Books Read in 2008

I had a fairly ambitious goal this year. I wanted to get to the end of the year having read 365 books, averaging a book a day. I more than achieved that goal, and I read a lot of good books. I also read some books that weren’t so good. I don’t consider it a waste of time, though, because I learned a lot in the process. I’m not setting any kind of a goal for next year, so I’ll be satisfied whether I read 5 books or 50 or 500.

1. The Declaration – Gemma Malley. In a world where drugs have gifted immortality upon humankind, what happens when too many people are being born? When people are forced to choose immortality or children–a life for a life–what happens to the children who are born anyway?  Surplus Anna has lived her life being prepared for a useful life, a servant to one of the fortunate immortals, hating her parents for breaking the rules and giving her life, thus going to prison themselves and condemning her to being perpetually reminded that she has no place in the world. And then one day she meets Surplus Peter, who tells her that she has a name, and parents who love her, and her life begins to change as she slowly begins to believe him.
2. The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield. This book has been on my to-be-read list for several months, and every time I’ve picked it up at the library I ended up putting it back. So when I went to the library on Monday, I decided that its time had come. And now I could just kick myself for waiting. I’m not really sure what to say about this one. It’s incredible. Vivid. Compelling. I found myself drowning in the words, the stories, the characters. Noted author Vida Winter has been interviewed many, many times by would-be biographers wanting to know the truth of her life. She never gave them the truth, always spinning stories that left them half-convinced even while they recognized the fictions, but now she has chosen her own biographer and sworn to tell the truth. The truth comes in fits and starts, and her biographer ends up taking her own journeys and telling her own story.
3. Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness – Kaza Kingsley. The second of the Eric Rex books finds Eric reluctantly beginning to complete the challenges that he must win in order to become king, while struggling with his desire for the powerful sceptre. His younger brother and sister come with him, but something seems odd about them.  Who are his friends? Who are his enemies?  The answers are harder than the questions, but he plugs ahead with his innate sense of right and wrong. Kingsley has continued to tell a gripping story, and one that I will be following.
4. Listen and Lose Weight – Glenn Harrold. It’s a book about self-hypnosis, and has an audio CD included. It doesn’t really contain any new information for me, but I found it helpful nonetheless. There is one chapter where Harrold gives a recipe for making a food completely unappealing. All I will say is that it works. I have now got an incredibly repulsive image associated to chocolate, and every time I think of chocolate I get that picture in my mind.
5. How To Eat Like a Hot Chick – Jodi Lipper & Cerina Vincent. Again, no new information in this book for me, but the presentation was hilarious. If you object to four-letter words, you’ll want to stay away from this one. But if you’re interested in a slightly different take on the eternal weight-management battle, and don’t mind some raw (language, not food), you’ll enjoy it.
6. Words in a French Life: Lessons in love and language from the south of France – Kristin Espinasse. Jehara let me borrow this, and I’m glad she did. It’s a series of brief vignettes in the author’s life, each entitled with a different French word and sprinkled with more French. At the end of each vignette is a French-English translation of the words and phrases used, as well as some other phrases that relate to the main word. In someone else’s hands, it could have been truly tedious. Espinasse, however, imbues her writing with such warmth that one forgets about the languge and just enjoys sharing the glimpses into her life.
7. The Secret – Mike Richardson and Jason Shawn Alexander. No, this isn’t the book about how to get everything you want in your life by using the laws of attraction. Different secret.  I’ve been seeing this advertised in my Buffy comics, and finally decided to track it down. They didn’t have it at my favourite comic store, and I was there informed that it would cost less for me to just order the graphic novel from someplace else. So I did. Unpopular Tommy goes to a get-together at Pam’s house, at her invitation. Some prank phone calls go wrong, leading to some scares. A day or so later, Pam is gone. Tommy is under fire from her friends, who intensely dislike him and believe him to be responsible for her disappearance, and from the police, who at least initially believe him to be a suspect. A year goes by with no sign of Pam, and Tommy is still determined to find out what happened to her. It’s a dark comic, beautifully illustrated, and completely haunting.
