Recently Read Archive

The Seven Dials Mystery - Agatha Christie (I think the best part of this Christie mystery are all the fabulous nicknames--a girl named Socks who overuses the word 'subtle', one of the main heroines is nicknamed Bundle, and a distinguished member of the Foreign Service is called, with a distinct lack of affection, Codders.) 11/20

Murder at the Vicarage - Agatha Christie (I could do worse in my life than become Miss Marple, I think. She knits, she spys on her neighbors, and she solves murders. Pretty awesome, though I think if I saw as much of Human Nature as she does I'd be sad all the time. I absolutely loved the characterizations from the first couple of chapters--Lettice and her drifting ways, Griselda and her quickness.) 11/14

All Clear - Connie Willis (Oh, just lovely. I adore Connie Willis' books...immediately after finishing this I ordered the Kindle version of Blackout and All Clear so I could re-read them both together.) 10/21

29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life - Cami Walker (It makes me feel like an awful person to say so, but her story and how she told it made me less likely to want to try the whole point of the book (give 29 gifts in 29 days). Also, it didn't really seem like it embodied the spirit of giving at all--too much focus on the personal rewards of giving rather than on the giving itself. I did like the book though, and maybe I'll try it.) 10/5

Recently Completed Books Archive

Damar 2: The Hero's Crown -- Robin McKinley (The protagonist for this story was a bit easier to empathize with, and I loved the way McKinley wrote so meticulously in this story. Also, it didn't hurt that the female hero got to kill a dragon. Yay for female dragon slayers! 5/3)

Damar 1: The Blue Sword -- Robin McKinley (I'm almost done with my Robin McKinley phase, I swear. I liked the plot of the book, but I couldn't really get into the characters. Worth reading, but not worth purchasing. 4/28)

Weekend Sewing -- Heather Ross (The pictures in this book are really pretty. The blog tours that she did were neat too--all the pics of clothes people made using her patterns look awesome too. However, I have made nothing from this book so far. Why? 90% of the patterns are only sized to about a women's 12. Also, all the patterns are printed on two (2!) sheets of humongous thick paper, right on top of each other. The little note in the legend says to take them to a copystore. This book makes me sad that I bought it. 4/25)

When You Are Engulfed In Flames -- David Sedaris (David Sedaris is a funny, funny man. I've never seen him live/in person, or even via video. I'm hoping he lives up to his voice and his way of talking about himself when I finally do get to go seem him perform live. Someday. These are funny funny stories. Mostly I think I love when he talks about his awkward childhood and his disfunctional family, since on both accounts I can highly relate. Since I've been rationing myself, I'm not quite done with this set. My favorite so far has to be the undewear/french hospital story. Good Stuff. 4/18)

Recently Finished Book Archive

Aroma -- Mandy Aftel (This book had a vegan recipe for lime caramel that made my mouth water. I didn't ever get around to making it, and then I had to give the book back to the library. Oh well. If you're looking for some foodie inspiration, go get this book and then invite me to dinner)

Chalice -- Robin McKinley (So, about five years ago I went through a McKinley phase and checked out every book the Spokane library had. I kinda figured I'd read them all. Apparently not, since there were several available in the Seattle library last time I updated my book requests. This one is neat--I think I enjoy her books that veer off well known myth/legends and create new worlds and new stories. 4/4)

The Graveyard Book -- Neil Gaiman (I bought this book for my mama for her birthday, but I haven't mailed it to her yet. She's got the best birthday present from us ever, cuz in addition to this book Rob gave her a case of sardines. At any rate though, this book is really good--I liked it about as much as I liked Anansi Boys. 3/31)

Sunshine -- Robin McKinley (When I first read this book several years ago I really really liked it. It's still good, but I found all the narrative a bit annoying this time. A vampire book I'm not ashamed to let people know that I've read. 3/24)

Lotta Prints -- Lotta Jansdotter (This is a neat book--I didn't have a chance to do any of the projects in the book before I returned it to the library, but there were a few good ideas and several jumping off points I'd like to come back to sometime. 3/23)

Outlaws of Sherwood -- Robin McKinley (This was pretty good. Not the most fabulous of McKinley's I've read, but I enjoyed the retelling of the Robin Hood legend. Maybe I would've liked it more if I didn't have phantom cartoon images running through my head while I read the story. 3/20)

