Favorite Reads of 2009

I read a lot of books this year. A lot of books that were not in any way related to my school work. And so, on this last day of the year, I leave you with some of my favorites.

Favorite Book Club Read: East of Eden by John Steinbeck

A perpetual favorite East of Eden details the lives of two families living in the Salinas Valley, the Trasks and the Hamiltons. Beautiful characterization. I loved Steinbeck's use of repetition and his layering of Biblical themes.

Runner Up: The Known World by Edward Jones

 

Favorite Series Finale: Tap & Gown by Diana Peterfreund

The 4th and final edition of Diana Peterfreund's Secret Society Girl Series is the best conclusion to a series that I've read in a long time. Diana Peterfreund concludes her series with the perfect combination of new story-line and loose end wrap-up, and I really appreciate that because I find I am too often disappointed by series finales.

Favorite Audio Books: Terrier and Bloodhound (Beka Cooper #1 & #2) by Tamora Pierce

Set in Pierce’s much chronicled kingdom of Tortall, Beka is in training to become a "dog," slang for the police (more or less). In this part fantasy, part detective novel, Beka searches for clues in the usual manner as well as getting a little help from the pigeons who carry the ghosts of the dead. I love Pierce’s use of language, and Susan Denaker’s narration only adds to the richness of the tales related to us in diary format.

Favorite New Release from a Beloved Author: The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale can do little wrong in my opinion. Her newest book for adults, The Actor and the Housewife, made me laugh, cry, and sigh. The premise, a Mormon mother of four with a man who just happens to be a handsome actor for a best friend stirred up some controversy. Some of my favorite reviewers hated it and some loved it. I loved it.

Favorite Sequel: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games was one of the most talked about books of 2008. So intense I dreamt about it. With the sequel, Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins once again delivers an intense read. I really liked the new characters that Collins introduced. And, after a reread of both books, Team Peeta has secured my loyalty. The wait for the 3rd book is going to be too long.

Favorite Historical Novel and Children's Book: The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

It's 1967 and Holling Hoodhood is in the seventh grade. Life is tough when you are a seventh grader. Holling contends with bullies, diagrams sentences, is confused about girls, and thinks his teacher hates him. On top of all of that the Vietnam War is in full swing and affecting everyone. The Wednesday Wars is really about all the little moments that make a person who he is. Granted there were several plot points may have made me predisposed to liking this book--Shakespeare, cross country--but I loved it. Recommended to me by my mom, The Wednesday Wars has joined the ranks of some of my all time favorite kids’ books.

Favorite New Author: Maggie Stiefvater, author of Shiver, Lament, and Ballad

This year I read three books by Maggie Stiefvater. Shiver is about Grace and Sam, a girl and werewolf. Lament and Ballad tell of Deirdre's and James' dealings with The Fair Folk. All of these books feature the real world with a little bit of weird (my favorite). But, there are lots of books that do just that. What makes them extraordinary is Stiefvater’s language and writing style. Beautiful, engrossing, and heart-wrenching. Stiefvater is an author to watch.

In August I read Maggie Stiefvater's book . I was so engrossed with the book that I immediately went to find other books by Stiefvater..

Grace lives near the woods in Minnesota. Every winter she watches the wolves out her back window, one wolf in particular. Every summer the wolves are gone. Sam spends his summers in town doing odd jobs. In the winter he pines for Grace through wolf's eyes. When the two finally meet they have to figure out how to stay togeth...mo

Favorite Baby Book: But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton

Beckett’s favorite book is definitely Goodnight Moon. But I really love But Not the Hippopotamus mostly because I think this page is hilarious. It says "Now the hog and the frog hurry out for a jog with the cat and the rats in their new running hats."

Book I’m Most Proud of Finishing: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

I’m still immensely proud of myself for finishing this 1200-page (OK so it’s only 1163 pages) book in time for the book discussion while caring for a then 3-month-old baby and writing a dissertation. I found Rand’s ideas interesting, if not always feasible, and I’m always happy to boost my cultural literacy

 
Book I was most Surprised that I Loved: Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

I was not a huge fan of Inkheart. I liked Inkspell a lot more. However, by the time that Inkdeath was finally published I couldn't really remember what happened in Inkspell so I wasn't in a hurry to read the conclusion of the series. I finally got around to reading it, and I am so glad that I did because Inkdeath is, in my opinion, by far the best book in the series. I am so impressed by the world and the characters that Cornelia created. Inkdeath is certainly more about Mo than Meggie, which I could see as being a disappointment to some readers. However, I find Mo to be a much more interesting character.

Best in Show: Fire by Kristin Cashore

Kristin Cashore’s Graceling was one of my favorites of 2008, and I eagerly looked forward to its companion novel Fire. I was not disappointed. Fire Kristin Cashore's takes place in the land east of the seven kingdoms introduced to us in Graceling in a country called the Dells. The Dells is populated with monsters of every kind--animals that look like their normal counterparts except for their brilliantly beautiful markings and their ability to read and influence human emotions. There is also one human monster left in the Dells, a seventeen-year-old girl named Fire. Fire is the type of novel that I want to spend all day reading on a gloomy day. The characters are well-wrought, and Cashore's language rolls like the green hills of the Dells.