8. By Venom’s Sweet Sting – Tiffany Trent. This is the second of the Hallowmere books and the sequel to In the Serpent’s Coils. The book opens with Corrine and her associates from the school at her uncle’s home. The debate as to whether the little group will go to Scotland, to the home of Sir James Campbell and site of the third rathstone, ends with a resounding yes. Corrine’s visions are not only continuing, but growing stronger, and she struggles to learn to master them.  They face grave peril along the way, but ultimately land safely in Scotland. But even there, all is not as it seems. This is a fantastic follow-up to Trent’s first book, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the continuation of the series.
9. The Luxe – Anna Godbersen. I’m not quite sure what I expected. It was good, just not really my cup of tea. Think Gossip Girl set in 1899 Manhattan.
10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Panel to Panel.  Okay, so this wasn’t as much a reading as it was a viewing. Lovely, gorgeous, huge copies of artwork from the first 7 seasons of the Buffy comic. I didn’t even know it was out until I happened upon it while I was at Lone Star Comics today.
11. Right Behind You – Gail Giles. This is a very fast read, and one that is difficult to put down. A young boy, in the throes of jealousy, pours gasoline on another boy’s new baseball gloves and, before he has time to think, impulsively strikes the lighter and tosses it at the glove. He spends years in a juvenile mental hospital, eventually making enough progress that he is permitted to leave and join his father and new stepmother. How does the man come to terms with his actions as a child, and how does it impact his relationships with his family and friends?
12. Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book 1 – Kathleen Duey. Sadima and Hahp, separated by centuries, are both touched by magic. Sadima’s family was robbed and her mother left to die at Sadima’s birth by an unscrupulous magician, and her father and brother loathe even the very mention of magic. Yet Sadima has magical abilities of her own. Tired of keeping them hidden, she flees to Franklin, a man who once visited her and shared his knowledge of her abilities. But Franklin is in thrall to the mysterious Somiss, a man Sadima grows to fear. Haph, some centuries later, the uncared-for second son of a wealthy merchant, is sent to a school of magic where he must learn to find his abilities or else he will die.  It’s a very good book, and I’m looking forward to reading the next.
13. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Omnibus, Volume 3 – Various. Oh, I do love me some Buffy! This volume is just as engrossing as its predecessors, and I can’t wait for the next one.
14. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini. The movie was wonderful. The book was better. Anyone who has grown up carrying a dark secret will find something to treasure in this story of betrayal and redemption.
15. Faeries (Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition) – Brian Froud and Alan Lee. There are some stories and anecdotes, but one pores through this book for the incredibly detailed and vivid illustrations of various types of faeries. They are beautiful and horrible, malignant and benevolent.
16. Geek High – Piper Banks. Girl crushes on boy. Girl’s mother goes to England for six months to a year, and girl is forced to go stay with father, wicked stepmother, and horrible vain shallow stepsister. Girl’s crush meets and crushes on girl’s stepsister. And on it goes. Only two people in the story end up as unlikeable as they begin, and it’s rather predictable. Well written, though. One thought that came to mind as I was reading it: why do the girls who have lovely wildly naturally curly hair always have to have it straightened in order to be found attractive? (Okay, he thought she was attractive before the hair was straightened for the evening, but he still said he liked it straight.) I’m just sayin’.
17. Other Worlds – Barbara Michaels. It’s far from being her best book, but I like it nonetheless.  A group of people meet in another world to discuss two cases of alleged hauntings in the U.S. One is the notorious Bell Witch, and the other is a haunting of a minister’s family. The club includes Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, amongst a few others, and after the story of the haunting is told the group propounds their theories as to explanations of the phenomena. It’s worth a read for the ghost stories, if nothing else.
18. A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini. This is the second novel by the writer of The Kite Runner. Absolutely fantastic. Hosseini follows two women in the difficult paths their lives lead and the impossible choices they are forced to make. Where his first novel had the protagonist leaving Kabul at the time of the Soviet invasion, this novel shows Kabul during the time of the Soviets and the Taliban. It’s painfully exquisite.
19. Kabul Beauty School – Deborah Rodriguez. Rodriguez tells of her adventures in going to Afghanistan as part of a relief effort, thinking that her hairdressing skills won’t be of much use. Much to her surprise, she learns that in fact she is in great demand. Finding that beauty salons, once outlawed by the Taliban, are now slowly beginning to pop up despite the lack of training, she is inspired to start a beauty school. The salons are a place where women can, both literally and figuratively, let their hair down away from the presence of the men. The book poignantly lets us peek into the lives of some of these extraordinary women, as well as Rodriguez’s own arranged marriage with an Afghan.
