Latest Update

So I've been sitting on these for quite a while now...keeping them in a pile that keeps getting moved around, split up, etc. But I really haven't felt like updating the list until right now...which means I have a bunch to do. So here I go.

87. Chasing Harry Winston
I remember enjoying this book (again, in the category of beach reading), but now that I'm sitting here, I really can't remember what happened. So you'll just have to read it yourself to find out :)

86. To the Power of Three
Ok, I think I actually like this equally to What the Dead Know. However, in all her novels, I find the references to Baltimore and other Maryland areas slightly distracting. Perhaps because I think I should know where they are, but I really don't (and why would I - I've never lived in MD, and really don't go to MD very often).

85. The Woods
Another recommendation from Stacy (really, most of the things I read are, but this one was a situation where I was in a book store, looking for something to read to pass time when I was caught without a book, and this is what she recommended). Anyway, it was really good. Lots of good twists, just as I thought I had things figured out, yet not so suspenseful that I couldn't sleep.

84. Away
For some reason, I avoided reading this for a while, and I'm not sure why. It's the story of a Russian immigrant who moves to America, then ends up going back to Russia. I liked it because the author would also wrap up what happened to some of the side characters before moving on with the rest of the story - which I appreciated - you always wonder what happens to the others.

83. Belong to Me
Sequel to Love Walked In. It's a few years ahead of where Love Walked In left off, and continues to the story of the main characters. Again, really enjoyed the story, and had some twists that I wasn't expecting (or didn't figure out until right before they were revealed).

82. Love Walked In
A really good read - had a little twist that I wasn't expecting at the end. I really liked this (but can't really think of a description of why - it was just good).

81. Hissy Fit
Pretty cute, and again, a perfect beach/vacation read. I mean, who hasn't wanted to throw (or actually thrown) a hissy fit :)

80. What the Dead Know
I think this was my favorite of the three Laura Lippman books I read. It made me want to hurry up and finish it to figure out what in the world was going on. And while I had a good theory about what was going on, it wasn't quite right. Therefore, a good mystery :)

79. Second Chance
Def. a good read, but still not as good (for me) as Jemima J. I would recommend reading it.

78. Fearless Fourteen
Thanks to Cathy, I'm totally addicted. And sad. I think this is the latest one in the series, and while not quite as good as the others, still totally enjoyable. I'm surprised this hasn't turned into a movie or TV series or something.

77. Deep Dish
Perfect book for the beach, where I read it. Nice, light, and everything wrapped up by the end.

76. Every Secret Thing
Stacy recommended Laura Lippman's books, which are OK, though I don't love them as much as she does. Of the three that I read, this was my least favorite, and took me a little longer than normal to get through.

75. Love the One You're With
Clearly, on an Emily Giffin kick here. This was not the typical story

74. Baby Proof
Ah, chick lit. It had some drama that all worked out in the end - this time, about babies instead of meeting Mr. Right. Still, it was good - especially for the beach, where I read it.

A few more books before vacation

I managed to squeeze a few more books in before vacation. I'm leaving for the beach for a week, so I'll probably have a bunch more to add.

73. The Miracle at Speedy Motors
Still love these - though I have a difficult time explaining why. They're just nice, pleasant books that make me wish I lived in Botswana, except that I don't think I could hack it.

72. The Memory Keeper's Daughter
I'm a little slower than most people - apparently, everyone in DE has read the book (I kept having people come by and tell me). It was really good, and everyone should read it.

71. Something Borrowed
Cute story, great to get in the mood for vacation (though it really didn't have anything to do with vacation, except that the main characters kept going to the Hamptons, which is not really like going to Hilton Head).

More books...

The Janet Evanovich era continues... with one small exception. I was sad 'cause I thought I was done with the series, but apparently, there's one more.

70. Nice to Come Home To
And now, for something completely different... in between all the Stephanie Plum books, I managed to squeeze something else in. This was cute - I think the fact that the setting was in Washington, DC added to the cuteness.

69. Plum Lucky
Another between the numbers book. All the same comments apply.

68. Lean Mean Thirteen
I thought this was the last book, but apparently, (other than the stupid between the numbers books) there's one more. Thank goodness. I mean, these books are by no means great literature, but they're entertaining. I'm surprised they haven't made it into a TV show or something yet.

67. Plum Lovin'
Another between the numbers book. Same reaction as the other one. I'm not sure that I would have missed anything by not reading this, but I was afraid I would always be missing something by not reading it.

66. Twelve Sharp
I'm a little sad at this point, because I know that I'm running out of books in this series. At least it was a long series.

