More books from my 2009 reading list:

The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir – 3
Not as good as her straight history books, but this novel about Queen Elizabeth when she’s a child and teenager is rich with color and history.

The Lost Art by Simon Morden – 2
Great idea, not so great execution. It’s a sci-fi book.

Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris – 3.5
I won’t quite give it a 4, but this book has stuck with me. Just your normal everyday novel, with a beautiful story.

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink – 3
Rather sexy with a turn you won’t expect. I learned a lot about Germany after World War II that I didn’t know. Did you know some of the Nazi’s were put on trial for war crimes? I didn’t until I read this. It’s a tough concept to think about because weren’t they just doing what their superiors told them to do?

Sleep, Pale Sister by Joanne Harris – 3
Great writing, but a story that was dragged out beyond it’s point of interest. It’s told from multiple points of view and has strange turns and twists like any gothic novel should.

The Big Fellow by Frank O’Connor – 2
To tell you the truth, I was so confused that I barely read this book. There were so many random names thrown in that I felt like to keep up I had to keep looking back, but I didn’t have the energy to look back. I read this non-fiction with my book club so we could watch the movie with Liam Neeson, which made so much more sense than the book.

The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley – 4
Nothing will match her book Beauty, but this one was just as fantastical and amazing. It is a mix of four stories, two well known and two original. For anyone who likes reading about princesses, fairies, and magical frogs definitely pick up this book.

Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh – 2
If you want to discover who you are as a woman read this book.

The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley – 2
Another version of Robin Hood. I know she put a lot of research and time into this book, but it was just really slow for me.

Paper Butterfly by Dianne Wei Lang – 3
A mystery, not my norm. I listened to this one on tape with my sister on a road trip. Only problem was, we figured out the end before it happened. I like guessing at mysteries, but I don’t like the ones that I actually solve.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson – 2
I have to love classics, and after I saw the movie and it made me cry I had to read this one. But it wasn’t as strong as the movie and fell flat for me. Makes me wonder if it would have been better if I had read it before the movie.

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons – 4
I’ve never read a World War II book from the Russian side of things. It was a beautiful love story and had a lot of history that opened my eyes.

A little disclaimer: these are all my opinion. I don’t think I have the right to say whether these books should be best sellers or not. But if they are above a 3 I would highly recommend them to you. And even if they are a 2 or a 1, you should read them anyways just to broaden your horizons. Books open your mind.