20. Keely and Du – Jane Martin. A careless reader might think this is a play about abortion versus crazied pro-life Christians. It’s not. It’s a play about friendship and betrayal.
21. The first 205 pages of The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand. I really hesitated to list this here, as I so didn’t finish the book. I thought about it, because I’m reluctant to put a book down once I’ve started it. But this is a hella long book, about ugly people doing ugly things. In the 205 pages I read, I only like one character unreservedly. Everyone else is loathsome and detestable. So I decided not to finish it.  I figured it would be the time and emotional equivalent of throwing good money after bad.
22. A Dangerous Fortune – Ken Follett. I saw this one listed on somebody’s Thursday Thirteen, and decided to pick it up from the library. It was okayish. I didn’t hate it, but I can’t say I loved it either. It’s a long book about a family in Victorian England. A boy was killed at the swimming hole near the school that two cousins of the family attended. At the inquest it was decided that an accident had occurred. But it was no accident. Those events changed the lives of everyone in that family along with some friends.
23. Conversations With the Fat Girl – Liza Palmer. Maggie and Olivia are best friends. Both were fat all the way up until Olivia couldn’t take it anymore and got gastric bypass surgery. Now she’s getting ready to marry the doctor of her dreams, and Mags is preparing to fulfill her destined role of bridesmaid. Mags has worked for years at a coffee shop, despite her master’s degree in museum studies. She’s also lusting after co-worker Domenic. Olivia has turned into a complete bitch, and Mags has to figure out when to stand up for herself. I really liked this book, even though I’m not a huge fan of chick-lit as a genre.
24. The Weight of Water – Anita Shreve. I watched the movie last week, and sort of really liked it and sort of didn’t. But as I looked on IMDB and some other places, I saw a general consensus that the book was way better (isn’t it usually?), so I got the book last night at Half-Price Books. It is better. Two stories are told, one that is set in the last half of the 19th century, and the other in the present. Both stories are beautifully told, and the setting of the book is austerely lovely. And, having seen the movie, I was easily able to visualize the setting. The movie would have been so much more poignant had the character of the daughter been left in, and the original book’s ending retained. I’m puzzled as to why that was changed to little effect. This book’s a keeper.
25. The Figure in the Shadows – John Bellairs. I’ve read this many times before, and it never fails to creep me out at least a little. Lewis Barnavelt, the less-than-intrepid hero of one of Bellairs’ series, is convinced his great-grandfather’s Civil War era lucky coin is magic. Mrs. Zimmerman says it’s not, and he reluctantly believes her. But one night he and Rose Rita come across Mrs. Zimmerman’s college dissertation and see a spell for determining whether amulets are truly magical. He convinces Rose Rita that they should do the spell. The elements themselves respond to the words, and despite herself, Rose Rita is somewhat shaken. Lewis tells her nothing happened. But he’s lying!
26. A Finer End – Deborah Crombie. Mysticism and murder in Glastonbury. There’s the female vicar, her brother who’s jealous of her newfound love with a widowed architect, a midwife who restores tiles, a pregnant teenager, and a host of other fascinating characters. The book was just a little hard to get into at first, only because there were so many characters to follow. But as things began to come together, it grew easier to read this book to its brilliantly satisfying conclusion.
27. Project 17 – Laurie Faria Stolarz.  I had high expectations for this book by Stolarz. In this book, a group of 6 teens from different places in the social strata go to an abandoned mental institution that has been scheduled to be torn down; one of the teens is filming a documentary in hopes of winning an internship to film school. There is plenty of spookiness and bonding, and a huge buildup that leads to an ultimately dissatisfying conclusion. 
28. The Chaos Code – Justin Richards. Wow! A fun, thrilling exciting ride with some extremely unusual people and some really nasty bad guys. This YA novel is complex and solid, a really great read.
29. 100 Cupboards – N.D. Wilson.  A mysterious room with an unlocked door that cannot be opened. An attic wall with rows and rows of cupboards. And a boy and a girl. This is a recipe for a fascinating adventure, and Wilson satisfies.