65. Eleven on Top
Another one - a little variation on things - this time, Stephanie quits being a bounty hunter.

64. Ten Big Ones
Good thing these are numbered - helps me to figure out what's next.

63. To the Nines
Another one down...

62. Visions of Sugar Plums
You thought I might have varied a little... but no, this is a 'between the numbers' Stephanie Plum book. I wasn't crazy about it, but read it anyway. A little cheesy and disappointing, but short, so not a total waste of time.

61. Hard Eight
Another one - really, hard to find stuff to say, but I'm still enjoying them.

60. Seven Up
So the formula continues, but I'm still entertained. More crazy scenarios, crazy grandma scenes, etc.

Stacy's pulling away

I just don't think I can keep up. But I do have vacation coming up, including an 8 hour car ride. I feel some catching up happening...

59. Hot Six
Clearly, this post is all about Janet Evanovich. I need to read some other books for a little while. PS - it's a little weird sitting on a bus with a book that has the title Hot Six in GIANT letters on the front cover. I tried to hide it.

58. High Five
I guess the sorta rhyming titles ran out. I think she has fans name the books. Anyway, another good one. At some point, it may get hard to believe that so much bad stuff can happen to one person, but I'm going with it for now.

57. Four to Score
Yep, another one. Only 10 more left...

56. Three To Get Deadly
Good thing the titles are in number order - makes it far eaiser to read.

55. Two for the Dough
I'm totally hooked on these books. Good thing there are 14 of them - it should last me the summer.

I think I might be on time

I think I might actually be returning books on time for once. Yay! Now I need to go stock up on more for a weekend trip to the beach. In addition to overpacking clothes, I usually overpack books too. And really, how many books can one read in a weekend?

So the updates are (again, lacking color/flair in the interest of time - gotta be ready to go by 6PM tonight)...

54. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (Joshilyn Jackson)
Enjoyed it. Not really sure what else to say, so I'll leave it at that.

53. Certain Girls (Jennifer Weiner)
On Stacy's recommendation, I reread Good in Bed prior to reading this, and I'm glad I did. I enjoyed this, though the first one is probably my favorite of the two. In writing this list, I realize I've got a library book that is MIA. I checked out Good in Bed, and need to add it to my list (as well as return it to the library), but I can't find it anywhere. Hm...

52. Big Boned (Meg Cabot)
Ah, Heather Wells, former teen pop star turned assistant dorm director, you've got to solve a murder again. Really, 3 murders in about a year at the same college dorm does get pretty unbelievable, but there's enough other 'stuff' going on that I still like the book.

51. Death by Chick Lit (Lynn Harris)
It was a funny idea - chick lit authors being killed off. And the title made me laugh. It was cute - again not super scary/tense, but still a decent mystery.

50. Chocolat (Joanne Harris)
I saw the sequel for this on the 'new' shelf, so I wanted to read this one (only saw the movie - and I remember feeling like the movie left off at the start of something). Reading this reminded me that I hadn't seen the movie in a while, which is probably a good thing. Oh, and reading this reminded me that I took Latin and German for my foreign languages. French means nothing to me.

49. One for the Money (Janet Evanovich)
Very cute, not too scary/tense mystery. The main character is definately a character, and this is the first in the series. I like series books, 'cause I always know what to read next.

Ah...summertime

The start of hot days and light, fluffy reading. Mostly. Being lazy, so that I can actually return these to the library on time, and not looking up the little pictures of the book. Sorry for the lack of color and flair, for the 1 - 2 people who actually read this list.

Here's what I've read since the last time I made an update:

48. A Good Indian Wife
Indian moves to America, swears off arranged marriages (one of my Indian co-workers thoughts on arranged marriages - "they're crap"), and ends up in one anyone. Pretty good book and a nice break from chick lit, while still being light and easily digestible.

47. Cause Celeb
Ever wonder why you haven't heard of the first book by Helen Fielding, who wrote Bridget Jones' Diary? There might be a reason. I wouldn't recommend this - it was OK, but not as funny as I was expecting. But really, how funny can you make starvation in Africa? The answer, not as funny as Bridget Jone's diary.

46. There's No Place Like Here
Not my favorite of hers, but reasonably good to pass the time. If I wasn't counting the number of books I read, I might not have finished reading it though...

45. Remember Me?
Another cute summer read. I'm wondering if the TV show Samantha Who got the idea from this book - probably not, but it kinda reminds me of it (yes, I've seen at least one Samantha Who episode).

44. Good in Bed
Reread it in preparation for the next one (on advice from Stacy). I had forgotten how much I liked it. It's not your typical chick lit.

