10 books I couldn’t put down in 2009

Put your books down!

The 2009 Books Alive Reading Challenge finished yesterday (or today if you’re behind the date line). Stop reading and start writing your lists! Include a link to your challenge results in the comments below, so we can check out what you read. I’ll post a round-up post next week, so you have until Sunday to get those reviews done!

If you don’t have a blog, feel free to list your books in the comments below, or let me know if you’d like to do a guest post here on Book Thingo.

Books Alive Quickie Challenge

Here’s a list of the top 10 books I’ve read this year so far.

1. My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne – If you think romance writers can’t write beautiful prose, you need to read this book.

2. Addition by Toni Jordan – For maths nerds, people who count their steps, and lovers of base 10. You know who you are.

3. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi – An old man signs up for the intergalactic army. In exchange for a new, youthful body, he has to face some of Earth’s most vicious enemies. At its core, the story explores the human condition.

4. Affection: A Memoir of Love, Sex and Intimacy by Krissy Kneen – Raw, beautiful, disturbing. I’ve had all sorts of difficulty writing a review for this book. Reading it was a very personal experience.

5. The Switch by Lynsay Sands – One of the funniest romances I’ve ever read.

6. Disco Boy by Dominic Knight – The authentic 20-something, post-uni experience for people with some ambition and not much motivation.

7. Courting Disaster by Kathleen O’Reilly – One of my favourite contemporary heroes, and a virgin heroine who didn’t get on my nerves.

OR

Hot Under Pressure by Kathleen O’Reilly – The ultimate airplane fling story. O’Reilly is great at concocting realistic conflicts. I think she’s one of the best contemporary romance authors today.

8. Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh – Rawr! The sexiest book in the Psy-Changeling series.

9. The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke – One of the most original fantasy worlds I’ve read.

10. Dark Country by Bronwyn Parry – More suspense than romance, this book captures the spirit of small outback communities. It’s rare for me to find outback books appealing, but Parry is 2 for 2.

What were your favourite reads this year? And if you took the Books Alive Challenge, don’t forget to include a link to your challenge results!