Books Read in 2009 Part III

ooking at the statistics (here's 2008):


Books read: 2009=131 books and short stories, plus a secret beta read, one essay, ThinAir Magazine, and random chapters from The Lord God Made Them All by James Herriot (reread) (not counting magazines and forum writings and so on, as usual) (2008=101)

Average over 50 weeks: about 2 and a half books per week, or perhaps two books and two short stories (same as last year)

Authors read: 2009=57, plus a few compendiums (Folio Book of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Folio Book of Card Games, Masters from The Royal Collection (the catalogue, with history, of a touring art exhibition from over ten years ago), Folio's A Medieval Panorama) (2008=69)

Most by one author: Janet Evanovich with 18 - all the Stephanie Plums, plus Motor Mouth. Followed by rereads of Rowling (Harry Potter series and Beedle the Bard), Gabaldon (Outlander series and Lord John series, plus The Dragon Book), and Christie (lots of Poirot books)

Oldest book: Cymbeline, by Shakespeare - both the oldest author and the oldest published. I seem to be about 1500 years up on last year, which included Aesop and Pliny. The oldest original book from this year (ie not a reprint) is The Everday ABCs, published 1900, followed by a handful from pre1950: Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham, Cat and Kitten Stories to Read Aloud, The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford, Black Mischief by Evelyn Waugh, and Traditional Scottish Cooking: with a fine feeling for food by Janet Murray

Newest book: lots published this year or last: Silent Women by Ingrid Berzins Leuzy, A Walk Through A Window by kcdyer, Acadian Star by Hélène Boudreau, Cost of Freedom by Carol Spradling, Life by Richard Fortey (plus all the other Folio books), The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World by E. L. Konigsburg, Linda Gerber's Death By... series, Stephen Fry in America, Snakehead by Anthony Horowitz, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun by J. R. R. Tolkien, The Dragon Book anthology of short stories (including Samuel Sykes and Diana Gabaldon), An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, and Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich. Whew!

Rereads: many - comic books, the Babysitter's Club books, Lewis, the Harry Potter series, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (my yearly reread), the Outlander and Lord John series, and all the Agatha Christies

Stories/Authors I didn't like: only one this year: The Agape Flower by Ilyas Halil (a very bad translation from the original Turkish)

Youngest books: The Everday ABCs, Mousekin's Christmas Eve by Edna Miller, Goodnight Moon (reread), Cat and Kitten Stories to Read Aloud, The Slimy Book by Babette Cole, and Dora the Explorer's Potty Book (all courtesy of my niece, nephew and goddaughter)!

Books from the 19th Century: The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll, The Mummy's Curse by Louisa May Alcott (short story), and The Everday ABCs

Books from 1900-1955: J.R.R. Tolkien and Agatha Christie, plus the following (a couple are older but are in the same vein, so I've added them in) (fewer than last year, though not if you count the Christies separately):

1. The Everday ABCs
2. Mousekin's Christmas Eve by Edna Miller
3. Goodnight Moon
4. Cat and Kitten Stories to Read Aloud
5. The Eyes of the Panther by Ambrose Bierce (short story)
6. Quite Early One Morning by Dylan Thomas
7. Mr. Popper's Penguins
8. Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself by Judy Blume
9. Inside the Whale and Other Essays by George Orwell
10. Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham
11. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
12. Black Mischief by Evelyn Waugh
13. Traditional Scottish Cooking: with a fine feeling for food by Janet Murray
14. The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis (reread)
15. By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart
16. Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary
17. Hooray for Andy Capp! by Smythe (reread)

Books/Authors I'd recommend: hmm... easier to recommend the entire list and have done!

- no shortest book this year, as many are YA and many more are short stories -

Longest book: The Lord of the Rings and Diana Gabaldon's books. Of course!

Forumites' books: Diana Gabaldon's Outlander and Lord John series, Linda Gerber's Death By... series, A Walk Through A Window by kcdyer, Acadian Star by Hélène Boudreau, and Cost of Freedom by Carol Spradling. Yay for forumites! Let's not forget the ongoing serial story over at All The World's Our Page!

And... here's Marsha's list; Jen's list is down the side of her blog.