Rach's 2009 Reading Lists

[rach.at.the.disco]

90. Wedding Season - Katie Fforde

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Sarah Stratford is a wedding planner hiding a rather inconvenient truth - she doesn't believe in love. Or not for herself, anyway. But as the confetti flutters away on the June breeze of yet another successful wedding she somehow finds herself agreeing to organise two more, on the same day and only two months away. Luckily Sarah has two tried and tested friends on hand to help her. Elsa, an accomplished dress designer who likes to keep a very low profile, and Bron, a multi-talented hairdresser who lives with her unreconstructed boyfriend and who'd like to go solo in more ways than one. As the big day draws near, all three women find that patience is definitely a virtue in the marriage game. And as all their working hours are spent preparing for the weddings of the year, they certainly haven't got any time to even think about love. Or have they?

 

Started: 17th November

Finished: 22nd November

450 pages

Rating: 7.5/10

[rach.at.the.disco]

91. Old School Ties - Kate Harrison

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Your school days are supposed to be the best days of your life - and Tracey Mortimer has no argument with that. Sixteen years ago she was the most popular girl in school, ruled her own gang, and dated the cutest boy in her year. Now it's all rather different: she's 33, stuck in a dull marriage that's only tolerable because her husband is rarely at home. And although she dearly loves her two children, a life of kids TV and alphabetti spaghetti is hardly exciting...Then Tracey spots an advert from a TV company wanting to make a reality-style show on a perfect school reunion - giving Tracey the chance to re-live the good old days. But not all her old school classmates remember their school days quite as Tracey does. Tracey made Suzanne Sharp's life hell - so what better way to get her own back than revenge, live on national television...

 

Started: 23rd November

Finished: 25th November

339 pages

Rating: 7.5/10

[rach.at.the.disco]

92. Fairytale Of New York - Miranda Dickinson

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Are happy-ever-afters made in Manhattan? Find out in this gorgeous debut, perfect for cold winter nights. Once upon a time an English girl went to New York to live out her very own fairytale! Florist Rosie Duncan's life couldn't be better, she has a flourishing business on New York's Upper West Side and fantastic friends. Moving to Manhattan feels like the best decision she ever made. Even though at the time, it was her escape route from heartbreak ...For the past six years Rosie has kept her heart under lock and key, despite the protests of her closest friends - charming, commitment-phobic Ed, unlucky in love Marnie and the one-woman tornado that is Celia. Then a blossoming friendship with publishing hot-shot Nate begins to shake Rosie's resolve at the same time as her brother arrives in the Big Apple, hiding a secret. But a chance meeting brings Rosie face to face with her past, unravelling the mystery behind her arrival in New York. Rosie is forced to confront questions she has long been trying to ignore, including will she ever get her very own happy-ever-after? A sparkling, romantic comedy about an English girl who finds herself in the city where dreams can come true - or so she thinks!

 

Started: 26th November

Finished: 29th November

386 pages

Rating: 8/10

[rach.at.the.disco]

93. Just The Three Of Us - Clare Dowling

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Debs is having an affair with a married man. Not that she meant to or anything. But while she was miserably hanging around waiting for Mr Right -- if only she could lose that stubborn half stone -- Bob just kind of happened. Lovely, kind, sexy Bob. OK, he's also a rampant cheat, but when you've been starved of affection for as long as Debs has, it's hard to say no. Geri is married to Bob. She also thinks he's lovely, kind and sexy, even if the last bit has worn a bit thin after seventeen years of marriage. And two kids. Geri suspects something's wrong but surely Bob would never do anything to hurt her...So for now it's just the three of them -- but how long can that last?

