If only all resolutions were as easy to keep.

Remember waaaaaaay back to the beginning on 2009? Yeah, it’s hard for me to remember, too. Thank god I have a blog with which to pin all of my thoughts, else I’d never remember anything. But getting back to my point: back in January, I resolved to read at least 25 books during the year. Reading is essential to who I am and I’ve found that whenever I fall out of reading, I start getting droopy and fuzzy and lose focus on the who and why of me. 2008 was the year of the separation and working through the divorce – and I only read 22 books. I wanted to be stronger in 2009 so I raised the bar.

How did I do? I ended up reading 63 books this year. Yes. Sixty-three. I am quite awesome, have I mentioned? And it’s no wonder that I feel more like myself than I have in a long time – a quite a bit like a little miss smarty-pants, too! Because I am also neurotic in addition to being well-read, I thought I would write a sentence or two about each of the books I read so that in a year or two when I can’t remember what I though about some of them, I would have some place to look (see earlier reference to not being able to remember anything any more). Because you might be looking for a good book, too, I thought I’d share. I’m nice like that. (A short-list of my top five picks for the year will appear at the end of my reviews.)

January 2009
1. The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next #1) by Jasper Fforde.
My sister Kim gave me this book for Christmas and insisted I read it. It was a difficult read – the alternative reality in which the entire world revolves around literature was quite hard to follow – but it is the most fantastically unique book I’ve ever read and a fun series opener to boot. Want more delicious details? Read here!

2. The English Patient – Michael Ondaatje.
I tried so many times to read this classic and finally succeeded. Was it worth it? Yes, sort of. Mostly. Reviewed here (with spoilers).

3. Sad Cypress – Agatha Christie.
This one was odd – even for an Agatha Christie. Unless you’re a die-hard Christie fan, I’d pick a different one to read.

February 2009
4. Nineteen Minutes – Jodi Picoult.
I devoured this book. I hated having to stop to eat, sleep, go to work… I was disappointed to find that Picoult’s other books weren’t nearly as engaging. I think she writes to stir controversy and appear on the bestsellers list. But at least I found the good one. My spoiler-free review can be found here.

5. The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters – Elisabeth Robinson.
My first disappointing read of the year. Why? Read the review here. It doesn’t matter if there are spoilers in the review or not – if you have half a brain, you won’t want to read this novel anyway.

March 2009
6. Mig Pilot: The Final Escape of Lt. Belenko – John Barron.
This is one of my IO’s favorite books, a non-fictional account of Lt. Belenko’s escape from communist Russia with one of their most advanced war planes. I love history and enjoyed the boo, even if it wasn’t snappy with plot or fabulously written. A great read for highschoolers.

7. Mrs. McGinty’s Dead – Agatha Christie.
I can never keep my Agatha Christie’s straight. I forget which one is which until I start reading it again. But this one is a little special – it was the last of the Miss Marples/Hercule Poirots that I haven’t read. I am an Agatha Christie superstar, yo.

April 2009
8. The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold.
When I read The Lovely Bones, I thought I had found the best book I would read all year. This was also a book I bought on a whim, but this time I won big time. My review (without spoilers) is here.

9. A Peculiar Grace – Jeffrey Lent.
My sister made me do it. The first of many books my sister sent me this year and made me read. I loathed this novel at first. The writing was slow and dense and hard to get through. It sounded like Lent was trying to sound like a Great Writer instead of just letting his story out. But as I moved through the novel, I started realizing that perhaps the voice wasn’t Lent’s, but his narrator’s (the main character’s) voice. That isn’t to say it became an easy read; this novel was walking uphill in mud, muck hip-deep all the way through. But I did learn to appreciate the nuance, the voice(s), the struggles – its peculiarity. The ending wasn’t what I wanted it to be (and almost seemed a bit forced, like Lent wanted it to be this way instead of letting the story turn out how the story turned out), but I am still very happy I pushed my way through. It’s one of those books you enjoy discussing much more than you enjoy reading, and for me that’s a still a win.

10. Back When We Were Grownups – Anne Tyler.
I bought this book on a whim – and this time it ended badly. Should Have Known Better: 1. Whims: 0. At least I bought it at Half-Price Books. It’s not like I didn’t read the first chapter or so to see if it sounded like something I’d enjoy. The problem is that I suspect Ms. Tyler spent a lot of time on that first chapter and then the plot (and characters and voice and everything else attached to a novel) tumbled disastrously downhill from there.

