I've anticipated this post for a long time. I realize, though, that this post is more for me than for anyone who reads this blog - sorry.About half-way through this year, I thought it would be fun to read 52 books during 2009 - then I would average one book per week. If I had made the goal earlier in the year, I think I could have attained it. I'm still really pleased that I was able to read 35 books this year. That number may seem high or low to you, gentle reader, but it's a pretty sizable amount of reading for me. Here's the list (in somewhat chronological order) of my 2009 reads:
1) Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susana Clarke
2) The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susana Clarke
3) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
4) Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs
5) The Gardner Heist by Ulrich Boser
6) The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick
7) The Murder Room by P. D. James
8) Lilith by George MacDonald
9) Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brien
10) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
11) Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling
12) When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
13) L. Frank Baum: Creator of Oz by Katharine M. Rogers
14) Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl
15) The Man Who Made Vermeers by Jonathan Lopez
16) The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
17) The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed
18) Silas Marner by George Eliot
19) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
20) Dark Water: Flood and Redemption in the City of Masterpieces by Robert Clark
21) The Changing Status of the Artist, edited by Emma Barker, Nick Webb, and Kim Woods
22) The Challenge of the Avant-Garde, edited by Paul Wood
23) A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
24) FDR's Unfinished Portrait: A Memoir by Elizabeth Shoumatoff
25) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
26) Faraway Child by Amy Maida Wadsworth
27) House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
28) The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
29) The Great Pretenders: The True Stories behind Famous Historical Mysteries by Jan Bondeson
30) The Lives of the Artists by Giorgio Vasari
31) The Father Christmas Letters by J. R. R. Tolkein
32) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engel
33) The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein
34) The Life of Our Lord: Written Especially for His Children by Charles Dickens
35) Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
How many books did you read this year? Did you meet your reading expectations? Do you have any must-read recommendations for my 2010 reading list?
By the way, don't you love the photograph at the top of this post? J took this photo a few years ago, when we visited a used bookstore in Rio de Janeiro. This was the front-window display of the store. Pretty awesome, huh?
Happy New Year with lots of happy reading!
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12 comments:
That's a pretty impressive list, and an awesome photograph. I'm not even sure how many books I read this last year, but I don't think it was as many as 35. One of my favorite reads in 2009 was The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. I just recently finished Pearl Buck's Good Earth and thought that was interesting as well.
I love these posts (mine will be coming soon). I always find so many good suggestions for my next year's reading.
What'd you think about "A Walk to Remember"? I hate the movie -- it makes my skin crawl whenever I see it playing on someone's TV. But, you never know, sometimes the book version is really great.
On a much more positive note, I LOVE "A Wrinkle in Time"! Did you like it?
Now, about your latest post on Alberti's Window, I'll be reading that once I get back into DC. As always, I need time to think over your art posts. :)
Kiersten, I just read a review of "The Hiding Place." It sounds really great! I'm going to request it from the library. Thanks for the recommendation. (e, I think you'd like this book too, since it's about WWII).
e: As for "A Walk to Remember," I wasn't blown away. It was psychologically draining for me to read, since the girl dies at the end (and I was dealing with my mom's cancer and prognosis at the time). Someone had recommended the book to me, but if I had known it was about someone who died, I wouldn't have read it. I haven't seen the movie, and I don't really have a desire to see it. Overall, I feel kind of "meh" about the book (which is why I didn't post a review). But who knows? Maybe I would have liked it better, if I had read it under different circumstances.
I loved reading "A Wrinkle in Time" again. I read it when I was about eleven, but I hardly remembered anything about the book (beyond that there was a character named Mrs. Whatsit). It's interesting to see all of the Christian references in the book - I doubt I noticed many of those as a kid.
your top five? I'd love to hear it!
Oh man, top five. That's kind of hard, Danza! :) Hmm. If I HAD to pick five, they probably would be these:
1) "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susana Clarke
2) "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer
3) "The Man Who Made Vermeers" by Jonathan Lopez
4) "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak
5) "Silas Marner" by George Eliot
Wow, I'm impressed you read so many books! My own list for the past year only has less than 10 books on it (it pains me to say!) because of all the blogging I've been doing during my free time instead.
On another note. . . you've been to Rio De Janeiro? We'll have to talk about it! Me and Stephen are going there in April, and I need to get recommendations and ideas for things to see there and places to go!
hooray for reading! too bad I haven't been feeling so well with pregnancy #3 or I'd have read a few more, but as it is, i read 84 books this year! Yes. EIGHTY.FOUR. THe state will now be calling me for neglecting my children. Goodness. Oh well, I do love me a good book! I'd say my faves were The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (but you have to read the 1st book first, Hunger Games!), REading Lolita in Tehran,and the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Love his books. Ditto on The Hiding Place - I try to read that once a year to appreciate all that I have.
And yes, you should check out Bookmooch - it's lots of fun. If someone "mooches" a book that I have, then I have to send it to them - usually through media mail for $2-$3, so after getting a point for sending a book out, I use that point to "mooch" a book from someone else. it's like getting a new book for $3!
84 books!!! joolee, that's SO impressive! Wow!
Thanks for the recommendations, too. They sound really interesting. I've been wanting to read "The Help" for some time. I've been on the waiting list at the library for about a month - hopefully it will come soon.
I'm also especially intrigued by "Reading Lolita in Tehran." I just read a review and it sounds really fascinating - especially since its a true story! (Ixoj - have you read this book? This sounds absolutely perfect for you. I wish that I had given it to you for Christmas!)
WOW! that is very impressive and a great list of books. I may try and create a list for myself. I am sure it wont be anything close to what you have here. I have been wanting to read some classics...
Susan
p.s. Ilove the hair style
Thanks for your comment, Susan (and welcome to my blog!). It was really fun to compile this list, and I'm sure that you'll have a fun time making your own list. It's neat to see the past year just in terms of books.
So, you're actually the other bloggy friend I was referring to who made this goal last year! I was meaning to add a link to this post on my blog too if that's okay. You chose such good books last year--I'm impressed you got through 35 with all that nonfiction and history and the classics. Thanks for the inspiration; I'm excited about reading more than I ever have before. This is a great thing to do.
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