For the Record: November/December 2009:

Who knew it could be so hard to read a book or two during the holidays? Maybe a better question would be: Who on earth thought it could be easy to read a book or two during the holidays? Believe it or not, I did manage to read 10 books in November and December, bringing my 2009 total to 110 books! Crazy, that. Here's what I read in the final months:

Tom Trueheart, Ian Beck. Andrew has been bugging me for ages to read this book, and I finally did! It was a fun adventure book that touched on many well known fairy tales, putting a new spin on them.

Tirzah, Lucille Travis. This was a reread for me; I read it aloud to my kids this time through. I enjoyed the perspective on Old Testament history that the author provided in this book.

A New Kind of Christian, Brian D. McLaren. Some interesting thoughts to consider for any Christian, or anyone interested in modern evangelical Christianity.

The Johnstown Flood, David McCullough. One of my favorite books of the year. An incredible moment in American history detailed by a great historian and writer.

Fairest, Gail Carson Levine. By the author of Ella Enchanted, and written in the same style, Fairest was a very enjoyable book to read to my girls. Thought you knew the story of Snow White? You may think differently after reading this story.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami. Totally not my style, but very well written and engaging all the same. This was a Book Club pick--I love how the Book Club makes me branch out.

Mayflower, Nathaniel Philbrick. Apart from the misleading title, this book was well written, well researched, and informative. I know more about King Phillip's War than I ever did before, now I just have to find a book to teach me more about the Mayflower.

The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster. This book reminded me greatly of Roald Dahl's BFG for some reason. It was a great allegory surrounding a very bored boy.

Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout. I flew through this book. I just could not stop reading it. The writing was lovely; fluid yet to the point. The characters very real to life, the stories heartbreaking but satisfying.  This book really deserves a more in-depth review, hopefully I'll be able to get to that at some point.

Justin Morgan Had a Horse, Marguerite Henry. This is the story of how the Morgan horse came into being. I'm no expert on horses, but this was a great little piece of history to read, and a very enjoyable story.