All of my reviews from 2009, excepting a handful that have been lost since their original posting, are now transferred to this blog.

That was a big year for me in blogging. I only started blogging, then book blogging, in 2008, and only discovered the world of book blogs in the fall that year. 2009 marked a big turning point for me in blogging. It was the year I left group blogging, and started the original Zen Leaf. It was the year I joined 25 – 25!!! – reading challenges, and designed my own challenge (GLBT Reading Challenge) for 2010. It was the year I read 101 books by the end of June, and only slightly slowed my progress in the second half of the year, ending at 184 books. It was the first year I participated in Readathon and NaNoWriMo, both of which I loved. The year also marked a great reading shift for me, with the discovery of modern YA and the graphic novel medium.

Looking back over that year through reviews has been fun. I was a book blog child, delighted by new discoveries and new toys and new friends. When I think about all the years I’ve been reviewing books, 2009 stands out as The Ultimate Awesome Year, in addition to being The Year I Went Book-Crazy. Sure, there were times when I felt bogged down by challenge obligations, or when I read too fast, or when I felt guilty for not liking universally-beloved books. Mostly, though, the year was wonderful, and I remember it with a lot of fondness. Great books, great words, great friends.

Some of my favorites from 2009:

• Harry, a History
• Ella Minnow Pea
• Cry, the Beloved Country
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Wild Roses
• So Yesterday
• After
• Between Mom and Jo
• Like Water for Chocolate
• The Housekeeper and the Professor