Best Books of 2009

As book-loving librarians, well, let's just say that we read a lot this year. Here are a few of our favorites--not necessarily bestsellers, but those that hit the right note at the right time...

We sifted and sorted through the hundreds of books we read this year...

And our top picks for 2009 are:

Carol's Picks

The Help by Kathryn Stockett--explores the relationships between young, white housewives and their black maids in pre-civil rights movement Mississippi (EXCELLENT on audio). Better, even, than The Secret Life of Bees.

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard--poignant tale seen through the eyes of a teenage boy, and the man he later becomes with a look back to an encounter that began one life-altering weekend.

Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell--proof positive that graphic novels are literature & an endearingly bizzare true story to boot.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova--traces the descent of a once brilliant academic to that of a woman whose brain is ravaged by early onset Alzheimer's. Realism coupled with a sense of intimate immediacy grants the novel a memoir-like voice. A more sensitive portrait of degenerating mind is impossible to imagine.

The Cradle by Patrick Somerville--this multifacted familial tale has the cadence of a lullaby and was written by one of Wisconsin's very own.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall--full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration.

Liz's Picks

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen--a memoir full of sassy
humor and self-deprecating honesty.

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell--Part medical thriller, part mafioso, and with a pacing that (happily) sets the teeth on edge, it's"House" meets "The Sopranos" all the way!

Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon--three separate narratives about relationships and identity that come together in a surprise twist.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave--heartbreaking story told from the perspective of a Nigerian orphan.

The Magicians: A Novel by Lev Grossman--a truly adult read for the Harry Potter lover in you.

Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox--Michael J. Fox's emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual outlook on his struggle with Parkinson's disease.

Anna's Picks

Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill--a beautiful, if patrician love letter that celebrates the writer's life, while likewise reminding reader's of words capacity to enrapture.

A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield--Ever feel frustrated enough to bite the heads off kittens? Me neither, but oh, what a line! Vigilante or female avenger? You decide--and enjoy the ride!

Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan--real who-done-it's be rare, this is one. A literary mystery in every sense of the word, it's truly a gem.

Short Girls: A Novel by Bich Minh Nguyen--Finally! Affirmation for the vertically challenged amongst us! Also, an immediately digestible tale spiced with Vietnemese-American history & cultural antedotes; the occasional expected woes of assimilation; the power of sisterhood, famililal strife, and yes, forays of food.

The Leisure Seeker: A Novel by Michael Zadoorian--an ailing elderly couple embarks on one final road trip in order to celebrate a life well lived (& end a life well lived on their own terms). Always poignant and amazingly uplifting despite the content.

I'm Sorry You Feel That Way: The Astonishing but True Story of a Daughter, Sister, Slut, Wife, Mother, and Friend to Both Man and Dog by Diana Joseph--Absolutely delightful! And, the title says it all.

Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals by Temple Grandin--Written by world renowned animal behaviorist & notable autism expert (she herself is diagnosed), this cautionary work is for anyone and everyone who loves animals & has animals who love them.

Ravens by George Dawes Green--Not sure what's so great. The colorful cast of characters? The pacing? Or, perhaps the sheer audacity of it all? No matter, for I simply couldn't put it down.