11. The Golden Compass (Dark Materials #1) – Phillip Pullman.
My friend J. kept going on and on about this series, and since my approach to books in 2009 was “I’ll read just about anything,” I gave it a whirl. The review ended up on my blog here.

May 2009
12. The Subtle Knife (Dark Materials #2) – Phillip Pullman.
The series is reviewed here.

13. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – J. K. Rowling.
Who doesn’t tingle with excitement and anticipation when re-reading the first Harry Potter book? The poor kid has no. idea. what is in store for him. I love the way Rowling reveals each new piece of her magical world. The candy. The spells. The magic of Hogwarts. Diagon Alley. Ahhhh, innocence.

14. The Amber Spyglass (Dark Materials #3) – Phillip Pullman.
The review, as I’ve mentioned, is here.

15. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling.
This is my least favorite of the Harry Potter series, but I wanted to read all of the books as I geared up for the theater release of the 6th movie. Also, this second book play a key part in unraveling the sixth and seventh books, so that is always a fun filter with which to re-read the story. When Rowling let that slip just prior to the sixth book’s release, I (along with millions of fans, I imagine) went back and read and re-read Chamber and still didn’t figure out what she meant.

June 2009
16. Columbine – Dave Cullen.
I took a risk with this book. I saw it listed on Amazon as a new release and I went ahead and ordered it on the spot. I generally don’t do that. I hardly ever buy books on a whim, without having them recommended or having read bits or pieces of them elsewhere. You never know if the first 10 pages are an exception to the rest of the book (Anne Tyler – I’m looking at you). Also, I tend to lean much more towards fiction rather than non-fiction. Still – I remember too-well watching the tragedy in Columbine unfold and I’m guiltily drawn back to the subject whenever I see or read something about it. So I ordered the book – and would encourage anyone else to do the same. It was enlightening without being too graphic. It was respectful. It was well-researched (from what I can tell). And a good read at that. It’s non-fiction without reading like non-fiction (as all the best non-fiction does).

17. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J. K. Rowling.
Ah, the linchpin of the Harry Potter series. This is the book that bridges between the happy-magic of the first three books in the series and the magic-with-a-grim-purpose of the next three books. That isn’t to say the last three books aren’t entertaining or that the grim purpose is unnecessarily dower. I re-read the series over and over. I’m just saying that this is the book that will turn the tone of the series. You learn to enjoy the chock-a-block fun (and nuanced foreshadowing) of Goblet when you know what’s coming next.

18. Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto – Mark Levin.
My IO (who is, I’m afraid, a staunch conservative) bought this book for me in hopes of converting me from my elusive Independent ways. I’m glad I read it: it’s an interesting depiction of a conservative’s viewpoint. I think Mr. Levin gets carried away in at least half of his arguments and I found scores of points I disagree with; all the same, it was a nice, neat listing of the basic tenets of The Conservative Way. And that’s something I think every American should understand, whether or not they subscribe to those ideals.

19. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens.
Oh, Oliver. I am tempted to call him He Who Is Not Pip. Oliver Twist wasn’t what I hoped it would be, but I guess there were enough places in the story that caught my interest. I enjoyed watching Oliver find his place in his new community – family and friends. I enjoyed watching him reunited with old friends. There was a bit of romance and intrigue along the way, but it all sort of felt like watered-down tea to me. Not something I’d recommend for fun, but if you have to read it, I guess you could do worse.

20. Persuasion – Jane Austen.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this Austen. Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite novels of all time, but I couldn’t find anything in Sense and Sensibility that could even hold my attention. So I was a little leery when I began reading. Thankfully, Persuasion felt a lot like Pride and Prejudice‘s little sister. It’s shorter, sweeter, and without the grand scope P&P has, but a deliciously romantic read all the same.

21. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J. K. Rowling.
This is one of the Harry Potters that improves with each reading, I think. I hated it the first time I read it. It seemed too dark, too emotional, and without any of the joyfun of the other Harry Potters. I’ve come around. I like the emotional range, I like watching Harry and Dumbledore’s relationship deepen, and I liked getting to know other characters who become part of Harry’s extended circle – something I couldn’t have known at the time.

July 2009
22. California Rock, California Sound – Anthony Fawcett.
My IO let me borrow this one. It’s a fun, non-fiction account of several bands and artists to come out of California in the 60s and 70s. The Eagles and Jackson Browne are two of my favorite artists (can you call a band an artist?) and it was interesting to get the scoop on how they got their break.