Spook Country -- William Gibson (This story, too, had Big-End! Gibson's writing isn't spectacular, and his characters are often pretty undeveloped, but I liked both this and Pattern Recognition for what they are: quick reads and detailed fast plots that twist and wriggle. I loved the Cuban/Chinese acrobatic thief Tito the best. 3/13)

Recently Finished Book Archive

Dreamers of the Day -- Mary Doria Russell (I liked this book. Not as much as I liked her first two books, nor as much as I loved her last book, but this book is good. I think I'm just put off by the narrative coming from a character I can't really enjoy. Worth reading though. 2/28)

Strangers in Paradise -- Terry Moore (I got a heartfelt recommend from a friend for this graphic novel series and managed to get the first book from the library within two weeks of requesting it. Now...I must wait and wait and wait for the next one...So far, waiting has definitely been worth it, though I'm hoping the next book(s) won't be so short--read this in about two hours. 2/25)

Inkdeath Audio CD--Cornelia Funke (This audio recording helped me knit a scarf, a hat, and some mitts for my hand. I even started another scarf before I finished the story. I forgot who read this version, but they rock--my favorite part was the last couple of chapters. 2/20)

Son of Monte Christo--Alexandre Dumas & Jules Lermina (I gave up on this. I haven't actually fact-checked, but I believe this book was 'finished' by Lermina from notes Dumas had made for the sequel. Either way, it sucks. One of a very small number of books I can't make myself finish. 2/10/09)

Recently Finished Book Archive

Invisible Lives--Anjali Banerjee (Meh. This was too 'modern chic lit' for me--simplistic grammar and vocab populated by shallow characters walking around in an even shallower plot. I was hoping for a bit more from this book--it had potential, and I figured (when I picked it up) that a book centered around the beauty of saris and fabric would at least be worth reading. Oh well, at least it wasn't awful or scary. 2/5)

Little Brother--Cory Doctorow (This book was a fabulous quick read. Some of Doctorow's stuff requires a bit too much leap for me to really believe--my fictional futures aren't always so wonderful--but the paranoid near future of Little Brother seemed spot on. Definitely in the same vein/story lines as V for Vendetta this book is definitely a recommended read. Makes me wish I was little more interested in being a computer nerd. 2/4)

Anne's House of Dreams--Lucy Maud Montgomery (Finished the series of this, I think? Sentimental, but satisfying. 2/3)

Cheese: from start to finish--Claire Kreger (We haven't actually made cheese yet [it's a lot more difficult than I thought it would be to get larger quantities of non-ultra high pasteurized milk]...but when I'm hungry and I don't know what I want to eat, I often open this book and drool a little on myself.)

Gifts from the Kitchen--Jane E. Gentry (This book is going on my "titles to look up when I'm buying used books from half.com list". It's chock-full of Extra-Fatty American Treats and pictures of said goodies all wrapped up as gifts. Nothing to spectacularly original, and I'm sure I could find all the recipes in other cookbooks, but sometimes it's nice to have a book that you know will give you a good recipe for the party you forgot you rsvp'd yes for. 1/29)

Victory of Eagles--Naomi Novik (This is the latest in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, and I think I might like it the best after the first? Hard to say. I never get super into the battle-y bits--I'm just not too interested in war--but I like her shtuff. Good quick reads, nothing to make you think too hard, characters that walk and talk and feel real. 1/28)

Recently Finished Book Archive

The Twilight Series--Stephanie Meyer (So I mentioned that I'm a sucker for sequels, right? I bought the first book at Target after some friends were talking about the series ["It's awful, the vampires spaaaarkle"] and I wanted to find out if it was as horribly wonderful as they said. I read it pretty much in one sitting on Friday, and it's all true. The writing is lackluster, the characters are one dimensional, and still....I had to keep reading. Luckily for me, Retardo was able to scavenge pdf's of the next three novels...and um....I read books two and three yesterday and finished the fourth this morning. Thankfully, they're bad enough that I can't foresee ever wanting to read them again, so I'll at least be able to save my valuable book money for something I won't be ashamed to leave out on the coffee table. But my weekend is incontrovertibly gone...I guess the combination of sparkly vamps and snowy cozy home proved way too alluring. 1/25)

Anne of the Island--Lucy Maud Montgomery (These are all starting to run together, especially since I only read them at night cuz I know how they turn out and they aren't especially interesting...1/22)

Chronicles of Avonlea--Lucy Maud Montgomery (1/19?)

