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Topic: **what is your book of the month/year 2009?**
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This thread is for everyone and anyone to add their favorites throughout the year of 2009. No rules on genre or publication year or anything....it's just a space to put in what you enjoyed the most for that month or for the year. We did a thread in 2008 and I know that I got many great reading suggestions from other people's favorites.
So...I'm starting 2009!
ENJOY! Thanks Chris
Who's where:
Last Edited on: 8/21/09 10:37 PM ET - Total times edited: 72 |
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I'm starting my list:
BOOK OF THE YEAR 2009: My winner......drumroll.......July: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson...hard to describe book about a man burned in an auto accident and his subsequent relationship with a sculptress....this book made me laugh, grossed me out and made me cry. Definitely a book that sticks with you.
January: Bliss by OZ Laveneli- nice story about Turkish girl...reminds me of KiteRunner but not really (KR was better story, better written) or Bee season by Myla Goldberg- story of a family disintegrating around a young girl's spelling bee
February: The Art of Racing in the Rain by garth stein- dog perspective on life.....better than marley!
March: Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond-- wonderful book about an aging zoo elephant and her devoted keeper.
April: Belong to Me by Maria De Los Santos- this is a sequel to Love Walked In but can almost be a stand alone book...story of family and interconnections
May: The View from Mount Joy by Lorna Ladvik.....another winner by Ladvik, light, fluffy, but a nice one! AND Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford....story of Chinese and Japanese Americans growing up in wartime Seattle....loved it!
June: Made in the USA by Billie Letts....another out-of-the-ballpark hit for Billie. The story of a teen and her younger brother as they run away after the death of their father's girlfriend in order to avoid the foster care system.
July: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson...hard to describe book about a man burned in an auto accident and his subsequent relationship with a sculptress....this book made me laugh, grossed me out and made me cry. Definitely a book that sticks with you.
August: Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,00 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband and a Bus With a Will of Its Own by Doreen Orion....a laugh out loud funny account of a year in the life of a 'princess' gone roadtripping with her hubby. Nothing has made me laugh like this one!
September: A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman (WL book)....excellent story of two women of different backgrounds in Sri Lanka.
October: Lottery by Patricia Wood....lower IQ individual wins the WA state lottery just after his grandmother (caretaker) passes away...funny, sweet and wonderful all wrapped togethery
November:
December: The Witch Doctor's Wife by Tamar Myers Last Edited on: 12/30/09 11:27 AM ET - Total times edited: 16 |
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Somehow I missed this thread all of last year, haha. I'm going to list mine here too and post it in the thread. =) 2009 January: Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer February: Oxygen by Carol Cassella March: Dead Giveaway (Yellow Rose Mystery #3) by Leanne Sweeney April: Matters of Faith by Kristy Kiernan May: The Dirty Secrets Club (Jo Beckett) by Meg Gardiner June: Crank by Ellen Hopkins July: The Memory Collector (Jo Beckett) by Meg Gardiner August: Shanghai Girls: A Novel by Lisa See September: Bending Toward the Sun: A Mother and Daughter Memoir by Leslie Gilbert-lurie October: The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter November: The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by Garth Stein December: Last Edited on: 12/1/09 2:17 PM ET - Total times edited: 8 |
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This is such a nifty idea. I think I'll add a notation on my notebook as well so I can remember to rate one as my fave each month. I have vowed to only read one book a week so that I wont get burned out so picking between 4 every month shouldn't be too hard. January: I'm cutting it kinda close to finishing this one in January but The Devil's Teeth by Susan Casey is my book of this month. Its about sharks so its a no brainer to be my fave. Even though I'm not quite done with it I'm still gonna say its the one for this month. February: Three Bedrooms, One Corpse by Charlaine Harris i only read two books in feb and the other one wasnt so good. this book was great though. i really enjoyed it. i havent read one by this author yet that i didnt enjoy. March: April: May: June: July: August: September: October: November: December: 2009: Last Edited on: 3/24/09 4:00 PM ET - Total times edited: 4 |
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BOOK OF THE YEAR 2009:
January:
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December: |
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January: The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs February: Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (historical fiction of the Southern style with rampant racism) March: We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (by default - it took me the whole month to get through the excessive vocabulary and painful story, but quite worth the twist - which I had figured out) April: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle May: TIE ~ Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (a bittersweet story of the American Japanese who were interred during WWII...set in 1942 and 1986) and Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent (narrated by the daughter of an accused witch during the trials of the 1700s and written by a living relative of said family) June: The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy. An excellent novelization of two children who were abandoned in the Polish forest during WWII because they are Jewish. July: The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy August: crazy sexy cancer tips by kris carr & Pretty is What Changes Sept: Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas Oct: Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat Nov: 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life by Cami Walker Dec: still reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett 2009 Book of the Year: Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
I like this formatting. Hope I remember to come back and post my fav after each month. Thanks for posting this, Chris! Last Edited on: 1/2/10 11:17 PM ET - Total times edited: 7 |
