Books Read in 2009

As I did in 2008, I will be listing title, author, a short review, and the date. I read 97 books last year--hope to top that in '09!

1. Nickel and Dimed: on (not) Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich. Interesting premise: a middle-class author leaves her usual life and visits several cities, working in a few different minimum-wage jobs and trying to see if she can live on what she earns. It was a good book until the final chapter when Ehrenreich comes to some typically liberal conclusions about wages and what the government should do to support the working poor. B. 01/04/09

2. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. I enjoyed The Secret Life of Bees so much that I couldn't wait to start Kidd's second book. However, this one was not nearly as good as the first. She tells a good tale, but I didn't find the characters as engaging in this novel. I didn't like the main character or the choices she made--especially as she made them knowing full well how many people would get hurt. B. 01/05/09

3. My Sister Dilly by Maureen Lang. This is the third book I've read by Maureen Lang, and all of them have dealt with special-needs children. This book falls into the category of "Christian romance" but it is kept very tame on the romance level and not so sweet on the Christian level that you need an insulin shot after reading it. It's a novel about a young woman who returns to her hometown after 15 years to help her sister, who is just getting out of prison for attempting to kill her special-needs child (and herself). A great story. B+. 01/07/09

4. Finding Alice by Melody Carlson. This novel is the story of a college student with schizophrenia. The author did an amazing job of presenting the way a person with this disorder thinks, acts, and looks at the world. Amazingly, this was not a depressing book. Excellent! A+. 01/09/09

5. Testimony by Anita Shreve. This was an absolutely disturbing book--because it could happen. It's the story of how a videotaped orgy/sexual assault at a privileged boarding school affects--and ruins--many lives. The one thing I disliked about this novel is the constant change of narrator. Every chapter, a new narrator. Sometimes the book was told in first person, other times second person, and often third person but from the point of view of a particular character. A-. 01/12/09

6. Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber. This book is the sweet story of a woman whose life is not turning out quite the way she wants it to. Pushed into volunteering at a local school by a friend of hers, she winds up more involved in a little girl's life than she expects to be. When you need something light with a happy ending, pick this! B+. 01/14/2009

7. Escape by Carolyn Jessop. If you ever think you're having a bad day, read this book. A young mother with 8 children works to find a way to escape an oppressive polygamous Mormon sect. Nonfiction. B. 01/18/09

8. Multiple Bles8ings by Kate Gosselin. This is the "back story" for the Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht show. Published by Zondervan, the book has a distinctly Christian focus, but sometimes that felt a little forced. It also has an excellent prolife focus, and gives a glimpse of the frustrations and difficulties--and physical trauma--that Kate went through during her pregnancy and the sextuplets' infant year. I say that the Christian focus felt forced--you hardly ever see any reference to faith on the TV show. Maybe this is her way of being able to say what TLC will not show on the air. Nonfiction. B. 01/22/09

9. Just Breathe by Susan Wiggs. This was apparently a popular book, because I had a long wait for it at the library! It was a very good story about a woman who discovers her husband's betrayal right after she has undergone a fertility procedure. She moves back to her hometown, makes new friends, and then finds out she is indeed expecting her husband's children. The characters were interesting and the story was enjoyable. B. 01/27/09

10. A Dangerous Age by Ellen Gilchrist. This is a novel about three cousins whose relationships are affected--and in some cases shattered--because of the 9/11 attacks and subsequent war. I found it to be a thinly-veiled anti-war screed, and it wasn't even that enjoyable a book. The narrative was hard to follow. If the book had been any longer, I probably wouldn't have bothered finishing it. C-. 02/01/09

11. On This Day by Melody Carlson. While this novel was not as good as some of her others I read last year, it was still a very good story. It followed several women through the course of a weekend that all of them are spending together at a wedding. Each of them winds up with decisions to make regarding her own future. It's not all sunshine and roses for everyone at the end, but it is ultimately a hopeful book. B+. 02/05/09