23. Tess of D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy.
If you are bitter, depressed, feeling rather alone or overwhelmed by life, going through the blahs, going through a divorce, or hate how unfair life is – DO NOT read this book. Hardy is a harsh realist generally speaking, but the ending of this one is tough even for him.

24. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J. K. Rowling.
You would think that by the fourth and fifth reading, the Very Sad Thing at the end of the book would stop making me cry. I know I’m a softie, but I think it’s a credit to the world Rowling has created that we care so deeply about characters and worlds that don’t really exist (except they do. really.).

25. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J. K. Rowling.
This is the Harry Potter book I’ve read most lately. The first time I read it, I gulped it down in one sitting. Fourteen hours and it was done. Problem was, I didn’t savor it. So I read it a second time. And about once a year ever since. In fact, I’m dying to go back and re-read it again. I didn’t like, at first, that almost the entire book takes place away from Hogwarts. I miss the fun (and funny) discovery of a new magical world. But the plotline and the continued themes of friendship, loyalty, freedom of choice, personal responsibility, and the redemptive power of love more than makes up for any silly little flaws.

26. Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell.
This was the best “classic” novel that I read this year. See my review (with a few spoilers) here.

27. The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas.
I thought this book was going to be as fun and as frolicking as The Three Musketeers turned out to be. Has anyone ever actually read this? Because the language itself was heavy and plodding and hard to get through. The story was lovely. It was dramatic and full of vengeance and plot – no one wonders why it was made into a blockbuster movie. But actually reading the novel was a task. I don’t think I’ll do it again.

28. Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next series #2) – Jasper Fforde.
This book contains one of my favorite characters in all of fiction: a re-envisioned Miss Havisham. See my review here. But beware – the review has spoilers!

29. A Heart of Stone – Renate Dorrestein.
Another find from my Co-Worker who reads. This novel, like most of her recommendations, was sad and tragic on the ohmygod, why am I reading this?! level. But Dorrestein told the story well, weaving together past and present, stories of an idyllic childhood full of Americana with memories of the tragedy that ended it all. The novel is a translation, so the voice isn’t as charismatic as others I’ve read, but worth the time all the same.

30. Freakonomics – Steven Levitt.
A different co-worker than The One Who Reads recommended this book one day. While I was home on vacation, I noticed it in one of my baby sister’s stacks of books, so I stole it for awhile. It was supposed to be a non-fictional wunderbook. I wasn’t really that impressed. One or two of the articles were interesting – particularly the economics of drug-dealing – but other than that, I finished it just to be conversant. And I even mailed it back to my sister.

31. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
This one is my fault. See, I think I’ve been spoiled by reading so many Agatha Christies. I’m used to mystery plots being longer, more complicated, and slightly more believable when who- (and how-)dunnit is revealed. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson had an enjoyable relationship, but I found the mysteries themselves to be quite disappointing. Still, it was a quick and easy read.

August 2009
32. A Room with a View – E.M. Forster.
I remember very little about this book, other than there were a bunch of people in rooms, falling in love, wandering about town, playing tennis, and falling in and out of love again. It’s a book about community and society – and figuring out our place within their confines, of course. I didn’t get the hype, but then again, I was just reading it to mark it off my list, not for enjoyment.

33. The Soloist – Steve Lopez.
My sister sent me this book (to borrow, mind you) in a care package. She insisted that I read it. The book flap sounded interesting: a true story about a mentally unbalanced, Julliard-trained musical virtuoso who is homeless and wandering LA’s most dangerous streets. A columnist happens upon our title character and tries to bring meaning back into both of their lives. Let me just say: you will fall in love with Nathaniel. After I read the book, I spent hours online trying to find out the latest news about Nathaniel’s life. You might not be able to read the book with all of my sister’s interesting margin-notes (several of which I added to), but you have to read this book just the same.

34. Pieces of my Sister’s Life – Elizabeth Joy Arnold.
My Co-Worker Who Reads gave me this book to read because it’s set in New England. It’s chick-lit (by which I mean it’s one step above beach-reading) and in the same vein as Judy Blume’s Summer Sisters and Ann Brashares Last Summer (of You and Me). It was okay, I guess. A bit predictable and I didn’t like what they did with one of the main characters at the end. By the end of the story – even though I wanted to be through with it – I couldn’t help but like it just a little bit and I was rooting for a certain plotline to work itself out. It didn’t. So. That ruined what little was left to possibly redeem the story. If you have a couple hours to kill, go ahead and read the novel. But if you’re thinking about it and you have a pile of other good books to read – go for the other books first.

