Reading List 2009

Many of these books will look familiar, since they come from my 2008 list. With everything that went on last year, I didn't get all the books read that I wanted. So, without further ado, here's the 2009 Reading List (books, as usual, may be added as they strike my fancy LOL)
Progress:23/66 (11/21/09)

1. Dreams from my Father--Barack Obama ..... Beautiful writing, very
inspirational, I'm so glad he's going to be our President!! (granted, read most of this during 2008)
2 A Return to Love
3. Fast Food Nation~~Eric Schlosser.....Shocking & horrifying, a real eye-opener--don't plan on eating fast food again after reading this! Enough to modify our family eating habits!! ...JudoQueen read this for a research paper and is refusing to eat fast food now LOL.
4. Don't Eat this Book
5. LOTR-The Two Towers ~~JRR Tolkien
6. Princess in the Spotlight (#2)~~Meg Cabot ....Fun chick lit! The diary format works for this genre so well!
7. The Green Mile~~Stephen King....One of SK's finest! Fabulous and heartbreaking. I must admit I haven't read a SK book in over 14 years....The King of Horror seemed too scary once I became a parent LOL. I regret being away so long!
8. Son of a Witch
8. Vanity Fair
10. The Golden Compass
11. Water for Elephants~~Sara Gruen...Brilliant, amazing, I absolutely loved this! I definitely could see this as an award-winning film. Can't wait to read more of hers!
12. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming~~Joshilyn Jackson (Joshilynjackson.com) ...Her best yet!!! Since she is one of my favorite authors ever, I must now pine away until her next one comes out ::sigh:: I ate this up in 3 days LOL it was that delicious!
13. California Demon~~Julie Kenner....this series is a must for any Buffy fan, so much fun! Better than her first, Carpe Demon. Can't wait to read on!
14. Uglies
15. Why Buffy Matters
16. Once Upon Stillettos~~Shanna Swendson...LOVE this series! Only wish the publisher would pick it back up again, only 2 books left :(
17. Rhett Butler's People~~Donald McCaig ...Part prequel/part rewrite of Gone with the Wind...interesting premise, but I think it may only appeal to die-hard fans.
18. Emma
19. Cold Mountain
20. Second Summer of the Sisterhood (#2)
21. The Red Tent~~Anita Diamant....Beautiful, poetic and tragic. If only the Bible were written this way. I loved every page (and it's renewed my interest in becoming a doula).
22. Hand Maiden's Tale
23. Chew on This
24. Kicked, Scratched, & Bitten~~Amy Sutherland ...such a fascinating look at how exotic animal trainers learn their art, definitely living vicariously through this!
25. Gregor the Overlander (#3)
26. Unfortunate Events-The Miserable Mill (#4)
27. Too Loud, Too Bright
28. Gentle Madness
29. For One More Day
30. The Nanny Diaries~~Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus...Parts were funny, but as a mom, most of this was bleak. I even cried at the end. And I thought the movie was depressing!
31. Vampirates
32. You Slay Me
33. Gone with the Wind
34. Scarlett
35. Way of the Peaceful Warrior~~Dan Millman...I decided to read this because I LOVED the film version (think of a modern 'Karate Kid'). However, the book was a bit too transcendental 'out there' for me. It's supposed to be autobiographical, but even I had a hard time suspending disbelief.
36. Eats, Shoots & Leaves~~Lynne Truss...Humorous enough for this English major, but a bit dry. Would make a good textbook for High School English.
37. Dogs of Bedlam Farm
38. Beyond Chaos~~Gregg Piburn....Incredible book--it deals with his journey with his wife, who has chronic illnesses. Not many books are written from the viewpoint of the one who isn't ill. I bought this for my husband, but I got so much from reading this. A must read!
39. Not on our Watch
40. Oil!
41. Poetry of Maya Angelou
42. Oscar Season~~Mary McNamara.....I started this before, and finished it right after the 2009 Academy Awards, so it was a bit surreal LOL. Really good, quite realistic, the ending was a little rushed, but perfect for a movie buff like me!
43. Art of Racing in the Rain
44. Heroes-Saving Charlie
45. The Message Bible
46. The Heartache No one Sees
47. The Audacity of Hope
48. Twilight~~Stephenie Meyer.....I am probably the last female in the U.S. to read this! LOL Good for teens/Buffy fans, I enjoyed it as much as the film (and now my daughter can stop asking me "Have you finished it yet?")
49. sTori Telling~~Tori Spelling...so funny and juicy! I wasn't a huge fan of 90210, but *love* "Tori & Dean" on Oxygen. Shows that she's more 'normal' than some celebs.
50 Michelle
51. Chocolat
52. Charmed
53 Between the Bridge & the River~~Craig Ferguson (of Late Late Show fame)...I *love* Craig Ferguson's show...but this was ONE ODD BOOK. Bizarre enough to keep me reading.
54. Hurricane Almanac
55. NOLA Ghosts
56. HP & the Half Blood Prince
57. Narnia #4
58. Eldest
59.Half Assed--Jennette Fulder (Pastaqueen.com)...FABULOUS. Very insightful, full of compassion and humor, also inspirational (and not just because of the weight loss!) This one is staying on my nightstand when I need a morale boost!
60. Real Vampires Have Curves~~Gerry Bartlett
61. Stardust~~Neil Gaiman
62. Against Medical Advice~~James Patterson & Hal Friedman...Courageous and heartbreaking, a true story of a young man's battle with Tourette's
63. The Migraine Brain~~Carolyn Bernstein MD....best book on migraines I've read. A MUST-READ for every migraineur and/or caregiver.
64. Balarama, A Royal Elephant, Ted and Betsy Lewin...amazingly illustrated, true story of a Royal Elephant in a religious ceremonial parade. Youth book, ages 9-12.
65. A Little Bit Wicked~~Kristin Chenoweth
66. Kabul 24~~Henry O. Arnold, Ben Pearson