Half Yearly Review…

I wanted to do Monday Musings this week, but somehow didn’t get the time. So I thought why not do a personal half-yearly review?

Last year I read around 40 books and I remember saying that I would love to read at least 50 books in 2009. And surprise surprise, I’ve already read 49. How cool is that. This makes me more than happy. I’ve also been really good at keeping track of what I read this year, with writing down books read month wise and actually linking them to their respective reviews. It’s really no work at all if you do it immediately.

These are my favorites so far.
There are 3 books with 5 stars (Jackie, I thought I had read the other 2 last year in December 🙂 )
5 stars:

Mommy I’m still in here by Kate McLaughlin
My Father’s Paradise by Ariel Sabar
A damsel in distress by P.G.Wodehouse

4.5/ 4 stars

Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe
The last Empress by Anchee Min
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton
Dragon’s Keep by Janet Lee Carey
Cutting Loose by Nadine Dajani
Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
Drawers and Booths by Ara 13
The map of a known word by Lisa Ann Sandell
Bad Girls dont die by Katie Alender
Secrets of a Summer night by Lisa Kleypas (Not Reviewed)
Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
Triumph of Deborah by Eva Etzioni-Havely
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Heretic Queen by Michele Moran
Saffron Dreams by Shaila abdullah
The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax

Have you seen Swapna’s Review Database? I can only imagine how much work it must have taken.

What else?

Challenges

I have been so bad at these. When I joined them I did a nice separate page with all the buttons and links and all. But I guess I forgot to keep track. I did add a book to a challenge as and when I remembered.
I’ll just do a quick recap here and update the page along with this if I get the time. The ones not with the reviews have to be read.

• 2009 Pub Challenge

1. A Duke to die for by Amelia Grey
2. The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax
3. Saffron Dreams by Shaila abdullah
4. That Went Well by Terrell Harris Dougan
5. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
6. Falling in Love by Pauline Trent
7. Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
8.
9.

• World Citizen Challenge

1. Mommy I’m still in here by Kate McLaughlin
(Memoir)
2. Wisdom of Whores by Elizabeth Pisani (Worldwide issues). I really want to read this book, but I don’t know when I’ll get the time.

• The Baker Street Challenge

1. The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles

• Chunkster Challenge 09

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
2. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
3. The House at Riverton

• Casual Classics 2009

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
2. Great Expectations
3. A trees grows in Brooklyn
4. Little Woman
(This list could change)

• Orbis Terratum Challenge (I’ve been really lacking in adding the links on the Challenge site. Sorry Bethany)

1. Saffron Dreams by Shaila abdullah (Author born in Pakistan)
2. Triumph of Deborah by Eva Etzioni-Havely (Author born in Austira)
3. Cutting Loose by Nadine Dajani (Author born in Lebanon)
4. Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe (Author born in Nigeria)
5. The last Empress by Anchee Min (Author born in China)
6. A damsel in distress by P.G.Wodehouse (Author born in England)

• 4R’s Challenge

1.

How are you doing?