2009 ~Year end wrap up, thankful thoughts

The year 2009 has been an amazing year book wise. So many wonderful debut titles have crossed my path. My goal for the year was to equal or surpass 2008's 213 books read. I've just managed to squeak past that with 219 books read.

Also, 2009 was my first year of blogging and I want to thank every single person who has stopped by to visit. You have truly enriched my life with your opinions, comments, recommendations and most importantly your friendship and shared love of reading. When my dear friend Barbara passed away and I wrote a short tribute to her, I was overwhelmed with the caring thoughts you left. It meant so much to me. You have also helped me expand my reading horizons and led me to places I might have been too timid to venture on my own.

I also want to take this time to thank all the wonderful authors who guest posted here and were so generous in allowing me to do a giveaway. I was truly honored to welcome such fabulous authors as :

Maria Murnane
L. Diane Wolfe
Caroline Hart
Lynda Coker
J. B. Stanley
Linda Weaver Clarke
Joanna Campbell Slan
Rachel Rene Russell
Gayle Trent
Rolf Hitzer
Laura Childs

Big {hugs} to you all! To publicists who sent me review books, I want to thank you all again, especially Anna and Valerie at Hachette Book Group. You are the best!

In 2009 I joined three challenges: WWII challenge which I technically finished. I did read the required 5 books even though I changed my list but did not review The Moon Looks Down. Originally I had wanted to read 6. I just never got around to reading Guernica by Dave Boling . The Cozy Challenge and The Chick Lit Challenge were also completed. Phew. Finally!
Here's the link to my 6 month post with the best and worst from the first half of the year and here is the link to the full year of books read. Some of my favorites from July to December were:

The Best of Times by Penny Vincenzi (set in London, wonderful characters)
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo ( kept me on the edge of my seat)
Night of Flames by Douglas W. Jacobson (WWII challenge)
The Red Scarf by Kate Furnivall (set in Siberian labor camp and Tivil)
Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley (set in D.C. laugh out loud book)

A few of my worst (imho) from the same time frame have been:
Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee (bored me to no end)
Hot and Irresistable by Diane Castell (way too many flaws to even list)
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (too melodramatic)
Wisdom Hunter by Randall Arthur (character development flawed)
The title for the worst book of the year for me still goes to Blonde Roots by Bernadine Evaristo. How was your year in reading? Did you accomplish all you wanted and did you find some truly outstanding reads this year? What was your favorite and your least favorite book?