Seams to Me--Anna Maria Horner (I've only made one project out of this book--the basic bias skirt--and I got a little carried away on the cutesy side...so I still haven't worn my bright red knee length skirt with the patchwork pockets...cuz I didn't feel like looking like a plus-sized Raggedy Ann doll. Maybe in the summer I won't feel so self concious about it. I do, however, love this book. Anna Maria's fabrics are so bright and bold and her creations are simple and elegant. I've got my heart set on making her taxi cab purse and mabye the little fabric boxes and..)

Recently Finished Book Archive

Amy Butler's In Stiches--Amy Butler (I got this as a birthday present, and I loves it. Have I made anything from it yet, not really...but I will! Looking at her creations inspires me to sew more)

Anne of Avonlea--Lucy Maud Montgomery (I am a sucker for sequels. Also, I've read it before, so it doesn't really count right? 1/18)

Bellweather--Connie Willis (I found this on the free pile at work a little while ago (sacriledge!) and stashed it in the car...finished this on a fabulously sunny Saturday morning sitting in the salt water soaking pool at Kennedy School in Portland. The combination of the book, the pool, and the sunshine definitely made it my favorite morning so far this month. Connie Willis, as I've said before, is one of my favorite authors, and this book is definitely one of my all time favorites. 1/17)

Anne of Green Gables--Lucy Maud Montgomery (I remember reading this for the first time the summer between fourth grade and fifth grade. Honestly, I think it was better the first time around, but it was still good enough for short snippets of bed time reading. 1/11)

A Damsel in Distress -- P. G. Wodehouse (I've been on a bit of a Wodehouse kick lately. This one is pretty much par for his standard plot: boy is lonely/doesn't think he needs a lady, boy meets lady, lady is fabulously perfect for him, boy encounters obstacle to marrying lady, boy surmounts obstacle/girl changes her mind, boy and girl get engaged. Aside from the comfort of knowing there will always be happy ending to the book, he is occaisionally riotously funny. 12/29)

Lord John & The Hand of Devils -- Diana Gabaldon (Another Lord John book--this one is a set of three novellas all focused on the ubiquitous Lord John and the world Gabaldon created in Jacobite England. I love the way she paints the characters, and her plots are always intriguing. 12/28)

The Tales of Beedle the Bard -- J. K. Rowling (Got this from Retardo for Christmas. The stories are cute, and the little illustrations are fabulous. I love that the author was persuaded to sell this to the general public with all the profits going to charity. Quick and cute. 12/27)

Recently Finished Book Archive

Water for Elephants--Sara Gruen (Sat down to read this over breakfast and didn't stop until reading until I was done. A very well written and quick story. Very personable main character, but what is fabulous about the story is the quick plot and all the circus animals. Definitely not a story to linger over--race through it and enjoy it's plot. 11/16)

Tales of Burning Love--Louise Erdrich (Good book. Strong multi-dimensional characters and an engrossing plot with many tricks and turns. The main setting for the story is a North Dakota blizzard, so I definitely recommend reading this with the lights on the heat up. 11/14)

The Virgin Blue--Tracy Chevalier (Okay book. Not something I would force on anyone, but a quick read and a decent way to pass the time. If the main character had been a bit better, I think I would have enjoyed the book a bit more, because the plot had lots of potential. Oh well, I got this and a small quantitude of other trade paperbacks at the Goodwill for $1.99 each, and it was definitely worth the price. 11/12)

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (Good quick read that I picked up so I'd have something to distract me on the flight back from Ireland...the only problem with my plan was that I finished it two nights before we left when I was cold and wet. Still, it was good and lovely. 10/30)

Animal Vegetable Miracle--Barbara Kingsolver (Finally picked up a paperback copy of this so I could finish it on the flight to Dublin. Good Stuff! Even got Retardo to read it too, and while the going was good we ordered kits to make our own cheese. Yay! 10/28)

Recently Completed Book Archive

The Best Make-Ahead Recipes--Daniel Van Ackere (So I went through a phase where I requested a ton of cookbooks from the library...only to shuttle them home and shuttle them back again without cooking delicious things. So far we haven't actually made a recipe per say, but we've read so many interesting things about ingredients and such that it's being added to that big WishList in the Sky. 8/2)

A Vision of Light--Judith Merkle Riley (So this is the first in her Margaret of Ashbury trilogy--In Pursuit of the Green Lion is the second. Even though I read them out of order and thus spoiled thus suspense of Light's ending, I still liked. The plots in her books are really well written and I'm doing okay at ignoring the dialogue and 'thoughts' of the characters. 8/1)