12. John 3:16 by Nancy Moser. This book is "in your face" Christian and not ashamed of it. It's an interesting novel about a number of people whose lives are drastically changed. The big change doesn't take place until very late in the book--there is a whole lot of "lead-up" before that moment. It was a very moving story, but not a "downer." B+. 02/07/09

13. Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos. From the title of this book, you'd think it was a downer. But instead, this novel shows that from brokenness can come healing in unimaginable ways. Some things--but not everything--wrap up just a little too neatly at the end, but it really was a page-turner, with characters you can't help but find yourself pulling for. The story begins with an older, reclusive woman learning she has a brain tumor--and deciding to make big changes in her life. These changes involve several other people she meets in the coming months, and the story leaves you smiling. A. 02/08/09

14. Rosewater and Soda Bread by Marsha Mehran. This fascinating novel tells the story of a young woman who is found on the beach in Ireland--injured, and with hands webbed so that the locals think she is a mermaid. A group of sisters from the community as well as another local woman take care of her. When word gets out about what really happened, most of the town turns against them. B. 02/11/09

15. Inside Out Girl by Tish Cohen. A little girl, age 10, has what's called a Nonverbal Learning Disability which is similar to Asperger's. She is not good at reading nonverbal cues (facial expressions, tone of voice) and she is bullied at school. Her widowed dad meets a single mom of 2 slightly older kids and they hit it off. The older kids are mortified that they have to associate with this child who does not fit in. At the same time, the older daughter is going through some "love life" issues. And their mom is reminded of a handicapped child she gave up for adoption 16 years before. B+. Could have done without the harsh language! 02/14/09

16. Much Ado About Jessie Kaplan by Paula Marantz Cohen. I admit that what drew me to this book is its setting: Cherry Hill, NJ. I really enjoy reading books set in locations I'm familiar with. But the story was pretty interesting. A Jewish grandmother is oblivious to her family's frantic preparations for her granddaughter's bat mitvah, because she is convinced that 400 years ago she had an affair with William Shakespeare. It really was an enjoyable read, and the grandmother's character was wonderful. B+. 02/17/09

17. Once Upon a Day by Lisa Tucker. This novel wove two heartbreaking family stories: a doctor whose family was killed in a car accident, and two young adults whose mother was brutally murdered during their early childhood. When the doctor and the young woman meet, they each begin the process of healing their hurts. B. 02/20/2009

18. Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles. I usually like historical fiction set in the Depression period but this one was rather too depressing. It did give a good sense of the desperation people felt, but I had a hard time feeling sympathy for the main character. C. 02/28/09

19. The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik. This was a cute novel. Predictable, yes. But it was an easy read and an enjoyable story. The "smart one" is a frumpy lawyer and the "pretty one" is a stylish spendthrift. Brought together by their mother's illness, the "pretty one" tries to get back at her sister by dredging up an old marriage arrangement (made in jest by a pair of drunken parents of young children). B. 03/02/09

20. A Mile in My Flip-Flops by Melody Carlson. I really enjoyed this book. Nothing embarrassing in there--I'd let my daughter read it, or give it to my mom, no problem there. It's the story of a single teacher who decides to spend her summer vacation "flipping" a house. Predictably, she meets a contractor and...(well, I said it was predictable.) It's a Christian novel that is not over-the-top, in-your-face, pushy Christian--it's natural to the characters. And the characters were very likable and real. A great light read. 03/04/09

21. Queen of the Road by Doreen Orion. This very funny memoir tells of a year in the life of a woman my age and her husband, who take a year off work to travel the country in a tour bus. The book's subtitle tells it all: "The true tale of 47 states, 22,000 miles, 200 shoes, 2 cats, 1 poodle, a husband and a bus with a will of its own." Definitely enjoyable! 03/10/09

