Best Books of 2009

I read a total of 64 books this year which is a good number for me. I think I increased my speed after I started my book blog. I read many wonderful books and in fact, I confess that many of them were Persephone books (seventeen to be exact). Its really been a Persephone year and I suspect the next one will be the same. I really tried to have a wider range of books on this list so I thus limited the list to three Persephones and I didn't repeat any authors. Indeed, it wasn't easy to come up with a final list of the best ten of 2009 but here it is in no particular order. The top ten are....(drum roll)....

They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple
I discovered Dorothy Whipple this year and I read six of her books. If I could list most of them here, I would. They are all wonderful. However, I limited myself to only one Whipple for this list and my absolute favourite is still the first one I read which is They Were Sisters. The story follows the married lives of three sisters and though it's a domestic story it's a page-turner. I simply couldn't put it down.

 
The Age of Innocence of Edith Wharton
I can't believe it took me so long to read this book. A beautiful and devastating novel about love and loss set against the backdrop of old New York. Gorgeous and unforgettable.

The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett
This was my first FHB book having never read any of her children's novels. A thoroughly engrossing read. I was actually surprised to find out that the Persephone version I read was abridged. You can read my posts on that here and here.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
I loved this book although I wasn't quite sure at first. It got better by the second half at which point it was unputdownable. I think it makes you look at people quite differently because really nothing is what it seems. A dowdy, middle-aged, uneducated, aloof concierge in a Parisian apartment building who reads Tolstoy, listens to classical music, loves Dutch paintings and classic Japanese movies. Who would have thought there was a an intelligent mind lurking there? But of course, it took two quite special people to see it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
What an absolutely delightful read! I loved it! Loved every character in the book and all the stories they had to tell. You can read my more detailed review here.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This might be the oddest book on a list like this but I had to put this in because I was completely riveted by this young adult novel from start to finish. I devoured it as I did the second book in the trilogy. I'm eagerly anticipating the third book which will be released in August 2010.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
I wish I had read this as a child or a young teenager. But it's also a joy to read now as a wife and mom. It contains a wealth of valuable life lessons for daughters, wives and mothers. It's a truly special book and I think it should be required reading for every young girl.

 Mariana by Monica Dickens
This is one of those Persephones that some people didn't enjoy but I thoroughly did. A very cozy, warm, enjoyable and satisfying novel about a young girl coming of age in England in the 1930's. Since it was written in the same period it gives an accurate picture of life in England at that time.

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Atwood is brilliant. I was completely blown away by this novel. An excellently constructed book about the devastating effects of genetic engineering with a love triangle thrown in. More here.

A Homemade Life by MollyWizenberg
Molly's food blog, Orangette was one of my inspirations to enter into the world of blogging. Molly writes wonderfully about food interspersed with stories about important events in her life and meeting her soul mate through her blog. She ends every chapter with a recipe. My own copy is filled with purple post-it notes of recipes I've tried or have yet to try. This book has been lying around my house for most of the year...in the kitchen, by the couch and even in the car. So in a way, I really identify this book with the year 2009.

So what do you think of my final list? Have you read any of these novels? This will be my last post for 2009 so I'll sign off for now. I wish you all a Happy New Year and I'll see you in 2010!