The Knitters Book of Yarn--Clara Parkes (This is a really cool book-- and way more info than I could absorb before I had to give it back to the library and pay my late fine. She goes into fabulously complete detail about pretty much every kind of fiber anyone has ever knitted with. It's on the list of books I keep in my head that I'd love to get a copy once I have a real job again. 7/25)

The Best of Interweave Knits--Ann Budd (So I've been checking out tons of knitting books from the library and then marking with a post it the patterns in each book that I would really like to scan in and save so I can make them...someday. Well, after the 18th post-it in this book I realized it would be cheaper to get it on the 1/2 off sale knitpicks.com was having then to pay myself to scan in all 150+ pages of it. And I'm glad I bought it, cuz it's got absolutely gorgeous patterns. As soon as I feel I'm up to the intricate lacey bit, I'm making myself the Lotus Tank Top in this gorgeous cottony-silky yarn in 'harbor'. Yum. 7/20)

Recently Completed Book Archive

Green Darkness--Anya Seton (See note on Elemental Magic. Not sure who rec'd this one, but it was good. A bit of time travel/past life stuff and voila! fabulous plot! Would recommend it to at least 50% of my friends. 7/13)

In Pursuit of the Green Lion--Judith Merkle Riley (Pretty good stuff! I think she must be basing much of her historical accuracy on accounts of the life of Margery Kempe, and reading this makes me really glad I took all those classes on Medieval Women's History. Now I can actually appreciate the effort this author went through to make her scenes correct...before she ruins the historical accuracy by making the characters talk like a tv sitcom. Surprisingly good though. 7/8)

A Man In Full--Tom Wolfe (This was a pretty weird book, and even though there were times when I was caught myself wondering why I wanted to finish it, I knew I couldn't let it go until the bitter end. It was a bit...not me...but okay,better than stuff like Louis L'Amour and John Grisham, but not fabulous. The kind of book I'd recommend to my Dad. 7/3)

Elemental Magic-- ( I generally reserve books at the library based on reviews or recommendations from friends or authors whose works I genuinely enjoy reading. Problem is...once I've added a book to my reserve list I rarely remember who (or what) recommended that I read it in the first place. In the case of Elemental Magic, that was fine. In the case of some of the other books I've ended up with lately...Well. ;-) This is a collection of erotic fantasy short stories (four) that I was not expecting to find tucked into my stack of knitting books. One of them was way to porn-y for me and not incredibly well written, but the other three were pretty decent. 6/30)

Recently Finished Books Archive

Son of a Witch--Gregory McGuire, audiobook (I've read this before, but it was different hearing while I knitted. Sometimes I can't stand books on tape, because the reader is too slow, or too quick, or just not reading it the way it sounded in my head. Whoever read this book--one of my favorites--definately didn't sound like the voices in my head, but he did okay. 6/28)

Miles, Mutants, and Microbes--Lois McMaster Bujold (I've read this before, but when I requested it from the library I wasn't sure. Still fabulous though--three novellas rolled into good book 6/24)

The Oracle Glass--Judith Riley Merkle (I surprised myself by really enjoying this book. It's in the same vein as Gabaldon's Outlander series--lotsa romance and historical intrigue and whatnot--but fairly well written. I've added several more of her books to my library list to pad out the piles of knitting books with some well deserved fluff. 6/23)

Folk Style--Mags Kandis (Sad. I got this book because I was judging it by the picture on the cover...and found that I was really unlikely to make anything in the entire book. And I'm being generous. Oh well, back to the library it goes... 6/23)

Recently Completed Book Archive

The Year of Living Biblically--A.J. Jacobs (This was an awesome book, and I definately recommend it for almost everyone I know...It's a great exploration of [primarily] the Old Testament by a secular OCD guy who writes for Esquire. Good Stuff, and I will definately be adding his other book [about reading the entire Encylopedia Brittanica] to my library list 6/18)

Dragon Rider--Cornelia Funke, audiobook (This got me through the better part of the blue sweater I'm knitting, three frogged versions of the Smock-A-Ruche scarf, and lots of doodles. Cornelia Funke is definately one of the best 'kids' writers out there, in my opinion, though I wouldn't give most of her stuff to the under age 10 group. I thought this was not -quite- as good as the InkHeart series, but it's still fabulous. 6/14)

The World without Us--Alan Weisman (I really, really, really wish I had started to read this book before it was due back at the library. I started it the day before it was due...and ended up having to pay a couple dollars to even get the first chapter read. But it's an awesome book, so I'm sure I'll come back to it someday to finish it. 6/1)

Recently Completed Book Archive

So I updated my Book Reading Sidebar...and Accidentally deleted the older books notes I'd normally paste Right Here....

