Best Books of 2009
As the old year draws to a close, I’ve been seeing “best of” lists popping up all over the place. It made me stop and think about what I’ve been reading this year. Some of the books that caught my fancy were new releases, like Gail Carriger’s Soulless or Meredith Duran’s Bound by Your Touch; others were long overdue catch-up, like Lisa Kleypas’ Dreaming of You and Laura Lee Gurhke’s And Then He Kissed Her; and others were marathon reads of whole series, like Julia Spencer-Fleming’s Adirondack mysteries, Kristan Higgins’ contemporary romance novels, and Jen Lancaster’s entire non-fiction oeuvre. It’s been a good reading year.
Which were the books that made the deepest impression on you in 2009?
I second the Gail Carriger Soulless and I add Jasper Fforde’s Shades of Grey, just amazing world building. I also finally got around to the Amelia Peabody books and am loving them! Plus all things Lisa Lutz.
Shade of Grey by Jasper Fforde. This one barely counts since it actually just came out yesterday. But, I bought it immediately and have only dared to put it down for short periods. This book, like all of Fforde’s other works, mesmerizes the reader with its wit and subtle commentary on our world while still amusing with the quirkiness that reader’s of Fforde have come to expect.
Should have been Shades of Grey.
Kevin Roose’s debut work of nonfiction, ‘The Unlikely Disciple’ was interesting, thought-provoking, and funny. Basically, Kevin Roose goes on an undercover “semester abroad” to Liberty University, a fundamentalist Christian college in Virginia. I have to say, it really makes you think.
I also loved the ‘Rashi’s Daughters’ trilogy, by Maggie Anton. Medieval France, Judaism and the Talmud, romance, family…all make for a good read.
I’m reading And Then He Kissed Her right now! I’m enjoying it thus far.
This year I adored What Happens in London, and I was also quite taken by 84, Charing Cross. Those are the ones that spring to mind…
Mm, I just discovered Lisa Kleypas. Which led to me reading six of her books in about a week, with many emergency trips to various library branches. I haven’t read Dreaming of You, though everyone I’ve encountered online seems to be madly in love with Derek Craven. It’s only my list for the next library trip!
I am a cliche but I got hooked on Twilight about 4 days ago and haven’t stopped reading. Starcrossed lovers get me everytime. Also, the Glassbooks of the Dream Eaters series Gordon Dahlquist was one of my favorites since it was unlike anything I had ever read – very imaginative.
I just finished reading The Magicians and Mrs. Quent and I absolutely loved it! It has gothic elements, romance, and light magic all set in an alternate Victorian England.
I’ve read and loved the Mortal Instruments series, Catching Fire, The Wednesday Sisters (by Meg Waite Clayton) and The Help 🙂 On an unrelated note, Shades of Grey came out??! I’ve read the first of his series about Thursday Next, and I got really excited for it. Have to go buy it!
ooo Gina…Catching Fire! I loooove The Hunger Games. Fire by Kristin Cashore (and her other book Graceling for that matter) was a favorite of mine. Otherwise, my best discoveries were the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey and The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
I personally loved reading about Charlotte’s book, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, and also Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander. Tears of Pearl was a really fun mystery/suspense novel to read about Lady Emily Hargreaves’ adventure. ^_^
So many genres, so many great reads…Nine Lives by Dan Baum is the one that has stuck with me the most. It is fascinating non-fiction account ofnine New Orleans residents before and after Hurricane Katrina. Reads like a novel, but with numerous sources cited, and covers an incredible cross-secton of the populace. Very moving…In mystery, there was a great new book called Dog On It…can’t wait for the sequel, which is coming out the same week as Blood Lily…….Do you you think they’ll let me take a few days off work?
I also liked the Kevin Roose book-_he wrote very respectfully about a challenging subject.
I am think I am going to need more thana week to follow up on all these great recomendations.
Two very different books, but I’d have to say that the hands-down best books I read this year (and perhaps ever) were Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
This was also the year I discovered your wonderful books, hooray! 🙂