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2009 Book of the Month: January - Neuromancer by William Gibson - classic cyberpunk. Not a cheery story, but brilliantly conceived and well written. I really had to slow down and pay attention to the words. February - Shockball by S.L. Viehl - the fourth Stardoc book. The last page is what does it. If you haven't read it, let's just say I'm a softie at heart :-p March - 50/50 by Dean Karnazes - There wasn't anything that blew me away in March, but this book was interesting...about Dean's 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days adventure. Not as good as his first book, Ultramarathon Man, though. April - What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami - Nonfiction memoir-type book of the author's running and how it relates to the rest of his life and writing. I thought it was very good. May - The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams - A new author for me, and the first really good book I've read in a while. Possibly the bast I've read all year. It's a long an involved fantasy novel, but I loved it. June - Faithless by Karin Slaughter - 5th in the Grant County series, which has really captivated me. July - Lisey's Story by Stephen King - I've never read much by King, but I loved the story and thought the way it was told was brilliant. August - After reading Lisey's Story, I read another four Stephen King novels in August and loved them all. It's a tough call, but I think my favorite was 'Salem's Lot. September - Another City, Not My Own by Dominick Dunne - I loved the unique style of writing...a personal account, but written in the 3rd person. More meaningful coming so soon after Dunne's death. October - Pet Sematary by Stephen King - The most powerful and horrific of King's books I have read so far. November - And sounding like a broken record, Stephen King takes a 4th month with Rose Madder. This was twisted, but inspiring, and has to be one of my favorite King novels. December Last Edited on: 11/30/09 9:10 PM ET - Total times edited: 14 |
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Thanks for joining me....I'm going to try to keep the first post w/a list of what page we are all on so it's easier to find your own list to update. I really enjoy seeing everyone's favorites! |
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What a great idea. I can not believe I never saw this in 2008. Oh well......2009 sounds like a good year to pick my favs. Favorites of 2009 January- Beach House by Jane Green-best book I have read in a long time. February March April May June July August September October November December Last Edited on: 1/19/09 7:48 PM ET - Total times edited: 2 |
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This is a wonderful idea, I always get great book ideas from this forum. Favorites of 2009 January February March April May June July August September October November December |
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Cool idea :) January: Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch February: Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield March: Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult April: May: June: July: August: September: October: November: December:
Last Edited on: 4/3/09 11:57 PM ET - Total times edited: 3 |
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Janauary: I just finished The Hunger Games, and although it's only January 1st, I think it will be hard to beat. The plot was brutal but so well done that it was impossible to put down. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in "Reality TV" as a way for the government to control the public. Similar in some ways to Running Man, but with children as the victims rather than adults. Let the games begin... February: Last Edited on: 1/1/09 12:17 PM ET - Total times edited: 1 |
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Cool Idea! January The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman. It's actually a really wonderful story about people doing the right thing during the Holocaust and the war's effects on nature and people's attitudes. February Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer. I've finished the whole Twilight series now and I think this is easily the best of the bunch. March I read sooo many books this month that this is hard to name just one, but I'll try: Detour by James Siegel. It's a thriller about a family trying to adopt a baby from a foreign country. If you've read Scott Smith's books, this one is similar. April Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. An older title, but a good one if you haven't read it, about Frank's childhood in Ireland, growing up in poverty. May The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver is also an older title, but a good introduction if you've not read Kingsolver's books before. About a young lady who sets out to find an independent life for herself, and is accidentally thrust into the role of a foster mother. June Birdman by Mo Hayder is a thriller about a serial killer on the loose in London. Not for the faint of heart, but hard to put down. Also, a lot of twists and turns that will keep you guessing till the very end. July Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. A historical novel set in 1665/1666 about a young woman and mother trying to survive the Black Plague. I could not put this one down and didn't want it to end. August The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom is a horror novel about a man and his wife who set out to try to fix their ailing marriage by buying a house out in the countryside of Wisconsin. Critics didn't give it very good reviews, but I found this to be very scary and well worth the read. September October November December Last Edited on: 8/27/09 9:04 AM ET - Total times edited: 6 |
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Cindy...you ROCK! You got the first 'book of the month' down on the first day!!!! Too cool! Thanks everyone for playing...I'm looking forward to all our lists! Updated to here. |
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2009 Book of the Year January: February: March: April: May: June: July: August: September: October: November: December:
