I had a hard time weeding out and choosing between different books in a series for these (didn’t seem fair to leave them out!), so for each of the following sections, there is no particular order and any book could count In the final section where I select my top-ten of the year, only one book from a series is allowed, so it’s entirely possible books that don’t feature in the breakdown will show up!

Illustrated & Graphic Novels

Young Adult Novels

Science Fiction and Fantasy

General Fiction

Overall Top-Ten Books of the Year

		Reviewed: 17/10/2009 It was a difficult choice to choose between this on and the first in the series, The Knife of Never Letting Go, but in the end, I think the slightly slower pace and themes in this one just edge it out. “That was an effing brilliant read.  Only I don’t say ‘effing’ do I?”
		Reviewed: 13/01/2009 For a long time this was my read of the year, only beaten at the end of the year. It takes a writer of Pratchett’s skill and experience to get this balance right, and I’d say it is one of the best things he has written. Period. Some may be funnier, some may be more entertaining, some may be more exciting, some may even contain ‘some thinking’. But as a package. this is stand out, excellent. and the first addition to my 2009 best reads list.
		Reviewed: 27/03/2009 Part of the Old Man’s War world, this was again a hard one to choose between any of the books in the series, I almost went for the 1st book, but in the end, it was Zoe’s voice that won out. This is certainly going to be one of may favourite books of the year, and Zoë is one of my new favourite literary characters.
		Reviewed: 02/10/2009 I had pretty much dismissed this book when I first heard about it, thinking it an ‘issue’ book, how glad I am, I listened to you all and grabbed this one when it was released here in the UK. Because of the thrill of discovering the world, this one just edges out Catching Fire. …if this book doesn’t make my top books of the year list, then I have some bloody good books to read between now and December, this is a powerful page-turning adventure story that will linger long after the last page is turned.
		Reviewed: 24/09/2009 One of the few books I read twice this year, so pleased that the Nerd’s ♥ YA Tournament, brought it to my attention. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a book so thoroughly. It’s an utter delight to read, from start to finish
		Reviewed: 12/08/2009 I loved the first two books in this series, so it was with some excitement (and trepidation) that I picked up this one. Could it be as good as the first two? A wonderful, satisfying and complete conclusion to the trilogy. That is as easily as good as the first two, and likely to be in one of my favourite books of the year.
		Reviewed: 19/12/2009 If you’re a regular visitor round these parts, then you’ll know I love me some Marcus Sedgwick reading matter… You’ll also know the very wonderful @stormfilled managed to snag me a signed copy of this one. Impeccably researched and wonderfully written, with this one, Sedgwick, continues to be one of my favourite writers of recent years.
		Reviewed: 15/07/2009 I picked this one up, firstly because I liked the cover and then I read the synopsis, following one day each year out of the two protagonists lives. One Day, is at times moving, funny and sad, and then you’ll turn the page and laugh your face off! Highly, Highly recommended.
		Reviewed: 28/12/2009 I can’t believe I’ve only discovered Scott Westerfeld this year! And yet this was one of my most anticipated releases! With tanks that walk, lizards that carry messages, fantastic characters, and allsorts of other steampunky goodness this is book that is just made of awesome!
		Reviewed: 26/04/2009 It’s got some fantastic and powerful writing so It’s no surprise to me it makes the top-ten He was an author I knew friends had read, and really enjoyed, but for whatever reason, I didn’t think it was my sort of thing. Which is a great shame, because I could have been reading this fantastic author for years now.

One of the best things about this time of year is reading everyone else’s end-of-year wrap-ups! So, if you’ve posted one yourself, please feel free to post a link to it in the MrLinky below.

1. Melanie @ cynical optimism

2. Carl V. (Stainless Steel Droppings)

3. You're next!

Today, I’ll be looking at how I did with all the challenges I entered this year, so if that kind of thing doesn’t interest you, feel free to skip this one! (and come back tomorrow when I’ll announce my books of the year!).

(Click on any of the links if you want to see what I thought of any of the books.)

Young Adult Book Challenge

Target 12 Books – Completed!

