I made a notebook entry on my profile with my reading stats and thoughts on goals for next year, but thought I'd post here what I consider my Top Ten mysteries of 2009. I didn't list "bottoms" here, but my "overall" bottoms (not just mysteries) are listed on that notebook post.

These are in no particular order--wasn't one that jumped out as the dead-on favorite--and I had a HECK of a time paring down my list to 10!! There were at least a dozen other mysteries that I'd rated A+ during the year that sadly couldn't make the list. Also, these are not necessarily books published in the past year, just ones I've read this year.

1. The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston
2. A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn
3. Echoes From the Dead by Johan Theorin
4. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
5. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
6. The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill
7. Water Like a Stone by Deborah Crombie
8. Winter's Child by Margaret Maron
9. The Water Room by Christopher Fowler
10. The Ravens of Blackwater by Edward Marston

How about you guys?? What were your favorites?

Cheryl
 

Top 10 Mystery/Thrillers:

• The Falcon at the Portal by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody series)
• He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody series)
• T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
• Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
• The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig (the Pink Carnation series)
• The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen (Jane Rizzoli series)
• Vanish by Tess Gerritsen (Jane Rizzoli series)
• The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
• Boundary Waters by William Kent Kreuger
• Blood Hollow by William Kent Kreuger

Top 10 of all of the books I read this year (including all genres):

• Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
• Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley & Ron Powers
• Growing an Inch by Stanley Gordon West
• The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
• Dear Exile by Hilary Lifton & Kate Montgomery
• The Queen of the Big Time by Adriana Trigiani
• Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson
• Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
• The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

The first challenge of the new year - picking just 10 books as my top favorites!!

• The Tale of Applebeck Orchard - Susan Wittig Albert
• Evil in Carnations - Kate Collins
• Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen - Emily Brightwell
• State of the Onion - Julie Hyzy
• Through a Glass Deadly - Sarah Atwell
• Family Skeletons - Rett MacPherson
• Swan for the Money - Donna Andrews
• Murder Packs a Suitcase - Cynthia Baxter
• The Angel and the Jabborwocky Murders - Mignon Ballard
• The Mournful Teddy - John Lamb

bump

How did I miss this thread?  It's way too early in the morning and I'm getting ready to head to a sub job but I figure I can list what I remember and edit later. These will be in no particular order right now.  Let's see if my brain works this early...

1. Blue Heaven by C. J. Box

2. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

3. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves

4. Russ Van Alstyne/Clare Fergusson series by Julia Spencer-Fleming

5.Undersheriff Bill Gaston series by Steven F. Havill

6. Julie Collins series by Lori G. Armstrong

7. The Red Breast by Jo Nesbo

8. Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson

9. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

10. Dissolution by C. J. Sansom

10a. Kincaid/James series by Deborah Crombie

I'm sure there were others that I really enjoyed as well and I kknow that I cheated a bit by listing series rather than single titles but there you have it. Sometimes it is hard to remember which book you read when in a series but if you enjoy the series over all it's all the same anyhow, right?

Top Mysteries of 2009 (not counting re-reads, and as most of my mystery reading was re-reading Agatha Christie, I couldn't get ten):

1. Farthing, by Jo Walton

2. The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy Sayers

3. Ha'penny, by Jo Walton

4. Clouds of Witness, by Dorothy Sayers

5. Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers

6. Have His Carcase, by Dorothy Sayers

7. The Prefect, by Alastair Reynolds

8. Behold, Here's Poison! by Georgette Heyer

Top 10 Books of 2009:

1. Naamah's Kiss, by Jacqueline Carey

2. Farthing, by Jo Walton

3. The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy Sayers

4. Sky Coyote, by Kage Baker

5. Inside Job, by Connie Willis

6. Transformation, by Carol Berg

7. Santa Olivia, by Jacqueline Carey

8. Swordspoint, by Ellen Kushner

9. Altered Carbon, by Richard K. Morgan

10. The Tower at Stony Wood, by Patricia McKillip

Honorable Mention: A Civil Contract, by Georgette Heyer

I REALLY wish I had been better at keeping track of books I read last year.  I used to be so good at this.  Get back to me next year and I'll be able to contribute more than just nonsense! lol

In no particular order:

1. Russ Van Alstyne/Clare Fergusson series by Julia Spencer-Fleming

2. Ghost Duster series - Wendy Roberts

3. The Bodies Left Behind - Jeff Deaver

4. By The Sword - F. Paul Wilson

5. The Big Over Easy - Jasper Fforde

6. The Fifth Vial - Michael Palmer

7. Less Than Dead - Tim Downs

8. The Fourth Bear - Jasper Fforde

9. Nature Girl - Carl Hiaasen

10. The Cold Moon - Jeff Deaver

I actually didnt read very much in 2009. We moved twice during the year and time was not on my side. Most of the books I did read were very good. Below is a list of my 10 favorites in order. (I will come back and add the authors I have forgotten when I get a chance)

Top 10 for 2009

1. Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
2. Sir John Series by Bruce Alexander
3. The Rise of Rebellion by Jeff Shaara
4. Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
5. The Last Templar by Steve Berry
6. Einstein by
7. The Long Goodbye by Patty Davis
8. THe Last Full Measure by Jeff Shaara
9. Mosaic Crimes
10. Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie