My 2009 Reading Year Wrap Up and 2010 goals




2009 is drawing to a close and it has been an especially good reading year for me.  Last year I read 217 books and decided to slow down a bit for this year, enjoy my reading a bit more. I joined quite a few challenges including J.Kaye's 100 + reading challenge.  However, ended up dropping out of the ones that didn't last the entire year due to time constraints.  I still read 184 books of which 75 were new to me authors.  I actually started receiving review books from publishers this year and of those 75 new to me authors 30 were review books.  My reading was pretty eclectic this year from nonfiction to classics to British mysteries to romance to science fiction.  I discovered quite a few authors that I will definitely be reading their other books and a couple, not so much. I had signed up for MizB's Read and Review Challenge and managed to review everything I read except for 9 which I read in the past couple weeks.   I'm not sure if I'll sign up again to review every single book I read in 2010.   It helped me to keep a record of everything I read, but was stressful at times when I read faster than I had time to write reviews.   I came up with the idea of mini reviews - Libri Multus - to review those books I didn't think needed a full review.  I like the concept and will continue with it in 2010.

I am copying Jennifer's (Literate Housewife) idea of a year of Reading Deliberately and putting a bit more thought into my reading this year.   I've joined quite a few challenges but the goal is to read my own books.  We have quite a few sitting on the shelves that have been calling my name, plus others I purchased this year that have gone unread.  And since I have gotten my Barnes and Noble Nook e-reader,  I will be getting e-books for those books that I normally wouldn't even consider rereading again.

I'm not swearing off buying books entirely.    That would just be asking the impossible.   However, for the first part of the year I'm going to try and get through the ones on the shelves before making new purchases.  I'll still be accepting review requests, but making sure those books match up with my challenges.  The challenges I've joined are listed in the sidebar. I will continue to host Read 52 Books in 52 books for 2010 and a new science fiction reading challenge called Mind Voyages.  

Without further ado - here are the books I've read this year: 