22. Little Face by Sophie Hannah. I'm not usually a suspense-novel reader but this one was really good. The story centers on a new mom who comes home shortly after the baby's birth and insists that the baby in the crib is not her child--that the baby must have been switched. Meanwhile her husband and mother-in-law are trying to "gaslight" her (actually they have been for some time) and she has trouble convincing the police that she is in danger. Then she and the baby disappear. Good stuff. Not for the kids. B+. 03/16/09

23. Lost Highways by Curtiss Ann Matlock. This was a sweet love story about a young woman who inherits her mom's rodeo horse and picks up a stranded traveler on the highway. Both of them are emotionally wounded but manage to find a way to healing. B. 03/17/09

24. There's No Place Like Here by Cecilia Ahern. Some people like to read about time travel. In this novel, the main character travels into another dimension, but it's not about time--it's about lost things. She somehow finds her way into another world that is populated by the people and things that mysteriously go missing. It's not the best-written story, but the story is interesting and I was kept in suspense about how it would all turn out. B.

25. These Boots Weren't Made for Walking by Melody Carlson. I enjoy Carlson's Christian chick lit. This story is about a young woman who's overextended financially and fired at work. She moves home to live with her mom, but discovers that Mom has begun dating younger men and dressing younger, too. Cassidy is a likable character and it was easy to find myself in her corner. B.

26. The Returning by Ann Tatlock. This author writes fabulous and heartbreaking stories and this is no exception. It tells of a family's first summer together after five years of separation--the father has just been released from prison. During the summer, everyone in the family must adjust to their new situation. A+.

27. Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult. As usual, Picoult deals with very difficult subjects. This book addresses the question of a wrongful-birth lawsuit and how it tears a family apart. The author keeps the reader in suspense until the very end--and the end is a complete surprise. (However, I didn't find the ending very satisfying...I closed the book and thought, "WHY????") B+.

28. I Heart Bloomberg: 86 Bloomberg Place by Melody Carlson. See below. B.

29. Let Them Eat Fruitcake by Melody Carlson. This novel and the one before it are part of a series about four young women who share a home. Each has her own quirks, hangups and problems. They begin as housemates but end up as friends. I'm looking forward to the third book, Spring Broke. B.

30. The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. A sad but sweet story. It's labeled fiction but the book jacket says it's "based on a true story." A young boy deals with loss and wishes at Christmas time. A-.

31. Half-Assed by Jennette Fulda. This memoir chronicles a young woman's weight loss--without miracle pills or bariatric surgery. She lost more than half of her body weight. It was an interesting book. B-.

32. The Year the Music Changed by Diane Thomas. Here's a rare chance for me to use the term I learned in grad school: this Epistolary Novel (a novel written entirely in letter form) was really excellent. It tells the story of a young girl who writes to Elvis Presley very early in his career, and takes them through the next year or so as he gets his "big breaks" and makes some mistakes too. Highly recommended. A+.

33. The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson. This memoir was a sweet tribute to a place, but not the best story. I had a hard time engaging with the characters. B-.

34. Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs. This was a fun book. It's the story of a TV chef who is living at the mercy of changing ratings and stations wanting to glam up the food. Interesting mix of characters who are put together because of their situation, not because they want to be together. It was a "mind candy" kind of book but I thought the characters were well-drawn. B.

35. Crystal Lies by Melody Carlson. Her books are always so excellent. The reader is drawn into the codependent existence of a young man's mother. She doesn't want to believe he's using drugs, and wants to believe that she can cure him. She's ready to give up everything else--and finds out that some things, she never really had in the first place. The story was heartbreaking and well-told. A+.

36. The Future Homemakers of America by Laurie Graham. This book was just OK. Some of the characters were sweet but after a while it got less believable. I think that stretching the book over a 20+ year time period didn't help. Sometimes it's better to stop sooner. B.

