Top Ten Books of 2009

I'm not going to actually try to rank these books because there were a few that I liked so much, I'm not sure I could pick my absolute favorite. And they fall into very different genres so they're hard to compare. But I felt like this was a good year for books for me. I read 53 books this last year and some of these are now on my list of all time favorites.

I've already mentioned some of these before, but here they are as a comprehensive list, in the order I read them:

I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith I'd already read this a few years ago, but reread if for bookclub this year. I seldom remember a lot about a book after awhile, excpet whether or not I enjoyed it. And this one was just a funny the second time around. Its a very quirky story set in the 1930's of a destitute English family who live in a crumbling old castle, told through the eyes of 17 year old Cassandra. It has a slightly similar feel as Jane Austen novels, but I find myself laughing out loud more in this.

Wicked, by Gregory McGuire I haven't seen the play (and from what I hear from a lot of people, they liked the play a lot better than the book), but I enjoyed this story a lot. I love reading well-known stories from a different point of view, so these retellings of fairy tales and other classics are always appealing to me. And this one definitely gives a different view of the Wicked Witch of the West.

The Homework Myth, by Alphie Kohn This is one I've mentioned already, but it was just such a great look at something that I always took for a necessity and fact of life. And I felt like it's claim that homework really isn't helping students until they are into high school was very well backed by research and examples. I actually read every single footnote in this book because I was so interested in all the research, but I think it would be a fairly fast read for a nonfiction if you skipped all those.

Cold Sassy Tree, by Olivia Ann Burns This is such a great book set in a small, southern town in the early 1900's. I love reading about the south since we moved here, but this book is great no matter where you live. The characters are amazing and their voices are so strong. The story is based on Burns' grandparents history, but is fiction.

The Omnivores Delimma, by Micheal Pollan Fascinating look into our food and where it originates and how our eating habits have developed to what they are today.

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell Nonfiction, looks at what makes people the best, the biggest, the most successful. It is fascinating to see how many little things have to work out just right--the year they are born, the city they live in, the people they meet--to let them end up as the genius of their field, like Bill Gates or the Beatles. And it all makes me feel a little better about being mediocre.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer This novel written in letter form is a fun look at post WWII life, largely through the eyes of a London author, on Guernsey Island as the people recover from the effects of teh German occupation. It took a little while to keep the various letter writers straight, but the characters have pretty good voices so it gets easier to jump from one point of view to the next.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak Another WWII era book, this time set in Germany and narrated by death, this book is the story of a young girl who was sent to a foster home before her Communist mother was taken to a concentration camp. The style is very unique, the characters are incredible, and even though I wouldn't classify it as an easy read, it quickly became one I couldn't put down.

Twenties Girl, by Sophie Kinsella I'll admit to enjoying Sophie Kinsella's books, including the Shopaholic series, although I enjoy her other books more, when I'm in the mood for a very light read. But I really enjoyed this story and felt like in the end, it actually had a good message which is a nice twist for a fluffy romance/comedy type of book. It's a modern day ghost story that examines family and loyalties and life. It has some silly parts, and I actually debated whether it really belongs on my top 10 list, but in the end, I did really like it.

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett I know I just mentioned this book, but I have to mention it again. The characters in this book are awesome. The three women are all so amazing, so strong, and go through such well-developed character changes through out the book. The incidents in this book are so hard to understand, and yet so easy to see happening. I'm a big fan of a well written human rights type of book, and this is probably one of my all time favorites.

And some runner-ups:

My Sister's Keeper, by Jodie Picoult (would have made the top 10 but I hated the ending so much that I can barely recommend it to people.)

Reading Magic, by Mem Fox (Love her kids books and this had great reasons to read aloud.)

Siblings Without Rivalry, by Adele Faver (Good parenting book.)

Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv (About our national nature-deficit disorder.)

The Willoughbys, by Lois Lowry (reminded me a little of the Series of Unfortunate Events. And while we're at it, the Gooney Bird Greene books by Lois Lowry are some of my favorites to read with Bean--Lowry is so good at writing the quirky girls and I love it. I've always been a big fan of her Anastasia Krupnik books.)

Bad Mother, by Ayelet Waldman (Memoir of a mother of 4, didn't agree with everything in it, but it was interesting to read her experiences.)

I'm Down, by Mishna Wolff (Memoir of a poor white girl raised in an all black neighborhood by a father who thought he was black--fascinating, but overall left me feeling really sad.)

The Pirate's Daughter, by Margaret Cezair-Thompson (Novel about the love affair of actor Errol Flynn while he lived in Jamaica and then the daughter born from that--also left me feeling sad.)

And finally worth mentioning, I read the most recent of Alexander McCall Smith's books--he writes The #1 Ladies Detective Agency, which is set in Botswana, and then two series set in Scotland. I think I've read all of them except the most recent from the Isabel Dalhousie series, which are my favorites. All of his books move at a slow pace, but I really enjoy the characters and the rambling tought processes he presents through them.

And now I'm on to my 2010 readings--I started a couple books last week and then came home from bookclub last night with a whole list of new books to look for, so I'm off to a good start.