Books J's Read - 2009

Here I will compile a list of the books I read throughout the year. I will rate them on a scale of 0 to 5 - zero being horrible and five being wonderful. Perhaps this will be of interest to some of you. Or you can just see how much of a book nerd I am...

Non-Fiction:

1. A Cook's Tour - Anthony Bourdain - 5 out of 5
2. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver - 3.5 out of 5
3. Better Off - Eric Brende - 4 out of 5 stars
4. Dishing with the Kitchen Virgin - Susan Reinhardt - 3 out of 5
5. Doing Nothing - Tom Lutz - 3 out of 5
   
6. Don't Try This At Home: Culinary Catastrophes from the World's Greatest Chefs - Edited by Kimberly Witherspoon and Andrew Friedman - 3 out of 5
7. Epicurean Simplicity - Stephanie Mills - 4 out of 5 stars
8. Fork It Over - Alan Richman - 3.5 out of 5
9. Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany - Bill Buford - 4 out of 5
10. How to Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto - Tom Hodgkinson - 5 out of 5
11. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan - 3.5 out of 5
12. Insatiable - Gael Greene - 3.5 out of 5
13. It Must Have Been Something I Ate - Jeffrey Steingarten - 5 out of 5
14. Plenty - Alisa Smith & J.B. Mackinnon - 3.5 out of 5
15. Radical Simplicity - Jim Merkel - 4 out of 5
16. Service Included – Phoebe Damrosch - 3 out of 5
17. Simple Prosperity - David Wann - 3 out of 5
18. Stuff White People Like - Christian Lander - 4.5 out of 5
19. Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn - Hannah Holmes - 5 out of 5
20. Such A Pretty Fat - Jen Lancaster - 3.5 out of 5
21. Taming the Tiger Within - Thich Naht Hanh - 3.5 out of 5
22. The End of Food - Paul Roberts - 3 out of 5
23. The Places That Scare You - Pema Chodron - 5 out of 5
24. The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry - Kathleen Flinn - 3.5 out of 5
25. The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell - 4 out of 5
26. The Ungarnished Truth - Ellie Matthews - 4 out of 5
27. Trail of Crumbs - Kim Sunee - 5 out of 5
28. Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School - Katherine Darling - 4.5 out of 5
29. Understanding Our Mind - Thich Nhat Hanh - 4 out of 5
30. Quarterlife Crisis - Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner - 2 out of 5

Fiction:

1. 20 Times A Lady - Karyn Bosnak - 0 out of 5
2. 21 Steps to Happiness - F.G. Gerson - 1 out of 5
   
3. 32AA - Michelle Cunnah - 0.5 out of 5
4. A Bad Bride's Tale - Polly Williams - 1 out of 5
   
5. A Clean Slate - Laura Caldwell - 1 out of 5
6. Addition - Toni Jordan - 4.5 out of 5
7. A Hopeless Romantic - Harriet Evans - 3.5 out of 5
8. Always the Bridesmaid - Whitney Lyles - 2.5 out of 5
9. A Little Change of Face - Lauren Baratz-Logsted - 0.5 out of 5
10. A Model Summer - Paulina Porzikova - 0 out of 5
11. Angels - Marian Keyes - 3 out of 5
12. An Offer You Can't Refuse - Jill Mansell - 1 out of 5
    
13. An Uncommon Degree of Popularity - Kathleen Gilles Seidel - 3 out of 5
14. A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon - 3.5 out of 5
15. A Total Waste of Makeup - Kim Gruenenfelder - 2 out of 5
16. Ask Again Later - Jill A. Davis - 1 out of 5
17. Babe in Toyland - Eugenie Seifer Olson - 2 out of 5
    
18. Baby Needs A New Pair of Shoes - Lauren Baratz-Logsted - 1 out of 5
19. Baby Proof - Emily Giffin - 3.5 out of 5
20. Bachelorette #1 - Jennifer O'Connell - 0 out of 5
    Balancing in High Heels - Eileen Rendahl - 1 out of 5
21. Because She Can - Birdie Clark - 2 out of 5
22. Behaving Like Adults - Anna Maxted - 4 out of 5
23. Being Committed - Anna Maxted - 4 out of 5
24. Better Than Chocolate - Susan Waggoner - 4.5 out of 5
25. Beyond the Blonde - Kathleen Flynn-Hui - 2 out of 5
26. Black Olives - Martha Tod Dunham - 3.5 out of 5
27. Bergdorf Blondes - Plum Sykes - 1 out of 5
28. Burning the Map - Laura Caldwell - 1 out of 5
    
