My fav reads in 2009

A new year and time to start a fresh new list of the books I am reading.  Of the books I read in 2009 my fav reads were Breath by Tim Winton (adventure story, amazing writing, a few suprises, loved the beach and coastal imagery); My Driver by Maggie Gee (set in Uganda, quirky, great plot and characters, lots of laugh out loud moments, romance, drama); The Household Guide to Dying (a novel) by Debra Adelaide (again a bit quirky, funny, sad, family drama - great read); Vertigo (a novella) by Amanda Lohrey (short, evocative, moody, bushfire - fabulously written - made me feel like I was there in the story); and The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (set in southern states of America, sad, funny, a bit spiritual and uplifting). 

The books I gave four stars to were also rave-worthy.  I was very lucky last year - I really didn't have read too many duds at all.  So here's my reading list for 2009 with my star rating:

A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz **** (Australian author)
Breath by Tim Winton ****1/2 (Australian)
Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui by Karen Kingston **** (very motivating read!!)
Eating Chinese Food Naked by Mei NG ***
Evening is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan ****
Mercy by Jodi Picoult ***1/2
My Cleaner by Maggie Gee ****
My Driver by Maggie Gee ****1/2
One Thousand Chestnut Trees by Mira Stout ***1/2
Rouseabout by Rachael Treasure ***1/2 (Australian)
Stranger by Anita Brookner ***
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne ****
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer ****
The Household Guide to Dying (a novel) by Debra Adelaide **** (Australian)
The Hunter's Wife by Katherine Scholes ***1/2 (Australian)
The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood *** and 3/4
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville ***1/2 (Australian)
The Lost Children by Maggie Gee ***
The Other Hand by Chris Cleave ****
The Pages by Murray Bail ***1/2 (Australian)
The Road Home by Rose Tremain ****
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd ****1/2
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas **** (Australian)
The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey ***3/4
The Young Widow's Book of Home Improvement by Virginia Lloyd **** (Australian)
Three Junes by Julie Glass ****
Vertigo (a novella) by Amanda Lohrey ****1/2 (Australian)
Wanting by Richard Flanagan **** (Australian)

Some good reads and the 100-day flu

Boring boring - the flu again. Sixth time this year. The doctor tells me that this is not unusual in Hobart this flu season. They are calling it the 100-day flu. The only upside is the amount of reading I have been doing. Finished two good books this week. 'My Driver' by Maggie Gee - set in Uganda, quirky and humorous, very believable characters, lots of twists and turns, bit of adventure and romance. Loved it. Also 'The Pages', Murray Bail's new novel about the life of a modern day philosopher who wrote his findings in the shed of his family's country property outback NSW. Not quite what I was expecting and very obtuse but enjoyed it nonetheless. Off to bed now for more reading and body repairing zzzzzzzzzs. Hope to do some sewing tomorrow.

A two book return of the lurgy

This is the view outside my window as I type this. Misty rainy late afternoon. Ye gads - I am sick of winter (already) and the flu season. Am on to my third bout of some sort of viral thing - not quite so bad this time but have stayed home two days to make sure it goes away. Have read two books - The Household Guide to Dying (a novel) which made me a bit maudlin but was a great read, followed by The Knitting Circle, which is more about dying and grief. Hmm - my husband thinks I should change my choice of reading matter.

This afternoon I got up and made some love tree cards to give away free to customers of my millymaker stall on Sunday. Under the love tree is the spot in the garden where Alan and I were married three and a half years ago. The 'love letters' were a wedding present from John and Kerry. I love looking outside and seeing them, slightly weathered now, on the big gum tree. Sometimes they fall off and I have to nail them up again.

Remembering you with love today Tom...

Books I have just read (it's the ex-librarian in me)

I've decided to add to my blog a list of books I've just read as I finish them (see down the side of the page). That way I will be able to recall what I've read. (Memory like a sieve etc.) As you will see I am rather generous with my star ratings. I figure four stars is a book I would recommend to a friend to read, and four and a half stars is one I would rave about and even buy for people. I have just bought Richard Flanagan's 'Wanting' and will be interested to see how I find this. It should follow nicely from Kate Grenville's 'The Lieutenant', which I finished last week.