35. Bleak House – Charles Dickens.
Of all the new Dickens’ books I’ve read this year, Bleak House was my favorite. It still can’t top my favorite Dickens of all time, A Tale of Two Cities, and it doesn’t top Great Expectations, but of the four or five I read this year, I still like Bleak House the best. The usual onslaught of characters in the beginning of the novel is a bit tough to take, but once the children settle down at Bleak House and our story starts weaving its circuitous and twisty-turny storyline, I was hooked. There are still orphans, but these ones don’t seem near as sniveling and whiny as David Copperfield or Oliver Twist. Oh, okay, they weren’t really that whiny. But they seemed whiny with all of their meek little woe-is-me ways. Maybe it was because Bleak House seemed a bit more action-packed? I don’t know the answer, only that this one was better.

36. Ya Yas in Bloom – Rebecca Wells.
Yes, it took me five years to read the last book of the Ya Ya trilogy. I read Divine Secrets just after I had Gracie. The next year (or was it two years later?) I read Little Altars Everywhere and snapped the book closed in the middle when The Bad Thing happened and refused to touch it ever since. I’ve re-read Divine Secrets since then, but I’ve been wary of reading anything else Ya Ya-related in fear that the Bad Thing would become much worse. I shouldn’t have worried. Ya Yas in Bloom is a collection of short vignettes about the Ya Yas, the Petites Ya Yas, and the Tres Petites (their children’s children). A slightly different tone since we’re asked to care about people (characters, I think they’re called) we know so little about, but charming stories all the same. A good, quick read that doesn’t come even close to being labeled a “beach read.”

37. Lucky – Alice Sebold.
I was so moved when I learned The Lovely Bones was based in part on Sebold’s own tragedy that I hunted down her autobiography. It’s a tough read, especially given that there is no clear cut happy ending, but I would still recommend it to those who enjoy crime thrillers or those who were left wanting more of Sebold’s distinctive voice after Lovely Bones.

38. The Tales of Beedle the Bard – J. K. Rowling.
This could have disappointed me if I had any expectations at all. Since I saw how tiny the collection of stories was, I didn’t think it could contain too much hidden Potter plot-points. I didn’t find it earth-shattering, but I enjoy that Rowling has taken so much time and devoted so much energy to fleshing as much out of the Potter tales as she has.

39. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens.
Poor David Copperfield. By the time I got to this novel – supposedly the author’s favorite – I had read so many Dickens’s novels in such a short time frame that I had a hard time keeping any of the details (or hundreds of characters) straight. Consequently, it was an okay plot with okay characters, but felt like a boilerplate Dickens.

40. Dracula – Bram Stoker.
It might be considered one of the classics, it might have a thousand movie renditions and be the basis for umpteen million others. But good lord was this was a boring read.

41. The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera.
People raved about this book. It was supposed to be one of The Books to read. I grabbed it from the library and hated it. I didn’t think I could read it. At all. I ended up talking myself into speed-reading it. It only took me two nights. I missed most of the nuance, but at least I remember all the salient plot points.

42. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Mary Ann Shaffer.
My sister read this and raved and raved about how she loved it and it was the next Anne of Green Gables. I couldn’t see how it could possibly compare, but I put it on my To Read list and promptly forgot all about it. That lasted about a week until I walked into the library and literally saw this book staring me in the face from a display table. I picked it up and never looked back. I went from ‘eh, it’s good – but isn’t Anne,’ to falling for the heroine, to banging the book AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL of my car when a plot took a certain turn, to bawling great big girly tears at yet another twist. If you haven’t read this book, you should. It’s one of the best I’ve read.

43. The Life and Opinions of Tristam Shandy, Gentleman – Laurence Sterne.
My baby sister read this and hated it…until she finished it. My opinion of it started out pretty low, but never recovered. I could see its brilliance and innovative approach; it just wasn’t my cuppa tea. The art of the novel was rather transparent, but boring just the same. Well, that and I deal with enough men who are full of themselves in real life – I didn’t really want to deal with a fictitious one, as well.

September 2009
44. Les Miserables – Victor Hugo.
The book is aptly named. All I’m sayin’.

45. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert.
This book started really slowly for me. “Just another book I have to knock off my List of Important Books,” I thought. Except…the more I read, the more I thought about the book, the more I like the story. And the characters! The characters and why they were the way they were and who they really were and the way they interacted…I loved the psychology of this book. It was so far ahead of its time. I’ll go back and read this every so often because it’s one of those novels that I might read differently as I go through different stages of my life.