29. But Inside I'm Screaming - Elizabeth Flock - 3.5 out of 5
30. Celebutantes - Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper - 0.5 out of 5
31. Chasing Harry Winston - Lauren Weisberger - 1 out of 5
32. Cocktails for Three - Madeleine Wickham - 1.5 out of 5
33. Comfort Food - Kate Jacobs - 3.5 out of 5
34. Company - Max Barry - 4 out of 5
35. Confessions of a Beauty Addict - Nadine Haobsh - 2 out of 5
    
36. Confessions of an Ex-Girlfriend - Jennifer Crusie - 1 out of 5
37. Confessions of a Serial Dater - Michelle Cunnah - 2 out of 5
    
38. Conversations with the Fat Girl - Liza Palmer - 2.5 out of 5
39. Cooking for Harry - Kay-Marie James - 1 out of 5
40. Cooking for Mr. Right - Susan Volland - 3 out of 5
41. Cover Girl Confidential - Beverly Bartlett - 0 out of 5
42. Crossing the Line - Lauren Baratz-Logsted - 0 out of 5
43. Diary of a Mad Bride - Laura Wolf - 1.5 out of 5
44. Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead - Saralee Roseberg - 2.5 out of 5
45. Does She or Doesn't She? - Alisa Kwitney - 0 out of 5
    
46. Dress Rehearsal - Jennifer O'Connell - 1 out of 5
47. Eating Crow - Jay Rayner - 3.5 out of 5
48. Engaging Men - Lynda Curnyn - 3 out of 5
49. Everything She Thought She Wanted - Elizabeth Buchan - 3.5 out of 5
    
50. Everyone Worth Knowing - Lauren Weisberger - 1 out of 5
51. Ex and the Single Girl - Lani Diane Rich - 2.5 out of 5
    
52. Falling out of Fashion - Karen Yampolsky - 1 out of 5
53. Fifteen Minutes of Shame - Lisa Daily - 2.5 out of 5
    
54. Fishbowl - Sarah Mlynowski - 2 out of 5
55. Five Things I Can't Live Without - Holly Shumas - 2 out of 5
    
56. Four Wives - Wendy Walker - 1 out of 5
57. Forget About It - Caprice Crane - 1.5 out of 5
58. Frenemies - Megan Crane - 2 out of 5
59. Full of It - Wendy French - 2 out of 5
60. Getting Married - Theresa Alan - 2.5 out of 5
61. Getting Over It - Anna Maxted - 2 out of 5
    
62. Girl Cook - Hannah McCouch - 3 out of 5
63. Girl's Who Gossip - Theresa Alan - 4 out of 5
    
64. Glamour - Louise Bagshawe - 0 out of 5
    
65. Goodbye Jimmy Choo - Annie Sanders - 3.5 out of 5
66. Hand-Me-Down - Lee Nichols - 0 out of 5
67. Hedge Fund Wives - Tatiana Bocompagni - 1 out of 5
    
68. Here Comes the Bride - Whitney Lyles - 2 out of 5
69. Here Kitty, Kitty - Jardine Libaire - 1 out of 5
70. How (not) To Have A Perfect Wedding - Arliss Ryan - 3.5 out of 5
    
71. How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls - Zoey Dean - 1 out of 5
72. How Was It For You? - Carmen Reid - 1.5 out of 5
73. I Do, But I Don't - Cara Lockwood - 0.5 out of 5
74. If Andy Warhol Had A Girlfriend - Alison Pace - 3 out of 5
    
75. I'm With Stupid - Elaine Szewczyk - 2 out of 5
76. It's My Wedding Too - Sharon Naylor - 1.5 out of 5
77. It's Not My Wedding (But I'm in Charge) - Sharon Naylor - 2 out of 5
78. I Went to Vassar For This? - Claudia Carroll - 2 out of 5
    
