this book. It was refreshing and cheerful. I do have problems with it though in that the characters seem to be 2009 transplants into war-time and post-war Britain. They didn't seem real to the time for me. My goodness it did have some gut-busting scenes though and on the whole I enjoyed reading it.
23. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - I saw this one on Corinne's book blog and was intrigued. It was good and so believable about a meteor hitting the moon and pushing it closer to the earth and all the horribleness that ensued, all told from the point of view of a teen-age girl. Very interesting and a great read.
24. The Road by Cormac McCarthy - After reading Life As We Knew It I wanted to read another post-apocalyptic book and why not read the Pulitzer Prize winning post-apocalyptic book that everyone is talking about. This was probably the most disturbing, most interestingly and poignantly written, and most resonating book I've ever read. I still think about this book all the time. Probably the best book I read in 2009, though to say it was my favorite would be too weird. It was just too gritty and horrible to be my favorite. But. It was GOOD.
25. Julie and Julia by Julie Powell - I read this one right before seeing the movie and I liked it. I LOVED the movie, more than I liked the book. The book was fun and I loved all the Buffy the Vampire Slayer references, but she swears too much. The movie was just so fantastic that I think it eclipsed the book.
26. Amelia Earhart's Shoes by Karen Ramey Burns and a slew of other contributors - I read this for a book club and thought it was very interesting to learn more about what an archaeological dig is like. But. The whole book is about this theory that is disproved at the end of the book and it was so frustrating. I felt like I had been mislead the whole time and I don't know what in the world happened to Amelia Earhart and I'm pretty none of us will ever know for sure.
27. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - Page turner, but in a been there done that sort of way. It was the exact same story line of Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Mad dash through a famous city looking for clues and being stalked by a villain. At least it was through DC because after living there (well really close) it was fun to make a mad dash through it.
    
28. Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher - If you have a daughter, especially one approaching middle school, this will scare your pants off. It scared me. Good to read though.
29. The Host by Stephenie Meyer - This was for a book club I hosted. I wanted to discuss it with other people. We did discuss it and ended up in a political debate about freedom and our various views on the subject of our own freedoms or lack thereof. Frankly, I wish I would not have gotten into it. Politics is such a hot topic and sometimes not a fun one.
    
30. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - *Spoiler Alert* Can I just say that I almost threw the book across the room when I found out they were going back to the games. I emotionally couldn't take it! I was mad that I had been sucked into a scifi series at that point. I like The Hunger Games so much better, but know I'll read the next one just because I want to know what happens to sweet Peeta...bread.
31. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - Yep, had to read it right before the movie. Of course.
32. Mr. Darcy Vampyre by Amanda Grange - Vampyre with a "y" just gives it that extra classy touch! :) If this had been written in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way it could have been awesome. But oh no, it actually took itself seriously and that made it horrible. Yes, in this Pride and Prejudice fanfiction Mr. Darcy was a vampire the whole time during Pride and Prejudice (just hid it very well!) and after marrying Lizzy decided to take her on a journey all through Europe with all sorts of Dracula-ish side characters. There is even a Count and a castle and in the end a Indiana Jones type treasure hunt with LAVA. I couldn't believe it. It was bad.
33. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - *Spoiler Alert* This book is beautifully written. Like poetry. I love her descriptions. It is truly unique. Overall though I did not enjoy it. I didn't like the way stay-at-home moms are portrayed as Trapped with a capitol T. It almost seemed like the author was saying that children ruin your life. Well loosing a child certainly has the potential for that, but for the mother loosing her child was just the last straw. The other stay-at-home mother in the book is equally as unhappy with her sad life. But for me the most disturbing part was the godlessness of the afterlife. I know that this after life is probably one that many subscribe to, but for me it left me feeling empty and sad.

So of the books I read last year I recommend Jane Eyre, The Road, The Glass Castle, and The Hunger Games. My favorite? Hmmm, oh I'm gonna give it to Hunger Games. But Jane Eyre is a close second. Hope 2009 was a good book year for you!