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#1 Favorite Book you had read in 2009
Mine has to beThe Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway.I read it over two train journeys an it blew me away. It's the story of the siege of Sarajevo told from three different perspective and with a central point of the celllist (...he isn't one of the three narrators) who sits in a bomb crater outside of his appartment an plays his cello in memory of the innocent people who died there while waiting for bread.
If you haven't already read it you really must give it a go.
Ally
Mine was The Help by Kathryn Stockett.I loved the characters from the moment I picked up the book and tried reading it slowly because I didn't want it to end. This book had me laughing, crying, angry and excited. Such a good book!!
Rose wrote: "My favorite that really spoke to me wasThe Madonnas of Leningrad A Novel - Debra Dean
The main character develops Alzheimer's Disease.
My favorite passage fr..."
Rose, what an awesome passage!
I can honestly second what Mandy wrote up there word for word!Close second would be The Thirteenth Tale
I re read A Tree Grows in Brooklynn and loved it all over again.
You Suck by Christopher MooreI hadn't read any of Moore's work before. I remember he was a favorite of an old friend of mine. I picked it up out of curiousity and loved every word. Bit of warning though, I didn't realize this until after I read the book: its the sequel! Read Bloodsucking Fiends first.
My favorite character was Abby... her journals remind me of being a "tortured" teenager who just needs a bit more black make-up to reach "ultra-cool."
Mandy Sue wrote: "Mine was The Help by Kathryn Stockett.I loved the characters from the moment I picked up the book and tried reading it slowly because I didn't want it to end. Thi..."
The Help was my favorite book also.
I'll chime in with The Help as well. I've talked about it with others and find myself recommending it quite often. I was in my teens in 1962, but not in the south. Reading this book gave me an up front view of what life was like for the black women who worked every day as maids for white families, cleaning their houses, raising their children, and facing indignities and fears with such grace. I learned so much and I loved the characters. I don't reread books, but with this one, I'll make an exception.
I read so many good books in 2009 (thanks to some great CoL suggestions). I think my #1 favorite would have to be The Forgotten Garden.Or The Book Thief.
Choosing one is going to be impossible.
I'm torn between 3 books. Don't force me to pick! :(* Band of Brothers E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
* Bel Canto
* Water for Elephants
I will have to say The Gargoyle was my favorite for 09. Favorite and unexpected as I began the book thinking I would not enjoy it at all only to be surprised. I love it when that happens!
Ally wrote: "Mine has to beThe Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway.I read it over two train journeys an it blew me away. It's the story of the siege of Sarajevo told from t..."
I agree with you totally it is beautifully written and very humbling.
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is top of my list, very closely followed by The Bean Trees, The Lace Reader, Orange Mint and Honey: A Novel and Gift from the Sea. (All such good books! I recommend Gift From The Sea to All women, regardless of age, it's outstanding!)
I'm surprised that my favorite book was Half the Sky . . . if listing a non-fiction book counts. I admit I'm not quite done, since I need to read this one in small doses.
I have to agree with Cindy with The Gargoyle. I never would have read it if it hadn't been for this group! I've got my boyfriend reading it now, he loves it, too.
How cool Jennifer that your boyfriend is loving it!!
Karey wrote: "I'm surprised that my favorite book was Half the Sky . . . if listing a non-fiction book counts. I admit I'm not quite done, since I need to read this one in small doses."Of course it counts, Karey!!
GoodReads average rating from readers is 4.58 stars!!
It is pretty cool, Cindy. Every so often he has to read passages out loud to me he likes them so much.
It's so hard to pick just one but I think that my favorite of 2009 was Daughter of the Forest. I loved everything about it.
I pick, The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. Such a wonderful book that is beautiful and sad at the same time.
My favorite book of 2009 is In Arabian Nights by Tahir Shah. This book made me want to pack up my bags and move to Morocco! :D Truly a wonderful read.
I've read so many good books and who could remember if I read them in 2009 or before? Finally, I remembered what will undoubtedly be my favorite book of all time and I read it just last year: Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories by Elizabeth Strout.
Hmmm...this is tough! There were lots of good ones! I agree with The Help. It was excellent. One of my favorites. I also loved Firefly Lane and Voyager
I have five LOL:1/Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2/ Girl who played with fire
3/ Girl who kicked the hornet's nest
They were all very good pageturners
4/ In cold blood
5/ 1984
If I had to choose though, probably one of the latter two. Both superb!
Monica ~ I loved Firefly Lane too but I read it in 2008 otherwise it would have been a difficult choice.
Where did you get5 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest? I'd love to read it.I'd be hard pressed to say what my favorite book was, there were so many.
The Help
The Lovely Bones
On Agate Hill: A Novel
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Dead and Gone
I guess those are the highlights.
I'm adding all these to my TBR shelf if they aren't there already. Thanks girls!!