30. KillRod: The Cross of Lorraine Murders – Bill Ison. I reviewed this on my blog; the review can be found here.
31. The Dance of the Dissident Daughter – Sue Monk Kidd.
32. Developing Intuition: Practical Guidance for Daily Life – Shakti Gawain.
33. Astro Socks – Leigh M. LeCreux. I reviewed this on my blog; the review can be found here.
34. Imagined London – Anna Quindlen.  I read this for our book club, and am so glad that Jehara selected it. It made me wish I had the finances to just hop a plane to London and immerse myself in the city. The book is peppered throughout with reminders of my favourite writers, as well as some I don’t care for, and written with a delicious sense of atmosphere.
35. Devilish – Maureen Johnson. Johnson has become one of my favourite YA authors, and she continues to deliver. Take a socially fatal vomiting episode, soul-sucking demons, some unusual demon fighters, and a determined heroine, and you’ve got a fun read.
36. Relax to the Max: 60 candles, scents, soaps & popourri crafts to create your own bliss – Rosevita Warda, M. Lou Luchsinger, Marie Browning & Dawn Cusick.  Some years ago I declared a moratorium on crafting. I don’t like it, I declared, and wasn’t going to do crafts anymore. And now here I am getting into aromatherapy, candle-making, and other forms of art. And this book definitely had me wanting to get in the kitchen and get cooking.
37. Anatomy of the Spirit: The seven stages of power and healing – Caroline Myss, Ph.D.  
38. Darkly Dreaming Dexter – Jeff Lindsay. 
39. Freeing the Creative Spirit: Drawing on the power of art to tap the magic & wisdom within – Adriana Diaz. I actually skimmed this rather than doing an in-depth read of it. That’s due to the nature of the book. It’s more designed to be something you work with over a long period of time, rather than a book you check out from the library, read, and return. I’d like to get my own copy and work on the exercises contained in the book.
40. Sex, Lies, and Handwriting – Michelle Dresbold with James Kwalwasser.  I’ve always been curious about handwriting analysis, and this is a fun read on the topic. It will definitely make you carefully watch your own handwriting.
41. The Cake Thief – Sally O. Lee.  You can find my review here.
42. The Three Margarets – Laura E. Richards. This is an old girls’ book I found at Project Gutenberg. I’ve actually read it before, but it’s an enjoyable read. Three very different cousins meet at a mysterious uncle’s house.
43. Margaret Montfort – Laura E. Richards. A sequel to The Three Margarets, and just as enjoyable.
44. Ugly Little Monsters – Tom Fassbender. I read this Buffy graphic novel while I was at Half Price Books.
45. Crash Test Demons – Andi Watson. Another Buffy graphic novel.
46. Pale Reflections  – Andi Watson. Yet another Buffy graphic novel.
47. Surrogates – Christopher Golden. Not another Buffy graphic novel. An Angel graphic novel.
48. Allure: Confessions of a Beauty Editor – Linda Wells. Had I read more about this one, I wouldn’t have read it. I was expecting an inside look into the life of a beauty editor. It’s basically a standard how-to makeup & haircare book.
49. Sight – Adrienne Maria Vrettos. Dylan, 16, has a psychic connection with murdered children, and works with the sheriff’s office to find their bodies. Now more lives have been taken, and her best friend’s sister is missing. Can she hone her abilities to find the young girl before she is killed?
50. Body Language for Dummies – Elizabeth Kuhnke. I read this a day or two after reading the handwriting analysis book. Kinda freaky–makes you second-guess every movement you make or don’t make.
51. Work Is Hell – Matt Groening. This cartoon book by the Simpsons’ creator lays bare the hazards of life at work.
52. Dearly Devoted Dexter – Jeff Lindsay.
53. Dexter in the Dark – Jeff Lindsay. 
54. Jewelry Making & Beading – Chris Franchetti Michaels. I wanted an easy intro to jewelry making. This makes it look complicated, even though it claims not to. It could, of course, be me. I’m still interested in trying it out, but probably  not with this book. This is one of the Teach Yourself Visually series, and may work better for others. I did appreciate the pictures, but I’d probably learn this better with step-by-step photos as well as instruction.
55. Paleo – Yvonne Navarro. This Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel has all kinds of yummy goodness, including 4 dinosaurs that need to be killed (3 of them T-Rex) and a possessed Giles.