1. The Dark Flight Down by Marcus Sedgwick
2. Old Magic by Marianne Curley
3. Deep End by Sam Hutton
4. Final Shot by Sam Hutton
5. River Boy by Tim Bowler
6. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
7. Glass Houses – Morganville Vampires #1 by Rachel Caine
8. The Dead Girls’ Dance – Morganville Vampires #2 by Rachel Caine
9. Midnight Alley – Morganville Vampires #3 by Rachel Caine
10. The Quillan Games – Pendragon #7 by D. J. Machale
11. So Much to Tell You by John Marsden
12. Circle of Flight by John Marsden

Dewey’s Books Reading Challenge

Target 5 Books – Completed!

1. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green | My Review
2. Nation by Terry Pratchett | My Review
3. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff | My Review
4. The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron | My Review
5. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer | My Review

What’s in a Name 2

Target 6 Books – Completed!

1. A book with a “profession” in its title. – The New Policeman by Kate Thornton
2. A book with a “time of day” in its title. – Marked (A House of Night Novel) by PC & Kirsten Cast
3. A book with a “relative” in its title. – Seventh Son, by Orson Scott Card.
4. A book with a “body part” in its title. – Blood Brothers by Malcolm Rose
5. A book with a “building” in its title. – 84 Charing Cross Road
6. A book with a “medical condition” in its title. – The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Once Upon a Time III

Target 5 Books – Completed!

1. The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
2. Apocalypse by Tim Bowler
3. The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
4. Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
5. The Dark Horse by Marcus Sedgwick
6. Storm Catchers by Tim Bowler

R.I.P. IV

Target 4 Books – Completed!

1. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
2. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
3. The Other Ones by Jean Thesman
4. The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause
5. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
6. Graven Images by Paul Fleischman
7. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
8. The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively

New Authors Challenge

Target 50 Authors – Completed!

1. Richard Poole
2. John Scalzi
3. Helen Hanff
4. Ray Bradbury
5. Marianne Curley
6. Sam Hutton
7. Annette Curtis Klaus
8. Rachel Caine
9. Matsuri Hino
10. Suzanne Collins
11. Rachel Ward
12. Scott Westerfeld
13. Alison Bechdel
14. Ali Smith
15. PC & Kirsten Cast
16. T.A. Barron
17. Sergei Lukyanenko
18. Appollo & Lewis Trondheim
19. Guy Gavriel Kay
20. Melissa Marr
21. Ellen Potter
22. Meg Rosoff
23. Diana Wynne Jones
24. Terry Trueman
25. Gary Crew
26. Jonathon Carrol
27. Holly Black
28. Joss Whedon
29. Susan Beth Pfeffer
30. Elizabeth Lieknes
31. P Robert Smith
32. Douglas Coupland
33. Dan Rhodes
34. David Nicholls
35. Margaret Peterson Haddix
36. Richelle Mead
37. Simon R Green
38. Heather Brewer
39. Mortimus Clay
40. Kelly Armstrong
41. Kate Thompson
42. Danica Novgorodoff
43. Jean Cocteau
44. Steve Kluger
45. Shirley Jackson
46. Patrick Ness
47. Penelope Lively
48. Laura Whitcomb
49. Jean Thesman
50. Paul Fleischman

Lost in Translation Challenge

Target 6 Books – Completed!

1. At the Edge of Light by Maria Peura
2. Les Enfants Terribles by Jean Cocteau
3. Vampire Knight v1 by Matsuri Hino
4. Château d’Argol by Julien Gracq
5. The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
6. Bourbon Island 1730 by Appollo & Lewis Trondheim

Clear off Your Shelves Challenge

Target 33% (Off the Shelves) – Completed!

Off the Shelf

1. The Ghost of Thomas Kemp by Penelope Lively
2. Graven Images by Paul Fleischman
3. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
4. Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
5. Animal Farm by George Orwell

New to the TBR Pile

1. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
2. The Red Tree by Shaun Tann
3. Bat Lash (Guns and Roses) by Peter Brandvold and Sergio Aragonés, with artwork by John Severin
4. After the Moment by Garret Freymann-Weyr
5. Fables #1 Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
6. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
7. Château d’Argol by Julien Gracq
8. At the Edge of Light by Maria Peura