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I really liked doing this last year - saving my spot for 2009 January - My favorite book read this month is Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett. It is eight short stories that combine science and historical fiction. An unusual combination but I found the stories to be thoughtful, original, and very interesting. I was still thinking about it several days after I read it. February - War and Peace by Tolstoy. I read this famous novel with an online group. I wouldn’t call it the greatest novel ever but it is exceptionally good. At times the writing is beautifully eloquent and the multidimensional characters rendered with great care. It is a book that will stay with me forever and reading it with a group of people has increased my understanding of events and enhanced the whole novel for me. The years it took Tolstoy to complete the novel are evident in the finished work. March - The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. What a great book. It is about 3 days of the Civil War, Gettysburg. Shaara looks at those three days through the eyes of the leaders from each side, Union and Confederate. Beautifully written, absorbing historical fiction. Running a close second is A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812. It was interesting and very well researched. The author ties together Martha's diary entries with other written documents from the same time period. Ulrich’s analysis of the social and medical history of this time period was excellent. April - Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert Massie. Captivating historical nonfiction about the last Tsar of Russia and his wife. Well chronicled, excellent research and writing. May - Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck. I love Steinbeck's writing and I really enjoyed this book and the opportunity to understand a little about the author and his thoughts and ideas. Travels With Charley is part social commentary, part travelogue, and part memoir. It is thought provoking, endearing, and a pleasure to read. Steinbeck was a true wordsmith. June - A 3-way tie! A great month where I read 8 books, four of which were excellent. The Day The Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan was excellent historical fiction - the history, the characters, the story . . . all captivated me. Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant was equally interesting - great research and history and a narrative I really enjoyed. Lastly, a memoir, What I Thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen had me reading past my bedtime. Well paced, interesting memoir. July - Honolulu by Alan Brennert. I liked this so much more than I thought I would. Interesting characters, indepth history of Hawaii, and an abundance of cultural details all combined for a great read. I read 10 books this month and Honolulu was by far the best one. I will give an honorable mention to The Fifth of March by Ann Rinaldi. Set during the Boston Massacre it was well written YA historical fiction which stayed very true to the time period and historical events. I will definitely be reading more by Rinaldi. August - I read 13 books this month thanks to a 10 day vacation with plenty of downtime. My three favs this month are City of Thieves by Benioff – historical fiction about the siege of Leningrad. Suspenseful, coming-of-age story. All Quiet on the Western Front – probably my #1 favorite this month. The despair of war was palpable, the writing superb, the story and characters well drawn. Looking forward to reading more by Remarque. The Innocent Man by Grisham - A real standout in the true crime genre. Amazing story of men who were wrongly imprisoned and all the things that can and do go wrong within our justice system. I listened to the audiobook of this one and the reader was excellent. September - Kolyma Tales by Barlam Shalamov - the author spent 17 years in the Soviet forced labor camp of Kolyma. Shalamov vividly captures the lives of ordinary people caught up in horrendous circumstances. Honorable mention to Change of Heart by Picoult (she may not be the best writer but she comes up with some great moral/ethical dilemmas!) and Stalin's Ghost by Martin Cruz Smith. October - a two way tie: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (suspenseful, interesting story) and Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (excellent historical fiction about the dust bowl era as seen through the eyes of a young girl). None of the adult books I read this month were all that interesting and I'm reading a lot of YA for a project I'm involved with. November- Still reading YA for my project and YA again beat out the adult books I read. On The Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck (excellent author) and The Walls of Cartagena by Julie Durango were the best of the seven books I read this month. December - Someone Named Eva - Wolf. WW2 era book about the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. A good reading year for me! Last Edited on: 12/31/09 5:37 PM ET - Total times edited: 15 |
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This sounds like fun. I'll start mine: Book of the month 2009
Last Edited on: 1/1/10 12:13 PM ET - Total times edited: 14 |
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I would like to do this because it might help with one of my personal goals of reading more in 2009. I'm saving my spot... January- The Glass Castle- an incredible memoir that shows we can live through anything. I reccommend this to anyone. February- Falling Leaves: The memoir of an unwanted chinese daughter. Even though I'm only about 3/4 way through this book had touched me in so many ways. This woman has been treated badly all her life by her family but she still rises and becomes a doctor and a writer. This story has sincerly touhed my heart. I finally finished the book today and like I said this book was one of the best I've read in a long time. It's sad that someone who's suppose to be "family" could possibly treat another human like that. It's horrible! March- Devil in the Details:Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood. This book was really funny and cute about a girl growing up in the 70's with OCD. April- Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer. I also read Breaking Dawn this month but it wasn't as good as Eclipse with sorta just rounded out the whole 2 other books and gave you a simple introduction to the last and final book. May- Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. This book may have been one of my fav's of the whole year possibly. It's a mixture of historical fiction set in Antebellum Maryland along with Sci-Fi...a must read!!!! June- Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris. This was the second book in the series and actually I started reading the book a month ago but put it down and picked it back up and I'm very happy that I did.A very intersting plot and keeps me coming back for more. It also helps that there is a series on HBO called Trueblood that is based on the books. July August September October November December- The Color Purple by Alice Walker. i saw the movie over 20 years ago and have continually watched it (One of my fav's) but never read the book. I decided to read the book and was really please that it stuck most to the book. This story is about two sister's that were seperated because of one became a child bride and the other a missionary to Africa but over 40 years of seperation their love still remained.