56. The Vengeance of the Witch-finder – John Bellairs, completed by Brad Strickland. Lewis Barnavelt and his Uncle Jonathan visit the family estate in England and, as usual, are caught up in supernatural evil. This was a reread, not a new discovery, but one must reread books every now and again.
57. Molly Brown’s Senior Days – Nell Speed. I found this at Project Gutenberg. Considering when it was written, it’s remarkably good. Molly Brown is too good for words, of course, and the nasties aren’t really that nasty, but it’s entertaining enough.
58. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman – P.D. James. This is a re-read of a book I’ve loved for quite some years. Cordelia Gray, upon the suicide of her partner and mentor Bernie Pryde, inherits their none-too-successful business and all his belongings. Her first case, something seemingly simple enough on the surface, turns into a complex and dangerous game.
59. Wait For What Will Come – Barbara Michaels. This is another re-read. I’m fond of all the Barbara Michaels books, so once in a while will binge on them.  Carla Tregallas inherits a huge mansion in Cornwall. She initially plans to just sell it sight unseen, since there is no money with which to maintain the residence, until she sees a photograph. A few weeks later she is in Cornwall, where she must cope with multiple eligible admirers, a possibly batty housekeeper, and the family legend that threatens her life.
60. Here I Stay – Barbara Michaels. Another re-read. Andrea Torgeson inherits an old home and plans to sell it. But when her brother Jim, her only living relative, is lying at death’s door in the hospital, talk of converting the house into a bed and breakfast is the only thing that awakens him from his misery. Jim becomes obsessed with the small graveyard behind the house, and Andrea ultimately has to learn the difference between true strength and selfish weakness.
61. Leaving the Saints – Martha Beck. I have a lot of thoughts about this, but they’re private, and I won’t be sharing them here.  I will say that I was highly amused at Beck’s description of the gingerbread house she so lovingly assembled when she was in Primary: a recreation of Hrothgar’s mead hall from Beowulf, complete with red licorice entrails hanging from the rafters.
62. 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die – Peter Boxall, editor. Let me put it this way: If it were impossible for me to die unless I had read all of these books, I shall live forever. I’ve read 87 thus far, and have added another 57 to my reading list. Honestly, though, while I like getting ideas about books I might like from lists like these, not everyone is going to like every worthwhile book. Take Vanity Fair, for example (PLEASE take it–I hate the freakin’ book)–I’ve tried at least 4 times to read it, getting slightly further each time, but I loathe it. I refuse to try again.
63. Like A Charm – Candace Havens. Like her books about witchy Bronwyn, this is set mainly in the small town of Sweet, Texas. This book, however, focuses on Kira and her mysterious developing abilities and her developing passion with Caleb. It’s very, very good.
64. John Bellairs’s Lewis Barnavelt in The Beast Under the Wizard’s Bridge – Brad Strickland. Ooooh, I loved this one!! Lewis and Rose-Rita are back to help Uncle Jonathan and Frizzy-Wig save the world once more.
65. Wives and Sisters – Natalie R. Collins. I liked this one, although the tragedy upon tragedy upon tragedy upon tragedy stressed me out badly. The heroine is likeable even when you want to smack some sense into her, and the bad guys have some humanity to them, even though it’s not necessarily revealed and doesn’t really help make things any better.
66. The Turn of the Screw – Henry James. Let’s just say I have enough CPS experience that I put a lot of things into my interpretation of the book that probably aren’t really there.  I didn’t like it, although I can see how the story might have fared better in the hands of another. James wanders all over the place and then arrives so suddenly the reader trips and falls, and has to page back to figure out what just happened.
67. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to The Ultimate Reading List – Shelley Mosley, John Charles, Joanne Hamilton-Selway, and Sandra Van Winkle.  I found quite a few books in this list that I’ve already read, and quite a few that I have no interest in reading. I bypassed the romance chapter, for instance, since I’m not big on romance novels. However, I did add a good number of books to my reading list, so this was well worth the time.
68. Vegetarian Cooking – Mark Bittman. I picked this up for $2 at Half-Price Books, and it’s a nice little cookbook. The recipes are reasonably simple, not requiring too many ingredients, and the black bean soup I tried is just delicious.
