Another Best of 2009 List

Well 2009 is most definitely over and I've finally recovered enough from the holiday season here at the store to get a chance to reflect on 2009. It was a great year for books. 2009 really reminded me that I am a very lucky person to get to work around books everyday, to think about them, read them, write about them...and get paid to do it! I looked over all the books I read last year and whittled it down to 13 favorite reads. Here they are, in no particular order:

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

Although it definitely didn't come out in 2009, it did get the movie re-release. And a well-deserved one at that. Isherwood originally published this novel in 1964. It has not lost any of its punch. Written in spare, hard-hitting prose, this book took my breath away. I did see the movie, and think it stands on its own right next to this most excellent book.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Numerous co-workers told me to read this book. They told me I wouldn't be able to put it down. They told me I would think about it and crave the as-of-yet unpublished sequel. I hemmed and I hawed and finally I gave in. They were right. Although we shelve this book in Science Fiction, it is more than just fantasy. Rothfuss created a world I was reluctant to leave. I urge all of you to read this, even if you think fantasy isn't your thing. Rivetting prose, characters written with depth, humor and compassion, and a universal coming-of-age story combine to make one memorable book.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

This is another book that took my breath away. The story of an African girl and a British woman trying to make sense of the nightmare their lives have become. If you haven't read it, I don't want to give anything away. Read it, and you'll not soon forget it. There are scenes in this imminently readable book that haunt me to this day. And when I finished it, I couldn't read fiction for weeks.


Goat Song by Brad Kessler

After reading "Little Bee", I switched to non-fiction for a while. And this was the first book I read. It nearly sp
oiled me on non-fiction. Brad Kessler's memoir of becoming a goatherder and cheesmonger is written so wonderfully it's easy to forget it's a true story. The prose is beautiful and so rich you can feel the wind in your hair and taste the grass. If Kessler makes cheese half as good as he wrote this book, it must be the best cheese in the world! I loved this book and urge you to read it!

Cleaving by Julie Powell

I wrote a lot about this book this year. I loved it. Julie Powell writes so honestly and candidly about her life it's a little off-putting. I heard from some people that she's too honest, that there's too much sex, that it's not the Julie they liked from "Julie & Julia". Maybe that's why I liked it! She seems more grown up in this book, and her writing? Fantastic! I read this book in a few days and felt a little sad when it was over. She really brought alive the butcher shop she apprenticed in: I could smell that cold scent of blood, picture the cuts of meat in the case and how so recently they'd been on the animal on the stainless steel table in the back. Well-done, Julie Powell!

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

I hate to admit it, but this is the first book I've read by Mr. Foer. I feel bad saying it, but I just never got around to reading his first two novels. It won't be long, though, after reading this unforgettable piece of non-fiction. A meditation on the plight of the animals that become our food, a challenge to not only the reader (the eater) but the animal food industry, this book I can easily say as changed my life. A must-read for those who eat meat, or for those who've read "Omnivore's Dilemma", "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" or anything else in this new genre of books. In "Eating Animals", Foer has managed to turn his personal struggle with meat eating into something universal.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

This book is a fun, interesting tale of magicians in the modern world. I enjoyed this book. Quentin discovers that magic is real, and that he is a magician, when he is selected to attend Brakebills College, a hidden upstate New York college for magic. Of course you're thinking, didn't we already read about this? There are funny Harry Potter references the characters make, but this is no Harry Potter. Not only is magic real in this book, this book is set in reality: adult language, drinking, drugs and sex are present in the lives of the characters of this book as they come of age. The action moves to Fillory, a land believed to be made-up, but in fact, very real. There, Quentin and his friends face evil in a war they don't quite understand. This book is about growing up, about trying to find happiness in yourself and where you are rather than always looking ahead to the next best thing. Lev Grossman's writing is compelling and fun. His characters are memorable, and the imagery is fantastic.


The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa

My friend, Chris, declared 2009 the Llear of Llosa. I was remiss in only reading one novel by this South American master. This book surprised me. It's fun to love such a bad character! A novel about obsession and how it consumes the main character, Ricardo Somocurcio. Llosa brings Lima, Peru, alive, as well as Paris, England and Tokyo. If this novel is any indication, Llosa is the perfect author for our newly interconnected world. I kept thinking of Gabriel Garcia Marquez when I read this book. Like Garcia Marquez, Vargas Llosa writes lushly, sensually, and with a painter's eye to detail. Just fabulous!



Salvation Army by Abdellah Taia

One of a handful of books in translation I read this year, this slim autobiographical novel about growing up gay in Morocco really is much larger than its size. Originally published in France in 2006, Taia tells a seldom-heard tale of what it means to be gay in a society at once so restrictive yet rather permissive. Add to that the difficulties of being an immigrant in a society coming to terms with the effects of immigration on its values, this book reminds me of how far we have come in the United States. A fascinating read, I am looking forward to reading more from him soon.

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen

Although this was one of the first books I read in 2009, even now I take great pleasure in recommending this unique novel. Not only is this a great coming-of-age tale of young cartographer T.S. Spivet, and a great story of the American West, the book is a joy to look at. It's larger than your average hardcover book, and it is crammed with marginalia, with maps, drawings and a story-within-a-story that will win your heart. If you haven't checked out this book, do yourself the favor and do so. I think Reif Larsen is an author to look out for.

Birds In Fall by Brad Kessler


After reading Kessler's "Goat Song" and raving about it at work, one of my coworkers brought me her copy of his earlier novel and told me to read it already! I'd heard about this one years ago, but never got around to reading it. Shame on me. "Birds in Fall" is the story of the families of the victims of a plane crash off the coast of Nova Scotia. The families gather, at first in hope, and then in mourning. This book is sad, but it is full of the beauty of transformation through grief. I knew Kessler was a great writer, but this book really shows it. A wonderful, wonderful novel.


Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

This British import is the most fun I've ever had learning! The Greek gods are alive (they are immortal, you know) and living in England. But their powers are waning. Some of them have had to take up jobs. Others seem to live only to hassle others. All they need is people to believe in them and perhaps their powers will return. An interesting novel on the power of faith and the dangers of religion, this book is fun!


And finally, Labor Day by Joyce Maynard.

This book was the Tattered Cover's first V.I.B. (Very Impressive Book). And it's still very impressive to me. Most definitely, the most hopeful novel I've read in a long time, Maynard's latest book is a treat. When a boy meets a bleeding man in the grocery store and convinces his mom to bring him home, no one has any idea how this will turn out. A powerful love story and an even more powerful story about forgiveness, I can't recommend this book enough.

And those are the 13 books that I read in 2009 that I loved the most. Not all of them were published in 2009, and if you haven't read them yet, each of them is worth reading in 2010.