46. Middlemarch – George Eliot.
I know I must have read this because it is, in fact, on the list of books I read. Ah, yes. Now I remember. It was okay – really, I felt like I should like it more. The plot moved, but I just couldn’t get into it. So I do what I do when that happens: I read faster.

47. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas.
This book was terrifically fun to read. Sword fights! Mad-dashery! Chivalry! Romance! Sex! Scoundrels! It’s like The Princess Bride of badass literature.

48. The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder – Rebecca Wells.
One of my dearest friends gave me this book for my birthday and I was so! excited! because it’s Rebecca Wells! She of the Ya Ya Sisterhood trilogy! She who created characters who were so many pieces of myself! Crowning Glory is not Ya Ya. The main character – Calla Lily – lacks fire. She oozes with drippiness. It was hard to even finish this novel. Ms. Wells – what happened to you? Did I expect too much? It felt like were you just trying to churn out a book built on only a half-formed plot that should have been passed over. I’ll still read your next novel, but I’m putting you on warning.

49. Watership Down – Richard Adams.
I can see why so many junior-highers are forced to read this book. It has lots of grown-up issues: war, community, selflessness, independence, love, fear – but these issues are all stuffed into bunnies. So those grown-up seem much more get-at-able for a bunch of kids learning how to be grown-ups. It wasn’t my favorite book – not by a long shot – but I got through it, so that’s something.

50. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
I tried to read this book so many times; this year, I finally made myself finish it. It was a struggle. And sure it was epic and full of sorrows and greatness. But really? One of the best books of all time? I just don’t see it. Someone use some big flashy neon signs to point those parts out to me please.

51. The Gun Seller – Hugh Laurie.
My sister sent this to me and made me read it. Books from my sister usually go one of two ways: I love it and want to read and re-read it for all eternity, or else I know within the first 50 pages that Kim was secretly adopted. This book? I want to read it and re-read it for all eternity. And yes, it’s by that Hugh Laurie. He’s not just sexy, ladies, he has a wicked sense of irony. My only complaint is that this is the only book he’s written. Damn him.

October 2009
52. Blindspot – Jane Kamensky and Jill Lepore.
One of the best books I read this year. I blogged my review here.

53. Gone From These Woods – Donny Bailey Seagraves.
I won this book through a bloggy contest from one of my internet friends. It’s definitely a better fit for the Young Adult audience it’s intended for, but it was a nice, quick read. The book explores how a teen boy deals with his grief after accidentally shooting a family member – the only one who understood him. I wish a few topics would have been flushed out a little bit more, but I could see myself using this book as a jumping-off point to discuss any number of topics with a tween-in-need. Especially if said tween needed counseling.

54. Sold Into Marriage – Sean Boyne.
My Colleague Who Reads gave me this book to read. She loves dark, twisty subjects and whoo boy does this one fall into that category. It’s a non-fiction recount of a woman who was, indeed, sold into marriage. At age 17. By her own father. But wait – it gets worse. Her father was abusive and her husband even more so. It wasn’t an easy read, but it did make me reflect on the blessings I have in my own life and how I can be more compassionate to those who – often through circumstances beyond their control – are much less fortunate.

55. Moab Is my Washpot – Stephen Fry.
My sister gave me this book for my birthday. I had been jonesing to read it ever since I learned of its existence. Who can watch Stephen Fry and not love his dry, erudite wit? Who can love him and not want to pinch his cheeks? (I will leave it up to you to decide which ones.) At the very least, you should want to devour his autobiography. I did – and was fascinated. The pace was slow and meandering, its timeline stopped far short of where I wanted (it only covers his first twenty years), but I love the man even more for having given us a peep show of his rather difficult discovery of self. One word of caution: if you don’t already love the QI master who is Stephen Fry, this book is not the best introductory piece. Watch a few eps of QI Season 1 and then dive in.

56. At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays – Ann Fadiman.
Another piece of my birthday present from my sister. I fell in love with non-fiction writing again – and essays, particular – with this book. It was delightful. Not only did I gobble up each pint-sized essay, but it made me want to write essays and blog posts and articles and entire books. There is a wide-range of topics covered here and a broad range of emotions, but one warning: you will not like this book if you don’t like smart people who occasionally like to show off (but more in a Mary Poppins than a John Sessions sort of way).