 

Started: 29th November

Finished: 30th November

440 pages

Rating: 7/10

[rach.at.the.disco]

94. A Year In High Heels - Camilla Morton

 

Synopsis from Waterstones:

If your resolutions tend to look much the same from one year to another and you are suffering from the suspicion that someone, somewhere is having more fun that you, then you need something to revitalise your lust for life. A YEAR IN HIGH HEELS is here to help. This book will guide you through the months with a perfectly co-ordinated combination of culture and challenges. With a monthly muse to inspire, and a suggested title for that soon-to-be-formed book club, dumbing down is so last season. Erin O'Connor, Diane von Furstenberg, Matthew Williamson and others share their secrets about their favourite places - so the next time you check in you'll know what to check out - while Dita von Teese, Anya Hindmarch and Christian Lacroix show you how to undress, how to go green and how to appreciate opera. Eclectic, practical and fantastical, A YEAR IN HIGH HEELS is crammed with fascinating stories, inspiring ideas and surprisingly sensible advice. Forget who, when, why and what to wear. Get ready to wow!

 

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

[rach.at.the.disco]

95. Confessions Of An Eco- Shopper: The True Story of One Woman's Mission to Go Green - Kate Lock

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Are muddy carrots worth the hassle? - Can a natural deodorant survive a salsa class? - Will clothes swapping ever replace clothes shopping? Two years ago Kate Lock set herself a series of eco-challenges to find out the answers to these questions and many more. From kicking her supermarket habit to composting her kitchen waste, Kate's confessions are witty and down-to-earth. An inspirational and practical guide for anyone venturing into a greener world.

 

Started: 30th November

Finished: 3rd December

253 pages

Rating: 6/10

[rach.at.the.disco]

96. It's A Kind Of Magic - Carole Matthews

Synopsis from Waterstones:

When Leo turns up at Emma's thirtieth birthday dinner unforgivably late and horribly drunk, she can't help wishing things were different. If only someone could wave a magic wand over him and turn him into a reliable, considerate boyfriend it would certainly save her a lot of trouble. Then Leo's path crosses with a decidedly unusual girl called Isobel and, as he falls under her spell, Emma sees him altering before her very eyes. Soon she regrets wishing for a 'new' Leo at all. And, surely, Isobel can't be for real? One thing's clear, if Emma's going to win him back, she'll need to do some changing of her own!

 

Started: 4th December

Finished: 8th December

409 pages

Rating: 6/10

[rach.at.the.disco]

97. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who, like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas. Bruno's friendship with Shmuel will take him from innocence to revelation. And in exploring what he is unwittingly a part of, he will inevitably become subsumed by the terrible process.

 

Started: 8th December

Finished: 8th December

216 pages

Rating: 7.5/10

[rach.at.the.disco]

98. Last Christmas - Julia Williams

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Catherine Tinsall is dreading Christmas. As the 'Happy Homemaker' she is an online sensation, but the reality couldn't be more different. With Catherine's marriage in tatters, her children running wild and her mother increasingly forgetful, seasonal cheer is running low. Husband Noel also hides a secret: he's facing the axe at work. Until he chances upon the village of Hope Christmas, deep in the Shropshire countryside, which could be the second chance he's searching for. If he can save it from the developers! In Hope Christmas itself, schoolteacher Marianne Moore is trying to heal her battered heart. But Christmas is a time for families, and memories of what she's lost haunt her at every turn. Meanwhile, Gabriel North faces a lonely Christmas but hides his sadness for the sake of his son. Will his wife ever come home? Or does love lie elsewhere? All four need a Christmas miracle. And it might just happen - courtesy of a mysterious guardian angel ! Forced to reassess their lives, will Catherine, Noel, Marianne and Gabriel discover what the meaning of Christmas really is?

 

Started: 8th December

Finished: 11th December

380 pages

Rating: 8/10

[rach.at.the.disco]

99. All Together Dead - Charlaine Harris

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Sookie's beginning to get used to being surrounded by all varieties of undead, changeling, shapeshifting and other supernatural beings - but even she has her limits. She'd really like to take a while to get over being betrayed by Bill, her long-time vampire lover, and get used to her new relationship with the sexy shapeshifter Quinn - but instead, she finds herself attending the long-planned vampire summit, the destination of choice for every undead power player around, as a sort-of human 'Geiger counter' for Sophie-Anne Leclerq, vampire queen of Louisiana. But the job is fraught with difficulties. Sophie-Anne's power base has been severely weakened by Hurricane Katrina, and she's about to be put on trial during the event for murdering her king. Sookie knows the queen is innocent, but she's hardly prepared for other shocking murders: it looks like there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. With secret alliances and backroom deals the order of the day - and night - Sookie must decide which side she'll stand with, and quickly, for her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

 

Started: 11th December

Finished: 15th December

323 pages

Rating: 7.5/10

[Lucybird]

Was just looking at your uni list, Regeneration is a good one, you should read the rest of the trilogy too

[rach.at.the.disco]

I tried to read Regeneration but just couldn't get into it so I gave up after about 30 pages. I may try it again one day...