Here's what I remember: I really liked Junot Diaz' The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and (ofcourse) Ray Bradbuy's Dandelion Wine. I finished but didn't really care about The Sun and The Moon by Vonda someone or other....and I know there were at least three others on the list...but...If I can remember them I'll update this later...

Recently Completed Book Archive

Tess of the D'Ubervilles--Thomas Hardy (Damn me! I was feeling impatient and just read the Cliff Notes for this. Opps. Oh well, I wasn't dreadfully impressed anyway. And do I remember when I finished it? No.)

The Secret Adversary--Agatha Christie (Hmm...I know I finished this book...But at the moment I couldn't for the life of me tell you what it was about or when I finished it)

The Sweet Far Thing--Libba Bray (This book is terrible. I'm moved it to the finished stack not because I actually finished reading the damn thing but because I'm finished with it in the sense that I refuse to read another horribly written paragraph. Blech! 4/14)

Inkspell--Cornelia Funke (Another fabulous children's fantasy book. Why are fantasy books written for children SO MUCH better than a great deal of fantasy written for adults? Inkworld is fabulously spun--highly recommended reading. 4/11)

The A-Z of essential oils--E. Joy Bowles (This book rocks. Before I relinquish it to the library's waiting hands, I think I will have to make flashcards for some of the better oils. It's more scientific than any aromatherapy book I've ever read, and it takes into consideration the actual chemical makeup of each oil and tells you the known effects of each chemical on humans. Interesting! 4/10)

The Writing Life--Annie Dillard (I doubt I will ever really be a writer. It was a childhood "when I grow up" answer of mine, and I definately enjoy writing journals and poetry and letters and such but I 'm not a fiction writer. At least not the person that I am right now. But Annie Dillard is an amazing writer. I've loved her prose and her stories and the way she can make a book beautiful and terrible and stunning. This book is Not Fiction! It is more or less an essay on how to write, advice on writing, and descriptions of what it is like for her to write. The book is startling and strong and makes me wish to read and reread and reread again ll the books I have ever loved. 4/8)

Evil Under the Sun--Agatha Christie (Uh-oh. I should have written about this one right after I read it. All Hercule Poirot stories have started to blend together in my head! Damn it! I don't even know what day I finished the book! I'm going to have to guess! 3/28)

The Mysterious Affair at Styles--Agatha Christie (I'm definitely still on vacation...the bio in the back of this book says that it was the first of the Hercule Poirot mysteries, and I really liked it. Classy whodunnit with a main character that just bumbles along after Poirot not knowing what to do. 3/26)

Recently Finished Book Archive

Anansi Boys--Neil Gaiman (Picked this one up at Powell's while we were in Portland, and I'm Very Glad I had it. Got home from work at 4:00 and started reading...and didn't stop until 8:30 when I finished. Beguiling story! Interesting Characters! Fast Paced! Action-Packed! :-) 3/25)

Destination Unknown--Agatha Christie (Christie writes espionage! Strong red-headed heroine, the Cold War & the Iron Curtain, a definite love interest = definately not the normal Christie mystery. 3/24)

Postern of Fate--Agatha Christie (I started this one after I got sick, so that may be why I didn't like it as much. It has neither Marple nor Poirot, and the story moves mainly through dialogue between an elderly husband & wife team who consistently allude to their detective/mystery solving past together. I think the dialogue threw me off a bit, because it was just a little too dated for me to really get into it. The coolest part of this book is that Dame Christie based the story in her childhood home. 3/23)

The Mystery of the Blue Train--Agatha Christie (Another Hercule Poirot mystery, also finished while staying in the Agatha Christie room. I especially liked that you thought the mystery was solved with 50 pages to go...and then the real murderers were discovered in the last 5 pages. 3/22)

Murder on the Orient Express--Agatha Christie (This is the first Poirot mystery I've read, and I have to say I'm becoming fond of the little egg-headed mustachioed mystery-solver. :-) 3/21)

Yay for Powells!

Best Bookstore Ever! Yay for Books!

