Everything in 2009 was not worth remembering but my year of reading was memorable. My Favorite Reads 2009 list contains an unprecedented number of books–21 in all. Believe it or not, I was pickier about the books in 2009 than any previous year and still the list was longer.
There were a number of books that I read that would have been included in other years. For example, I really enjoyed reading UNDER THE DOME by Stephen King, but it didn’t merit inclusion in 2009 because I was dissatisfied with the resolution of the book. The same was true of THE HEART SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill. Both well-written books from great storytellers–but just not my personal and subjective favorites as a reader.
Crime fiction is well represented in my top twenty-one because it is my favorite genre of all but it’s not all new books, my choices spread out over the years even including a classic by Patricia Highsmith, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY.
I didn’t neglect books outside that genre. It has been a very eclectic year embracing memoir, biography, literature, and even Fantasy/SciFi with my first Neil Gaiman book, AMERICAN GODS.
I do notice as I review my selections that I missed adding anything sciency. I’ll have to remedy that in 2010. Rebecca Skloot‘s THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS appears to be a likely candidate. I’ve read a lot of good commentary about the book and Rebecca is a consummate researcher and a gifted writer.
Although it’s only January 3 and I haven’t started a Favorite Reads 2010 page yet on my website, I already have the first book to add to it, WICKED PREY by John Sanford. I could hardly stand to set the book down as it ricocheted from scene to scene. It’s a fabulous addition to the Lucas Davenport-Prey series that now has an amazing 19 titles.
WICKED PREY also included a line that made me laugh out loud. A woman, Rosie Cruz, listening to a couple of guys banter about their sexual organs, said, “Ahh, God. Men and their penises. if they didn’t have them, we’d have to sew one on, just to give them something to talk about.”
Let me know what you think of my 2009 picks and send recommendations for what you think I should read in 2010.
And happy reading to you, all year long.