79. Jack With A Twist - Brenda Janowitz - 2 out of 5
    
80. Jennifer Johnson is Sick of Being Single - Heather McElhatton - 2 out of 5
81. Jumble Pie - Melanie Lynn Hauser - 3 out of 5
    
82. Last Bite: A Novel of Culinary Romance - Nancy Verde Barr - 3 out of 5
83. Life a la Mode - Linda Lenhoff - 0.5 out of 5
84. Life on the Refrigerator Door - Alice Kuipers - 5 out of 5
    
85. Little White Lies - Gemma Townley - 0.5 out of 5
86. Love the One You're With - Emily Giffin - 2 out of 5
    
87. Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him - Danielle Ganek - 3 out of 5
88. Marriage By Design - Lynn Michaels - 3 out of 5
    
89. Me vs Me - Sarah Mlynowski - 3.5 out of 5
90. Miranda's Big Mistake - Jill Mansell - 3.5 out of 5
    
91. Miss Bubbles Steals the Show - Melanie Murray - 1 out of 5
92. Miss Independent - Elisa Adams - 0 out of 5
    
93. Miss Invisible - Laura Jensen Walker - 0.5 out of 5
94. Mrs. Perfect - Jane Porter - 2.5 out of 5
95. Nadia Knows Best - Jill Mansell - 4 out of 5
    
96. Name & Address Withheld - Jane Sigaloff - 1 out of 5
97. Nearlyweds - Beth Kendrick - 2 out of 5
98. Nine Wives - Dan Elish - 2.5 out of 5
    
99. Not Quite A Bride - Kirsten Sawyer - 1 out of 5
100. Notes from the Backseat - Jody Gehrman - 3.5 out of 5
     
101. Notting Hell - Rachel Johnson - 2 out of 5
     
102. Once Upon A Nervous Breakdown - Patrick Sanchez - 4 out of 5
     
103. One Fifth Avenue - Candace Bushnell - 1 out of 5
104. Out on a Limb - Lynne Barrett-Lee - 2 out of 5
105. Paris Hangover - Kirsten Lobe - 1 out of 5
106. Personal Days - Ed Park - 4 out of 5
107. Pink Slip Party - Cara Lockwood - 0.5 out of 5
108. Playing James - Sara Mason - 3 out of 5
     
109. Prep - Curtis Sittenfeld - 4 out of 5
     
110. Queen of Babble Gets Hitched - Meg Cabot - 0.5 out of 5
111. Queen of Babble in the Big City - Meg Cabot - 0.5 out of 5
112. Questions To Ask Before Marrying - Melissa Senate - 3 out of 5
113. Remind Me Again Why I Need A Man - Claudia Carroll - 3 out of 5
114. Room for Improvement - Stacey Ballis - 4 out of 5
     
115. Romantically Challenged - Beth Orsoff - 2 out of 5
116. Schooled - Anisha Lakhani - 4 out of 5
117. Scot on the Rocks - Brenda Janowitz - 1 out of 5
118. Second Chance - Jane Green - 4 out of 5
119. Secrets of My Hollywood Life - Jen Calonita - 1 out of 5
120. Secrets of the Tsil Cafe - Thomas Fox Averill - 4 out of 5
     
121. Second Thyme Around - Katie Fforde - 3 out of 5
122. Shoe Addicts Anonymous - Beth Harbison - 1 out of 5
123. Secret Society Girl - Diana Peterfreund - 2.5 out of 5
     
124. See Jane Date - Melissa Senate - 2 out of 5
125. She's Got Issues - Stephanie Lessing - 2 out of 5
     
126. Sights Unseen - Kaye Gibbons - 2 out of 5
127. Slacker Girl - Alexandra Koslow - 3 out of 5
     
128. Slightly Engaged - Wendy Markham - 1 out of 5
129. Slightly Married - Wendy Markham - 1 out of 5
130. Slightly Settled - Wendy Markham - 1 out of 5
131. Slightly Suburban - Wendy Markham - 1 out of 5
     
132. Slim Chance - Jackie Rose - 1 out of 5
133. Smart Girls Like Me - Diane Vadino - 2.5 out of 5
     
134. Something Blue - Emily Giffin - 3.5 out of 5
135. Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin - 4 out of 5
     
