The BEST of what I read 2009

Well, here it is, for what it's worth: The books I liked best this year. There's a lot I still haven't gotten to, either because I'm holding out for Christmas presents or there was a long hold wait at the library, or I just haven't had time.

These are in no particular order, but Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby has to go at the top of the list. I couldn't wait to read it so pretty much it was on my list as soon as I knew Hornby had a new book. I've only ever read one thing by him that I've not liked, so Juliet, Naked was the expected success. I just finished it so I'll do a write-up soon.

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

A Fortunate Age by Joanna Rakoff

In the Heart of the Canyon by Elisabeth Hyde

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks, by E. Lockhart

Ex Machina: The first Hundred Days (graphic novel) by Brian K. Vaughan

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (non-fiction)

The Secret to Happiness by Sarah Dunn

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby

Obviously, I've written these all up so you can look up a more thorough explanation of why these reads are so great.

I'm still looking forward to Richard Russo's That Old Cape Magic, even though I abandoned his last book (The Bridge of Sighs). Still love Straight Man too much to hold one book against him.
Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon is also high on my list (and under the tree, I hope?) because I thought his You Remind Me of Me (2004) was brilliant.

I'm also going to throw in a few kids books that were popular in our house this year. I have to start with Mo Willem's Piggie and Elephant series, especially I will Surprise My Friend. This is a perfect book for early-ish readers but it's really fun to read out loud too. Kind of irreverent.
Speaking of irreverent, Jan Thomas is our new favorite picture book author. It's a battle between The Dog House and Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny. The pictures are fantastic and the story is silly and perfect to inspire even the most reluctant reader.

On the older front, my 4th grader laughed late into the night over Barbara Park's Skinnybones. He doesn't know anything about baseball, but he can relate to Alex, a smart mouthed kid who can't help but get himself into one scrape after another. It's a great fourth grade read, as is The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson. Yes, the over-the-top Herdmans from The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are back, but without all the potentially awkward-for-public-school religious bent (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Thanks for reading my posts this past year. I hope I've inpired some of you to pick up a few of these books along the way. Cheers.