The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley (I absolutley loved this book! In the same genre of Harriet the Spy, but definitely written for an older audience. Puts an immediacy to Nancy Drew style investigation that I found refreshing and perfect. Loved Miss Flavia--the book was one hundred percent believable and I wish that a sequel was written as soon as possible. 1/25)
The Help - Kathryn Stockett (I was actually surprised to find myself really liking this book. Jim Crow laws and the Civil Rights Movement have been topics I've read so much about in non-fiction, that I kind of assumed I would be able to run through this book without pausing for breath. I thought wrong, and I'm really glad I read this book. I recommend it for anyone who loved To Kill a Mockingbird and thinks that they can't read another line about race relations. 1/10/)
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - E. Lockhart (I most admittedly have a weakness for girl-power young adult fiction. It's hard for me not to enjoy reading about young girls doing fabulous amazing things, thumbing their noses at boy's secret societies and doing--Most Definitely Doing--the intelligent things society tells girls they needn't (and probably shouldn't) be doing. I loved the awkwardness Lockhart gave Frankie--it's so true to teenage girls, and it made the character absolutely believable. 1/8)
Tinkers - Paul Harding (I kind of wish I hadn't read this book right after my Grandfather passed away. It's a great book, poetically written and perfectly paced, but it really goes into the death of an old man who has lived a good life. And I really wasn't ready to read it when I did. I doubt I'll ever read it again, but if it falls into your lap, don't toss it aside. 12/23)
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford (I got this from the library originally, and before I even finished the book I knew I would have to order a copy for myself. It provides a fabulously detailed look at Seattle's International District during the deportation of Japanese citizens during WWII. Also, it's a great love story. Highly, highly, highly recommended. 12/13)
