Looks like I’ll finish 2009 having read 19 books, only 5 of which were non-fiction.  That is a low number for me, but then again, it has been a busy year, what with the birth of our first child and all.  That most of the books I read this year were fiction is really not surprising.  I have been trying to improve my writing and one way of doing that (aside from writing) is by reading.  I read a lot of Stephen King toward the end of the year and will likely read more in the coming year.  Part of this is also due to the fact that I believe I read every single issue of NEW SCIENTIST (51 of them) this year as well as every single issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, and that’s a lot of non-fiction that doesn’t make it onto these lists.

There are some books that I am looking forward to reading this year and here are just a few of them, for those who are curious:

• Galileo’s Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
• Starbound by Joe Haldeman
• War and Space by Lester Del Rey (edited by  )
• Robots and Magic by Lester Del Rey (edited by  )
• WWW:Watch by Robert J. Sawyer
• A Brilliant Darkness by Joao Majueijo

There were no 5-star books this year which may be a first.  The best book I read all year was probably Stephen King’s It, which I really enjoyed and came close to 5 stars.  I’m hoping I’ll find one or two 5-star books in 2010.