So, for 2009 (or 2010 so far if you prefer) what would you name as:

1. Fave scary book?  Mine was The Dwelling by Susan Moloney.  Just the right amount of creepy.  Following very closely in second place I would put "The Resort" by Bentley Little

2.  Most thought provoking?  For me a 3-way tie - Water For Elephants, Honeymoon in Purdah and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

3. Most inspirational "Not a Sparrow Falls" by Linda Nichols

4.  Most disappointing, "The Shack"  - and "Eat, Pray, Love"  - Ugh.

5.  Most disturbing, "Running with Scissors"

Okay - so now, lay yours on me!

1. Since I dont read much horror. I will go with best thriller:  A toss up between Dark Tide" by Andrew Gross and Darkley Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay.

2: Most thought provoking:  The Way Back to Mayberry by Joey Fann

3. Most inspirational: The Ghost Soldiers, by Hampton Sides

4. Most disappointing: Naked by David Sedaris. (was really looking forward to a laugh out loud book but very disappointed)

5. Most Disturbing: Lord of the Flies by William Golding (very good book but disturbing)

I know what you mean about the "Running With Scissors". I am not squeemish by any means but I could not finish that book.  I tried his "You Better Not Cry" this past week and could not get through it.  I guess I am not a Burroughs fan. I just dont find him funny at all.

1. Fave scary book  Needful Things by Stephen King

2.  Most thought provoking Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

3. Most inspirational The Given Day by Denis Lehane

4.  Most disappointing The Shack by William P. Young & Mr Darcy Vampyre by Amanda Grange

5.  Most disturbing- Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

1. Fave scary book?  I don't really read scary books, but Muktar Mai's In the Name of Honour had to be my scariest.  Her depictions of being rapes and what it was like fighting against tribal law in Pakistan was truly scary.

2.  Most thought provoking?  Funny in Farsi and the Treasure of Montesegur: A Novel of the Cathars

3. Most inspirational In the Name of Honor (again)  Her battle is truly inspirational.

4.  Most disappointing, The Secret of Lost Things--one of those books where you get to the end and you're still not sure what the heck it was about

5.  Most disturbing, Views from the Garden City.  It's a novel that is a collection of women's stories in Egypt.  I found some of the stories very disturbing (and it reminds of how greatful I am to live in a free nation for women)

Okay - so now, lay yours on me!

1. Fave scary book? I loooove scary, but I'm getting wimpy in my old age....hmmm... gonna have to think about this one...

2.  Most thought provoking? The Kite Runner

3. Most inspirational? Finding Fish

4.  Most disappointing? The Host

5.  Most disturbing? American Psycho

1. Fave scary book?  Lisey's Story by Stephen King (maybe not that scary for King, but still my favorite in the horror genre)

2.  Most thought provoking?  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

3. Most inspirational  Rose Madder by Stephen King

4.  Most disappointing  The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

5.  Most disturbing  Kisscut by Karin Slaughter (audio)

Ooh, fun topic!

Favorite scary book: I don't read anything too scary, but I got a couple of spine shivers from Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane.

Most thought-provoking: Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman; Travel as a Political Act by Rick Steves.

Most inspirational: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; The Inextinguishable Symphony by Martin Goldsmith.

Most disappointing: Sunday at Tiffany's by Marjorie Hart; Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith.

Most disturbing: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson; Under the Dome by Stephen King.

Favorite scary book: Hmmm. . . I don't think I could describe a single book I read last year as scary. . . that's not my thing.

Most thought-provoking: Depends on what you mean by thought-provoking. . . the one that had me thinking about the issues it raised (which I think was the intent behind the question) was Ha'penny, by Jo Walton. . . but the one that I spent the most time analyzing, because I found it totally unsatisfying and I wanted to know why, was The Stormcaller, by Tom Lloyd. :)

Most inspirational: Here again, I don't think I could describe a single book I read last year as inspirational. . . again, that's just not my bag.

Most disappointing: Sword-Dancer, by Jennifer Roberson. There were books that I hated (while I only disliked this one) but this earned my ire because every time I started to get into it she'd do something that demonstrated her lack of control over the story. It was really a frustrating read.

Most disturbing: This one's easy. The Wasp Factory, by Iain Banks. I felt like I needed to take a shower after reading it.

Now I'm going to add a category:

Most impressive in its craftsmanship: The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy Sayers, Sunshine, by Robin McKinley, and the short story "The Ruby Incomparable" by Kage Baker (in the anthology Wizards: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy, which was quite good overall).