37. The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken by Laura Schenone. Her "dedicated mother who keeps her last name and takes off to Italy alone for weeks at a time on a fruitless quest to find a family recipe" wore thin pretty fast. The author of this memoir pretty much let everything else go so she could find her grandmother's ravioli recipe--one of those old family recipes that doesn't involve measuring and that is tweaked by each successive cook, so that you never will get to exactly that recipe your grandmother made. I'm guessing she had the book deal in the works pretty early on in the process, because this sure did take a toll on her marriage and family. C+. May '09

38. Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani. It was tricky reading two books about Italians in quick succession; the words in Italian would stick in my head afterwards! But this fiction book was a good foil to the book above. A young woman wants to carry on the family business. She's the only one in her generation interested in the business, and is working hard to keep it afloat. She gains insight into herself and her amazing grandmother in the process. This is one of Trigiani's best books. A. May '09

39. Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch. I read about this one in a magazine and decided to take a chance. I'm glad I did. The premise of this novel is that a suburban mom of a toddler is growing dissatisfied with her life and marriage. She is granted a "do-over" by being shipped 7 years into her past--before she even knew her current husband! She vows to make the most of this opportunity and learns that each action and word have their own ripple effects far beyond her own life. It was a fascinating story. A-. May '09.

40. The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. This memoir tells the story of a young wife and mother who is very close to her father, even though she lives across the country from him. It details her diagnosis with breast cancer and his subsequent diagnosis with bladder cancer. I honestly thought this book was going to end differently--I was "set up" to think that a whole different scenario would play out. Corrigan is a good writer but not an extremely likable character. Then again, this book was not fiction. B+. May '09.

41. 8 Sandpiper Way by Debbie Macomber. It wasn't too far into this book when I realized that I was reading a part of a series--and I hadn't started at the beginning! That drives me crazy, but Macomber does (very helpfully) provide good "catch up" information. This is the eighth book in a series set in the Pacific Northwest. It's a light read, but you can't help being caught up in the characters, some of whom even show up in other series (the Dakota books). In this installment, a pastor's wife fears that her husband is having an affair. B. May 22.

42. 50 Harbor Street by Debbie Macomber. This is also part of the Cedar Creek series. This story centers on a mystery involving the town's private investigator--he's getting strange messages and gifts. And there are a few romances going on among other people in town. This book (5th in the series) was not as good as the later one I just finished, and was a little more explicit in content. Not needed. B-. May 23.

43. Welcome to the Departure Lounge by Meg Federico. This was an absolutely funny, yet heartbreaking story. One of those "laugh-so-you-don't-cry" memoirs, it tells the tale of the adult daughter of a woman who can no longer care for herself or her husband. The challenges of the Sandwich Generation are explored, and the author finds a way to laugh through her pain, to find the funny in the daily mess and frustration in dealing with her physically ailing mother and her stepfather who has Alzheimer's, and their various caregivers. Highly recommended. A. May 24.

44. Not Becoming My Mother by Ruth Reichl. This memoir was a big disappointment to me; I've read and thoroughly enjoyed Reichl's other books. This one was written after her mother's death, when Reichl's conscience pricked at her for telling "tales out of school" about her mom's inability to cook and keep a house. She thinks she'll make up for it in this book, but I don't think she achieves her purpose. It's a little over 100 pages--small pages--and I read it in an hour. That's an hour I'll never get back. C-. May 25.

45. Don't You Forget About Me by Jancee Dunn. A novel about a woman returning to her hometown after a broken marriage, and attending her 20th high school reunion. She learns that some things never change--especially in the way she relates to her former classmates (including a former boyfriend.) I found myself really annoyed at some of the main character's choices, hoping that she would behave differently toward her friends who had managed to grow up and move on. Part of the attraction of this book was that it took place in North Jersey, but it drove me a little nuts that the author (a native of the area) had some geographical details inaccurate. (Her fictional hometown was next door to two other real towns that are actually 20 miles apart, for instance.) Just "OK." C+. May 29.

46. Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes. This is a reread--I read this one as a kid, and then on Mother's Day we saw the movie on TV, so I had to get the book at the library and read it again. What a sweet story! Recommended for anyone over 10. B+. May 31.

