2009 in Books

2009 was my slowest year for reading since I have been keeping track (since the year 2000). This is due to the fact that in 2009, in addition to working full time, I went to school part time. Here is my book list, followed by some statistics. The books that are in bold are ones that I especially enjoyed and would recommend to others,

1- Until I Find You by John Irving (832 pages)
2- The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell (254 pages)
3- The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (325 pages)
4- No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July (224 pages)
5- Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me and Cheryl to the Mall?: A Parent's Guide to the New Teenager by Anthony Wolf (212 pages)
6- Testimony by Anita Shreve (373 pages)
7- Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris (310 pages)
8- Driving with Dead People by Monica Holloway (336 pages)
9- The Watchmen by Alan Moore (416 pages)
10- The World According to Garp by John Irving (624 pages)
11- Change of Heart by Jodi Piccoult (464 pages)
12- The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan (288 pages)
13- Another Mother's Life by Rowan Coleman (416 pages)
14- Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin(400 pages)
15- The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian (416 pages)
16- A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (672 pages)
17- A fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz (576 pages)
18- Lottery by Patricia Wood (320 pages)
19- The Man in My Basement by Walter Mosely (249 pages)
20- Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris (352 pages)
21- A Secret History by Donna Tartt (576 pages)
22- Woman's World by Graham Rawle (448 pages)
23- Marked by PC Cast (320 pages)
24- All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris (352 pages)
25- Made in the USA by Billie Letts (368 pages)
26- The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshlyn Jackson (336 pages)
27- Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson (528 pages)
28- Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell (343 pages)
29- Black Olives mby Martha Tod Dudman (192 pages)
30- Firefly Cloak by Sheri Reynolds (334 pages)
31- The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent (368 pages)
32- The Ha-Ha by Dave King (368 pages)
33- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (304 pages)
34- The Road by Cormac McCarthy (304 pages)
35- Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson (320 pages)
36- From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris (336 pages)
37- The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (448 pages)
38- Brother Odd by Dean Koontz (384 pages)
39- Nearer Than the Sky by Tammy Greenwood (320 pages)
40- The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff (384 pages)
41- Blankets by Craig Thompson (592 pages)
42- Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs (416 pages)
43- Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me by Ben Karlin (240 pages)
44- The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti (368 pages)
45- The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart (306 pages)
46- Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (312 pages)
47- A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve (320 pages)
48- Beautiful Boy by David Sheff (336 pages)
49- If I am Missing or Dead by Janine Latus (320 pages)
50- Who Will Run the Frog Hospital by Lorrie Moore (160 pages)
51- I was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn (160 pages)
52- Under The Dome by Stephen King (1074 pages)

In 2009, I read a total 52 books which came to a total of 19,636 pages. Of these books, 19 were written by men, 33 by women. 44 of the books were fiction, the other 8 were non-fiction.
I have decided that if I am not enjoying a book, I will not finish reading it. This is a fairly new concept for me, but I came to realize that my limited reading time is precious and I want to enjoy every minute of it. Here is a list of the books that I began to read but decided not to finish. I may try to read them again this year though. I still dislike the idea of leaving a book only half read.

1- Along Came Mary by Jo-Ann Mapson
2- My Booky Wook by Russell Brand
3- Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen
4- Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger
5- The Last Witchfinder by James Morrow
6- The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
7- The Frog King by Adam Davies