41 Books

This year I kept a record of the books I read and gave myself permission to use only two words to describe each. With the exception of a few books I mostly did just that.

It would seem that this year I chose books to escape reality and make me laugh. I chose a lot of books that were gentle on my mind and spirit and some that left me shaken. There are lot of books here that required little to no extra thought on my behalf. Although there are a few that did make me sit up and think about our world and a few that caused some deep thinking about myself.

There has only been one unfinished novel this year. It was just too, too tedious for me at the time. I might try it again in 2010...

I started a new book today that I wont get finished by this evening so this is the list. The 'Have Read It' list for 2009:

(click the button in the left bar to see the original post...)

2009 'Have Read It' List
- in order of having been read from top to bottom.

1) Twillight by Stephenie Meyer
- Completely Obsessed!

2) Assassins Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb
- Consuming goodness.

3) New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
- Couldn't stop!

4) Royal Assassin (The Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb
- Tediously Entertaining.

5) Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
- Love! Edward!

6) Assassins Quest (The Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb
- Gratifyingly completed.

7) The Nation by Terry Pratchett
- Hilariously Brilliant!

8) The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards
- Gut-wrenching catalyst.

9) Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly
- Ultimate Action.

10) The Opposite of Love by Julia Buxbaum
- Self-indulgent mush.

11) Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reich
- Brilliant. Addictive.

12) The Locus Awards: Thirty Years of the Best in Fantasy and Science Fiction by Many, many people
- Bizarre. Fascinating. (Note: There were 18 stories in this book and each was such a unique piece of writing that it would be difficult to write only two words on each story let alone the entire compilation.)

13) Foxmask by Juliet Marillier
- Haunting. Beautiful.

14) The Secrets of the Cave by Phillipa Bower
- Captivating. Emotive.

15) Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
- Near perfect.

16) The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith
- Mildly entertaintaing.

17) Whispering in God's Ear: True Stories Inspiring Childlike Faith Compiled by Wayne Holmes
- Inspiring! Powerful.

18) Obernewtyn (Book 1) by Isobelle Carmody
- Childhood favourite.

19) Farseekers (Book 2) by Isobelle Carmody
- Comfort read.

20) Ashlings (Book 3) by Isobelle Carmody
- Forever favourite. (I seriously love these books and have read them so many times - not something I can usually do!)

21) The Keeping Place (Book 4) by Isobelle Carmody
- Love Love.

22) The Stone Key (Book 5) by Isobelle Carmody
- New Love! (Ok, so my comments on these books are not very helpful suffice it to say that I am one whole leg over the line for being a nerd about these books. The first one came out when I was 11 years old and I read it straight away. The second and third came out in 1997 and the fourth came out in 2000. This book, the fifth, was released this year - 2009. It's along time to wait to hear how a story ends only to discover there is still one more to come (possibly September this year but with 17 years between the 1st and the 5th who knows!). I've grown up knowing and loving these people and their adventures and always wishing I was the main character. I've read them so many times that to say anything other than that I love them is not enough. I'm so glad Joel loves them too!)

23) The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue
- Enthralling Construction.

24) Temple by Matthew Reilly
- Gripping Action.

25) Vision in White by Nora Roberts
- Enjoyable Chic-Lit.

26) The Bright Forever by Lee Martin
- Creepily observant.

27) Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
- Scary! Excellent.

28) Death Du Jour by Kathy Reichs
- Morbidly entertaining.

29) The Flood by David Maine
- Brilliant. Uncompromising retelling. (3 words I know - but this is a truly fantastic book)

30) Jasmyn by Alex Bell
- Fairytale Awesomeness. (I have been raving about this book by 23 year old Alex Bell since reading it. Anyone who loves a modern fairytale will be completely captivated by this book. I'm on the hunt for everything else she writes from now until forever!)

31) The Road Home by Tommy Tenney & Mark Andrew Olsen
- Heart Opening. (This is the story of Ruth and Naomi from the Bible told as women in the present day. I could say a lot more about this book too!)

32) Hadassah: One Night with the King by Tommy Tenney & Mark Andrew Olsen
- Awe Inspiring. (The story of Queen Esther. I admire and am inspired by this woman so, so much...)

33) Beauty by Robin McKinley
- Gorgeous. Involving. (Retelling of Beauty and the Beast. What's with reading retellings at the moment??!)

34) Angels Fall by Nora Roberts
- Absorbing mystery.

35) Tethered by Amy MacKinnon
- Devastatingly real.

36) The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
- Magical. Moorish!

37) Saving Grace by Ciara Geraghty
- Comically Irish .

38) The Betrayal (Abram's Daughters Book 1) by Beverly Lewis
- Spell-binding. Transporting. (to the Amish life)

39) The Covenant (Abram's Daughters Book 2) by Beverly Lewis
- Gripping. Gentle.

40) The Sacrifice (Abram's Daughters Book 3) by Beverly Lewis
- Heart-rending. Faithful.

41) The Prodigal (Abram's Daughters Book 4) by Beverly Lewis
- Perfectly written .

2 comments:

  1. Are any of these re-reads? Because if I do a list like this, I have to admit, my favourites will get read and thrown into the list! I've read Beauty (I even have a copy around here somewhere). It's wonderful. She did another one called "Spindle's End" but it took a lot more effort to get in to. That could have been because that was a LONG time ago.

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  2. There are a few re-reads (The first four by Isabelle Carmody). As long as I read a book in its totality it went on the list.

    I'll have to keep a look out for Spindle if you think it's worth it!

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