The 2009 recap : the best of the best!
Everyone is doing it and I won’t be the exception! With 150 books read this year (possibly 151 by the end of the day), it would be difficult to select a “Top Ten”, so instead I present you a list of the best I read this year. There are some categories with more than one title, and I added a link to the review when available with a few comments. I also added a short list of other books and stats at the end.
Here we go! 😀
Best Fantasy :
Mistborn : The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson : one of the most captivating fantasy novel I read not only this year, but in all my reading life! It’s a wonder I haven’t read the next two books yet.
Best Historical Fiction :
The Virgin’s Tale by Sherri Smith : I was surprised by how much I loved this book. Ancient history is my favorite historical setting, and this story of a roman vestal was beautiful – and beautifully written!
Roma : The Novel of Ancient Rome by Steven Saylor : With a story spanning over such a long period of time, Roma was more the saga of a city than a saga about the characters. I enjoyed it more than I first thought, since even though it was one of my first books read in 2009 (and my first review!), I still remember it vividly.
Best YA / Fantasy :
The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan : This was one of the most surprising book I read this year. The story was good, but it’s the ending that gives this dark novel all its sense.
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld : Westerfeld was one of my 2009 discoveries, and Leviathan was great! I loved it, and the fact that it was illustrated certainly played its part.
Best YA / Dystopian :
The Hunger Games by Suzann Collins : There’s nothing more to say than what’s already been said around the blogosphere : it’s fast, it’s great, and I want more of it!
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld : This came highly recommended by other bloggers, and I’m so glad I read it (and the whole series). Uglies combines the author’s wild imagination with a great storyline, and I’m sad that I already finished reading it!
Best YA / Fiction :
Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee : This is a beautiful novel, and if you enjoy YA fiction, you should absolutely try this one! Rosemary was one of the most realistic characters I read in YA fiction, and her battle to get a healthier body and more self-confidence was one that most girls and women will relate to.
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch : This short novel is an absolute must-read. It gave me chills, it brought tears to my eyes; it was strong and emotional, and I highly recommend it.
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson : Intense and disturbing, but oh so well written. Lia’s voice was one of the strongest I got the change to read in a long time.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han : I had to edit this post to add this book once I realized I had shamefully forgotten it. It’s without a doubt one of my favorite books this year, well written, with a great story that felt of summer.
Best Chicklit :
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella : Kinsella is one of my favorite chicklit author, and she didn’t disappoint with her most recent novel. Not only did I love it, but I think it was my favorite of hers – or close to.
Best Urban Fantasy :
Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey : I had never read Carey before, but I fell in love with Santa Olivia. Her writing is very different (in a good way) and I loved the characters.
Best Fiction :
The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie : I am so glad I got the chance to review this novel! It was beautiful, poetic, and haunting. Loved it.
Never let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro : This book grew on me. When I first read it, I thought it was good, not great; but over the months, I kept thinking about it. I’ll definitely try more by the author.
Best “novels that will stay with me”:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath : I wish I had read this novel when I was 17-18, because I would have related to the character so much at that time. Still, I loved Plath’s writing and thought this book was gripping.
Life as we Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer : This book haunted me : I had dreams and nightmares about it, but it was so good. Scary, emotional, but also with a touch of hope, it was one of my favorite this year. I’m looking forward to reading the next two books in this trilogy.
Some other books that I enjoyed : Pride and Prey by Rachel Vincent, Moon Called and Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs, Gone by Michael Grant and Watchmen by Allan Moore.
Books that I didn’t enjoy much : Tithe by Holly Black, Wings by Aprilynne Pike, The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff, The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch.
Books read this year : 150 (twice my original goal of 75!)
Pages read : 45 156
Library Books : 38
Owned Books : 112
That’s it for me! Now I’m curious : which books did you particularly enjoyed this year? Which book disappointed you? Did you reach your reading goal(s) for 2009?
I felt exactly the same way about Never Let Me Go! It turned out to be one of the best books I read this year, and I was just meh about it when I finished. We actually have very similar lists. 🙂
I really feel under read after reading all of these best of lists. I’ve only read one of those books, but I have five others in my TBR pile. That should count for something.
Immmmmpressive stats. I like the way you formatted your list. I bowed out of writing a top post by the 31st because I had no idea how to narrow it down to JUST TEN.
I’m so glad you had a chance to read The Bell Jar. I come back to that book every year or two for a re-read and it always holds its own. It feels like I like it more the older I get.
In any case, Happy New Year! I hope you have fun watching the fireworks and hanging out with friends and family (:
Very nice stats!! Also hated Wings and Tithe. Don’t know why so many people love those ones, but I just didn’t. I need to read Mistborn. I just haven’t picked that one up yet, but I think I need to real quick. Happy New Year!!
I can’t believe how much reading you got done this year, especially considering how tough school was for you later in the year! What a huge accomplishment! I hope 2010 turns out to be just as rewarding for you!
Great list! Many of them are on my to-read list for 2010, and your snippets are making me eager to get going on them 🙂
Totally agree with your pick for best chick-lit. I was a bit worried when I started Twenties Girl, but ended up loving it. Kinsella even managed to get a tear or two out of me, which I don’t think has happened with any of her other books.
I’m reading Uglies at the moment, so I hope that I love it as much as you did.
I also read The Bell Jar this year. I’m not sure I would have appreciated it as a teenager though. We read it for our bookgroup and a lot of them read it when they were younger and found it very distressing. I agree that it is a book that stays with you though.
I hope to read Never Let You Go in 2010 – I hope that I enjoy it!
Happy New Year!
I most definitely agree about Wintergirls & Twenties Girl, they’re among my Top 5 too! I’ve also really enjoyed The Bell Jar and Never Let Me Go when I read them a few years ago. And I really want to read Life As We Knew It and The Hunger Games since everyone’s been praising these books, but just can’t get round to them!
All in all, a great list! And congrats on reading 150 books!
The Hunger Games is the only book on your list that I read though I do have Leviathan and Never Let Me Go on my shelves. I’m definitely about to add a lot of these titles to my TBR list. Happy New Year!
I like the way you did your year recap!! I read quite a few of the YA books that you listed. My reading year was better than I could ever have hoped for and can’t wait for 2010!
Great list, Kay! It looks like you had a fun reading year this past year. The Bell Jar is one I keep meaning to get to, but still haven’t managed. I should try and correct that this year. I hope you have a very Happy New Year. And Happy Reading!
I’m totally with you on Life As We Knew It — holy crap, I loved that book! So haunting and incredible. I’m almost afraid to read the next book in the series for fear that it won’t live up to the first. And I guess that’s why I’ve been putting it off since then!
I loved The Hunger Games and Artichoke’s Heart, too, and will definitely be adding The Demon’s Lexicon to my TBR stack!