Graphic Novels Challenge

Target 12 Books – Completed

1. Vampire Knight
2. Fun Home
3. Bourbon Island 1730
4. The Plain Janes
5. Tagged
6. The Savage
7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Long Way Home
8. Slow Season
9. The Red Tree
10. Bat Lash – Guns and Roses
11. Fables #1 Legends in Exile
12. Blankets

Decades’09

Target 9 Books – DNF

1. 1910s:
2. 1920s: Les Enfants Terribles by Jean Cocteau
3. 1930s: Château d’Argol by Julien Gracq
4. 1940s: Animal Farm by George Orwell
5. 1950s: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
6. 1960s: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
7. 1970s: 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
8. 1980s: Graven Images by Paul Fleischman
9. 1990s: Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones

9 for ‘09

Target 9 Books – DNF

1. Long: Nation by Terry Pratchett
2. Free: The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
3. Letter: River Boy by Tim Bowler
4. Strange: Les Enfants Terribles
5. Distance:  Graven Images by Paul Fleichman
6. Alive or Not/Award Winner: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
7. Cover:
8. Dusty:
9. Used:

100 Books Reading Challenge

Target 100 Books – Completed!

1. The Brass Key by Richard Poole
2. Nation by Terry Pratchett
3. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
4. The Dark Flight Down by Marcus Sedgwick
5. Fahrenheit 911 by Ray Bradbury
6. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
7. Old Magic by Marianne Curley
8. Deep End by Sam Hutton
9. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (Audiobook)
10. Final Shot by Sam Hutton
11. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
12. River Boy by Tim Bowler
13. The General by Robert Muchamore
14. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
15. Glass Houses – Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine
16. The Dead Girls’ Dance – Morganville Vampires  by Rachel Caine
17. Midnight Alley – Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine
18. Vampire Knight v1 by Matsuri Hino
19. The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
20. Feast of Fools – Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine
21. Numbers by Rachel Ward
22. The Quillan Games – Pendragon by D. J. Machale
23. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
24. The Pilgrims of Rayne – Pendragon by D. J. Machale
25. So Much to Tell You by John Marsden
26. Parasite Positive by Scott Westerfeld
27. Circle of Flight by John Marsden
28. Fun Home by Alison Beschel
29. The Last Colony by John Scalzi
30. Girl Meets Boy: The Myth of Iphis by Ali Smith
31. Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi
32. Bourbon Island by Appollo & Lewis Trondheim
33. The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
34. Apocalypse by Tim Bowler
35. The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
36. Marked (A House of Night Novel) by PC & Kirsten Cast
37. Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
38. The Young City by James Bow
39. The Dark Horse by Marcus Sedgwick
40. The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci & Jim Rugg
41. Storm Catchers by Tim Bowler
42. Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
43. Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox by Eion Colfer
44. The Secret Hour by Scott Westafeld
45. SLOB by Ellen Potter
46. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
47. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
48. Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones
49. Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman
50. Tagged Gary Crew
51. Touching Darkness by Scott Westafeld
52. The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones
53. The Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carrol
54. Tithe by Holly Black
55. Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Joss Whedon & Geroges Jeanty
56. The Savage by David Almond – Illustrated by Dave McKean
57. Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer
58. The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by Susan Leiknes
59. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
60. Up a Tree in the Park at Night with a Hedgehog by P Robert Smith
61. Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland
62. Gold by Dan Rhodes
63. Seraph of Sorrow (A Jennifer Scales Novel) by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi
64. One Day by David Nicholls
65. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
66. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
67. Something From the Nightside by Simon R. Green
68. Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond
69. Eighth Grade Bites: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer
70. Ninth Grade Slays: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer
71. Starclimber by Kenneth Oppel
72. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
73. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
74. Specials by Scott Westerfeld
75. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
76. The Purloined Boy by Mortimus Clay
77. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
78. Blood Brother by Malcolm Rose
79. The New Policeman by Kate Thompson
80. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (Audiobook)
81. Slow Storm by Danica Novgorodoff
82. The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause
83. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collin
84. Les Enfants Terribles by Jean Cocteau
85. My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
86. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
87. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
88. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
89. The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively
90. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcombe
91. The Other Ones by Jean Thesman
92. Graven Images by Paul Fleischman
93. Bat Lash (Guns and Roses) by Peter Brandvold & Sergio Aragones – Art by John Severin
94. The Red Tree by Shaun Tan
95. Hard Love by Ellen Witlinger
96. After the Moment by Garret Freymann-Weyr
97. The Magicians by Lev Grossma
98. Fables – Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
99. Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld
100. Château d’Argol by Julien Gracq
101. The Kiss of Death by Marcus Sedgwick
102. Ravens Rise – Pendragon Book by D J MacHale
103. At the Edge of Light by Maria Peura
104. Animal Farm by George Orwell
105. Blankets by Craig Thompson
106. Shadows by Tim Bowler
107. Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
108. Clay by David Almond
109. Soldiers of Halla – Pendragon by D J MacHale
110. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
111. Ice Shock by MG Harris
112. The Kites are Flying! by Michael Morpurgo
113. My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
114. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

