I had so much fun doing this last year, that I had to repeat myself. π
By the Numbers:
Middle Grade Fiction: 72 (being on the MG panel really shot the numbers through the roof!)
Young Adult Fiction: 53
Graphic Novels: 16
Non-Fiction: 14
Fiction: 42
Grand Total: 197
Challenges Completed: 9
And it wouldn’t be the same without the awards…
Best Adult Fiction: Dracula
Best YA book: The Patron Saint of Butterflies
Best Middle-grade book: Every Soul a Star
Best Fantasy: A Curse Dark as Gold
Best Sci-Fi/Distopian: 1984 (even if it is depressing)
Best Graphic Novel (new this year!!) : Plain Janes/Janes in Love
Best Non-Fiction: John Adams
Best (um, only?) Mystery (I still ought to read more…): The Winter Queen
Best Jacket Flap: The Fall of the Kings
Best Worst Jacket Flap: Matilda
And in other categories…
Books I should have read AGES ago: 84 Charing Cross Road, Call of the Wild, Right Ho, Jeeves, The Christmas Carol (well, I did read it before, but it’s been AGES)
Writing Style I Discovered I liked: Novels in verse, especially Diamond Willow and Song of the Sparrow
Favorite Challenge: Jane Austen
Best main character: Marvin from Masterpiece
Book for in-person book group I liked best: Suite Francaise
Book for on-line book group I liked best: The Glass Castle
Books I didn’t feel the love for: The Book Thief, Audrey, Wait!
Number of Shakespeare plays I read: 1 – Othello, but I saw two (Much Ado About Nothing and Pericles)
Number of books read that had something to do with Shakespeare: 4
Favorite use of Shakespeare’s plays: The Juliet Club
Books that Made me Laugh the most: The Year of Living Biblically, Leave it to Psmith, Island of Mad Scientists
Authors everyone else loves that I discovered I liked: John Green (but I think I like his vlog better than his books. Don’t shoot me.) and Maureen Johnson
Best Book from an author I previously didn’t care for: Airman
First-time authors I’d love to see more from: Susan Selfors (Saving Juliet), Daphne Grab (Alive and Well in Prague, New York), J. Scott Savage (Farworld: Water Keep)
Book I read the fastest: anything for the MG Cybils panel…
Favorite book from a series: Forever Rose (with The Battle of the Labyrinth a close runner-up)
Best Arthurian book: Mary Stewart’s Merlin trilogy
Newbery Books I read: Good Masters, Sweet Ladies, Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry
Books that made me want to go out and do something:The Omnivore’s Dilemma (change food buying habits), Every Soul a Star (look at stars and see a solar eclipse), Forever Rose (read the rest of the series), Dairy Queen (cheer!), Ten Cents a Dance (watch Swing Kids).
Books I abandoned: The Painted Drum, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Acts of King Arthur, Blue Bloods, Audrey Wait!, and a whole host of MG Cybils books.
Here’s to another great year!
Yayyy! Great list! I love me some lists. I think I’ll rip off some of your categories when I put mine together.
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Go for it, Andi. π Can’t wait to see your list.
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I’d love it if you’d check out my novel, too. Courage in Patience, a story of hope for those who have endured abuse, has been well-received by both teen and adult readers. Beth Fehlbaum, authorCourage in Patience, a story of hope for those who have endured abusehttp://courageinpatience.blogspot.comCh. 1 is online!
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Wow! you do have a lot of bests. I wanted to make up some kind of list to summarize 2008 but I think I’ll just stick with my 2009 challenges lists.
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I know, Lilly; it’s obnoxious isn’t it? π
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I love your categories! I’ll have to try ad come up with some fun ones this year. Mind if I borrow some? π
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Great list. I have to do my 2008 Book Awards Ceremony again this year.
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Great list, Melissa. Did you watch Swing Kids? I thought it was a good movie.Also, I’m glad to hear that someone else didn’t care for The Book Thief either.
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Feel free, Nymeth. πSherry — I have, though it’s been a while. I did like it, though. (Granted, I like most anything Christian Bale’s in…) And I’m always happy to know that I’m not the only one who’s on the anti-Book Thief side. π
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Great list, I think I’m gonna steal it from you when I put my list together!!!
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Fun categories. I shouldn’t have read this post – too many books are headed to my already HUMONGOUS TBR list π
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What a great post, I love the categories that you list. May have to borrow some of those for next year for myself!Of course it thrills my heart to no end to see my favorite novel of all time, Dracula, up there on your list. Yay!!!Have an absolutely wonderful new year!!!
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Sounds like you would be a good candidate for an Amazon.com Kindle! We were thinking about buying one for Christmas, but they’re temporarily sold out. – an Andover, KS reader
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