I was going to spend NYE footling around on the computer, as we never go out for it (hate crowds, hate expectation of having fun, all potential babysitters have more active social life than we do) but it was too damn hot (38 degrees, insane for Hobart let alone anywhere else, and it didn’t start coming down below 30 until an hour before midnight) and we had thunder and lightning which meant we unplugged all the computers and just watched TV. Dinner was icecream and dessert was champagne. The most entertaining part was watching Raeli trying to decide whether thunder and lightning was scary or AWESOME – she changed her mind several times. Dealing with Jem was less fun, as I spent most of the day and night anxious about her hydration levels, and breastfeeding is not fun when two bodies touching raises both temperatures.

Anyway, today is nicer, and tomorrow we are being invaded by Flintharts and welcoming GJ back for her last stay before she jets home. So time for a little summing up of my reading in 2009.

I read 115 books, which fell just shy of my target of 10 a month. I can live with it. I could possibly have squeezed in another 5 if I had talked to GJ less during her visit, but what would be the point of that?

I genuinely loved roughly half of what I read, which goes to show how well I’m doing at selecting for my current tastes and interests – I filter what I read pretty highly, and my limited reading time adds another filter which is my short attention span for books I’m not completely into. I’ve talked about most of the books I liked best throughout the year, but here they are again. I’m including spec fic YA under the SF and Fantasy categories, so the YA category itself is a general one.

As with the previous year, the majority of what I’m reading is YA, and the majority of the spec fic I read is fantasy. I read more non fic this year, largely chosen because of favourite blogs. I enjoyed it a lot and plan to read more in 2010. Other than that I have no particular reading goals for next year – but I would like to crack 120.

NON-FICTION
The Vorkosigan Companion – Lillian Stewart Carl & John Helfers (eds)
The Wiscon Chronicles I, II, III – L. Timmel Duchamp, Eileen Gunn, Liz Henry (eds)
Writing the Other: A Practical Approach – Nisi Shawl & Cynthia Ward
Lessons from the Fat-o-Sphere – Kate Harding & Marianne Kirby
Beyond Heaving Bosoms: the Smart Bitches Guide to Romance Novels – Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan
Booklife – Jeff VanderMeer

FANTASY
The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
The Mirador – Sarah Monette
Corambis – Sarah Monette
City of Glass – Cassandra Clare
Horn – Peter M Ball
Wicked Lovely – Melissa Marr
The Demon’s Lexicon – Sarah Rees Brennan
Lavinia – Ursula K LeGuin
Princess Ben – Catherine Gilbert Murdoch
Eyes Like Stars – Lisa Mantchev
Rampant – Diana Peterfreund
Unseen Academicals – Terry Pratchett

SCIENCE FICTION & STEAMPUNK
Worldshaker – Richard Harland
Dull Boy – Sarah Cross
Eclipse 3 – Jonathan Strahan (ed)
New Ceres Nights – Alisa Krasnostein & Tehani Wessely (eds)
The New Space Opera II – Jonathan Strahan & Gardner Dozois (eds)
Leviathan – Scott Westerfeld

GENERAL YA
Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty – Jody Gehrman
Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings, Charmed Thirds, Fourth Comings, Perfect Fifths – Megan McCafferty
An Abundance of Katherines – John Green
Dairy Queen, The Off Season, Front & Center – Catherine Gilbert Murdock
L8er, G8er; Kissing Kate; Peace, Love and Baby Ducks – Lauren Myracle
My Most Excellent Year – Steve Kruger
Tap and Gown – Diana Peterfreund
Little Bird – Penni Russon
Big Fat Manifesto – Susan Vaught
The It Girl series – Cecily Von Ziegesar
What Supergirl Did Next – Thalia Kalkipsakis
Liar – Justine Larbalestier
Derby Girl – Shauna Cross

HORROR
Slights – Kaaron Warren

Tags: 2009, goals, reading, year in review