Chapter 36: Best of 2009

I cannot believe how fast time has flown! It feels like only yesterday I was sitting in my hotelroom balcony in Portoroz, Slovenia, reading Cranford by Elizabet Gaskell, enjoying the sun and every now and then lifting my eyes from the book and admiring the view towards the Mediterranean, and that was in July! Today, quite a few books (though not as many as I would have liked) later, I'm sitting at home, every now and then shifting my eges from the computer screen towards the window to see if it's still snowing as it has been most of the day. (It is, but it's already so dark outside that I had to walk to the window to take a closer look.)

Here is my top 10 reads for 2009:

10. Oscar Wilde: Lady Windermere's Fan. I love Oscar. :) I'm not really into plays, neither in book form nor in the theatre, but I love his witty writing.

9. Gaile Parkin: Baking Cakes in Kigali. I had earlier read Gil Courtemanche's novel about the Rwandan genoside, and let me tell you, it was not a fun read. Parkin's book gave a completely different and much more optimistic view of Rwanda and Kigali, even though it touched on several serious subjects.

8. Sylvia Brownrigg: Pages for You. This is a beautifully written, bittersweet story of a young woman's first love with another woman. I'd highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to read some good GLBT fiction.

7. Tracy Chevalier: Remarkable Creatures. I loved this novel, it was fascinating to learn about the fossile hunters in early 19th century Britain, and it feels almost cruel to rate it only seventh in my top 10 list, but it cannot be helped.

6. Elizabeth Gaskell: Cranford. My first ever Gaskell, but surely not the last (I'm actually one story down, three to go with a collection of four of her short stories that I'm reading for the Women Unbound Challenge).

5. Geraldine Brooks: People of the Book. Loved this one, too. I usually like historical novels of this type. Hello, it was about a book!!:) And the modern day setting of Sarajevo after the 1990s war, made me want to read more novels about the Balkans (This book is not only about the Balkans, though.).

4. Sarah Waters: The Little Stranger. It's written by Sarah Waters, of course I liked it! She is one of my favorite authors and I have read all her novels. This is not my favorite, though. Tipping the Velvet is still my no. 1. Waters novel, but The Little Stranger competes for the second position with The Nightwatch.

3. Markus Zusak: The Book Thief. What can I say? I cried twice while reading this book. It is such a touching story.

2. Courtney Angela Brkic: Stillness. Amazing short story collection with stories set in the Balkans in the 1990s and telling stories from all sides of the conflict.

1. Steven Galloway: The Cellist of Sarajevo. This book, in my opinion, is simply amazing. Not only my best read this year, but it went straight into my favorite books ever -list!

Oh, and I did reread both Orlando and The Time Traveller's Wife this year, but I will not include rereads into my top 10 list.

Happy, Happy New Year everyone!