Thursday, January 1, 2009

81 in 2008 and a Reading Plan for 09

In 2008, I began to keep track of all the books I read. I've always wanted to do this, and I've never done it before. As you can see, I read a lot...and I always felt like I had to "go backwards" and catch up the list...and I knew that was just impossible. So I finally decided to just plunge in. And here it is, the completed list of books I read in 2008:
*YA = Young Adult
  1. Deadline by Chris Crutcher YA
  2. Hatred for Tulips by Richard Lourie
  3. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld YA
  4. Specials by Scott Westerfeld YA
  5. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale YA
  6. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin YA
  7. Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
  8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld YA
  9. The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
  10. Away by Amy Bloom
  11. Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy YA
  12. The Game by Diana Wynne Jones YA
  13. Unwind by Neal Schusterman YA
  14. Sao Tome by Paul D. Cohn
  15. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
  16. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
  17. Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling
  18. Airman by Eoin Colfer YA
  19. My Enemy's Cradle by Sara Young
  20. Mademoiselle Boleyn by Robin Maxwell
  21. Dragon Harper by Anne & Todd McCaffrey
  22. The Protector's War by S.M. Stirling
  23. Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
  24. Meeting at Corvallis by S.M. Stirling
  25. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer YA
  26. The Sisters Grimm (Book #1) by Michael Buckley (kids)
  27. The Seems: A Glitch in Sleep by Hulme and Wexler (kids)
  28. The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing
  29. The Sunrise Lands by S.M. Stirling
  30. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
  31. The Rabbi of 84th Street by Warren Kozak
  32. Winding Ways Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
  33. The Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling
  34. The Secret Scroll by Ronald Cutler
  35. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
  36. Not Me by Michael Lavigne
  37. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
  38. Chairman-X by Rami Loya
  39. The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center
  40. The Host by Stephanie Meyer
  41. The Diplomat's Wife by Pam Jenoff
  42. Anytime Playdate by Dade Hayes
  43. Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
  44. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by J. Hertzberg and Z. Francois
  45. Posh by Lucy Jackson
  46. Change of Heart by Jodi Piccoult
  47. Day of Small Beginnings by Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum
  48. Something to Blog About by Shana Norris(YA)
  49. The Spinster Sisters
  50. By the Rivers of Babylon by Nelson DeMille
  51. Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
  52. Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva
  53. The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
  54. We Plan, God Laughs by Sherre Hirsch
  55. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
  56. I Will Not Be Broken by Jerry White
  57. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
  58. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
  59. Address Unknown by Katherine Kressman Taylor
  60. Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout
  61. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
  62. The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
  63. The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White YA
  64. White House Autumn by Ellen Emerson White YA
  65. Long Live the Queen by Ellen Emerson White YA
  66. Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White YA
  67. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow YA
  68. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
  69. The Scourge of God by S.M. Stirling
  70. The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
  71. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
  72. Quilter's Kitchen by Jennifer Chiaverini
  73. Pale of Settlement by Margot Singer
  74. The Search Committee by Marc Angel
  75. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
  76. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
  77. Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card
  78. Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani
  79. The German Bride by Joanna Hershon
  80. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling
  81. Dragonsblood by Todd McCaffrey
Let's break it down....okay, let's not. Eighty-one is a pretty long list. I'm not even sure I could choose a favorite book this year! Some of my favorites were...The People of the Book, definitely, and Airman, and The Search Committee...and, okay I can't choose! I really enjoyed Stirling's Change series. I read the whole set this year. I also read the Uglies/Pretties Series, the Twilight Series, the President's Daughter series (although technically the first 2 or 3 were a re-read), and a couple of Dragon books from the McCaffreys. There was a new Daniel Silva, a new Artemis Fowl, 2 Chiaverini Quilt books (!) and a new Ender book. I only read one book that I thought was so bad I almost didn't put it on the list (it was for a book group that I ended up bailing on, partly because I didn't like the book!) and the rest were all pretty enjoyable. Looking back over hte list is like revisiting a year's worth of friends. And that's a good feeling.

So....What am I going to read in 2009?

After reading Beedle the Bard's stories, I'm definitely going to re-read Harry Potter, Book 7. Plus the 6th movie is coming out, so I'm bound to re-read Book 6 too. On my bedside table right now: Girl from Foreign, The American Wife (hey you lurking....I promise to read it!), The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey, Growing up Digital, Breakfast with Buddha, Shadow Divers, My Holocaust, and Fieldwork: A Novel. (That was mostly from memory, so I might have missed one or two that have been living there a while.)

My book group is doing Hungry Tide, so I'll read that, and I'm leading discussions on As A Driven Leaf and Day of Small Beginnings, so I'll probably re-read both of those as well.

I'm going to take part in two challenges:
2009 Young Adult Book Challenge - Read 12 Young Adult Books
Support Your Local Library Challenge - Read 25 books from the library

and I'm still trying to get organized enough to try reading the Printz Award Challenge. (The Printz Award is for Young Adult literature)

I think it's the organization that trips me up in the reading challenge department. I just like to read and I'm not always very organized about when and what and how. There does seem to be a lot of talk lately about what we're all reading, so I thought I'd put in my 2 shekels too.


What are YOU planning to read in 2009? Any good suggestions for me to add to the list?

6 comments:

David A.M. Wilensky said...

Anathem by Neal Stephenson came out in 2008. It is the best book I've ever read. It is a must for you in 2009.

Sharon Delman said...

Thanks for sharing your list; People of the Book was a highlight of my 2008 reading, although I didn't keep a list. New year, new plan. I'm planning to document what I read in 2009. Thanks for the inspiration.

Batya said...

I'm impressed. I have no idea what I'll read. I don't buy books, with few exceptions. My daughter #1 gives me her books to read and store in my house. Yes, the house looks like a storeroom, and I volunteered to take a family, ok a couple from the south if anyone is interested.

Beth @ TheAngelForever said...

Most impressed with your reading list. I love to read, but have a hard time finding time. I often select knitting time over a book lately. I will certainly look at your list and put in some requests at our library to pick up. Thanks for sharing and happy reading!

SuperRaizy said...

Showoff! (just kidding)
I also plan on reading Tales of Beedle the Bard soon. Can't get enough of the magical world.
Happy 2009 to you and yours.

Shtetl Fabulous said...

I just finished "Julie and Julia" and immediately started "Bonk," which is a non-fiction book about the science behind sex. Mary Roach is a really funny science writer and it's certainly a scintillating topic.

I am 3/4 finished with "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" and am inspired by your list to start tracking my own reading in 2009! Cheers!