Books that make you go...

Wow! These were both gripping books full of lies. They were awesome!

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal. Such an interesting book. It is amazing to me to think that someone could pull off fooling so many people for so long.

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. This book had it all...love, murder, lies, wartime, beaches...what's not to love?!?!

Wow

It has been a long time. And I haven't read all that much. I have started many and finished few, which is not my normal m.o. But here are the few and noteworthy:

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Sad and happy and beautiful. I liked this one a lot.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Read this one again before I saw the movie. I think I enjoyed it even more the second time around.

The House at Sugar Beach: in search of a lost African Childhood by Helene Cooper. Read this one for bookclub. Not one I would have picked up on my own, but definitely worth the read. Have to admit I didn't know anything about Liberia before reading this.

Losing track

I feel like I haven't been reading anything lately...never enough time. And then I compound the problem by buying a whole boatload of books at the library book sale, downloading free books to my Kindle and checking more books out form the library. Sigh.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I didn't like this one as much as I wanted to, but I am glad I read it.

The Inside Story: The Sisters Grimm, #8 by Michael Buckley. Looks like the next book may be the last in the series. I have enjoyed reading these - it has been great to discuss them with Bryn.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Loved this book. It was very interesting to learn about cell research and cell lines and the woman who unknowingly started it all.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. The library director handed me this one when he got it in...Kansas author. Fun book.

Huh

I don't know why I can't seem to keep up with the books I am reading, but I can't! Anyway, a couple more...

The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed by Gretchen Becker. Full of good and useful info.


My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent. Another YA book. Nothing fantastic, but entertaining.

Off to the races!

So far in 2011:

Bryn and I are still working on this fun series for our bookclub.
Once Upon a Crime (The Sisters Grimm, #4) by Michael Buckley

Magic and Other Misdemeanors (The Sisters Grimm, #5) by Michael Buckley

Tales From the Hood (The Sisters Grimm, #6) by Michael Buckley

The Everafter War (The Sisters Grimm, #7) by Michael Buckley

And a couple books to teach me all I never wanted to know about diabetes:

What on Earth Can I Eat? by Alan Shandley

50 Diabetes Myths That Can Ruin Your Life by Riva Greenberg

2010 totals

Looks like I got through 52 books this year (and lots of People magazines!). I will always wish that I could get through more books, but there is never enough time to read all that I would like to.

There were a few standouts this year:

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker. This was just a good read...the story of one girl's struggle with finding herself, but laced with enough humor to keep it light.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. This one lived up to the hype.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. Dark and different. Looking forward to books 2 and 3.

Finishing out the year

I have gotten a little behind in listing my latest reads...

The False Friend by Myla Goldberg
I read this one after reading a review in People magazine. It was pretty good, although I am not sure I have any clue what happened. Did she? Didn't she? I don't know!

In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving by Leigh Anne Tuohy. A good read and an interesting follow up to seeing the movie "The Blind Side". And it is always cool to read a book set in a city you know!

The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back by Kevin Salwen

There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble by Laurie Notaro
Love her books. This was a novel rather than an essay collection but it was still really funny.

Bryn and I are forming a bookclub (we are the only two members at the moment!) and are enjoying our first books...

The Fairy-Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm, #1) by Michael Buckley
The Unusual Suspects (The Sisters Grimm, #2) by Michael Buckley
The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm, #3) by Michael Buckley
These books are great fun! Bryn has loved them and I am enjoying them a lot, too!