If you’ve made it down here, well done! But more importantly don’t forget to come back tomorrow when I’ll announce my books of the year!

One of the best things about this time of year is reading everyone else’s end-of-year wrap-ups! So, if  you’ve posted one yourself, please feel free to post a link to it in the MrLinky below. (I’ve taken the opportunity to add a few I’ve already come across)

1. Jennifer (Reading with Tequila)

2. You're next!

Apologies in advance as I’ve gone a little overboard and had to split this baby into three posts!

Okay, so first up are the stats! And this post is all stats so feel free to skip it! I’ll post my challenge wrap-ups, tomorrow, and finally on Thursday I’ll announce my reads-of-the-year!

So, I managed to just beat last years final tally of 109 books by reading ??? this year! Let’s hope I can break 125 next year!

After no consideration at all! I’m using the same format as last year, which was in turn totally filched from Nymeth – the system has some overlap between categories so don’t go adding them together!

**Series reads do not count individual books for the series book count – so for example the seven books from the Harry Potter series would only count as one book.

• Total Books Read : 114
• Pages: 29128
• Fiction: 109
• Non Fiction: 5
• Audiobooks: 10
• Audiobook Hours: 113:04:37
• Graphic Novels: 12
• Young Adult: 78
• Novels: 97
• Written By Women: 39
• Written By Men: 74
• New Authors to Me: 62! (Really pleased with this one)
• Re-Reads: 4
• Series: 41**
• Short Story Collections: 1
• Best Reading Month: February: 18 Books | 4202 Pages | 41:35 Hours
• Worst Reading Month: July: 6 Books | 1818 Pages

And now some site stats:

Author Interviews/Guest Posts

• Author Interview: Mortimus Clay (author of The Purloined Boy)
• Author Interview: James Bow Pt2 – Peter and Rosemary Get Their Say!
• Author Interview: James Bow Pt1
• Author Interview: Ellen Potter
• Author Interview: Danielle Thorne
• Guest Post: Blackbeard Lives Again! by Danielle Thorne
• Author Interview: Kristin Callender

Top Ten Most Viewed Posts of the Year

1. The Man Booker Prize 2009 Long List Announced
2. The Man Booker Prize 2009 – Shortlist Announced
3. Morganville Vampires #7: Fade Out – Cover Revealed
4. Top 5 Dystopian Young Adult Novels
5. TwentyTen Reading Challenge
6. Pendragon Book 10 Cover Revealed!
7. YA Dystopian Reading Challenge
8. Update: Best Dystopian YA Novels Redux
9. Marked (A House of Night Novel) by PC & Kirsten Cast
10. Maximum Security (Cherub Book #3) – Robert Muchamore

Most Commented (Non-Giveaway) Posts of the Year

1. My Read-a-thon Mini Challenge! (76)
2. 146 Reasons to be Shameful (47)
3. OMG! What Have I Done? (46)
4. Virtual Advent Tour Day 8 (43)
5. Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge – Cover Quiz! (41)
6. A Necessary Step (37)
7. Oh, for Pete’s Sake! (32)
8. Review: The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (32)

My Favourite Posts of the Year

• Update: Best Dystopian YA Novels Redux
  Make sure you check out the comments, because I’ve been a really bad blog editor and haven’t updated the list to show all the great recommendations.
• Author Interview: James Bow Pt2 – Peter and Rosemary Get Their Say!
• Increase the Effectiveness of Your Next Review Request
• No. No. And Thrice No!

