Speak Softly, She Can Hear by Pam Lewis

8/10 - My friend Gwen lent me this book and prefaced by saying, "During the first two chapters, I wanted to throw it away, but it gets better." Needless to say, this made me very skeptical, and she was right, I thought the book was trash in those first two chapters. Now I'm glad I got through it, because the rest of the book was pretty good, great characters that are well fleshed out. I don't have a clue what the hell is with the title. It makes it sound like some ghost story, and it's really nothing like that. A mild psychological thriller.

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain

9/10 - Good all around story that was very well written. It was one of those books were all the pieces are strong, the characters, plot line, writing. Kept me interested through out, however I didn't give it the full 10 because I didn't feel really emotionally involved. I didn't feel like I was in the story or personally knew the characters like I get with some books.

The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart

8/10 - A good book about close female friendships. Left me wishing there was a little more elaboration at the end of the story. I think she still makes her point, but the close felt very abrupt. Nonetheless, I liked it and would read another by this author.

Night by Elie Weisel

I won't be giving a rating for this book. Did I enjoy it? No. How can you enjoy the recount of someone's life in the concentration camps? This book plumbs the depths of human cruelty. Reading it, is merely to bare witness to this man's suffering.

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

8/10 - I really loved all of the characters in this book. They were a very believable bunch, Max was so Max! I'm not sure what to make of the story. The ending surely took me by suprise. It was like the rest of the book lulled me into this sort of expectation that nothing much happens in Empire Falls. Even though all the signs were there, I didn't read them. I liked it.

The Top Ten of 2008

One Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle
Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
The Birth House by Ami McKay
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Girls in Trouble by Caroline Leavitt
The Kind of Love That Saves You by Amy Yurk

The Kind of Love That Saves You by Amy Yurk

9/10 - Best book about grief I've read so far. I really liked the format. The narrator is writing letters to her unborn child. I thought it was well written and believable. I wish there was a little more at the end, not because I think it would really add to the book, but I didn't want to let go of Sarah just yet.

A to Z New Author Challenge

Woohoo!! Completed!! I've read an author for every letter of the alphabet. That was so fun, I just might do it again.

A - Zorro by Isabel Allende
B - Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg
C - Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
D - The Brothers K by David James Duncan
E - The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
F - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
G - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
H - The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
I - Compromising Positions by Susan Isaacs
J - Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
K - The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
L - Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
M - The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
N - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
O - The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
P - Little Children by Tom Perotta
Q - One True Thing by Anna Quindlen
R - Why Girls Are Weird by Pamela Ribon
S - The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
T - The Book of Joe by Jonathon Tropper
U - Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger
V - Slaughter-house Five by Kurt Vonnegut
W - The Rock Orchard by Paula Wall
X - Sky Burial by Xinran
Y - The Kind of Love That Saves You by Amy Yurk
Z - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Zafon

Sky Burial by Xinran

7/10 - Doesn't a Sky Burial sound romantic? Yeah. It's not. I don't want to ruin it for you though. That aside, this was a pretty decent book. I was a little overwhelmed and confused by the political portions. I realize they were pertinent to the story, but I felt like the author dwelled on them in parts and it took away from the romance of the story. However, the discussions of Tibetan culture were enthralling. It's a very quick read, worth your time.

Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

5/10 - Just an okay mystery/thriller book. I got annoyed with all main character's inner dialog. It was written like she was talking to the reader, and felt like she was trying too hard to be cute. The characters were not terribly believable, and the plot really wasn't. What else can I say. It fulfilled my U requirement for the new author challenge.

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

8/10 - I was surprised by the many similarities between Nefertiti and The Other Boleyn Girl. Both were written from the perspective of the sister of an important icon in history. Both stories focused on a power hungry family and an unstable Monarch. I could go on and on, but I won't. The story was entertaining. I enjoyed hearing about Egypt. I wish there were more fiction novels that focused on ancient Egypt. Not deep reading, but entertaining. I'd recommend it to a friend.

Compromising Positions by Susan Isaacs

7/10 - Along the lines of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, only subtract bachlorette bounty hunter and insert housewife detective. I really enjoyed the Judith Singer character, she was fun and quirky, and I was glad that she didn't back down to her hubby. She was actually pretty 'real' despite her stereotypical upper middle class surroundings. The love interest left much to be desired however and I hadn't realized when I picked the book up it was copyrighted in 1978. Other than that it was an okay read, kept things interesting enough.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

10/10 - Very different from her Twilight series, but still awesome. At first, I was thinking it might be too Sci-Fi for me, but I got over that quickly. Some more great love interests, which really make her books for me. Exciting plot, everything.

2008 Fiction Lover's Genre Challenge

This year for my online book club reading challenge we are focusing on genres. We each picked 12 genres from a list and the challenge is to read at least one book from each genre on the list. Obviously some books can fit in more that one genre, but I will try to pick one genre that I think suits it best and will read 12 different books.

Historical - Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
Chick Lit - Love Walked In by Maria de los Santos
Horror- I am Legend by Richard Matheson
Fantasy/Sci-Fi - The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Mystery/Thriller - The Alienist by Caleb Carr
Romance - Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
Foreign - Love Marriage V.V. Ganeshananthan
Young Adult - A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Classic - Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Movie Tie-in - Atonement by Ian McEwan
Memoir - Love is a Mixed Tape by Rob Sheffield
Comedy - Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

COMPLETED!!

The Birth House by Ami McKay

9/10 - I was so dissappointed when I read Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. It was an okay story, just not what I was hoping it would be. This book is what I was hoping Midwives would be. Stories about womens friendships and how they support each other during childbirth. As an L&D nurse, this topic is especially close to my heart.

Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich

8/10 - I actually liked this one much more than the first. In the first book, I thought the characters were anh.. okay. Ranger was my favorite. But in Two for the Dough, I really fell in love with Morelli, Grandma Mazur, Lula, and Stephanie. I'm off to order the next now.

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

6/10 - I thought I'd read something scary for Halloween. This book had the novella I Am Legend as well as a bunch of short stories. I thought the were all all right. Matheson was definitely ahead of his time. I can see he inspired more movies than just I Am Legend. I'm glad I'm done with it though. Just not my thing I guess.

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

7/10 - I've never had a lot of interest in Jodi Picoult, because I really don't like court room drama. But a friend lent me this book, and promised there was no court rooms involved, so I gave it a whirl. I thought it was good. It kept me interested even though I've been in a big reading slump lately. I liked the ghost story theme. It's that time of year anyway right. I thought some parts did drag a little, and I found Ross to be a little melodramic. Overall, it was a good read.

Cut to the Bone by Shane Gericke

3/10 - Long, meandering thriller. There were so many characters in this book and two different time periods that by the middle I didn't know where I was or who I was reading about. The whole time I'm thinking the author has to tie everything together at the end and then it will make sense, but No! Nothing gets tied together, and the killer is a nobody. What the hell! I liked the main two characters, that was about it. Wouldn't waste your time even if you're into the thriller genre, and I'm not. I read it because a neighbor lent it to me with good intentions.

The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost

9/10 - A hilarious account of the authors stay on the island of Tarawa in the South Pacific. I really enjoyed the authors sense of humor and personality. It was one of those books that had you googling parts just so you could get a better idea of what he was talking about. I found the whole thing fascinating and it made me further appreciate the comforts of our modern society. Who wouldn't find it funny to watch a man peddle a bicycle one handed while swing a tuna at a dozen hungry dogs.