136. So Much for My Happy Ending - Kyra Davis - 3.5 out of 5
137. Something Good - Fiona Gibson - 3 out of 5
     
138. Stupid and Contagious - Caprice Crane - 2.5 out of 5
139. Swapping Lives - Jane Green - 4 out of 5
     
140. Technical Hitch - Jane Sigaloff - 1 out of 5
141. Temporary Insanity - Leslie Carroll - 2 out of 5
     
142. Testing Kate - Whitney Gaskell - 1 out of 5
     
143. The Best Day of Someone Else's Life - Kerry Reichs - 1 out of 5
144. The Blue Bistro - Elin Hilderbrand - 3.5 out of 5
145. The Chocolate Lovers' Club - Carole Matthews - 2 out of 5
146. The Cinderella Pact - Sarah Strohmeyer - 3.5 out of 5
     
147. The Debutante Divorcee - Plum Sykes - 0 out of 5
148. The Devil in the Junior League - Linda Francis Lee - 1 out of 5
     
149. The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger - 1 out of 5
150. The Ex-Debutante - Linda Francis Lee - 1 out of 5
151. The Family Fortune - Laurie Horowitz - 2 out of 5
152. The Food of Love - Anthony Capella - 2.5 out of 5
153. The Flawless Skin of Ugly People - Doug Crandell - 4 out of 5
154. The Girl's Best Friend - Elizabeth Young - 3 out of 5
155. The Go-To Girl - Louise Bagshawe - 2 out of 5
156. The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death - Laurie Notaro - 4.5 out of 5
     
157. The Last Chinese Chef - Nicole Mones - 4.5 out of 5
158. The Little Lady Agency - Hester Browne - 1 out of 5
159. The Makeup Girl - Andrea Semple - 0.5 out of 5
160. The Mating Rituals of the North American WASP - Laura Lipton - 0 out of 5
     
161. The Night I Got Lucky - Laura Caldwell - 0.5 out of 5
162. The Other Side of the Story - Marian Keyes - 2 out of 5
     
163. The Perfect Fit: Fat Free Dreams Just Don't Taste the Same - Louise Kean - 3 out of 5
164. The Pre-Nup - Beth Kendrick - 0.5 out of 5
165. The Real Real - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus - 1 out of 5
     
166. The Right Address - Carrie Karasyov - 0 out of 5
167. The Romancipation of Maggie Hunter - Jane Sigaloff - 3 out of 5
     
168. The Thin Pink Line - Lauren Baratz-Logsted - 0 out of 5
169. The Trophy Wives Club - Kristin Billerbeck - 0 out of 5
170. The Smart One - Ellen Meister - 4 out of 5
     
171. The Spare Wife - Alex Witchel - 2.5 out of 5
     
172. The Starter Marriage - Kate Harrison - 1.5 out of 5
173. The Twins of TriBeCa - Rachel Pine - 3 out of 5
     
174. The Waitress - Melissa Nathan - 1 out of 5
175. The Year of Living Famously - Laura Caldwell - 2.5 out of 5
176. Then We Came to the End - Joshua Ferris - 4.5 out of 5
177. There Is A (slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell - Laurie Notaro - 3.5 out of 5
178. This Year's Model - Carol Alt - 2 out of 5
     
179. Three Wishes - Liane Moriarty - 3 out of 5
180. Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella - 3.5 out of 5
     
181. Upside Down and Inside Out - Monica McInerney - 1 out of 5
     
182. Un-Bridaled - Eileen Rendahl - 1.5 out of 5
183. Wake Up, Sir! - Jonathan Ames - 4 out of 5
184. What Goes Around - Alexandra Carew - 2 out of 5
185. What I Really Want to Do is Direct - Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout - 1 out of 5
186. Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? - Melissa Senate - 1 out of 5
187. Why Not? - Shari Low - 2 out of 5
     
188. Wife Goes On - Leslie Lehr - 1 out of 5
     
189. Wolves in Chic Clothing - Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman - 0.5 out of 5
190. Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakthrough - Isabel Sharpe - 0.5 out of 5
191. You Could Do Better - Stephanie Lehmann - 0.5 out of 5