2009: The Year I Read 50 Books

Back in January I challenged myself to read 35 books this year. In fact, I started this blog in the first place as an attempt to keep track of what I had read. So often people would ask, "What have you read lately?" and I would just draw a blank even though I could have rattled off any number of titles suitable for the inquirer's reading. I am proud to say that I not only met my goal but far exceeded it! I ended up reading 50 books and if I have some time tomorrow, there's a chance I'll finish 51 before the ball drops.

So, in a little walk down memory lane, and as a quick reference for future readers looking for a good tome to tuck into on a cold winter or warm summer day, I present my:



Fifty Books of 2009 (all linked back to their original review -- yes, this took a long time)

The starred entries are ones I found particularly memorable and would suggest reading over any of the others. Not that there aren't other worthy reads, those are just my faves this year.


1.) Louder than Words, Jenny McCarthy
2.) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer ***
3.) Life of Pi, Yann Martel
4.) Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, Vicki Myron ***
5.) Peony in Love, Lisa See
6.) Multiple Bles8ings, Kate Gosselin
7.) Julie & Julia, Julie Powell
8.) One Fifth Avenue, Candace Bushnell
9.) Plum Spooky, Janet Evanovich
10.) Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortensen
11.) Change of Heart, Jodi Picoult
12.) Such a Pretty Fat, Jen Lancaster ***
13.) Home, Marilynne Robinson
14.) The 19th Wife, David Ebershoff ***
15.) Here's The Story, Maureen McCormick
16.) New Rules of Lifting for Women, Lou Schuler
17.) Reading the OED, Ammon Shea
18.) A Little Bit Wicked, Kristen Chenoweth
19.) The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
20.) Look Me In The Eye: My Life with Asperger's, John Elder Robison
21.) Master Your Metabolism, Jillian Michaels
22.) Mommywood, Tori Spelling
23.) The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
24.) Blessings, Anna Quindlen
25.) Still Alice, Lisa Genova ***
26.) Handle With Care, Jodi Picoult
27.) Best Friends Forever, Jennifer Weiner
28.) Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates ***
29.) We Are All Fine Here, Mary Guterson
30.) Finger Lickin' Fifteen, Janet Evanovich
31.) The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
32.) Resilience, Elizabeth Edwards
33.) The Center of Everything, Laura Moriarty
34.) Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster
35.) Always Looking Up, Michael J. Fox
36.) Dismantled, Jennifer McMahon
37.) The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
38.) Supreme Courtship, Christopher Buckley
39.) Born Round, Frank Bruni ***
40.) The Wedding Girl, Sophie Kinsella/Madeline Wickham
41.) The Book Thief, Markus Zusak ***
42.) Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher
43.) Sloppy Firsts, Megan McCafferty
44.) Before You Know Kindness, Chris Bohjalian ***
45.) Twilight, Stephanie Meyer
46.) New Moon, Stephanie Meyer
47.) You Better Not Cry, Augusten Burroughs ***
48.) In the President's Secret Service, Ronald Kessler
49.) Bitter is the New Black, Jen Lancaster
50.) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins ***


So there you have it. I hope you'll be motivated to pick a few of these up in your future reading endeavors. While I think my 50 fifty reads to be quite a feat, I couldn't have done it without my fabulous library. I didn't purchase a single one of these books. (Sorry publishers being put out of business due to the Kindle) They were all borrowed from just 3 miles down the road saving me upwards of $1,000 (calculating hard cover prices). I hope you all have access to a wonderful establishment such as this. Libraries are tantamount in a reading list this large as much as having the time to read every last word written.

Happy Reading in 2010!