Top Ten Referring Sites of the Year

1. Google Reader
2. 24hourreadathon.com
3. twitter.com
4. astripedarmchair.wordpress.com
5. blbooks.blogspot.com
6. bookbloggerappreciationweek.com
7. stainlesssteeldroppings.com
8. yabookblogdirectory.blogspot.com/2009…
9. bloglines.com
10. mjmbecky.blogspot.com

Top Ten Search Terms of the Year

Adjusted to combine duplicates & similar searches

1. man booker prize 2009
2. pendragon book 10
3. among the hidden
4. the bloodline cipher
5. dystopian novels
6. kirsten cast
7. hunger games
8. morganville vampires
9. greenmetropolis
10. old coke bottles

The Years Baddest Bloggers!

No prize for this, as the winners of rounds 1 & 2 have both been announced, but I thought it would be fun to work out just who was most responsible for the shocking state of my T.B.R. pile!

I bet nobody is surprised by the top 2…

1. Chris – 14 Pts
2. Nymeth & Her Avatar – 10.5 Pts
3. Carl V – 3.5 Pts
4. Eva – 2 Pts
5. Karin – 2 Pts
6. Becky – 2 Pts
7. Fyrefly – 2 Pts
8. Kelly – 1 Pt
9. Natasha – 1 Pt
10. Beth F – 1 Pt
11. Dewey – 1 Pt
12. Rob – 1 Pt
13. Becky – 1 Pt
14. Katie – 1 Pt
15. Mrs S – 1 Pt
16. Rhiona -1 Pt
17. Dewey – 1 Pt
18. Natasha – 1 Pt
19. Bancroft Press! – 1 Pt
20. John Scalzi – 1 Pt

Top Ten Commenters

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and took the time to leave their thoughts on any of my reviews or posts this year. But particular thanks to these people who came back time and again and really contributed to my site this year!

1. Chris
2. Kailana
3. Nymeth
4. Joanne
5. Beth F
6. Eva
7. Amanda
8. katrina
9. Shanra
10. Fyrefly

Don’t forget tomorrow’s post, where I’ll wrap up my challenge attempts for the year (including the big list of books read and links to their respective reviews) and on Thursday, the big one, where I’ll be picking out my books of the year!

One of the best things about this time of year is reading everyone else’s end-of-year wrap-ups! So, if  you’ve posted one yourself, please feel free to post a link to it in the MrLinky below. (I’ve taken the opportunity to add a few I’ve already come across)

1. Nymeth @ Things Mean a Lot 2. Carl V @ Stainless Steel Droppings 3. Alyce @ At Home with Books

4. Carrie K. (Books & Movies) 5. Clare @ Blue Archipelago 6. Becky (Becky's Book Reviews)

7. Melanie (Cynical Optimism) 8. You're next!

It’s at this time of year that I’m sure many a book-blogger’s mind is starting to compile their review-of-the-year posts, planning to stuff them with book lists, reading stats, challenge results, and much more bookish goodness.

One feature that will almost certainly be present in all of them is the ‘Books/Reads of the Year’ section.

For some of us this will be an easy thing to assemble, half-a-dozen books will instantly be obvious to us (and probably have been all year) without us having to think seriously about it, for others it will more difficult, the initial list will be embarrassingly long, and will need some serious trimming to bring it down to anywhere near a manageable size! For those of us that have had a really bad year’s reading, we might not be able to even think of a single book that deserves the accolade… *shudders at the thought*

My question today is, what criteria do you use to make the final selection?

• Does a book have to be perfect both in terms of the writing and your enjoyment?
• Is it just an enjoyment thing?
• Does the writing have to be exquisite, no matter what your enjoyment levels?
• Or is it some indefinable thing?

One of the reasons I ask is that last year, I had at least one book I enjoyed so much it made the list despite it not being among my top ’starred’ books of the year.

I’ve been working on this post on or off for a few months now, just tweaking things as and when I thought of them, still it’s been a fun few days finishing and tidying up the thing.

On the reading front this year can only be classified as a success! After a few years on only reading 30 or so books a year, this year I’ve managed to surpass my original target and in fact topped out over 100 books! (you can find my full reading list here.)

Okay, idea totally pinched from Nymeth here are some stats from the year – the system I use to work these out has some overlap so don’t go adding them together!

