It’s that time again to look back on the books I read in 2009. Just like last year, I read a little over forty books (which isn’t half bad since my reading took a big hit at the beginning of the year when I was going through treatment). When looking back on my archives, I think the 2009 was a pretty good reading year for me. Below (with links to my reviews) are some of my favorite and not-so-favorites of 2009.

Sassiest character:
Who doesn’t love Flavia de Luce? As the 11 year old super sleuth with a talent for chemistry in Alan Bradley’s wonderful novel The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Flavia is a totally fun character with an attitude that you’ve just got to love . Flavia will be at it again when she returns in The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery coming out this spring. I can’t wait!

Had me crying like a baby:
Last two chapters of The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stien. Like a baby I tell you. Made me want to get a dog and name him Enzo. I kid you not. It’s being made into a movie produced by Patrick Dempsey. I’m sure I’ll cry there too.

Book I would never have picked up on my own, but sure am glad I did:
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson was most definitely not the type of book I would usually pick up, but after hearing such wonderful things about it around the blogosphere I definitely wanted to give it a try. It is not an easy read, but if you can stick it out through the uncomfortable parts then you will find a very interesting and enlightening story.

Most fun to read:
I’m currently reading book three in Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series and really enjoying it. Earlier this year I read the second book, The Masque of the Black Tulip. Willig writes historical fiction that goes down smoothly like chick lit and is really a lot of fun to read. I also adored the story of The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. Filled with quirky characters and a bit of magic, The Sugar Queen was a joy to read. Both Murder at Longbourn by Tracy Kiely and Jane Bites Backby Michael Thomas Ford had me grinning ear to ear by their clever writings of Austenish novels.

Most surprising ending:
If the ending of Godmother The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgton didn’t knock your socks off, I’m not sure what will. It was a clever ending to a wonderfully inventive retelling of the classic Cinderella story. Loved it! Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins also had one of those cliff hanger endings that was totally unexpected and left me wanting more!

Most dissapointing reads:
The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble had way to many characters that made the story to convoluted, The Local Newsby Miriam Gershow was totally forgetful, The Lace Readerby Brunonia Barry was so unevenly paced that I almost gave up on it and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith did nothing for me.

Most important read:
Definitely The Blue Notebookby James Levine. The story of a young Indian prostitute, the book is beautifully written and yet just so heartbreaking to read. Inspired by a trip taken to India, the author  interviewed a young prostitute in Mumbai who was writing in a notebook. The fact that their are children and women in the world who have to live this type of life is unbelievable. Luckily there are books like The Blue Notebook that remind us all how very lucky we are.

Worst book cover:
I really enjoyed Now & Thenby Jaqueline Sheehan but the book cover, with a shaggy dog being held by a woman, was really disappointing. I wrote in my review “As a by-product of the Marley and Me craze, the publisher obviously made the connection between cute dogs on the cover and selling a book. While the Irish Wolfhound does play a part in the story, it is not nearly as much as the book cover would have you think.” 

Most convoluted ending:
I, like so many other people, wondered what exactly happened to the characters at the end of Audrey Niffenegger’s newest book Her Fearful Symmetry. Even though I really liked the book, the ending was way too open ended for my tastes. Again, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict was another book that I enjoyed until I got to the final pages. It was almost as if the publisher forgot to print the last chapter! Luckily, in author Laurie Viera Rigler redeemed herself by answering some of the questions left hanging in the first book with her follow up Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict.

Most unlikeable characters:
Again, Her Fearful Symmetry was filled with a bunch of really unlikeable characters and yet for the most part the booked worked. Only goes to show you that you don’t have to love the characters to enjoy a book.

Hardest book to say goodbye to:
OK, who didn’t love the characters in The Help by Kathryn Stockett? Those women had me laughing and crying (sometimes at the same time)! I also adored the characters in The Laws of Harmony by Judith Ryan Hendricks, Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch and Sarah Addison Allen’s The Sugar Queen. Favorite book of 2009:
As I mentioned before, 2009 was a good reading year. As I look back on my list of books read last year, there are a few that have really stuck with me. Mostly though, The Art of Racing in the Rain was the book that touched me. It was the type of book that I wanted to pick up and start reading again, a book that I wanted to share with my friends, a book that struck a nerve with me. It was my most memorable read of 2009.