Last Edited on: 1/1/10 12:27 PM ET - Total times edited: 8 |
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I found you! I really enjoyed this last year Here is my list: Book of the Year 2009 :
Last Edited on: 9/30/09 9:05 PM ET - Total times edited: 9 |
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Welcome aboard Sherene! Glad you're here! Updating so far....I've done 4 books so far for January (one was a graphic novel my son recommended to me but it was loooooong), but nothing has stood out as a 'best' yet! I'm catching up on some between swaps reading so hopefully will get a January best soon! |
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2009 January: TheThirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield Great book about a biographer called to right an exclusive biography on a best selling author who made a point of letting the world know she would not reveal her true identity. Now that she was dying she decided it was time to tell the truth to someone. It is a great book that sucks you in. February: Track of the Cat by Navada Barr This is the first book in the Anna Pigeon series, it was pretty good. I didnt read much in Feb, hope to make up for it in March. March: The Last Full Measure by Jeff Shaara This is book three of a Civil War series. It was very good. I couldnt put it down. April: Watery Grave by Bruce Alexander I am reading the Sir John series for the mystery challenge bonus. This is book three of the series, and my favorite so far. Sir John is pulled in to investigate a captains death at sea and when he uncovers something more sinister the Kings navy wants to stop the investigation and apoint a scape goat. Very good book. May: Person or Persons Unknown by Bruce Alexander. THis is book 4, not as good as the one above, but still pretty good. Prostitutes are being killed and there are many people who are subject, but the ending is a surprise. June: Jack Knave and Fool by Bruce Alexander. Well this is the third month in a row that my favorite book is part of this series. I am really enjoying it. In this addition, there are a series of deaths in one family and a severed head that floats up in the sewer. Sir John and Jeremy have their hands full. Very well written and keeps your attention. July: Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara. I am moving this weekend, and not much time to read. I read this book and half of part two. Rise to Rebellion is about our founding fathers and what led up to the Rev. War. The book ends with the signing of the declaration of Independence. August: Well between moving and unpacking, I sadly only finished one book this month, and it was very short. The Big Wave by Pearl S Buck. Good story, but short. September: The Last Templar by Steve Berry I LOVED THIS BOOK!! it is a great tale about an ex-government agent now living in Denmark. He gets sucked into a chase across Europe to help his old boss who is being chased by Knights Templar. It is the first in a series. I plan on reading all of the series. October:
November:
December: Last Edited on: 9/25/09 8:42 PM ET - Total times edited: 9 |
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Hi, Here is my list... January 2009 - Dragonharper by Todd McCaffrey....continuation of the Dragonriders of Pern series Reading currently: The Day After Tomorrow by Whitley Strieber (movie novelization)
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Awesome I can't wait to read some of your favorites! Janurary:
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Thanks Chris for setting this up! I'm in! Cindy, I too just read The Hunger Games and LOVED it. I'll wait a bit to put it as my January favorite, but like you I don't see how it can be beat! January: February: March: April: May: June: July: August: September: October: November: December: |
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This sounds like fun......I'd like to join in. I'm not any good at writing reviews but can at least give the title, author and put in a note about it. JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER |
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