December/Year Wrap-Up and Top 2009 Reads

Total Books for 2009

I read 101 books 2009 and reviewed 100 of those. I left 5 books unfinished. I have 1 review to write. I read 11 books in December, which is great, considering the holidays and other year-end projects.

What Did I Read and Review in December?

Here's what I reviewed in December. Click on the link to see my review; the letter in parentheses is my rating

Full Reviews

• The Magykal Papers by Angie Sage (B+)
• Dough by Richard Bertinet (A)
• Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle (B-)
• The Brain Finds a Leg by Martin Chatterton (B+)
• An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon (B)
• Burning for Revenge by John Marsden (B+)
• Sweeping up Glass by Carolyn Wall (A)
• The Arrival by Shaun Tan (A)
• The Graceling by Kristin Cashore (C+)
• Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian (A+)
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (B+)

Short Reviews (Read before I Started Blogging)

• The Russian Hill Murders by Shirley Tallman
• Dairy Hollow Soup & Bread by Crescent Dragonwagon
• Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon
• Sideways by Rex Pickett
• Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home by the Moosewood Collective
• The Tavern on Maple Street by Sharon Owens

I am thrilled with this month's reading. I had only one C book, and I think my rating was influenced by the poor audiobook production and because I had two A books just before it. I am so happy to have ended the year with some of my favorite books.

Literary Road Trip, Author Interviews, Guest Posts

• Literary Road Trip project: Kristin Bair O'Keeffe, novelist

Did I Complete Any Challenges? Join Any New Ones?

Are you kidding?

I completed: YA Dystopian Challange, Library Thing's 999 Challenge, the 100+ Challenge (didn't blog about finishing)

I joined: Historical Fiction Challenge, Debutante Ball Challenge, South Asian Author Challenge, 451 Challenge, eBook Challenge, Audiobook Challenge, Graphic Novel Challenge, Buy One and Read Challenge, Beth Kephart Challenge, and Tournament of Reading Challenge.

Phew! I'm exhausted just typing this.

Other Activities

• I hosted a mini-break for the participants of the Read.Read.Readathon.
• I shared a recipe for the Progressive Dinner.
• I participated in the Holiday Swap.
• I participated in the Advent Tour.

What's New and What's Coming for January and 2010?

You'll have to wait for Sunday, January 3 for that. I'm still working on my goals and changes. I'm currently focusing on my blog roll, reviews, and managing my plugged-in time. My Sunday post will also discuss my 2010 challenges.

Challenges from 2009

• I finished 20 challenges in 2009.
• I officially abandoned 3 challenges (Civil War, U.S. Presidents, Blog Improvement Project)
• I failed to complete 5 challenges (9 Books in 2009, A-Z Authors, A-Z Titles, Scott Westerfeld, and Art History).

I was within inches of finishing the two A-Z challenges and the Scott Westerfeld. My failures were absolutely related to bad planning. I liked the idea of the other two challenges and stubbornly refused to admit defeat, so no honorable abandonment for them.

Fun Stats from 2009

First Review of the Year: Dead of the Night by John Marsden
Last Review of the Year: Death of Charming Man by M. C. Beaton
Male Authors: 50
Female Authors: 51
Most-read genre: fantasy
Least-read genre: short stories / early reader
New to me genre: graphic novels--I read 18

Top Reads from 2009 (alphabetical order)

Audiobooks (based on book and production)

• The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
• Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
• Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Fiction

• The Killing Tree by Rachel Keener
• Nothing but Ghosts by Beth Kephart
• Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
• Sweeping up Glass by Carolyn Wall
• Willow by Julia Hoban

Graphic Novel

• The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Honorable Mentions

• French Milk by Lucy Knisley (graphic memoir)
• Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt (middle reader historical fiction)

Have you read any of my top reads? Do you agree or disagree that they belong on a top-read list?

Have a happy, healthy, and safe 2010!