A YEAR IN REVIEW ...

i know that it is still a bit premature seeing how the new year hasn't even started but each year like so many others i make a new year's resolution each year to keep ... previously in my foolish youth i made the typical resolutions ... diet, exercise, no dessert and like so many others i would fail to make it past january...

... this resolution revolution started when i was a new university graduate and began my teaching career and was so super busy and was trying to figure out how to balance my life without giving all of my time to teaching, marking, planning, planning and more planning ... and a few years back i had a brain wave 'how about picking a resolution that i can keep and be successful at and one that's good for me' ...

... one year it was to drink more water in my day, the next year to eat more vegetables and i have been able to be successful at each of these and this past year i thought i have got a great grasp on the healthy eating, drinking more water, and the exercise part of my life came into play 2 years ago on its own even without a resolution and i have been able to keep it up faithfully 4 times a week and it is such a part of my life that is just there now ...

... this year i decided to work on my reading just for me and the resolution was to read 1 book a month ... only 12 books for the year ... and it couldn't be a teaching book, manual or a student book ... just a book for fun! (definitely made more attainable by this see point no. 5)

i am happy to report that i have more than conquered my goal and am excited for the reading list in 2010 ... so without further adieu here is my reading list for 2009:

1 The Three Musketeers . Dumas . 1844

2 The Magician's Nephew . Lewis . 1955

3 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe . Lewis . 1950

4 The Horse and his boy . Lewis . 1954

5 Prince Caspian . Lewis . 1951

6 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader . Lewis . 1952

7 The Silver Chair . Lewis . 1955

8 The Last Battle . Lewis . 1956

9 Twilight . Meyer . 2005

10 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas . Boyne . 2006

11 Sense and Sensibility . Austen . 1811

12 The Tale of Despereaux . Dicamillo . 2003

13 New Moon . Meyer . 2006

14 Pride and Prejudice . Austen . 1813

15 The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Dicamillo . 2006

16 Eclipse . Meyer . 2007

17 Breaking Dawn . Meyer . 2008

18 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . Rowling . 1997

19 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets . Rowling . 1998

20 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban . Rowling . 1999

21 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . Rowling . 2000

22 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix . Rowling . 2003

23 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince . Rowling . 2005

24 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . Rowling . 2007

25 Little Women . Alcott . 1868

26 The Awakening . Chopin . 1899

27 Great Expectations . Dickens . 1861

28 Sherlock Holmes . Conan Doyle . 1887

29 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass . Caroll . 1865

30 Persuasion . Austen . 1818