Recently Finished Book Archive

Call Me By Your Name--Andre Aciman (Well written book about a 17yr old boy falling for a 27yr old man. Pretty language, good verse, strong imagery [heh!] but not something I'd read again because once was enough for the good parts to sink in 3/18)

A Murder is Announced--Agatha Christie ( We're planning on staying at the Agatha Christie room in the Sylvia Beach hotel over Spring Break...and since I've never really read the Grand Dame of Mystery I'm starting to pile through the ones I could get from the library. They're good, honest! I just have to be careful about when I read them since I have a Really Hard Time putting the damn things down until I know whodunnit. 3/17)

Lust--Ellen Forney (Ellen Forney is a fabulous graphic artist. Her art is immediate and intense and I love it. The Stranger asked her to illustrate their 'lustlab' personal ads, and this book is the result of [I think] several years worth. It's a little titillating, and a lot weird, but I think it's amazing...Surprised that I found it at the library, and glad that there were no suspicious stains on it. 3/14)

The Ruby in the Smoke -- Phillip Pullman (This is the first of Pullman's Sally Lockheart trilogy, and I'm definately liking his style more in the mystery genre than I did the the Golden Compass Series. Maybe he was just trying to hard to best C.S. Lewis in those books, but I really like this series a lot better. 3/14)

The Tin Princess--Phillip Pullman (Started this one before I realized that it was the latest book he wrote using the characters from his Sally Lockheart books. Oh well. They're good quick reads, not too bloody or heartrenching, but engrossing enough to keep you turning the pages. 3/10)

The Sparrow--Mary Doria Russell (I first read this in high school, and the story definately stuck with me for all the right reasons since then. So, when I saw a copy for fifty cents on my last scrounge in the Goodwill, into the cart it went. It's a very well written book dealing with the Big Stuff: God, Faith, Aliens, etc. Now, if only I could find a cheap copy of the sequel...I know I've read it, but I can't remember the entire book... 2/26)

Recently Finished Book Archive

Re-thinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss and the Myths and Realities of Dieting--Gina Kolata (I'm not really into dieting, despite the fact that I am truly overweight. This book was a hard read for me because it did a fabulous job refuting several myths that I was hoping were truths (i.e. if I dieted, I would suddenly be able to maintain thinness (90% or more people can't--no matter how hard they try), that body weight has nothing to do with my genetic makeup (70% of your 'normal' weight can be attributed to genetics), and that formerly fat people are actually healthier than fat people (only true if they are formerly fat exercise gurus). It's a pretty bleak look on obesity, but I'm glad I read it. 2/10)

The God of Animals-- Aryn Kyle (I never really went through the horse phase lots of pre-teen girls seem to have. Maybe I missed out, because if I had read this book back then I think I would have been horse crazy for the rest of my life. It was a pretty safe plot, but I liked it. 2/7)

Winds of Marble Arch and Others-- Connie Willis (Connie Willis is probably my favorite scifi/fantasy writer--her stories rarely fail to disappointment me. She writes humanity-- so stinkin well it blows me away some time. Her prose still is pretty spare, not really illustrastive, but her characters are dense and her plots can be amazing. Good Stuff! 2/5)

The Amber Spyglass -- Philip Pullman (Yup. Purchased and finished the whole series. Didn't really get into the whole 'theology' part of it, but maybe I'll pay more attention to it when/if I decide to read them again. 1/19)

Book List Archive

Recently Finished Books:

The Subtle Knife -- Philip Pullman (Yeah, well, I'm a bit compulsive once I know that the story continues...and I know the books are inexpensive...and that I can finish them in an evening. 1/17)

The Birth and Death of Meaning -- Becker (Had to read this for one of my classes. Pretty dense psychology text that was fabulously modern in the early 70's. Interesting tho. 1/15)

To Say Nothing of the Dog -- Connie Willis (I have read it at least four times now, maybe more. It's one of the books I return to when I can't sleep because I know the characters so well it's like visiting friends AND because I know I'll be able to put it down when I get sleepy. 1/14)

The Golden Compass -- Philip Pullman (Interesting. A bit preachy, but I still want to read the rest of the triology, so I guess it wasn't too bad. :-} I haven't seen the movie yet, and am not sure I want to. 1/14)

House of Spirits -- Isabel Allende (My brothers girlfriend gave this to me for Christmas, which was fabulously coincidental since I loaned my copy away and it never came back. It's still a wonderful book. I read it the first time when I took a class in Chile (A Long Time Ago), and part of my love for the book has a lot to do with that trip. 1/12)

The Lies of Locke Lamora -- Scott Lynch (Really liked this book--definitely recommend it. Good fantasy and it moved quickly enough that I wasn't bogged down in the violence and blood. 1/9)