[rach.at.the.disco]

100. From Dead To Worse - Charlaine Harris

Synopsis from Waterstones:

The supernatural community in Bon Temps, Louisiana is reeling from two hard blows: the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and the manmade horror of the explosion at the vampire summit in the up-north city of Rhodes. Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, and she's yearning for things to get back to normal. But that's just not happening. Too many vampires - some friends, some not - were killed or injured, and her were-tiger boyfriend Quinn is among the missing. It's clear that things are changing, whether the weres and vamps like it or not. And Sookie, Friend to the Pack, blood-bonded to the leader of the local vampire community, is caught up in those changes. She's about to find herself facing danger and death and, not for the first time, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood has stopped flowing, Sookie's world will be forever altered ...

 

Started: 15th December

Finished: 23rd December

359 pages

Rating: 7.5/10

[Ben]

100 books! Congrats.

[rach.at.the.disco]

Thanks Ben. I'm rather proud of myself .

[rach.at.the.disco]

101. The Difference A Day Makes - Carole Matthews

Synopsis from Waterstones:

William and Amy Ashurst are typical townies, dedicated professionals at the top of their tree, with two adorable children and an au pair who cooks, cleans and cares for them all. Then one day Will collapses on his way into work and he decides he's never going back. So it is that, three months later, Amy is standing outside Helmshill Grange, a sullen monstrosity of a house, deep in the Yorkshire moors, with their own land as far as the eye can see. It's what William says he's always wanted. Then tragedy strikes and Amy learns that it's one thing living the dream, but when the dream is not your own, how long can it last?

 

Started: 23rd December

Finished: 27th December

408 pages

Rating: 7/10

[rach.at.the.disco]

102. The Thrift Book - India Knight

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Feeling poor because of the credit crunch? Feeling guilty because of global warming? Feeling like you'd like to tighten your belt, but aren't ready to embrace DIY macrame handbags? No need to panic. Put down the economy mince and buy this book instead - it's a blueprint for living beautifully while saving money and easing your conscience. India Knight will show you: how to make wonderful dinners with very little money; how to dress on a budget and still look fabulous; how to make friends - and start sharing - with your neighbours; and, how to holiday imaginatively - with barely a carbon footprint. Try it - you have nothing to lose but your overdraft.

 

Started: 28th December

Finished: 28th December

267 pages

Rating: 6/10

[rach.at.the.disco]

103. Thinking Of You - Jill Mansell

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Ginny Holland's daughter Jem has headed off to university, leaving single mum Ginny with a severe case of empty nest syndrome. To make matters worse, the first gorgeous man she's clapped eyes on in years has just accused Ginny of shoplifting. So Ginny decides to advertise for a lodger but what she gets is lovelorn Laurel, who can only talk about her ex-boyfriend. However Laurel has a dangerously charming brother, Perry, and add to that the offer of a great new job, and things are looking up...until Ginny realises that her potential boss is all too familiar. Is it too late for Ginny to set right the first impression she made when Finn Penhaligon got quite the wrong end of the stick? And is either Finn or Perry quite what they seem?

 

 

Started: 29th December

Finished: 30th December

440 pages

Rating: 7.5/10

[rach.at.the.disco]

Review Of 2009

Number of books read: 103

Number of Authors: 65

Total Number of Pages read: 40404 approx





My aim was to read 50 books in 2009. I never thought I'd manage to read 103 books in one year. This has been the best reading year, I just hope I'm as lucky in 2010.

[Rawr]

That's great news!