2009 Reading Wrap-Up

Today's edition of Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books is devoted to book lists. Semicolon has quite a few of her own. You can also link up a regular review, but I thought I'd take up the challenge.

At 5 Minutes for Books we all shared our "Year in Review(s)" as well. Check it out.

This year was the first that I was really faithful about keeping a reader's notebook. It helped me write my reviews, and track what I was reading and how long it took me to read them.

I probably didn't track every book, but my reading journal records 106 books read in 2009. In addition to that, I listened to at least 15 audiobooks (which I didn't always track).

Here's the breakdown:

Fiction (adult), 41 books. Here are the stand-outs, linked to my reviews:

• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar
• Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
• After You by Julie Buxbaum

Memoir, 22 books. I've always enjoyed memoir, but as I was flipping through my notebook I noticed that I read many food and travel memoirs, alongide other typical memoir fare:

• My Life in France by Julia Child
• Eat My Globe by Simon Majumdar
• Halfway to Each Other by Susan Pohlman
  
• Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
• The Red Leather Diary by Lily Koppel

Other Nonfiction, 16 books -- lots of parenting books here, but compelling:

• Dear Mom
• You'd Be So Pretty If. . . .
• Free Range Kids
  
• The Hidden Life of Deer
  

Tween and Teen Lit, 27 books -- notably:

• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
• The Mother Daughter Bookclub series by Heather Vogel Frederick
• Meet the Austins series by Madedeleine L'Engel
• Anne of Green Gables (for the first time!) by L.M. Montgomery
• The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  

This isn't an award show, but I also wanted to thank my husband of 17 years -- today. He supports me in everything I want to do, and whether we're watching DVDs on the sofa, or reading side by side in bed, I'm so glad to share life with him.