69. The Monk – M. G. Lewis. Let’s see–stir up several different plots, a monk whose pride lead him ultimately to murder his own mother and rape and murder his sister (although he knows not of the familiar relationship), a Bleeding Nun ghost haunting a castle, a pregnant nun who is interred alive and keeps the rotting corpse of her newborn son with her, blend well and spew it out, and you’ll have this book. That makes it sound perhaps slightly worse than it is. It’s worth a read, but you’ll want to go dance in the sunlight afterward.
70. The Mephisto Club – Tess Gerritsen.  Were Nephilim real? Do their descendents still roam the earth, doing evil wherever they can? A ghastly murder with occult overtones and a club designed to hunting out the heart of evil lead police to at least admit the possibility. This is tight, well-done.
71. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Being Vegetarian – Frankie Avalon Wolfe.  Whether you’re a vegetarian or just interested in cutting back on your intake of meat, this book is a good place to start. Lots of good recipes, too!
72. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive – Alexander McCall Smith. This is one in a series of mysteries with the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, and the first book I’ve read in that series. Set in Botswana, the book has a good feel for the atmosphere. The characters and their personalities are vividly depicted. The language is a little simple, as if someone were translating it from another language, and that works. It did move slowly, and I was outraged at the end of the book to see an urban legend pulled in for the big resolution to one of the mysteries. I doubt I’ll be reading any more in this series, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. It’s just not to my taste.
73. The Encyclopedia of Guilty Pleasures: 1,001 Things You Hate to Love – Sam Stall & Lou Harry. I think reading and enjoying this book was in itself a guilty pleasure.
74. The Complete idiot’s Guide to Cooking for Two – Ellen Brown. I’ve been wanting to do more cooking, but since it’s just the two of us at most, and just one of me most of the time, my old standards make far too much food. So I’ve been reading some of these cooking for 1 or 2 type cookbooks. This one’s average. It has some good recipes, but has more that I’d just never make. If it’s the first book of this type you’re reading, don’t give up. Glean what you can from it, and then move on to some of the more practical cooking for 2 books.
75. Kids Cook 1-2-3 – Rozanne Gold. This is a really cool cookbook! It’s for kids, and all the recipes use just 3 ingredients. But the recipes are things that I’d be pleased to prepare and serve. I liked this one enough that I may buy a copy for myself. If you run across it, check it out!
76. Good Dog 101 – Christine Dahl. This is about dog training, and I really liked it. It goes through a variety of different problems/issues and how to deal with them. I’ve started implementing some of them, and we’ll see how it goes.
77. The Top 100 Recipes for a Healthy Lunchbox – Nico.  The recipes look great. But they’re not really practical for someone who’s always on the run just trying to find something quick to whip together for lunch. This assumes that you’re going to be actually cooking the night before to prepare these lovely little lunches. If you’re a SAHM who has the time and inclination, it’s a great book. Otherwise, be prepared for recipes that will make your mouth water but that you’re not likely to prepare for box lunches.
78. For One or Two – Bernice Hurst. This cooking for 2 cookbook is just fantastic. It’s another that I’d like to add to my library.
79. Better Homes and Gardens Great Cooking for Two – This is the best that I’ve found thus far. Virtually every recipe I explored looked like something we’d enjoy, and they didn’t have overly long, complicated lists of ingredients and procedures. I recommend it highly.
80. Between Golden Jaws – Tiffany Trent.  Corrine and her small comradeship flee to London, continuing their search for the rathstones. Corrine’s magic is bound; she is branded and given the companionship of a kelpie; Father Joe is taken; and the prince is even more insistent that he have her. Trent continues to weave a fascinating tale, and I’m continuing to wait on pins and needles for the next book.
81. The Bone Garden – Tess Gerritsen. This is the second of Gerritsen’s books that I’ve read. I have to tell you, I’m impressed. She is a wonderful writer. This story takes place in Boston in the 1830s and in the present. The characters are compelling and the story is riveting. I couldn’t put this one down. I will definitely be reading more by Gerritsen. Go thou and do likewise.
82. Bloodstream – Tess Gerritsen. So I liked the book I read yesterday so much that I went to the library during lunch today and checked out every Gerritsen book I haven’t yet read. And I read this one this afternoon. And it’s good. Dang good. If you haven’t read anything by Tess Gerritsen yet, shut off your computer and go find one of her books and read it. Thank me later.
