Saturday, November 7, 2009

I've earned my personal pan pizza. Go forth and Book-It.

One of items lost when our hard drive bit the dust a week or so ago was the document where I had been recording the titles of the books I've read in 2009. I've been working on recreating the list this evening and decided that today's NaBloPoMo (see graphic to right) would be a list of my favorite reads so far this year. You can click on each title to link to the original NTB post written about each book.

In no particular order, here are some of my favorite reads this year:

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Commencement by J.Courtney Sullivan

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Plus, there's one more title that I loved but never posted about: Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym. This novel tells the story of four co-workers (not friends) who work in mindless office jobs as they transition into retirement. At moments, the novel is amusing as Pym so perfectly captures the eccentricities and habits of retirees. At other moments, the novel is truly heartbreaking in its portrayal of loneliness and disconnection.

You know what's coming, tell me please what you've been reading and enjoying this year . . .

6 comments:

Actchy said...

I've fallen behind on my reading. And while you know I normally eschew non-fiction, I've just picked up "Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys" by Kindlon and Thompson. I'm only 100 pages or so into it, but so far find it very interesting.

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

Oh Lordy. Don't ask me to do homework! Please! I read what's in front of me and holding still. Right now, I'm reading Transgender History by Susan Sryker. Non-fiction, historical. Very interesting, if a bit dry (she is, after all, a history professor...)

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

Sorry. Susan STRYKER

CaraBee said...

I just finished Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, which I really enjoyed. It's a murder mystery/love story set in 1950s Spain. I finished it in less than 24 hours. It's that good. Also, just read How I Became a Famous Novelist at your recommendation and absolutely loved it.

Right now I'm going back and forth between one of my sci-fi stories and The Happiest Toddler On The Block. Good times.

E... said...

Since I rely on your recs about half the time, my list mirrors yours. I'm reading The Book Thief right now, and also am two books in to the Sookie Stackhouse series -- hoping it gets better. Have read a bunch of YA stuff lately, incl. Coraline, Hunger Games, Wintergirls, and have really liked all of it. I have a whole stack of good stuff waiting for me: new Nick Hornby, Elizabeth Berg, and Richard Russo, plus The Help. I'm in an exciting book place!

WPA said...

I'm reading Snow Falling on Cedar now--I have had it for ages and never read it. Really lovely.

 
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