Despite that I feel it is only proper to wrap up the year with a review of all things bookish here at Blue Archipelago. So without further ado – here’s what I’ve been up to this year (thanks to Bart’s Bookshelf for the template inspiration).

Reading stats

• Total books read: 30 – wow, I didn’t think it would be quite that bad :blush:
• Total 6 star books: 3
• Total 5 star books: 15
• Total 4 star books: 5
• Total 3 star books: 6

Author interviews

• Alison Larkin – Author of The English American
• Sean Beaudoin – Author of Fade to Blue
• Carla Rieger – Author of The Change Artist
• Julia Hoban – Author of Willow

Top ten most viewed posts of the year

1. Midnight Sun
2. New Moon
3. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
4. Willow by Julia Hoban
5. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
8. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
9. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

My favourite books of the year

1. Between Me and the River – Living Beyond Cancer: A Memoir by Carrie Host
2. The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
3. Sixtyfive Roses: A Sister’s Memoir by Heather Summerhayes Cariou

Most commented posts of the year

1. Midnight Sun draft made available after leak (235 comments)
2. Midnight Sun Chapter 2: Twilight from Edward’s perspective (91 comments)

Top ten referring sites of the year

1. Google
2. Mixx
3. Digg
4. Sunday Salon
5. Nick Senger
6. Rob Around Books
7. Book Club Classics
8. Facebook
9. Ravenous Reader
10. Linda’s Reading Blog

Top ten search words of the year

Anyone see a pattern here??

Site stats

• Total views – 279,775
• Average views per day – 770

Over to you

Have you taken a moment to review your reading habits this year? Were you surprised at how may books you’d read (or like me not read!). I’d love to hear from you – post in the comments box just down there.

If you have written your own 2009 year end review then pop your link in the Mr Linky below:

xo

Clare

Thanks for reading Review of the Year 2009, a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)

My Book Review Rating: 3 stars – I can appreciate the sentiment, but it’s not really my thing!

If you are a shopaholic, and you have closets lined with purchases that you bought on a whim or with the hope that you might one day be slim enough to fit into it then this book is for you.

Moran walks you through the steps you need to take to become a more effective shopper, and to ensure that the purchases you make will add value to you and your life, rather than being a drain on your bank account.

It’s a quick read – I polished it off in less than an hour – and it does contain some useful tips and insights. It all got a little bit too new age for me though in the penultimate chapters!

Thanks for reading Shotgun Shopping – How to Materialize Anything You want Through the Metaphor of Shopping by Sheevaun Moran, a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)

My Book Review Rating: 5 stars – Bagshawe delivers another glittering blockbuster that will keep you turning the pages

Bagshawe is another author who always makes my transatlantic flight list – her novels are a delicious escape from reality with no brain power required!

Meet Melissa, a young student and daughter of a professor who falls in love with Will, an orphan and ineligible bachelor. When their whirlwind romance and secret marriage is ended by her family’s intervention Melissa throws herself into her studies and Will, heartbroken and angry joins MI6.

Fast forward a few years and Will is living the millionaire’s life in New York, while Mellisa has become a dowdy college lecturer. And then one day her fiance is shot down right before her eyes… only it turns out the bullet was meant for her – and suddenly Melissa finds herself on the run, under the watchful eye of the man who stole her heart and who she had vowed never to think about again.

As they race from one city to the next trying to shake off the hitmen who are firmly on their tails Melissa and Will are finally forced to face the feelings that both of them have kept hidden for years.

It’s gripping, it’s thrilling, it’s trashy, it’s total escapism – and I loved every minute of it, from the first page to the last!

Thanks for reading Passion by Louise Bagshawe, a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)

My Book Review Rating: 5 stars – Barclay doesn’t disappoint with his second thriller

When Derek Cutter hides in his neighbour’s basement with the intention of ‘borrowing’ their house for a love nest while the family are on vacation he finds himself witnessing a triple murder that will change his life, and that of his family forever.

From the first page to the last Barclay leads you on a rollercoaster tour of secrets and revelations; from a secret affair to a plagiarised novel and a good deed turned bad – this one will keep you guessing right until the end.

With two great novels under his belt Barclay has just placed himself firmly on my ‘favourite author’ list.

Thanks for reading Too Close to Home: A Thriller by Linwood Barclay, a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)

My Book Review Rating: 5 stars, another Picoult masterpiece – gripping from the first word to the last!

I picked up a copy of Change of Heart ahead of my nine hour flight to Orlando because Picoult always delivers on page-turners that keep me occupied and intrigued from cover to cover – this one didn’t dissapoint!

In the normal Picoult style this novel is told from the point of view of several different characters; from June – the mother who has survived the heartbreak of losing her husband and eldest daughter to murder, and must then face losing her youngest daughter to heart disease, Michael – a priest who finds himself providing spiritual support to a man he committed to death row and Maggie, a young lawyer who is looking to make her mark on the world.

It’s gripping, it’s heart wrenching, it’s enlightening, it’s enjoyable, it’s an edge-of-your-seat morality tale – and you should should definitely read it yourself!

Thanks for reading Change of Heart: A Novel by Jodi Picoult, a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)