Mandy Sue, that's GREAT!I started this topic for just that reason. :)
We all read sooo many books, and although it's difficult to pick just one that really touched you in some way, I was really curious how others felt.
Tanja wrote: "I'm torn between 3 books. Don't force me to pick! :(* Band of Brothers E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
* Bel Canto
*..."
I loved Bel Canto! (But, I read it several years ago, so it can't be my favorite for 2009.)
Surprisingly, I would have to say A Fine Balance. I say surprisingly because it was a difficult book to read during some parts of it. But, overall, it was very interesting.
I must read THE HELP. My favorite: OLIVE KITTERIDGE. As I said elsewhere, I loved her, wouldn't want to be related to her. Happy new year, ladies.
Johanna wrote: "I must read THE HELP. My favorite: OLIVE KITTERIDGE. As I said elsewhere, I loved her, wouldn't want to be related to her. Happy new year, ladies. "
I loved Olive, too. Very sad.
Cathy wrote: "Surprisingly, I would have to say A Fine Balance. I say surprisingly because it was a difficult book to read during some parts of it. But, overall, it was very interesting."A Fine Balance was my favorite of the year as well. Heartbreaking and beautiful.
The other favorite of the year was Shantaram, so apparently I was in quite a sub-continent mood.
Victoria wrote: "Cathy wrote: "Surprisingly, I would have to say A Fine Balance. Glad to see so many recs for this one. I recently added it to my list as I am living in India atm and wanted to read something of the country while here. I'll be putting this to the top of the list!
There are so many I can't choose only one! But some that stand out from 2009 are:
Diana Gabaldon's An Echo in the Bone
--seventh book in the outstanding Outlander seriesLeif Enger's Peace Like a River
--WOW!!!!!!! This is literature!Cornelia Funke's Inkdeath
--it's YA and the whole series is really riveting
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie WillisI listened to the audiobook for this and then read the novel a few weeks later. I've never read the same book twice in one year before! An interesting mix of science fiction, historical romance, and Agatha Christie. Unfortunately, I gave it to my husband to read and he hated it.
The Help was also amazing. Again, listened to the audiobook. Excellent production!
Oh! And Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey by Alison Weir also deserves to be mentioned!
Valerie wrote: "It's so hard to pick just one but I think that my favorite of 2009 was Daughter of the Forest. I loved everything about it."I read these books a few years ago and LOVED them!! The second book, Son of the Shadows, was my favorite.
I've had this book (Daughter of the Forest) on my TBR list for a while; glad to see that you and Valerie enjoyed them!
I really can't choose the best but I would have to say A Reliable Wife. This is followed by My Abandonment and When She Flew, which are novels that deal with the same true incident. My favorite older books were Mrs. Kimble (anyone read it; if not, it's terrific) and The House at Riverton. My favorite mystery was Locked in as I adore every single Sharon McCone mystery I've read.
Robin, I'm kinda like you it IS hard to pick just one favorite! From the ones you've mentioned, I've only read The House at Riverton. I do have Mrs. Kimble on my bookshelf and will pick it up soon since it was a favorite of yours!
Cindy wrote: "Robin, I'm kinda like you it IS hard to pick just one favorite! From the ones you've mentioned, I've only read The House at Riverton. I do have Mrs. Kimble on my bookshelf and will pick it up soo..."Mrs. Kimble was excellent!
I only got one chapter into Olive....I am going to have to start it again, everyone seemed to really like it! and The Madonnas...and The Cellist...and Mrs. Kimble....Oh Too Many Books; not enough time!!!
I also loved Olive although it took a while to completely understand not only the character but the structure of the book.
It wasn't hard for me to pick a book for this year. For sure it is The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. My book club had an amazing discussion about it and I just found the book to be splellbinding. The Gargoyle
Mine would have to be The Count of Monte Cristo and Gift From the Sea.
Brenda...'s! I also wound up choosing The Gargoyle as my favorite! Would really like to re-read it this year!
I have to agree with Brenda. The Book Thief was amazing - truly a book to feed the soul, one of my all-time favorites.
I too agree with Brenda. "The Book Thief" was wonderful! Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down! It was hard to see the pages through my tears at times.
Chicks On Lit
Books mentioned in this topic
Still Alice (other topics)Belong to Me (other topics)
The Shadow of the Wind (other topics)
The Book Thief (other topics)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (other topics)
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Jules Verne (other topics)Lisa See (other topics)
Khaled Hosseini (other topics)
Toni Morrison (other topics)
Monica Wood (other topics)
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The Madonnas of Leningrad A Novel - Debra Dean
The main character develops Alzheimer's Disease.
My favorite passage from the book: “The slow erosion of self has its compensations. Having forgotten whatever associations might dull her vision, she can look at a leaf and see it for the first time. Though reason suggests it otherwise, she has never seen this green before. It is wondrous. Each day the world is made fresh again, holy and she takes it in, in all its intensity, like a young child.”