43. Rosie Dunne
Cute. Like her other books. Good, light summer reading.

42. Behind the Scenes at the Museum
I picked this one up from a display at the library. I think it was the book for one of the groups they run. It was... different. I think I liked it, but there were a lot of characters - I really needed a family tree to keep up. ANyway, if you're looknig for something...different, it's a good read.

Just for Stacy

Finally updating, just for Stacy (who is ahead of me at the moment). I'll get caught up though. Just you watch.

41. Light a Penny Candle

Another good one from Maeve Binchy. According to the back of the book, it's her greatest.

40. The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters

I've read this a couple of times, and reread it again this year. I liked it - again, would I read something again if I didn't like it (possibly, if I was desperate).

39. If You Could See Me Now

Cute book - light summer reading. Good for the beach - or not the beach.

38. The Careful Use of Compliments

I've read others in the series, and enjoyed it. But I think it had been too long since I read the series, and sorta forgot what happened. It was still good :)

37. World Without End

Pillars of the Earth, 200 years later. Also very good.

36. The Pillars of the Earth

Not your usual Oprah's Book Club book. Very good - highly recommend.

35. Home to Holly Springs

So, apparently, this is the launch of the new Father Tim series. But I thought it was a continuation of the Mitford series, so I'm confused. It's the same characters, I think. Anyway, it was cute - if you like the Mitford series, you'll like this one too.

34. Can You Keep a Secret?

Yet another reread. It still makes me laugh too :) I would do something dumb like this (and probably have done something similar, except that it didn't result in me being involved with an unbelievably rich man).

33. P.S. I Love You

Another reread - I kept hearing about the movie, which made me want to read the book. I haven't seen the movie, but I usually think the book is better :) I like this - clearly, or I wouldn't have read it again.

32. Mr. Maybe

A reread (I have overdue library books once again, and so I'm avoiding them). It's cute - good summer book.

31. People of the Book

It was interesting - mix of history and present day 'stuff'. It came from the new release shelf of the library.

Once again, debt to the library

It's really silly that I keep owing the library money because I keep forgetting to log these books. However, for the 10 books or so that I checked out, what I owe is still less than buying the books. Plus, maybe my late fee bought another new book for the library.

Sometimes, I feel guilty for having late books, 'cause someone else is waiting for them. But such is life, I guess. At least they don't give out your name so that the people waiting for the books can call you. That would be bad...or the start of a chick lit novel. And by the way, look at the books I read. Do you really think that most people are really beating down the library doors for science fiction/fantasy. I don't think so.

So here are the books I've read recently, both from the library and my own books (when I had the urge to read, but was out of library books). I really shouldn't save them up, huh?

30. Quentins

Ok, at this point, I have a serious craving to go visit Ireland. I'm almost finished with another of her books, and I think I need to make a trip there at some point.

29. Scarlet Feather

Again, it all works out in the end.

28. The Glass Lake

Clearly, I'm on a tear here. Another good one. Which reminds me, I can't find Circle of Friends, but I know I owned it at one point.

27. Nights of Rain and Stars

Maeve Binchy books are like comfort food to me. And everything always works out at the end. Thank goodness.

26. Goodnight Nobody

Eh. It was ok - entertaining, but not as good as some of her other books.

25. Change of Heart

I enjoyed this, as I usually do with her books. My favorite is still My Sister's Keeper, but this was good too.

24. Swapping Lives

Another chick lit (I keep wanting to write check... another word I must type a lot) book. Entertaining - especially if you wonder if the grass is greener...

23. The Undomestic Goddess

Ah... chick lit. Like little fluffy peeps for my brain.

22. Atonement

Good book. Loved the end. Wonder if the movie is as good (it usually isn't)...

21. The Martian Chronicles

Classic science fiction.

20. The Dolphins of Pern

I always wondered what happened to the dolphins... and here it is.

19. Dragonseye

See #18.

18. The Skies of Pern

Good. Like the others. What else can I say? The end is near. I'm almost done with this series - and then what will I do?

Debt to the Library

I have overdue books that I need to return. Only, I haven't returned them because I knew I hadn't updated my list. So now I'm finally doing it, so I can return these books and pay the fine. I'll try and comfort myself with the fact that the fine is less than: 1. the cost of the books had I purchased them myself, plus 2. the cost of another bookcase, as mine are overflowing. With that, on to the list...

17. All the Weyrs of Pern

I think this might have been the end of the series (chronologically - but I still have others to read). As with the others, I enjoyed it. I don't want to give away too much, so you'll have to read it, or ask me if you don't want to read it.

