Saturday, January 10, 2009

Closing up the Book on 2008

Well, here I am 10 days into the new year and I'm finally ready to close the book on 2008. Getting sick is never fun, but when it happens over the holidays is can really be a bummer. I was sick through both Thanksgiving and Christmas, which in turn caused me to become delinquent with my library books. I cannot even remember the last time I had to pay a library fine.

2008 was a very big year for me in my book reading. I started blogging and actually made it through the whole year keeping a list of all the books I read. However, I did not write a review for each and every book, but will try to in 09 even if it's a short little blurb. I had always been curious how many books I read during a year, and this year was a big one. I ended 2008 with a total of 93 books. As much as I love reading, this kind of got to me. I was actually embarrassed to tell anyone how many books I had actually read. I have vowed this year to continue to read (because I love it), but to also make sure that I get out more and do more things with friends and family. For me, reading has always been a pleasure. It is relaxing and I love getting caught up in the descriptions and stories that are being told to me. Just something about turning the pages of a book that I love.

There are still a few books that I would like to review from 2008 that I thought were great reads. But for now, here is my list of book from 2008... all 93 of them!

1. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
2. If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern
3. Rosie Dunne by Ceceila Ahern
4. Missing Persons by Stephen White
5. Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters
6. Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk
7. Five Things I Can't Live Without by Holly Shumas
8. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
9. Hello, Darkness by Sandra Brown
10. Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig
11. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
12. Interview With the Devil by Clay Jacobsen
13. The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer
14. Dead Watch by John Sandford
15. Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper - Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell
16. Trace by Patricia Cornwell
17. The Last Precinct by Patricia Cornwell
18. Blow Fly by Patricia Cornwell
19. A Brother's Blood by Michael C. White
20. Blinded by Stephen White
21. Songs Without Words by Ann Packer
22. Something Blue by Emily Giffin
23. At Risk by Patricia Cornwell
24. Predator by Patricia Cornwell
25. Hornet's Nest by Patricia Cornwell
26. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
27. You Have to Kiss a Lot of Frogs by Laurie Graff
28. Black Notice by Patrica Cornwell
29. From Potter's Field by Patricia Cornwell
30. Fame (Series of 5 by Karen Kingsbury) *Part 2 (which I accidentally read first)
31. Forgiven
32. Found
33. Family
34. Forever
35. Redemption (Series of 5 by Karen Kingsbury) *Part 1
36. Remember
37. Return
38. Rejoice
39. Reunion
40. Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell
41. The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen
42. Dry Ice by Stephen White
43. The Winds of War by Herman Wouk
44. All That Remains by Patrica Cornwell
45. War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk
46. Without Warning by Eugenia Lovett West
47. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
48. The Inner Sanctum by Stephen W. Frey
49. Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
50. Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods
51. Tell No Lies by Julie Compton
52. True Evil by Greg Iles
53. Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury
54. Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury
55. Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
56. Final Betrayal by Elaine Taylor
57. You've Been Warned by James Patterson
58. The First Patient by Michael Palmer
59. 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper
60. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
61. The Celestial Bed by Irving Wallace
62. Fatal by Michael Palmer
63. Blacklist by Sara Paretsky
64. Conversations with a Fat Girl by Liza Palmer
65. Silent Treatment by Michael Palmer
66. My Enemy's Cradle by Sara Young
67. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
68. On Every Side by Karen Kingsbury
69. Bitter Medicine by Sara Paretsky
70. Miracle Cure by Micahel Palmer
71. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
72. Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story by Ann Kirschner
73. Ride the Wind by Lucia St Clair Robson
74. The Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer
75. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
76. The Hot House - Life Inside Leavenworth Prison by Pete Earley
77. Nothing Lasts Forever by Sidney Sheldon
78. Stone Cold by David Baldacci
79. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie
80. Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
81. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
82. A Vengeful Longing by Roger Morris
83. The Wolves at the Door the True Story of America's Greatest Female Spy by Judith L. Pearson
84. The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
85. A Good Hanging by Ian Rankin
86. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
87. The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen
88. Simple Genius by David Baldacci
89. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
90. Wedding Belles by Haywood Smith
91. The Collectors by David Baldacci
92. Dead Time by Stephen White
93. Hour Game by David Baldacci

There you have it folks! My list of books from 2008!! There are some really great ones in this list that you should pick up if you haven't had the chance! My bookshelves are overflowing with many more to recommend and hopefully 2009 will be just as great of a reading year as 2008 was.

So long 2008!

3 comments:

Laura said...

You should be proud of all the reading you accomplished! But I understand about wanting to spend more time with family and friends--it seems like lots of people struggle to find a good balance.

I also did not review all of the books I read in 08, and I'm going to try really hard to review all of them this year.

Happy reading in 2009!

Kari said...

Laura - Thank you! I was really proud of how many non-fiction books I read last year. It is just so much easier to pick up fiction. I'm really trying to be more conscious of that each year. I think in 09 my reviews might get shorter, but who knows.

Happy reading to you as well in 09! I look forward to reading your reviews and thoughts!! I really get some great book suggestions off of here and can't wait to get more!

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

What a fantastic year, Kari!! Like you and Laura, it is hard for me to find balance as well. It seems like as soon as I get one thing under control everything else falls to the wayside.