Favorite book for 2008??

Did you have a book (or two!) that you read in 2008 that really stands out ahead of the rest? A book that touched your heart or really made you think? Please post in the comments section - you may give others good ideas of books to read this year!

OK - so I set a goal for myself last January to read 50 books in 2008... well - I completed 44 books, which is pretty darn close if you ask me!! LOL
Here is the list of books I read this year including author, date completed & my score (didn't start giving a score till Book #13). Feel free to click all book reviews to read what I thought of each.

44. Why Do Men Have Nipples by Leyner & Goldberg 12.29.08 3/5
43. Go Green, Live Rich by David Bach 12.26.08 4.5/5
42. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks 12.22.08 3.5/5
41. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney 12.15.08 4.25/5
40. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer 12.12.08 4.5/5
39. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer 11.22.08 5/5
38. The Talented Clementine by Pennypacker 11.13.08 4.75/5
37. The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez by Goldschmidt 11.9.08 4.5/5
36. The Wednesday Letters by J.Wright 11.7.08 4/5
35. Time Traveler's Wife by Niffenegger 10.28.08 3.75/5
34. Second Chance by Jane Green 10.25.08 3/5
33. Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets 9.30.08 4/5
32. Harry Potter Sorcerer's Stone 9.3.08 4.75/5
31. The Last Summer by Ann Brashares 8.29.08 4/5
30. Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson 8.17.08 3.75/5
29. Promise the Moon by Elizabeth Joy Arnold 8.13.08 3.5/5
28. Marley & Me by John Grogan 8.5.08 4/5
27. Sandcastles by Luanne Rice 7.30.08 2/5
26. Unclutter Your Mind by Donna Smallin 7.25.08 4/5
25. The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller 7.23.08 2.5/5
24. Life's a Beach by Claire Cook 7.17.08 3/5
23. The Beach House by Jane Green 7.7.08 5/5
22. Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson 7.6.08 3/5
21. For One More Day by Mitch Albom 6.30.08 3/5
20. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult 6.25.08 4.5/5
19. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli 6.18.08 3.75/5
18. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch 6.2.08 5/5
17. The Road by Cormac McCarthy 5.31.08 4/5
16. Sisterhood of Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares 5.19.08 4.75/5
15. Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella 5.16.08 4.25/5
14. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri 5.7.08 2.75/5
13. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 5.5.08 4/5
12. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 4.22.08
11. Finding Peace by Paula Coxe 4.8.08
10. Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand 4.4.08
9. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah 3.25.08
8. No Death, No Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh 3.16.08
7. Clementine by Sara Pennypacker 3.15.08
6. Living a Life That Matters by Harold Kushner 3.12.08
5. Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers 3.9.08
4. The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult 3.2.08
3. The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards 2.19.08
2. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks 2.8.08
1. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 1.26.08

Wow, looking at this list kind of helps me relive this past year, as I always link a book to what's going on in my life at the time I read it. Which of course may also affect my opinion of the book!

My Top 8 books of 2008 are:
Twilight (my FAVORITE this year!!!)
The Secret Life of Bees
Eat, Pray, Love
The Beach House
Harry Potter Sorcerer's Stone
The Last Lecture
The Kite Runner
Marley & Me

Will I give myself another challenge for 2009, you may ask?? Of course! I will keep my goal set for 50 books since I didn't reach it this year. For anyone who actually reads my reviews - is there anything I should change? add? remove? from my reviews? I try to keep them fairly short & simple because I know many blog followers do not read my book reviews. But they are a big part of what makes me tick, so I will definitely continue posting them! :)

Oh and if any of you have read a book that I post about or have suggestions of books you think I should read - please post your thoughts in the comments!

Happy Reading!