47. 16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber. First in the Cedar Creek series. June 1.

48. 204 Rosewood Lane by Debbie Macomber. Second in the Cedar Creek series. June 2.

49. 311 Pelican Court by Debbie Macomber. Third in the Cedar Creek series. June 3.

50. 44 Cranberry Point by Debbie Macomber. Fourth in the Cedar Creek series. June 4.

51. 6 Rainier Drive by Debbie Macomber. Sixth in the Cedar Creek series. June 5.

52. 74 Seaside Avenue by Debbie Macomber. Seventh in the Cedar Creek series. June 6.

53. Knit Two by Kate Jacobs. Sequel to The Friday Night Knitting Club, this novel revisits the characters five years later. It's an excellent story, but I recommend that you reread the first book before plunging into this one, otherwise it's difficult to remember all the details you're expected to know. B. June 7.

54. My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald. This is a teen novel, so I can't figure out how it found its way into my to-read pile, but it was a good story and I'm happy to recommend it to Middle Sister. A seventh-grade girl searches for a way to save her family's independent pharmacy. This is a breath of fresh air in the teen-novel section--no "occult," no "cliques," no sex and no horror. A very enjoyable read. B+. June 8.

55. Confessions of a Slacker Mom by Muffy Mead-Ferro. By the time I got to the end of this book, I felt a little misled, because it really did seem for most of the book that Mead-Ferro is a stay-at-home mom, with the kids day in and day out. Then you read about her staff of nannies to care for the children while she works. Other than that, I did enjoy this book. Guess I am a slacker mom too, because I just don't get a lot of the gimmicks and fads that seem to be involved in raising children. It's more about merchandising than it is about growing kids! An enjoyable book that encourages parents to listen to their instincts, not to the magazines, websites, and merchandisers. B. June 9.

56. The Local News by Miriam Gerson. Full of suspense and sadness, this novel chronicles a teenage girl whose brother suddenly disappears. The house is empty without him, because he had that bigger-than-life, obnoxious but charming personality that ran the show. As her family falls apart, the protagonist struggles with her feelings of grief and relief regarding her brother's disappearance. B. June 13.

57. Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber. The Blossom Street series is, in my opinion, Macomber's best. I really enjoyed this book, which reunites a young girl with her father as well as bringing the reader up-to-date on the other characters from this series. B+. 6/15.

58. Love in the Present Tense by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Many narrators make this book confusing--even more so when you see that the narration jumps around in time. This novel is the story of a young boy who is abandoned by his mother at the age of 5. He's taken in by a single man who lives and works next door, but later adopted by another family. But he never loses touch with his foster father, and never stops trying to find a connection with his missing mother. A. 6/18.

59. A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber.

60. Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy. I like how Binchy brings characters from previous novels into her current one--I only wish I were reading them one after the other instead of years apart. This novel takes place in a cardiology clinic and follows the various staff through a year in their lives. Very enjoyable; this is one of Binchy's best. B+. 6/29.

61. Nanny State by David Harsanyi. This columnist's book takes on the trend of government treating people like children who need to be protected from themselves: the "food police," cigarette police and seat-belt police. Whatever happened to common sense? Interesting and informative. B+. 6/29

62. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Sweet--an epistolary novel! This was a wonderful book. The characters in the letters became so real to me, I was ready to go and visit the place. This book chronicles a young author who learns about a book club that had met on the Island of Guernsey during World War II (which has just ended as this book begins). The young woman travels to the island to learn about the people and becomes captivated by their lives and their story. There was so much want and loss for them as a result of the war. This would be a wonderful summer-reading book for teens. Highly recommended! A+. 6/30

63. Still Alice by Lisa Genova. I could not put this one down. It is an absolutely tragic and compelling novel about a woman struggling with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Tissue alert--but don't miss it. A+. 6/30