2009 Books Read

For 2009 I plan to keep track of my reading on a monthly basis.  One asterisk (*) means I really enjoyed that book. Two asterisks (**) means I not only liked it; I’ll no doubt read it again at some future point.  A pound  sign (#) and red print means the book is Nonfiction; all others (in blue) are Fiction.

January

Needled to Death by Maggie Sefton *
Shakespeare’s Landlord by Charlaine Harris *
Many Bloody Returns by Charlaine Harris et al (the story Harris wrote for this book was of course best)
Poltergeist by Kat Richardson (interesting but tedious)
Wolfsbane and Mistletoe by Charlaine Harris et al (again the story by Harris was the best)
Shakespeare’s Champion by Charlaine Harris *
Shakespeare’s Christmas by Charlaine Harris
Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson *
Shakespeare’s Trollop by Charlaine Harrris
A Deadly Yarn by Maggie Sefton
Shakespeare’s Counselor by Charlaine Harris
A Killer Stitch by Maggie Sefton
The Web by Jonathan Kellerman

February

The Romeo Flag by Carolyn Hougan
A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris
Three Bedrooms One Corpse by Charlaine Harris
T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton (this one is a bit dark; I think Grafton is getting tired)
Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett * (fun to read, will continue w/series)
Evangelicals and Israel, The Story of American Christian Zionism by Stephen Spector #
The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly
Silent Thunder by Iris Johansen *
Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva ** (one of my favorite authors; he never disappoints)
Three Shirt Deal by Stephen J. Cannell
Stone Cold by David Baldacci * (a re-read)
High Country by Nevada Barr
Is Rome the True Church? by Norman Geisler and Joshua Betancourt (typical apologetics and bounced around a bit) #

March

Tuck by Stephen Lawhead ** (his entire series The King Raven Trilogy consisting of Hood, Scarlet, and Tuck  is simply excellent writing if you enjoy the medieval period and Robin Hood-type stories!)
A Plague of Poison by Maureen Ash **
Them Bones by Carolyn Haines
Buried Bones by Carolyn Haines
Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett *
The Julius House by Charlaine Harris
Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs
State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

April

Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy
Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus:  How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg *# (basic, but very interesting ; sometimes too much like travelogue)
Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson (by this point in the series I’m getting tired of the characters)
Hunting Season by Nevada Barr
Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews (not her best work)

May

Turn Coat (The Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher ** by this point in the series the Harry Dresden character was getting a little dry, but in this episode Jim Butcher brings him back in full swing and it’s very well done.)
Mama Does Time by Deborah Sharp *
Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris **
Cemetary Dance by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston * (I love this writing team!)
The Noticer by Andy Andrews#
What to Do When the Roof Caves In by Marilyn Meberg #
Murder of a Small-Town Honey by Denise Swanson
The Gate House by Nelson DeMille * I love his sarcasm!

June

The Vampire Diaries (The Awakening and The Strugggle) – a little too YA level, liked Twilight series better
Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods ** (I love his Stone Barrington character)
Bleeding Hearts by Susan Wittig Albert *
A Moorland Hanging by Michael Jecks * (great if you are into medieval mysteries – this guy is very good)
Spare Change by Robert B. Parker * (very good, this is a series of mysteries w/a specific character Sunny Randall and I must get more!)
Relentless by Dean Koontz** one of his better efforts!
Cut and Run by Ridley Pearson * started a little slow then became very exciting and full of action
Dead Over Heels by Charlaine Harris
A Fool and His Honey by Charlaine Harris
Last Scene Alive by Charlaine Harris
Intro to the New Testament by Werner Georg Kummel #(excerpts only – don’t try this at home – scholarly and hard to read – need some knowledge of Greek too.)
The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer
Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich ** (absolutely hysterical)
A Mournful Teddy by John J. Lamb ** (enjoyed so much I ordered the rest of the series)
Innocent in Death by J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts)

July

Total Control by David Baldacci
On the Fifth Day by A. J. Hartley
By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz – not one of his best, too wordy; not creepy enough
The False-Hearted Teddy by John J. Lamb **
Christian Theology, An Introduction by Alister E. McGrath #
Smart Words, Vocabulary for the Erudite by Mim Harrison # – harrumph – very few I didn’t know; guess that makes me somewhat erudite already or Ms. Harrison needs to choose more difficult/arcane vocabulary
The Lancelot Murders by J.M.C. Blair * another good installment of Merlin detective work
Thornyhold by Mary Stewart ** marvelous Gothic romance and a quick read; perfect for a stormy day!
Cave Canem (pronounced ka-weh kan-em (Latin for beware of the dog) by Lorna Robinson *# interesting little tidbits of Latin which I’m sure will come in handy one day somewhere – quick read
Dyer Consequences by Maggie Sefton *
The Crafty Teddy by John J. Lamb **

August

The Clockwork Teddy by John J. Lamb ** (another favorite author of mine from Doggonedmysteries suggestions)
Surprised by Hope by N. T. Wright* #
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters * a very good but long  ghost story which takes place in Britain right after WWII
The Winds of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson ** (I’m a Dune devotee)
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (this actually only counts as 2/3 of a read as I couldn’t take any more – I don’t like her style of writing so I finally put it down and conceded defeat.) If you’re a Barbara Kingsolver fan, please don’t send me hate mail – we can’t all like the same books.
The Defector by Daniel Silva ** as usual a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat spy thriller – he’s one of the best!
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer ** (okay this is a re-read) reminding myself of story as I catch up for next movie in Twilight Series (New Moon) coming up in Nov I think – c’mon you know I love vampire stories
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer **
The Bolter by Frances Osborne #
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer **

September

Homer and Langley by E. L. Doctorow ** every bit as satisfying as I expected; poignant and sad too
Rotten to the Core by Sheila Connolly *
The Treacherous Teddy by John J. Lamb** (this is apparently the last of this series – I’ll miss it but John tells me he’s hard at work on a new type of series and I can’t wait for it to come out as it deals with the paranormal and ya’ll know I just eat that stuff up with a spoon! LOL
Utopia by Lincoln Child ** (love him and his books w/writing partner too!)
The Vampire Diaries (The Fury and Dark Reunion) blechh again too YA for me and Stephanie Meyer did it better (funny though how amazingly similar hers is to this. Hmmmm)
A Tisket, a Tasket, a Fancy Stolen Casket by Fran Rizer boring, not very good character development
Desolate Angel by Chaz McGee **
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (one word…blechhh.)
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown * he’s good at weaving a tale and I enjoyed it

October

Old Friend from Far Away (The Practice of Writing Memoir) by Natalie Goldberg *
Haunting Jordan by P. J. Alderman ** (wonderful mystery – hard to put down)
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry * (very well written and compelling story – a good read!)
A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris (a collection of snippets and stories from the books)
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson * The story of a man’s personal hell and how he is saved from the agony of his life.  Disturbing but well done – it’s not for the faint-hearted.
Crossed Bones by Carolyn Haines
Bound by Sally Gunning  *- a fictional tale of an indentured servant – makes one think how lucky one is…
Sorrow on Sunday by Ann Purser ** I love the Lois Meade series – she has two more coming out in the next 2 months
Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child * I enjoy everything he and his writing partner (Douglas Preston) produce
Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs
Defending Angels by Mary Stanton * very original
Dark Summer by Iris Johansen
Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov ** a classic
Grave Secrets by Charlaine Harris *

November

The Ghost and the Dead Deb by Alice Kimberly (Cleo Coyle)
Warning at One by Ann Purser **
Dracula The Undead by Dacre Stoker (the great grandnephew of Bram Stoker)