So I've spent most of the afternoon making this list of what I've read this year and my comments: http://amazon.com/Read-in-2007/lm/R3...146387-8700007

I have no work right now so I'm pretty bored...

Year of Wonders
by Geraldine Brooks was FANTASTIC. I haven't read much in the way of historical fiction, but I really enjoyed this.

I read a really, really good book last week: Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson. About a friendship between and old woman and a young women in Sweden, where they have both had major tragedies they can't let go of.

I'm lining up light summer reading right now, so thanks for all the input, folks. I just have to have at least one book going all the time. I just finished the first book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldan. It was really good! Very spicy, that's the closest I can come to romance novels, I find they get boring fast. I plan to read the next in the series when I can get it from the Bookmobile. I'm also anxiously awaiting the last Harry Potter book with my kids, and I'll probably read that one two or three times before the end of the summer.

Jessie, I have A&V on my wishlist, so I'm glad to hear it's a good read. Don't you just love the cover art for that book?

Schmoodle, I don't even have any kids and I am counting down the days to Harry Potter! My nieces and I are quite excited to see the new movie, too - we're planning an HP movie marathon the weekend before we go see it.

I've just finished reading The Devil in the White City, which was great and am now well into Behind the Scenes at the Museum, a quirky and so far entertaining book.

I just finished.............GRACE..(EVENTUALLY) TOTALLY awesome..and have reserved three more of her books at the library,and went to Borders and bought one...what a woman..check her out,she REAL! CHOICES..

choices--I love Anne Lamott! The one you MUST read is about her son being born--Operating Instructions. Her nonfiction is so good. I can't wait to get my hands on Grace (Eventually)!

Litchick--Yes, the cover of Astrid and Veronika is SO beautiful. I am amazed sometimes at the people who come up with book covers. There are SOOO many, how do you be original? I have Devil in the White City sitting at home with my other 100 books I need to read. Eventually I'll get to it! I'm trying to decide what books I want to take on vacation next week. I should take only review books but I do want to read some fun stuff!

PS My DH and I are also Harry Potter fanatics (no kids). We reserved two copies of the book at the library the day you could reserve them, so that we could read it at the same time. I think we are numbers 19 and 20 in the city of Nashville.

I recently ran into my former best friend, who is now writing Paranormal Romance novels. When I told her I don't think I'd read anything that would qualify as a romance novel since reading Barbara Cartland novels in high school, she recommended I read something by Jennifer Crusie, so I read Fast Women.

I think the most compelling thing about this book is that it takes place in Columbus, Ohio where I grew up. I found myself saying "4th Avenue, that's where my ex-boyfriend now lives." "Clintonville, that's the neighborhood where I lived from 3rd - 12th grade ", etc. I fell asleep 2 pages before the end of the novel, and haven't picked it up to read the last 2 pages though I've found time to read more than 100 pages of another novel since then. So maybe not exactly compelling. Or there's a reason I don't read romance novels.

She (my friend, who I grew away from simply because her kids are older) apparently also writes erotic romance novels, under a nom de plume, which are quite explicit. I've forgotten the nom de plume. I'd have a hard time reading them if I picture her dh in any male role.

I didn't realize Anne Lamott wrote non-fiction. I love Anne Lamott.

litchick, I loved Behind the Scenes.... quirky, fun.

I hate that my paying job interferes so much with my reading! It seems that the more I read, the more I WANT to read. I have a huge number of books on my "have to read" list.

Bumping us back up...where is Laurie?

I read almost a whole book last night, The Guy I'm Not Dating by Trish Perry. I really liked it! It had me giggling out loud. Good Christian chicklit.

The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant

Another excellent novel by the author of The Red Tent and Good Harbor. (much better than Good Harbor, I didn't think it was quite as good as The Red Tent)
This is based in history, set in a small town in Massachusetts in the 1800s. The town is inhabited by prostitutes, possible witches, freed slaves. A good read.

Readers...where are you?! I've been gone one week and there's one post?

I read, and loved, Dairy Queen and its sequel The Off-Season by Catherine Murdock.
In Dairy queen, a teenage girl takes on the running of the family dairy farm when her dad has medical problems.I also read The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan

I have no idea who recommended this one. and I can't believe I kept reading it. and I have no idea why it got 4 1/2 stars on Amazon.

I recently started one of the Jeeves and Wooster books by PG Wodehouse (I am ashamed to say I can't remember which one it is off hand) and it is absolutely fantastic. I have seen some of the BBC series with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, and as great as that is, the books are even better (of course - when are they not). The writing is so magnificent. I am totally hooked.

I also just started reading Good omens : the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett which is very funny.

I am about to start the final (finished) book (#20) of the Aubrey Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian - Blue at the Mizen. I am so sad to see it end that I almost don't want to start it. I get that way with books and characters I love - I would rather postpone things than have there be nothing more.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

This wonderful novel by the author of The Kite Runner went beyond all my expectations. It is set in Afghanistan over 30 years, from before the Soviet invasion until the events of the last few years. The story is told from the perspectives of 2 women whose lives become intertwined as they struggle to survive the horror and tragedy of their lives.

I couldn't put it down, but at the same time I didn't want it to end.
Definitely the best book I've read this year.