Alex's Top 20 Books of 2009

I'll jump on the bandwagon and do it too. :) Sounds fun, but such a daunting task. Narrow my 150 books down to 20?


20. The Way He Lived- Emily Wing Smith
I read this one at the beginning of the year, but something about it still remains. It's written in 6 perspectives, all about how the death of one boy affected these 6 people. Very different and interesting.

19. The Demon's Lexicon- Sarah Rees Brennan
I love me some fantasy, and the mixture of bad boys and plot twists kept the novel exciting. Review here.

18. Dream Factory- Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler
I've read a couple other novels by the duo, and Dream Factory is my favourite. It's incredibly quirky and sweet, with little insightful quotes and fun characters.

17. Good Enough- Paula Yoo
About an Korean girl and her life, really, trying to please her Korean and hardworking parents, while learning on her own and making tough decisions. It just really resonated to me, and it's also insanely funny.

16. When You Reach Me- Rebecca Stead
My most recent read on the list. It's a little like Jellicoe Road, with the structure and confusion it induces, and how it all ties up in the end. I really liked it, but I think it needs a reread for me to get everything, and to love it.

15. All We Know of Heaven- Jaquelyn Mitchard
I've read this a couple times now... and each time I cry and love the novel. I've tried to read The Midnight Twins by the same author, and didn't enjoy it at all, but AWEoH, I love.

14. My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park- Steve Kluger
Lots and lots of fun to read, with multiple plot lines and several voices, it reads quickly but leaves you wishing for high school to be like that. It isn't (at least not for me).

13. Hate List- Jennifer Brown
A review by me, here. Really poweful novel.

12. Audrey, Wait!- Robin Benway
Crazy fun, with the lovable Audrey and a voice that draws you in. It really is hysterically funny.

11. Wintergirls/ Speak- Laurie Halse Anderson
Review of Wintergirls here. Second ever on this blog, actually. :) Both are written magnificently, with girls with different and enormously relative topics.

10. Cracked Up To Be- Courtney Summers
Parker, the main character, is the kind of girl I love to read about. Confused, with lots of attitude, some dark secrets, and completely enthralling. Small novel packs a real punch.

9. The Miles Between/ The Adoration of Jenna Fox- Mary E. Pearson
I couldn't pick between them, because they're both great for totally different reasons, and are completely different books. Neither has a review, but I suggest reading them if you haven't already. TAoJF recently came out in paperback, and the cover is GORGEOUS. Another book I want to own.

8. City of Glass- Cassandra Clare
One of my favourite fantasy series, (being topped by a couple like HP, which isn't on the list because I sadly haven't read Harry in ages... it's on my list of rereads), and the last is probably my favourite. Though all three are fantastic.

7. Jellicoe Road- Melina Marchetta
It's a strange book, but it's so, so good. Actually, I should reread it. Or own it. (Hey Lauren...)

6. 13 Reasons Why- Jay Asher
I love the uniqueness and power of 13 Reasons Why. I was so hooked, I read in class. In front of the teacher. Usually I'm a little more discreet.

5. Looking for Alaska- John Green
Read before we started the blog, but John Green is one of my idols. Lovelovelove. I've recently become addicted to his youtube channel. :)

4. Catching Fire/The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
Since it's a series, I stuck them together. Reviews by Alex and Lauren. We may also have a Hunger Games review hidden.... but I don't really feel like finding it. This series doesn't really need an explanation.

3. Dairy Queen- Catherine Murdock
Never reviewed the series here, but it's one of my all time favourites. Lauren doesn't understand why, but I LOVE the series, and D.J. I just read Front and Center, which, while I didn't like quite as much as the first, is still awesome.

2. Fire- Kristin Cashore
This should actually include Graceling, because I'm trying to fit as many different books in this list as I can. Reviews here and here. Kristin Cashore is such a wonderful author, and I know I'm not the only one to be eagerly awaiting her third book.

1. Ballads of Suburbia- Stephanie Kuehnert
The winner! (Which I reviewed here.) I found it just all around amazing and powerful. :)


But I did it! But man, it was tough. And I'm still wavering on the order of the list... but this is mostly how it is. I just don't have my preferences very defined, so this was really hard. Y'all better appreciate it.

Hopefully next year will be even bigger and better, and more posts on this blog will actually come. My reading slowed down like crazy in November and December, until my break started, and I read a book a day for a bit.