  1. Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb
  2. Wicked by Gregory Maguire  *
  3. If There Be Dragons by Kay Hooper *
  4. Love by Design (2 classic novels) Loving Jack by Nora Roberts
  5. Best Laid Plans by Nora Roberts
  6. Five in a Row by Jane Coffey *
  7. Bad Faith by Aimee Thurlo
  8. Unspeakable by Sandra Brown
  9. Distant Echoes by Colleen Coble *
  10. To Catch a Thief by Christina Sky *
  11. Black Sands by Colleen Coble
  12. Hot Mahogany by Stuart Woods
  13. Split Second by David Baldacci
  14. Kiss - Ted Dekker
  15. Spider's Web by Agatha Christie
  16. Destiny Kills by Keri Arthur *
  17. Prey for a Miracle by Aimee Thurlo *
  18. The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen
  19. The Wild Sight by Loucinda McGary  *
  20. Dance with the Dragon by David Hagberg *
  21. Life of Pi by Yann Martel  *
  22. For Her Eyes Only(3) Cait London
  23. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
  24. Hercules Poirot Christmas by Agatha Christi
  25. A Ghost in the Machine by Caroline Graham *
  26. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak *
  27. House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton *
  28. Crimson Moon – Rebecca York
  29. The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner *
  30. Promises in Death - J.D. Robb
  31. Blood Bound (2) Patricia Briggs
  32. Line of Duty by Teri Blackstock
  33. The Girl She Used To Be - David Cristofano (review book) *
  34. The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett *
  35. Coral Moon - Brandilyn Collins
  36. Dangerous Depths - Colleen Coble
  37. Sag Harbor - Colson Whitehead (review book) *
  38. Fireproof - Eric Wilson *
  39. Hadassah - Tommy Tenney *
  40. The Seven Storey Mountain - Thomas Merten *
  41. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy *
  42. Long Lost - Harlan Coben (review book) *
  43. The Mystery of Grace - Charles De Lint
  44. The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Agatha Christie
  45. Mercy Street - Mariah Stewart
  46. The Titian Committee - Iain Pears *
  47. Eon: Dragoneye Reborn - Alison Goodman *
  48. 14 - J.T. Elison *
  49. A World I Never Made - James LePore (review book) *
  50. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
  51. Iron Kissed - Patricia Briggs
  52. Stone's Fall - Iain Pears (review book)
  53. Too Hot to Handle - Robin Kaye (review book) *
  54. The Ghost and Mrs. McClure - Alice Kimberly
  55. Servant: The Acceptance - L.L. Foster
  56. Servant: The Awakening - L.L. Foster
  57. 1st to Die - James Patterson *
  58. Take No Prisoners - Cindy Gerard
  59. Whisper No Lies - Cindy Gerard
  60. Enemies and Allies - Kevin J. Anderson (review book)
  61. ReDeal - Richard Turner (review book) *
  62. House of Dark Shadows - Richard Liparulo *
  63. On a Pale Horse - Piers Anthony
  64. Visions in White - Nora Roberts
  65. The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan *
  66. Inside Out - John Ramsey Miller *
  67. Thread of Fear - Laura Griffin
  68. The Alchemist: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - Michael Scott *
  69. Living a Charmed Life - Victoria Moran (review book) *
  70. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (review book) *
  71. French Bred by Frederic Guarino (review book) *
  72. Virgin River by Robyn Carr
  73. Homicide in Hard Cover - Kate Carlisle *
  74. Full Moon Rising by Keri Author
  75. Safe Haven by Hannah Alexander
  76. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
  77. Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Stewart *
  78. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (review book) *
  79. Sarah Palin: A New Kind of Leader by Joe Hilley *
  80. The Soul Collectors - Charles Quince (review book) *
  81. Hero Under Cover - Suzanne Brockmann
  82. B is for Burglar - Sue Grafton
  83. Night Fall - Cherry Adair
  84. Shelter Mountain - Robyn Carr
  85. Whispering Rock - Robyn Carr
  86. Right Next Door - Debbie Macomber
  87. Walls of Phantoms - Courtney Thomas *
  88. 20 Boy Summer - Sarah Ockler (review book) *
  89. Last Look - Mariah Stewart
  90. Last Breath - Mariah Stewart
  91. Last Words - Mariah Stewart
  92. Forgotten - Mariah Stewart
  93. Harbor Lights - Sherryl Woods
  94. Baby I'm Yours - Susan Andersen
  95. High Stakes - Lisa Jackson
  96. Wizard's Secrets - R.L. Geerdes (review book) *
  97. Chasing Demons - R.L. Geerdes (review book)
  98. Duma Key - Stephen King
  99. Ice Blue - Anne Stuart *
  100. Fire and Ice - Anne Stuart
  101. Second Chance Pass - Robyn Carr
  102. Temptation Ridge - Robyn Carr
  103. Cry Mercy - Mariah Stewart
  104. Find Me - Debra Webb *
  105. Breakpoint - Joanna Ross
  106. Black Ice - Anne Stuart
  107. Black HIlls - Nora Roberts
  108. I Can See You - Karen Rose (review book)
  109. Benny and Shrimp - Katarina Mazetti (review book)  *
  110. 1-2-3 Magic - Thomas Phelan  *
  111. The Rapture - Liz Jensen (review book) *
  112. The Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs *
  113. Blood Dreams - Kay Hooper
  114. Boneman's Daughter Ted Dekker
  115. The Divorce Party - Laura Dave (review book) *
  116. Kill Zone - Vicki Hinze *
  117. Paradise Valley - Robin Carr
  118. Shattered - Joann Ross
  119. Too Far Gone - Marliss Melton
  120. The Inn at Eagle Point - Sherryl Wood
  121. Flowers on Main - Sherryl Wood
  122. Water Witch - Deborah LeBlanc (review book) *
  123. The Atlantis Revelation - Thomas Greanias (review book) *
  124. Side by Side - John Ramsey Miller *
  125. Watcher in the Woods - Robert Liparulo
  126. Eighth Shepherd - Bodie Thoene
  127. Blackening Song - Aimee and David Thurlo
  128. Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Luis Zafon
  129. A Circle of Souls - Preetham Grandhi (review book) *
  130. Paris City of Night - David Downie (review book)  *
  131. Dragonsong - Anne McCaffrey
  132. Touch Not the Cat - Mary Stewart
  133. 4:50 from Paddington - Agatha Christie
  134. R is for Ricochet - Sue Grafton
  135. Hot Blooded - Lisa Jackson
  136. White Noise - Don Delillo (read for class) *
  137. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce (read for class) *
  138. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf (read for class) *
  139. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (reread and read for class)
  140. My Soul to Take - Rachel Vincent (review book) *
  141. Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris *
  142. Whiskey Gulf - Clyde Ford (review book) *
  143. From the Query to the Call - Elana Johnson (review book) *
  144. Witching Moon - Rebecca York
  145. Intertwined - Gena Showalter (review book) *
  146. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
  147. The Murder of King Tut - James Patterson (review book)
  148. Vanished - Joseph Finder *
  149. Hunting Ground - Patricia Briggs
  150. The Angel - Carla Neggers *
  151. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald *
  152. The Judas Strain - James Rollins *
  153. Hunt Her Down - Roxanne St. Claire
  154. The Magician - Michael Scott
  155. Dracula: The Undead - Dacre Stoker (review book) *
  156. Hush, hush - Becca Fitzpatrick (review book) *
  157. Blind Descent - Nevada Barr *
  158. Kill Her Again - Robert Gregory Browne *
  159. The Ark, the Reed and the Fire Cloud - Jenny Cote *
  160. The Red Siren - M.L. Tyndale *
  161. From a Whisper to a Scream - Charles DeLint
  162. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley *
  163. NightWatch - Sergei Kukyanenko *
  164. Holiday Grind - Cleo Coyle  (ARC)
  165. The Recipe Club - Andrea Isreal (review book) *
  166. Inkheart - Cornelia Funke *
  167. Lady Liberty - Vicki Hinze
  168. A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin *
  169. The Wyndham Case - Jill Paton Walsh *
  170. Silent Thunder - Iris Johansen *
  171. Kindred in Death - J.D. Robb
  172. The Associate - John Grisham
  173. Cold Blooded - Lisa Jackson  
  174. Bed of Roses - Nora Roberts
  175. Sizzle and Burn - Jayne Ann Krentz
  176. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens 
Books marked with a star are first time author reads.  


