Stack of Spines

Here it is, my 2009 ABC Challenge Roundup!  I have been eagerly awaiting the day I could post this.  My twitter-esque less than 140 character reviews are included.

A – American Wife, Curtis Sittenfeld – This fictionalize account of Laura Bush’s life was very insightful
B – Beloved, Toni Morrison – I think I missed a deeper meaning
C – Chocolat, Joanne Harris – Don’t read if you are on a diet; overall premise is good but execution so-so
D – The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger – Frustrating but also hilarious
E – Emma, Jane Austen – Fitzwilliam Darcy already had my heart; Emma couldn’t squeeze in too
F – Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes – Absolutely changed my view of the disabled
G – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer - A breath of fresh air; so unique
H – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams – I’m not much for sci-fi
I – In Her Shoes, Jennifer Weiner – Eeeh
J – James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl – Love Roald Dahl and appreciated catching up on previous books of his I missed in childhood
K – Knit Two, Kate Jacobs – Better than Friday Nigh Knitting Club (Knit One)
L – Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, Marian Keyes – Better than average chick lit
M – Messenger, Lois Lowry – Good to see elements of The Giver again but not as great
N – The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri – strange but good; library book smelled like old lady and tainted my enjoyment
O – Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout - I am missing the Pulitzer connection
P – The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver – Depressing; not my favorite of Kingsolver’s
Q – The Quality of Life Report, Meghan Daum – Weird
R – The Road, Cormac McCarthy – Read this now
S – Sworn to Silence, Linda Castillo – My first Thriller – pretty good
T – The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield – A love letter to reading; most excellent
U – The Undomestic Goddess, Sophie Kinsella – Better than I thought it would be
V – The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenedies – Bizarre and enchanting
W – We Were the Mulvaneys, Joyce Carol Oates – Not worth the 500+ pages
X – Life EXpectancy, Dean Koontz  - Scary, strange, and satisfying
Y – You Suck: A Love Story, Christopher Moore  – Bizarre, and I gave up
Z – Z is for Zachariah, Robert O’Brien – Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it

To organize by star rating…

5 Stars

T – The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
X – Life EXpectancy, Dean Koontz

4 Stars

A – American Wife, Curtis Sittenfeld (highly recommended)
D – The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger
F – Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes (highly recommended)
G – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer (very highly recommended)
J – James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl (recommended if you like Young Adult fiction)
K – Knit Two, Kate Jacobs  (recommended if you like chick lit)
L – Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, Marian Keyes (recommended if you like chick lit)
M – Messenger, Lois Lowry (recommended if you like Young Adult fiction)
R – The Road, Cormac McCarthy (very highly recommended)
S – Sworn to Silence, Linda Castillo
U – The Undomestic Goddess, Sophie Kinsella
V – The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenedies

Three stars and below I don’t really recommend you rush out and get, but rather pick up if you happen upon them or have the time.  And looking back, I confess I think I might have been a bit generous with the four-star ratings earlier this year.

And now for some Stack of Spines awards!

Best Read – The Thirteenth Tale

Biggest Surprise – Life Expectancy (once I got over the nightmares)

Biggest Disappointment – We Were the Mulvaneys

Best Movie Potential - The Undomestic Goddess

Fastest Read – James and the Giant Peach

Most Introspective – The Road

Changed my Worldview – Flowers for Algernon

As you can see by the links above to reviews, I was about 70% done with my 2009 challenge by July, when this blog started.  I got a little burnt out the second half of the year as I’ve never read from such a list before.  I allowed myself some liberties to change books around, which was beneficial.  For about a month I wondered if I would finish and if my fiction only and no audios rules were too strict.  Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed working through this challenge!  I happened upon some great books I never would have read otherwise.

So…after a long debate, I have decided to do a 2010 ABC Challenge, but it will be based on Authors, not titles.   Stay tuned for a kickoff post for that challenge!