16. Term Limits

Stacy has been on this big kick of Vince Flynn books. Again (see comments above and those regarding #16), I needed some loaners, and this was one of them. I really enjoyed it, but tried to explain it to someone, and it didn't make sense, so if you like political thriller books (and can suspend your disbelief), then you should read it. I will warn you, I didn't like it for about the first 50 pages, then got into it.

15. The Dirty Girls Social Club

First, an aside. There are certain words I type regularly for work (like direct) that make it hard to type other words (apparently, like dirty, I guess because it starts with the same three letters, and my fingers think they know where to go from there). On to the rest... This was a loaner from Stacy (I needed something new to read, but couldn't go to the library, because I owe, and apparently, couldn't get the books into the list so that I could get more books). I think it's actually a loaner from Stacy's friend/co-worker (I could probably claim her as a friend as well, but I like to give context on how I know people). I enjoyed it - chit lit Latina style. It did make me think more about the various types of backgrounds that actually comprise the label Latina, and also about those friends you make that last through good/bad times. Though I don't know that I would always want friends as honest as these girls were (at times).

14. The Girl Who Heard Dragons

This is the book I was referencing below. I was confused (though now I understand the reviews I read), as this was not about another character in the series, but rather, a collection of short stories. They were all good, and some lended additional color to the Pern series (or other series of her's that I've read), but I'm generally not a fan of short stories. They end too soon, and as soon as I start to get into one, I have to move to a new topic. I'm usually left wanting to know more - what happened, what was next, etc.

13. The Chronicles of Pern

As I've mentioned before, I continue to read through this series. I've enjoyed most of them (see the comment on the Girl Who Heard Dragons), because Anne McCaffrey has really developed an entire history (a pretty long history - at least several hundred, but likely at least a thousand - but I can't remember right now) for a fictional planet. I admire her imagination and ability to create an entirely believable world.

I'm ahead...

...Only because Stacy has started classes again. Thank goodness!
12. Nerilka's Story

Another in Anne McCaffrey's series. I've mentioned before that I like this series, but here's another reason why. She's taken the history of this planet, and told it from multiple perspectives. It's interesting to see the same (or similar - sometimes there is a difference in the time period from book to book) scenes from different perspectives, or other things that were going on at the same time as another event that I already read about.

11. Fourth Comings

Final in the Jessica Darling series. I think I liked how it all ended, but I was a little surprised Stacy was happy with the ending.

10. Charmed Thirds

Third in the Jessica Darling series. Now I can finally read the fourth and final installment. I like reading series books one right after the other, so I don't forget things from book to book.

9. Break No Bones

I needed a book for a car ride, and this one worked well. It's the book series that the TV show Bones is based on. I like them - forensic anthropology/murder mystery. And not too much romance to interrupt the flow of the story. Have you ever noticed how they like to do that with mystery stories? I've never really understood why. If I want romance, I'll read chick lit. If I want mystery, don't interrupt with some mushy scenes.

Total of 8 Books Now

8. Seeing Me Naked

Recommended by Stacy. It was a good recommendation :) More serious chick lit than the usual light books. Now, the problem is, since it was all about a pasty chef, I was SERIOUSLY craving pastry the entire time I was reading it. It's the same reason why I can NEVER watch the food network. One time, we were watching this episode (me, Kerry and Stacy) about a resturant that specialized in peanut butter sandwiches, and I craved them all day. Luckily, on another vacation, Stacy and I got to go to the resturant (sorry Kerry).

7. Renegades of Pern

Another in the Pern series. Really, if you like sci-fi, you need to read this series. But call me/email me before you read it, 'cause I would change the order that I'm reading this in, if I could go back in time.

6. Dragonsdawn

See comments above :) I think I have 3 more in the series.

4 more down!

5. Singing with the Top Down

Eh. It was OK. A bit of a Lifetime movie waiting to happen. Not a bad way to pass the time. Story of two kids whose parents die in an accident. They are taken in by their aunt, and travel with her from Oklahoma to California in her convertible. It's set in the '50s.

4. Sloppy Firsts

Love it! High school angst at it's best. It's not the first time I've read it, but the 4th book in the series finally came out, so I decided to reread the whole series (so I could remember what happened).

3. Second Helpings

Please see comments for book #4 :) This is the second book in the series. The library didn't have the third book in the series, so I'm stuck until I can find a copy of it.

2. The First Man in Rome

This is by the woman who wrote The Thorn Birds (which I haven't actually read). While this was good, it was long, and I really went through it slowly. It is the first in a series, but I don't think I'm going to keep reading it.

One down, many to go

1. Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern

I decided to reread all the Pern series books (or read for the first time, as I don't think I've read the whole series). I finished this one up yesterday. Yes, that's right, I like science fiction/fantasy books.