And I don't have the slightest idea why the links are all in different colors. I gave up trying to fix it. Just ignore, isn't code for anything.
 

    Finished but not reviewed -  yet! 
     
    1. Living Dead in Dallas  - Charlaine Harris
    2. Dead to the World - Charlaine Harris
    3. Club Dead - Charlaine Harris
    4. Living Dead in Dallas  - Charlaine Harris
    5. Dune - Frank Herbert (e-book)
    6. The Gunslinger (dark tower 1) - Stephen King (e-book)
    7. Kill for Me - Karen Rose
    8. Dark of Night - Suzanne Brockmann
    9.  
If you made it this far, thank you for reading and best wishes for a Happy New Year!  The best is yet to come. 

    8 comments:

    1. Great list! I may come back to this for inspiration. I'm looking forward to joining this years 52 in 52. Sounds like fun!

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    2. Thank-you for the inspiration. I realized that I'll have to be even more intentional in the future if I'm going to make the 52 book challenge...just didn't happen this year.
      May your New Year be FULL of WORDS!

      ReplyDelete
    3. Hi Robin,
      I've read several books on your list and have several on my TBR list. I finished all my 52 books plus some. Looking forward to next year.....oooops it is next year! Have a great day!

      Sherrie
      Just Books

      ReplyDelete
    4. Good luck with reading your own books! I tried something similar last year, and it worked out really well. It's tough at first, but it does get easier as you adjust to looking close to home for your next book!

      ReplyDelete
    5. Robin...you had a great year; congrats. Happy Reading in 2010.

      ReplyDelete
    6. Awesome year and awesome book list. Happy new year to you and your family.

      ReplyDelete
    7. I love these end of the year lists! Thanks for sharing!

      ReplyDelete
    8. Oh my gosh! You totally rocked this reading challenge!!

      You go!

      ReplyDelete

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