**Series reads do not count individual books for the series book count – so 2+ books from a series only counts as 1 read.

• Total Books Read : 109
• Fiction: 92
• Non Fiction: 3
• Audiobooks: 14
• Graphic Novels: 9
• Young Adult: 75
• Novels: 80
• Written By Women: 23
• Written By Men: 89
• New Authors to Me: 42
• Re-Reads: 9
• Series: 24 **
• Short Story Collections:  4

Taking a look at my yearly tally of books read, you’ll notice a high proportion of ‘Young Adult’ books in there, what is a supposed mature adult doing reading books for teenagers? Well, I’ll be darned if I’m going to miss out on some of the best written, most moving, or just out and out entertaining reads, just because I’m in my mid thirties!

Greatest Discovery

If you’ve spent anytime at all reading this blog over the last year, then you will all ready be aware of just how enamoured I am with the Tomorrow Series, by John Marsden. I won’t repeat here, what I’ve already said many times but I will point you in the direction of this post, where I discussed the series in some depth.

I should also give an honourable mention to Marcus Sedgwick, I’ve read five of his books this year and every one of them has been a real treat.

Greatest Re-Discovery

 
Probably my greatest re-discovery this year is the graphic novel.

In my late teens and early twenties I read quite a few graphic novels, however in recent years I’ve rarely touched them, until this year, thanks in part to the fantastic and much missed Dewey’s Graphic Novel Challenge, which I managed to complete quite easily in the end, and coming across the wonderful, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

My top three out of the year are:
 

1. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
2. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
3. Mouse Guard : Autumn 1152, by David Petersen

Audiobooks

I’ve listened to a number of fantastic audiobooks this year as well which has been a real treat, here are my top three.

1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman read by the Author
   I’ve both read the book and listened to the audio version of this one, and I’m surprised Neil Gaiman isn’t more in demand as a narrator he’s that good at it.
2. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden read by Suzi Dougherty
   Another one that was good enough to read and listen to this year, Suzi Dougherty captures Ellie’s voice perfectly. (far better than Mikaela Martin who takes over narration duties later in the series).
3. The Pendragon Series by D.J. MacHale read by William Dufris
   Much of these books are written in first person, and are perfectly suited to the audiobook format, and William Dufris is an entertaining narrator.

Overall Favourite Books of the Year [In no Particular Order!]

You’ll notice that only one of these books has been published this year, [Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book] So this is very much a list of my favourite ‘reads’ of the year, and as this was one of my most productive reading years for some time, there was plenty of choices to narrow down, never an easy task! (I’ve also decided to only highlight one (or a series) by any author to highlight in the main list – I am allowing my self to list more in ‘Honourable Mentions’ section though, as there are some I just could not leave out – even if they are re-reads!) 

I’ve also not just selected the 5 Star reviews either, I’ve taken into account the enjoyment factor, you know, those books that aren’t perfect, but are just a sheer joy to read.

The Graveyard Book

Neil Gaiman
Reviewed: 19th October 2008

The book is an utter, utter delight to read, and is populated with fantastic characters and a fabulous world for them to inhabit. 
 

The Tomorrow Series

John Marsden
Reviewed: 3rd August 2008

…there is nothing quite like finding a new series and just “having” to tear though every book as quickly as you can… 

Looking for Alaska

John Green
Reviewed: 7th August 2008

…words like, wonderful, powerful, thoughtful, beautifully written all leap to mind. 

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Brian Selznick
Reviewed: 28th June 2008

Whatever you do, DON’T lend this out, you’ll never get it back! But, whatever you need to do, to cajole everyone you know who has the slightest interest in books, to get their own copy, then do it! 

Starseeker

Tim Bowler 
Reviewed: 12th December 2008

Sometimes a good book comes completely out of nowhere, you pick up a random book in a store and it turns out to be an absolute corker! This was my experience with Tim Bowler’s Starseeker…

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky
Reviewed: 24th November 2008

Charlie is an immensely likable protagonist, who you really do care and feel for, and the  fact I spent a very relaxing Sunday afternoon gobbling up all but the first chapter or so, without stopping…

Honourable Mentions:
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card | Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman | Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel | Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi | Boy A by Jonathan Trigell | The Pendragon Series by D.J. MacHale | Coraline by Neil Gaiman 

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