Book list of 2009

I was really proud of myself this year. I read a total of 52 books – which means I averaged one book for every week of the year. However, some of these books were kind of random & super short – you know, the kind that only take half a day or less to read. So in a way, I guess you could say I cheated. But heck – the number is still 52. No matter how you look at it. And I have a wide variety of books that I read. In fact, I can’t ever think of a time in my life where I read a wider variety and gained more from my reading than this past year. I’ve always enjoyed the frivolous novel, I’m not gonna lie {notice I have a lot of Stansfield on this list!}, but this year I branched out: I also learned a bit about photography {and I still feel like I know nothing…oh boy}, I read some spiritual books {which were really great, to be honest – I learned a lot}, some historical fiction {which I consider less frivolous … :D}, and plenty of books I’d never even heard of {which is way different for me – I usually don’t read a book unless I’m sure I’ll like it}.
I’ve been trying to think of a single book that really stood out to me as “the read” for 2009, but I just can’t pinpoint one. In fact, I was going through my list trying just to find “the top five,” but I still failed! So I’ll just tell ya, this is my “top eight” list:

- The Great Divorce by CS Lewis
- Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Justified by Faith by Stephen Nadauld {one of the spiritual books that was really awesome!}
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Golden {I’ll admit I struggled a little with this book but it really helped me learn to branch out a little and learn from some different literature – very interesting, but not a book for children. :)}
- Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robison
- Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorthea Lange by Partridge
- Moloka’i by Brennert {incredible story, very eye opening and plays with all your emotions – and I do mean all of them}
- John Adams by McCullough

If you want more of my reviews of any of those books, you can make friends with me on Goodreads. Gotta love goodreads. And, because I just know you are all dying to see my list for 2009, I’ll share it with ya. Enjoy!

1. A Time to Dance {Stansfield}
2. Timeless Waltz {Stansfield}
3. Beloved Emma {Woodland}
4. Eyes of a Stranger {Nunes}
5. A Perfect Day {Evans}
6. The Sound of Rain {Stansfield}
7. A Distant Thunder {Stansfield}
8. A Star in Winter {Stansfield}
9. Where the Heart Leads {Stansfield}
10. The King's Highway {Fullmer}
11. The Temple: Our Home Away from Home {Kapp}
12. Hana's Suitcase {Levine}
13. Lincoln: A Photobiography {Freedman}
14. Pillage {Skye}
15. Saying it Like it Is {Dew}
16. The Great Divorce {CS Lewis}
17. Zion Covenant 7: London Refrain {Thoene}
18. The Winds of Hope {Stansfield}
19. Pride and Prejudice {Austen}
20. Don't take my picture! {Alesse}
21. Mastering Composition and Light {Kodak}
22. Justified by Faith {Nadauld}
23. Learning from the Experts {Kodak}
24. Emma: Woman of Faith {Stansfield}
25. Photographing the Drama of Daily Life {Time-Life Books}
26. Professional Secrets of Wedding Photography {Douglas}
27. Digital Photography {May}
28. The Sunflower {Evans}
29. Recovering Charles {Wright}
30. Smithsonian Treasures of American History {Kendrick}
31. A Quiet Strength {Oke}
32. When the Emporer Was Divine {Otsuka}
33. How to be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life {Hellstern}
34. Memoirs of a Geisha {Golden}
35. Our Country's Presidents {Bausum}
36. Beyond This Moment {Sealy}
37. Dancing in the Light {Stansfield}
38. The People of the Book {Muchnick}
39. Believing Christ {Robinson}
40. Postcards from No Man's Land {Chambers}
41. Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange {Partridge}
42. Sarah's Song {Kingsbury}
43. Not a Sparrow Falls {Nichols}
44. A Short Guide to a Happy Life {Quindlen}
45. Being Perfect {Quindlen}
46. Moloka'i {Brennert}
47. Little Women {Alcott}
48. Isaiah for Airheads {Bytheway}
49. John Adams {McCulllough}
50. Water Keep (Farworld) - {Savage}
51. Christmas in Haggerty {Green}
52. Christmas Box Miracle {Evans}

Did you read any books in 2009 that you really liked? Please share if you have any recommendations for me since I'm going to try and read a lot again this year. :)