Wear the old coat and buy the new book

"Wear the old coat and buy the new book." ~ Austin Phelps

In 2008, for the first time in my life, I kept a list of all of the books I read during the year.

I posted the first half of the list in July. As I noted then, I think this year's list is "lighter" than it might have been in the past - in more ways than one. I just don't have as much time to read as I once did. And I tend to pull from my quick-easy-fun pile rather than picking up anything too "deep".

Still. It's kind of neat to keep track. I think I'll keep a list in 2009, as well. It's fun to look back at the end of the year and re-experience all of them.

Looking back on 2008, I "discovered" several new writers, kept up with the latest offerings of my favorite series, explored some new genres, re-read some old favorites.

All-in-all, a good year.

I think my favorite fiction this year had to be Lies of Locke Lamora and it's sequel Red Seas Under Red Skies.

As I've said before, Scott Lynch is a new author with a fresh and interesting voice. I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in his "Gentleman Bastards" series, The Republic of Thieves, in February.

On the non-fiction side, Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood by Karen Maezen Miller was a wonderful read.

It's the kind of book that has the potential to change your life. Or rather, to help you change your thoughts. Which, really, is the only way to change your life. I keep coming back to it - just reading a chapter here or a passage there.

I've become a regular reader of her blog, as well. She has an amazing voice. It's hard to describe. But she inspires. Every parent should read this book.

For the coming year, I already have a rich and varied "To Read" list. I know I will probably not get to them all. But I will very much enjoy trying. :)

And now, without further ado, one ZenMom's complete reading list for 2008:

Third Watch: Acorna's Children - Anne McCaffrey

Finders Keepers - Linnea Sinclair

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) - Patricia Briggs

Plum Lucky (A Between-the-Numbers Novel) - Janet Evanovich

Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 1) - Kelley Armstrong

Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, Book 2) - Patricia Briggs

Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, Book 3) - Patricia Briggs

An Accidental Goddess - Linnea Sinclair

Gabriel's Ghost - Linnea Sinclair

Beneath the Skin (The Darkwing Chronicles, Book 3) - Savannah Russe

Simple Taoism : A Guide To Living In Balance - Simpkin

The Darkest Evening of the Year - Dean Koontz

Strangers in Death - J.D. Robb

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation - Lynne Truss

Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, Book 1) - Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville, Book 2) - Carrie Vaughn

Hamlet - William Shakespeare

Games of Command - Linnea Sinclair

The Down Home Zombie Blues - Linnea Sinclair

The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows, Book 6) - Kim Harrison

Dead of Night - J.D. Robb, et al

Easier Than You Think ...because life doesn't have to be so hard: The Small Changes That Add Up to a World of Difference - Richard Carlson

Odd Hours - Dean Koontz

Free Fall (Retrievers, Book 5 - Laura Anne Gilman

No Rest for the Witches - MaryJanice Davidson

Playing With Fire - Gena Showalter

Time And Again: Time Was\Times Change - Nora Roberts

The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of : How Science Fiction Conquered the World - Thomas M Disch

From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 8) - Charlaine Harris

The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, Book 5) - Eoin Colfer

Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum, No. 14) - Janet Evanovich

Zen And the Art of Happiness - Chris Prentiss

Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer, Book 1) - Karen Chance

Stolen (Women of the Otherworld, Book 2) - Kelley Armstrong

Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1) - Ilona Andrews

Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, Book 2) - Ilona Andrews

Kitty Takes a Holiday (Kitty Norville, Book 3) - Carrie Vaughn

The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch

Blood Noir (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 16) - Laurell K. Hamilton

Kitty and the Silver Bullet (Kitty Norville, Book 4) - Carrie Vaughn

Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch

The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality - Dalai Lama

Bite - Laurell K. Hamilton

A Lick of Frost (Meredith Gentry, Book 6) - Laurell K. Hamilton

Salvation in Death - J.D. Robb

Your Heart Belongs to Me - Dean Koontz


What was YOUR favorite book this year?