Books Read in 2009

1. Silenced – Jerry Jenkins
2. Shadowed – Jerry Jenkins
3. The Dish: on eating healthy and being fabulous – Carolyn O’Neil and Densie Webb
4. More Natural “Cures” Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease – Kevin Trudeau. I’ll confess. I’ve been wanting to read this book and its predecessor out of sheer curiosity. My conclusion: don’t waste your time. Regardless of whether he’s correct or not in his conclusions and recommendations and claims of persecution, he comes across sounding completely nuts. I wouldn’t mind having those two hours back.
5. The Year of Living Biblically: One man’s humble quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible – A.J. Jacobs. This was a great book! Jacobs spent the first nine months focusing on the Old Testament, and the last three months focusing on the New Testament. It’s funny, and sweet, and just a really good book.
6. Private Justice – Terri Blackstock
7. Emerald Windows – Terri Blackstock
8. The Truth Seeker – Dee Henderson
9. Danger in the Shadows – Dee Henderson
10. The Yada Yada Prayer Group – Neta Jackson
11. Evidence of Mercy – Terri Blackstock
12. Help! I’m Being Intimidated by the Proverbs 31 Woman! – Nancy Kennedy
13. Lord I Want to be Whole Workbook and Journal – Stormie Omartian
14. Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World – Lisa Lillien
15. Stormie – Stormie Omartian
16. In Everything Give Thanks – Terry Barnes
17. Dead Heat – Joel C. Rosenberg
18. The Elevator – Angela Hunt
19. The Prayer that Changes Everything – Stormie Omartian
20. It’s All Too Much: an easy plan for living a richer life with less stuff– Peter Walsh
21. Justifiable Means – Terri Blackstock
22. Presumption of Guilt – Terri Blackstock
23. Shadow of Doubt – Terri Blackstock
24. Word of Honor – Terri Blackstock
25. The Complete History of Costume & Fashion: from ancient Egypt to the present day – Bronwyn Cosgrove
26. Vegan With a Vengeance – Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It’s a re-read, but it’s a lovely vegan cookbook with delicious food to make for people you love. I’ve tried some recipes out of it that had Joe absolutely raving, one soup that he’ll always remember.
27. Incantation – Alice Hoffman.  Sixteen-year-old Estrella finds the truth about her family, the truth about the small village in which she lives, and the truth about her hitherto best friend in this evocative tale by a master story-weaver.
28. Gothic! – Ten Original Dark Tales – ed. Deborah Noyes. I really thought this was rather dreadful, to be honest.
29. Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind – Marilyn Kaye.  Kaye is another good story-teller; I’ve read a few by her in the last few days. This tells the story of a snotty bitchy junior high school student who wakes up to find herself in the body of one of her fellow classmates, and reluctantly becomes part of a class of gifted students. Their gifts, though, aren’t quite what one might expect.
30. Gifted: Better Late Than Never – Marilyn Kaye. This is the second book in the Gifted series, and it holds up to the promise of the first.
31. The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan – Nancy Springer. This is the fourth Enola Holmes mystery–I read the first three last year and was favourably impressed. 
32. I Am Mordred – Nancy Springer. When I was reading the blurb on the Enola Holmes book, I was startled to find that Springer is also the author of I Am Morgan le Fay and I Am Mordred.  I’d read the Morgan le Fay book within the last several years, and picked this one up from the clearance section at Half Price Books a few weeks ago.  Have you ever wondered what it would be like to know that you were fated to kill your father? Springer has, and she tells Mordred’s story poignantly.
33. Vacations From Hell – Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson, Sarah Mlynowski – A delicious selection of creepy supernatural holidays from a delicious section of outstanding writers.
34. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Weird Word Origins – Paul McFedries.  I know that last year I swore off the Complete Idiot’s series, but this was a very fun exception.  If you have even the slightest interest in word etymology, you’ll enjoy this book.
35. Gary Jennings’ Apocalypse 2012 – Robert Gleason and Junius Podrug.  This novel takes you back and forth between the Aztecs and Toltecs in 1001 A.D. and a group of scientists and politicians determined to unlock the ancient secrets locked away. I liked it quite a bit.
36. The Devouring – Simon Holt.  A dark YA novel, and one that I confess not enjoying overmuch.  There’s a fair bit of rather graphic imagery; I like my horror more subtle.
37. Infected – Scott Sigler.  Hint: If you’re at all suggestible, you may want to give this one a pass. It too is extremely graphic, but very, very well written. Sigler deftly combines sci-fi and horror into a book you’ll find hard to put down.  And seriously–don’t blame me if you find yourself absent-mindedly scratching a persisent itch in your arm.