2009: My Year In Books

The last couple of years, I've wrapped up the year and all of the books I read in a blog post. Or at least the ones that I remembered I had read. So for whatever it's worth, here are some quick thoughts on the books I read in 2009:

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer ~ Let me first say, yes I’ve made it through all 4 of the books, but I’m still not a diehard about them. That may be disappointing to some of you. I was looking forward to the big wrap-up of the story but found myself ready for it to be over. The baby stuff was just weird. And then the big war…that’s when I gave up…with 100 pages left. I Googled my way to finding out the ending. Sorry.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom ~ LOVED it! I never had to read this while in school, so this was my first time. It’s very similar to Anne Frank, but in some ways even scarier. Since it’s a true story, I knew most of the outcome, but I was still so nervous for her as more and more people came through the house. She and her family’s bravery, dedication, and faith are amazing and so very inspiring.

Handle With Care by Jodi Piccoult ~ I’ve read several of her books and enjoyed most of them. This was probably my least favorite of hers. I wasn’t ever totally immersed in the characters. The story seemed to be similar to her other books and not the most believable.

Esther: It’s Tough Being a Woman by Beth Moore ~ I’ve participated in several Beth Moore studies over the years. This was by far my favorite one. I loved studying the story of Esther and appreciated so much the modern day application. Her study is amazing, and the lessons learned on God’s plan for us will stick with you for a long time.

Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah ~ Good, easy girly read. It’s about two lifelong friends who take different paths in their adult life. One went for the highly successful career and one decided to pause the career to be a SAHM. The big moral was that neither was completely happy with the choice. Sheds some interesting light on both options. And the sad parts of this book are really sad.

The Everything Potty Training Book ~ Unfair title. It doesn’t cover everything…like when your child walks around in a dirty diaper and could care less. Pretty sure I’ll be re-reading this one (and others of the same topic) quite a few times in the months to come.

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell ~ I made a point of reading it before I saw the movie. It was good, not great, but definitely a fun read. It did nothing to motivate me to want to eat French food, though. Yuck. As far as the movie, the Julia segments were way better than the Julie segments…which oddly enough is opposite in the book.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson ~ I kind of feel like a loser about this one. I had heard for a long time about this book. It’s a true story that was so inspiring. I only made it through half of the book. Part of it might be that I’ve heard so much, I know overall what happens. And the other part is that I got a little bored. Is that horrible to say? Maybe I need to give it another shot?

The Swan House by Elizabeth Musser ~ LOVED this book. Great combination of early civil rights era and understanding the difficulties so many went through; tragedy; the South; a good mystery; putting faith in action; and teenage angst. I highly recommend it!

Blessings by Anna Quindlen ~I wanted to like this one so much. I always loved reading her columns in Newsweek. I’m afraid her fiction writing isn’t the same. By the halfway point, I was really into it. The beginning just includes a lot of over explaining of the characters. It’s a really interesting story, though, about an abandoned baby left at the estate of an 80+ year old woman and the male groundskeeper that becomes the baby’s caretaker.

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller ~ LOVED this book. It’s not your typical Christian life application book. But the story of his faith is very real and genuine. It’s written in a very easy-to-read style. And most of what he has to say about the transition of his faith really makes you think because it’s so different than what you normally hear or read. Looking forward to reading more of his books.

And here are links to the wrap-ups from 2008 and 2007. Any other good ones out there you suggest?