57. Year of Wonders – Geraldine Brooks.
I tagged this book as “must read” when I was leafing through the literary review magazine, Bookmarks. Then, my Colleague Who Reads told me she had just finished it and that she was forcing it on me. I devoured it in a single weekend. It’s a historical novel set in England during the time of the bubonic plague (no, not “plaque” as I just typed). A tiny town decides to isolate itself for an entire year as the plague takes its toll on its villagers. It might be a little discordant at times because the book is a little more feminist than was realistic, but since I liked what was going down, I found it easy to ignore. Except, perhaps, for the bizarre ending.

November 2009
58. Shutter Island – Dennis Lehane.
When I saw the previews for this movie, I about came out of my seat with excitement. No wanted to go see this movie with me. So, I bought the book for myself with a gift certificate my mother and sister gave me for my birthday. The book? It was amazing. It was everything I thought No Time for Goodbye would be. Gripping, thrilling, a page-turner – all those nifty clichés that the publishers print on the cover, but this book actually lives up to them. What’s most ironic? After I finished the book, Kim and I went to the movies, saw the preview, and now she’s dying to see it, too. Still a good read.

59. No Time for Goodbye – Linwood Barclay.
This was another book lent to me by my reading-cohort at work. I took this one on the plane when I went to visit my sister and that was exactly the sort of book it was – a beach book set to a crime/thriller tune instead of romance and bodice ripping. It was readable, but not compelling. If I wasn’t trapped inside an airplane for four hours at a stretch, I still probably would have read it…probably. The tale was predictable, the voice a bit jarring at times (I would have preferred the wife to narrate the tale to remove a little of the distance), and the story didn’t live up to the premise, but I can’t say I regret reading it.

60. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader – Ann Fadiman.
A birthday gift from my sister. I enjoyed this collection of essays a lot more than I did At Large and At Small – and I didn’t think that was possible. If there was one complaint (and it would be a teeny, tiny one at that), it was that I read the books too close together. By the end of this collection, I was ready to go back to my true love: fiction. But the writing itself was delightful and the essays were the perfect length: long enough to answer all of my questions so that I wasn’t wondering about any dropped stitches, but short enough that I could knock a few out without skipping ahead to see how many pages were left.

61. Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen – Bob Greene.
I won this book from Mrs. E. over at Easy Street. From the moment I read the back cover, I knew I would enjoy it. It’s a collection of stories, research, and personal accounts of a small Nebraska town (North Platte), whose residents me, fed, and entertained the soldiers on every troop train that passed through the town during World War II. The author over-sentimentalized his argument – that we’ve lost our national identity – at times, but I am a sucker for World War II history, so I still enjoyed every page.

December 2009
62. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.
My co-worker lent me this book, a novel about an out-there almost-tween narrator (Oskar) who lost his dad in the 9/11 attacks. There was very little plot in the novel, and while that did tend to bother me at times, Oskar had such a compelling voice, I almost never minded that we were stuck inside his mind; truly, he is the most unique character I’ve come across in quite awhile. The sub-plots only add to the exploration of grief and how individualistic the process of loving and losing those close to you can be. I’ve thought more about the book since I’ve finished reading it than I did while I was turning pages – and I like it even more.

63. Blindspot by Jane Kamensky and Jill Lepore.
Yes, it was so good I read it twice in four months. Can I give it any better recommendation?

So there you have it. A year in books. (And a blog post that took me almost two weeks to cobble together.) I think I did pretty well – for someone who leans towards fiction, I read 12 non-fiction books. That’s about a quarter of my year’s tally. Only 7 books were ones I’d read before. And 18 books I read only because they were on my Important Books To Read list. So what should YOU read? Here are my Top 5 Picks:

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Mary Ann Shaffer
2. Blindspot – Jane Kamensky and Jill Lepore
3. The Gun Seller – Hugh Laurie
4. The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
5. Thursday Next series – Jasper Fforde

With runners-up The Soloist by Steve Lopez and Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.

I already have lots of good books lined up for next year: I’m halfway through The Book Thief, and then there’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Stephen King’s new one: Under the Dome, Elegance of the Hedgehog (which I’ve already started and love so far), Thousand Splendid Suns, the next Thursday Next book Well of Lost Plots (and maybe the first two so I remember what’s going on), and Quite a Year for Plums.

Now – go! Read! And someone tell me what I can resolve for next year because somewhere through the years I came up with this silly rule that I can’t resolve the same thing twice and I can’t seem to shake it.

Advertisement

Tags: Books, New Year's Resolutions, novels, reading, resolutions, self-discover