Booking Through Thursday...2009 In Review

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.)





If you've read this blog for very long you know that I am pretty stingy when it comes to giving a book a 5 star rating. I rarely keep or reread books, and to me a 5 means that I loved a book enough that I can't bear to part with it right away. So, not all of my favorites may be 5's, but here are some of my favorite books this year.

-What I Thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen (review)
-Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (review), audio
-The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (review), audio
-The World in Half by Cristina Henriquez (review)
-Impulse by Ellen Hopkins (review)
-Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross (review)
-Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (review), audio

One thing I always find interesting when I look back over my reviews is how my feelings towards a book may change. As I was browsing through my 4-5 star books for this list I came across a few books that I was surprised were rated as high as they were. Obviously, some books are more impressive right after you finish them than months down the road.

I was also surprised how many audio books made this list. It goes to show that a well done audio production can have amazing staying power with me. For example, I can still hear the voices and accents of many of the characters in Guernsey, nearly a year after I listened to it!

What are your favorites for the year?

Review: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Book Info:

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Doubleday Books (September 15, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780385504225

Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Fiction

Source: Library

Rating: 2.5/5

As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object -- artfully encoded with five symbols -- is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom. When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon -- a prominent Mason and philanthropist -- is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him.

It's been quite a while since I read The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons, but I remember loving them. I think I spent a long weekend curled up with both book and I devoured them within just a few days. This time around I wasn't quite as impressed.

For the most part I found Brown's writing to be overdone. It seemed like he was mainly writing so that another movie could be made. I felt like he was trying so hard to be creative and secretive with the plot that it came across as cheesy quite a few times. Another thing that I found distracting was the excessive use of italics. All of the characters thoughts were in italics and I thought it was a bit much.

This was the first full length book I read on my Sony Reader though and I loved it. I loved the portability and really enjoyed the actual reading process. I love the physical feel of books and I was afraid I would like the Reader much, but that wasn't the case. I also loved the simplicity of getting the book from the library. It was really easy to download and transfer to my Reader. So, while The Lost Symbol wasn't a hit with me, my reader was. 2.5 stars

Review: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Book Info:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Paperback: 150 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (November 24, 2008)
ISBN-13: 9781440472909

Genre: Classic, Fiction

Source: Project Gutenberg, eBook

Rating: 4/5

One of the most beloved Christmas stories in English, this engrossing tale relates Ebenezer Scrooge's ghostly journeys through Christmases past, present and future and his ultimate transformation from a harsh and grasping old miser to a charitable and compassionate human being. A perennial classic that has become as much a part of the holiday season as holly, mistletoe and evergreen wreaths.

I don't usually get into holiday stories, but I wanted to get at least a little closer to completing my classics challenge, so I gave this one a try.

The thing that surprised me the most about A Christmas Carol was how readable the story was. One of the main reasons classics intimidate me is I'm afraid the language will be hard to read. This was not the case with A Christmas Carol at all. While I'm sure knowing the story helped, the story flowed well and I am excited to give Dickens another try. 4 stars

Do you have a favorite Charles Dickens book?

Unfinished Challenges for 2009

As 2009 draws to a close I know that there are a few of my challenges that I'm not going to finish...and so I'm officially giving up on them.

The Read Your Own Books Challenge was probably the hardest one for me, and also the one I did the worst on. I think that is pretty funny considering these are all books that I picked out from my TBR, and yet I never got around to reading them.

I finished 4/10 books on this list. I also should, but probably won't, be trying this particular challenge next year.

1. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
2. Dry by Augusten Burroughs, (review)
3. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory (review)
4. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
5. The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis (review)
6. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfork Cross (review)
7. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
8. The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory
9. Amagansett by Mark Mills
10. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Another challenge I struggled on was the Classics Challenge. There are so many classics I want to read, but I never seem to make time for them with new books always showing up on my shelves. I read 3/4 books for this challenge and am pretty happy with this result. I also did a classics challenge last year and didn't read a single book for it. This may be one I try again in 2010.

1. My Antonia by Willa Cather (review), audio
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (review coming soon)
3. The Pearl by John Steinbeck (review coming soon)

The last challenge I was unable to complete was the Book Awards III Challenge. I only completed 3/5 for this challenge. I know I had more award winning books on my shelves, but I never felt compelled to read any of them. I'll probably be skipping this one if it's held again.

1. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (review) - Pulitzer Prize Winner
2. Let Me Go by Helga Schneider (review) - D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, Listen Up Award
3. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (review) - Romantic Novel of the Year Award

As of right now I am still one book away from completing the War Through the Generations Challenge, and am 100 pages into my last book for it. Since I'm so close, I'm going to work hard on completing it in the next couple of weeks. So far, I've read 4/5 for this challenge.

1. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (review)
2. Resistance by Anita Shreve (review)
3. Let Me Go by Helga Schneider (review), audio
4. Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas (review)

Happy Birthday, Jake!

I don't usually do birthday wishes on here, but did want to send a special birthday wish to my brother Jake.

Jake is 23 today and is currently in San Diego at Marine Boot Camp. He left about a week before Thanksgiving and we really miss not having him home this year for the holidays!

So, Jake, while I know you won't be able to read this until you get home...I love you and am very proud of you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Review: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Book Info:
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (March 25, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0786838183
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Library (audio)
Rating: 4/5

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:

Debate Club.

Her father's "bunny rabbit."

A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:

A knockout figure.

A sharp tongue.

A chip on her shoulder.

And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.

Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:

Possibly a criminal mastermind.

This is the story of how she got that way.

Sorry for the super long description (I even cut some of it out), but I loved the way it was written up and it gives a great example of the humor in this book. I first saw this one mentioned on a blog a while back. It looked good, but wasn't something I was rushing out to get. When the library had it on audio, though, I figured I'd give it a try.

Frankie is a great character. She's smart and opinionated, but she's also in that awkward stage where she's trying to find herself while also trying to fit in with her peers. Lockhart does a great job of keeping this balance believable. Frankie doesn't wake up one day and have all the answers. She's still insecure and that makes her very realistic.

I wasn't crazy about the narrator when I first started listening to this one. I thought her voice was a little whiny, but it grew on me after a bit. Lockhart's book was entertaining, without being full of over-the-top, unbelievable pranks. This was an enjoyable listen and I'll be watching for more of Lockhart's books. 4 stars

Review: Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Book Info:
Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Dial (September 18, 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0803730021

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Library

Rating: 4/5

Lucy has nine months to break an ancient curse in order to save both herself and her unborn daughter. Inspired by the ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale.

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child’s birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won’t be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?

I don't usually read fantasy and if I'd know the book included a faery I probably would have skipped it. This was another time when not reading the blurb ahead of time worked out well.

I thought Lucy was a great character. She was thoughtful and strong, even during an admittedly strange situation. I also liked how the book mostly focused on social situations with the fantasy side of things almost in the background at times. This may not work well for those who are looking for the fantasy aspect though.

I didn't really like the faery character. Maybe that's the realist me in me, but I thought everybody swooning around him was just annoying. I know he is supposed to be able to control human actions and thoughts, but that part of the story didn't really work for me.

While Werlin was a new author for me, I will definitely be checking out more of her books. 4 stars