This week’s Booking Through Thursday asks — It’s the last day of the year, and you know what that means … nostalgia and looking back. What were your favorite books of the year? (Books that were new to you in 2009, if not necessarily published this year.).
BBT just so happened to be my post for today so this was an easy one this morning. 🙂
I took a look back at my list of books that I read this year and here are the best of the bunch. Some are old and some are new. I decided not to separate out any particular genre, so in the end, it’s just my list of what I read and liked this year in no particular order.
What I liked —
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell – It was funny, slightly educational, and entertaining.
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell – This book sat on my shelf for years before I picked it up. It made me mad, made me cry, and made me laugh. I’m sorry I waited so long to read it.
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates – This was a phenomenal book. You should read it.
Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell – This year was the year of Cornwell for me…I read a lot of his books this year. Agincourt was probably my favorite.
Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament by SG Browne – OK, I know, zombies…but it was really funny, like laugh out loud funny.
Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji – I read, no devoured, this book in one sitting. It was just wonderful.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Again, another book I don’t know why I waited so long to read. It took me forever to finish because I kept going back to re-read passages.
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger – I think this was a love it or hate it book. I didn’t love it as much as The Time Traveler’s Wife but I still loved it.
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran – She has become one of my new favorite authors. I can’t wait for her next book.
An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon – What can I say, I have a soft spot in my heart for this series.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – Jackson is just a wonderful writer. She pulls you in and you can’t put her books down until you’ve finished the last word.
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater – This is the first book of her’s that I’ve read but I will be looking for more in 2010.
What I didn’t Finish —
Memnoc the Devil by Anne Rice – I don’t know what it is but I can never finish an Anne Rice novel.
Drood by Dan Simmons – I liked The Terror but for some reason, couldn’t get into this one.
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett – I tried, I really did. I plan to pick this one up again in 2010.
Powers by John B. Olson – I didn’t like any of the characters. What can I say, it happens sometimes.
Well, that’s it for 2009. I’m starting my list anew for 2010 and wish you all the best for another year of great reading.
Happy New Year!
Just Book Reading 
Glad to see Sarah Vowell on there – I attended a David Sedaris reading late last year and he recommended Sarah Vowell’s work. Definitely on my TBR list!
You read some great books this year! Gone with the Wind is one of my all-time favorites, The Wordy Shipmates was great, and I absolutely adored Her Fearful Symmetry! Great choices. 🙂
Happy New Year to you, too! Have you put up a review of We Have Always Lived in the Castle? I’m interested to hear more of your thoughts on it.
Yes, I did do a review of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. It’s here – https://justbookreading.com/2009/10/19/we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle/. If you have the chance, pick it up.
I do have to read Gone with the Wind in 2010. There can be no ‘but’s’ about it. Like you I have had it on my shelves forever and I still don’t know why I didn’t get to it. I thought I would read more of the Outlander series in 2009 because I read part one in December ’08 and loved it but somehow it turned out that I didn’t read any other books in this series so that will have to be one of my goals too.
Happy New Year!
Happy new year! 😀
I loove the book Revolutionary Road, it’s one of my favorites.
This year i have actually been reading all the Dan Browns. It started with me randomly picking up Angels and Demons and absolutely loving it, so that got me to read Da Vinci Code, Decpetion Point and Digital Forteress.
I have read My Sister’s Keeper too, i liked it, just was a bit disappointed, Veronika Decides To Die was really really good you should read it.. what else?.. The Lovely Bones was amazing, and i started with Pride and Prejudice which i thought was not interesting enough for me to finish it.. but i have to, everyone thinks it’s great, what do you think?
Anyway, i’ve talked too much, sorry! just wanted to suggest some good things 😀
Happyn New Year again, take care 🙂
I MUST put Gone with the Wind on my 2010 tbr list! It’s one of those books that I’ve been meaning to read for years, but never seem to get around to.
Great list!
Happy New Year!
Great list of favorites. Hope you get back to Pillars, it gets better.
I had Gone with the Wind on my list as well. I can’t believe it took me so many years to finally pick it up and read it!
I really have to read Revolutionary Road. I have it, but I saw the movie first. The movie was okay, but didn’t inspire me to rush to read the book. I will, though.
Happy New Year!
you didn’t miss much by not finishing Drood. I hated it.
Agreed about Niffeneger. TTW was better but HFS was enjoyable.
I absolutely loved the first 4 Rice vampire books but long ago gave up on them. They got off why I loved them in the first place.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Revolutionary Road so I might just have to read it.