Pam’s Roundup for 2009 and 2010 plans

Here is my roundup for 2009 and my plans for 2010!  Links are to reviews on my blog.

1. When Will There Be Good News?  by Kate Atkinson (CSM 2008, NYT 2008, PW 2008)
2. The Likeness by Tana French (CSM 2008,  PW 2008)
3. Serena  by Ron Rash (CSM 2008, PW 2008,)
4. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (CSM 2008,  PW 2008)
5. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa (2009 ALA, NYT 2008, PW 2008)

I didn’t actually read the last book, but I did read several other notable books that I didn’t have on my original list:

1. No One Heard Her Scream by Jordan Dane (PW 2008)
2. Outliers by Maclom Gladwell (PW 2008)
3. What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman (PW 2007)
4. Columbine by Dave Cullen (2010 ALA, NYT 2009, PW 2009)

This year, I have again settled on five, with the hope that I actually read many more than this. 

1. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.  (Man Booker Prize, CSM Best Books 2009,  2010 Tournament of Books, and NYT Most Notable 2009)
2. Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips. (CSM Best Books 2009,  NYT 2009 Notable Books,  2010 Tournament of Books, PW 2009 Best Books)
3. Lit: A Memoir by Mary Karr.  (CSM Best Books 2009)
4. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.  (NYT Notable Books 2009,  2010 Tournament of Books,  PW 2009 Best Books)
5. Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls.  (NYT Notable Books 2009, 2010 Tournament of Books)

Sandra's Wrap-up for 2009

This is my second year of reading Notable books but it seems I never actually wrote a specific post about it. My tally for 2008 was 33 books from the Notable lists, and these 14 books in 2009, of which I managed 3 reviews. The stars tell the story on the others.


The Madonnas of Leningrad***** by Debra Dean

The Elegance of the Hedgehog**** by Muriel Barbery

A Mercy***** by Toni Morrison

Olive Kitteridge***+ by Elizabeth Strout

Home Repair*** by Liz Rosenberg

The Little Stranger***** by Sarah Waters

Little Bee***** by Chris Cleave

The Weight of Heaven****+ by Thrity Umrigar

A Short History of Women*** by Kate Walbert

Invisible***** by Paul Auster

Lacuna***** by Barbara Kingsolver

Await Your Reply**** by Dan Chaon

The Broken Teaglass**** by Emily Arsenault

The Anthologist*** by Nicholson Baker

I'm sure I can manage a dozen in 2010. Leave a comment if you have any questions about any of these books and authors or want to know which I read in 2008. I'd be willing to write a brief review of any book if asked. Happy reading in 2010.

Tim's 2009 Wrap Up Post

My goal for the challenge was six books and I reached that at the beginning of August. Read and reviewed for the challenge were:

• This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust. (Review):


• The Ten-Cent Plague by David Hajdu (Review);
  


• Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories by Steven Millhauser. (Review);
  


• A Free Life by Ha Jin. (Review);
  


• Breath by Tim Winton. (Review); and,
  


• The Challenge: How a Maverick Navy Officer and a Young Law Professor Risked Their Careers to Defend the Constitution--and Won by Jonathan Mahler. (Review)
  

I'm guessing I read others in the last quarter of the year but was am too lazy to go back and look. It wasn't hard to see why the six listed books were considered notable. I enjoyed each in their own way. I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite given their wide variety and range.

The quality of the books leads me to continue the challenge this year, again at the six book level. Part of the reason I'm staying with six is that, like Wendy, I read several from the latest lists before the lists were released. They include, with links to reviews on my blog:

• Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath by Michael and Elizabeth Norman. (Christian Science Monitor Best Books - Nonfiction) (Review);
  
  
• The Good Soldiers by David Finkel. (Christian Science Monitor Best Books - Nonfiction, NYT Most Notable, PW's Best Books of 2009);
  
  
• American Rust by Phillipp Meyer. (NYT Most Notable - Fiction);
  
  
• Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon. (NYT Most Notable - Fiction, 2010 Tournament of Books; PW's Best Books of 2009);
  
  
• Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada, translated by Michael Hofmann (NYT Most Notable - Fiction) (Review);
  
  
• Invisible by Paul Auster (NYT Most Notable - Fiction) (Review);
  
  
• The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (NYT Most Notable - Fiction, 2010 Tournament of Books) (Review);
  
  
• Columbine by Dave Cullen (NYT Most Notable - Nonfiction, PW's Best Books of 2009);
  
  
• Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town by Nick Reding (NYT Most Notable - Nonfiction);
  
  
• The City & The City by China Mieville (2010 Tournament of Books, PW's Best Books of 2009);
  
  
• Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America by Barbara Ehrenreich (PW's Best Books of 2009) (Review);
  
  
• Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer (PW's Best Books of 2009)

While I could probably just point to those dozen and call it good, I figure challenging myself to another six simply means I'll find additional worthy books I might not otherwise have read.