Since we are almost a week into the new year, I think I should hurry up and "look back" before the 0ld year is so far away that I can't even see it anymore. 2008 was my best reading year as an adult, by far. I read a total of 46 (1/2) books, which was 16 books over my original goal of 30. I also started blogging, which I think it is the reason I read so much more than my norm. I did not write a review on every book that I read, even though I planned to do so. However, instead of stressing over trying to catch up, I'm just going to start fresh with a clean slate for the new year.
In 2009, my goal is to read 30 books. I also am planning to read the entire Bible. As far as challenges go, I am not planning to join any at this point. Though the challenges I joined helped me to stretch to read more books and a broader variety than normal, I don't like the stress I put on myself to finish books "on time," and I don't like having a set list of books that I have to read. Since there are so many great challenges out there, I may change my mind once we get further into the year. I'm going to try to write a review on the books that I read, but I WILL make them short and sweet. Some may even be just a few sentences.
The following is a list of all the books I read in 2008, with the books I've reviewed in blue and the top 10 are listed in green:
46. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
45. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
44. Persuasion by Jane Austen
43. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
42. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
41. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
40. Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith
39. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
38. Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Darie Snadowsky
37. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
36. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
35. Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clare Robson
34. Sweetsmoke by David Fuller
33. My Father's Paradise by Ariel Sabar
32. March by Geraldine Brooks
31. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
30. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
29. The Hot House by Pete Earley
28. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
27. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
26. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
25. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
24. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
23. 1984 by George Orwell
22. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
21. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
20. The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women by Dawn Dais
19. Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg
18. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
17. The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory
16. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
15. Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
14. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
13. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
12. I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
11. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
10. The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks
9. The Pact by Jodi Picoult
8. Jewel by Bret Lott
7. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory
6. The Pirate's Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson
5. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
4. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
3. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
2. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
1. Jacob's Ladder by Donald McCaig
I'm looking forward to another year of great reading!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Looking back at 2008
Posted by Laura at 6:46 PM
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9 Comments:
Great list Laura. You know I always have the intention of reading the Bible straight through but haven't yet. I always read different parts-you know jump around but I'd like to just sit down and read it from cover to cover one day. Happy Reading in 2009!
I love new years for the clean slate--I hope the new year brings you lots of enjoyment! Interesting to see Hot House on the top 10 of the year; I'm definitely going to have to get my hands on that one!!
Good luck with your goals, Laura! I'm happy to see that The Handmaid's Tale also made your top list.
What a fun list! Happy reading in 2009!
Good luck with your goals this year, Laura. I really must get my hands on Sweetsmoke.
Great list, and good luck with your reading goals in 2009!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of my favorite books of all time! I'm so glad you liked it too :)
Wow - that's some great reading you did there. Congrats on a good year.
I hope to have a wrap up post done in the next few days but things have been like that lately.
cjh
Yea! You finished well over your goal for the year. So glad to see you picked up And Then There Were None. I've always loved a good mystery.
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