83. The Surgeon – Tess Gerritsen
84. The Apprentice – Tess Gerritsen. Yes, I’m still on my Tess Gerritsen binge. Yes, I’m still lovin’ it.
85. Body Double – Tess Gerritsen.
86. Vanish – Tess Gerritsen.
87. Martyrs to Madness: The Victims of the Holocaust – Ted Gottfried. I watched quite a few documentaries in the weeks leading up to Vad Hashoem, so at the library today I checked out several histories of the Nazis and the Holocaust. This one is a fast and comparatively easy read, a good introduction to the atrocities of the Holocaust with bibliography and useful internet sites. It’s aimed at YA audiences, but I’d recommend it for anyone interested in the subject.
88. Harvest  – Tess Gerritsen.
89. Auschwitz: The Story of a Nazi Death Camp – Clive A. Lawton
90. The Salvage Sisters’ Guide to Finding Style in the Street and Inspiration in the Attic – Kathleen Hackett & Mary Ann Young. This is a cool book, filled with ideas for the kinds of thing that, if I try them at home, look terrible. Although I’m feeling rather inspired, and may give a few of these a try nonetheless. Great book!!!
91. A Medieval Home Companion: Housekeeping in the Fourteenth Century – translated and edited by Tania Bayard. This fascinating book was originally written by an older (50-60ish) husband for his younger (15) wife, to instruct her in the ways of wisdom when it comes to being a wife and homemaker. It’s a fun read, and one that will make you most glad you are not a medieval housewife.
92. How to be Creative If You Never Thought You Could – Tera Leigh. This has some lovely craft ideas with photos and step-by-step instructions. I liked it well enough, but wasn’t particularly interested in creating any of the craft items.
93. Leslie Linsley’s High-Style, Low-Cost Decorating Ideas – Leslie Linsley. There are some great ideas in the book, but there are no photos to illustrate what the author describes. I find that to be a serious handicap in a decorating book–if I cannot visualize the results of a technique, I’m not going to try it, no matter how descriptive the words might be.  For example, she talks about sponging a wall using a mixture of glaze and the paint that the now-dried wall was painted with. I don’t know what that would look like without a photo.
94. Big Fat Manifesto – Susan Vaught. This YA book is just really, really good. “Fat Girl” starts a column in her school newspaper about life as a fat girl, and finds out that her boyfriend has decided to have gastric bypass surgery. The column quickly becomes big news not only at school, and Fat Girl has a lot of decisions to make.
95. The Ghost, The White House, and Me – Judith St. George. Is there really a ghost in the White House? Does Lincoln’s spirit haunt his former bedroom? One spirited girl decides to find out for herself. It’s a fast read, and entertaining.
96. The Fine Art of Advertising: irreverent, irrepressible, irresistibly, ironic  – Barry Hoffman. This takes a look at the use of fine art images in advertising. It’s got fantastic images and is well written. Additionally, Hoffman provides web sites where you can go find out more information and get more images. I definitely would recommend this one.
97. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie – Mirjam Pressler, translated by Erik J. Macki.  Johanna learns that the clothing store her family has so proudly run since her grandfather bought it during the Nazi Regime was acquired because of anti-Semitic laws and that the former owners did not receive their just compensation. Her grandfather has hanged himself, and she has thus come into a goodly inheritance. Does she remain silent? Does she explore and confront her family’s past? Whatever decision she makes will affect the course of her life. Very, very good book.
98. Christopher Lowell’s you can do it! small spaces: decorating to make every inch count – Christopher Lowell. While there are definitely some good ideas in this book, I just have to say that my tiny kitchen could fit at least thrice into the “small kitchen” in his book. And some of the rooms looked incredibly cluttered when he had done his makeovers. So I suppose if you’re a Christopher Lowell fan you might get more out of this book than I did.
99. The Cornbread Gospels – Crescent Dragonwagon. Read my review here.
100. Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis. I kept having to stop to read a line here, a paragraph there, aloud to my husband. Lewis puts into words so many thoughts I’ve been unable to express clearly. I don’t agree with every point of his theology, but overall find this a very worthwhile book.
101. Elsie Dinsmore – Martha Finley. I know, I know. I just about gag at least once every chapter, and it takes me 2 or 3 tries to wallow through the pools of Elsie’s tears. But I loved it when I was a kid, and every once in a while I just have to read it again. Sick, huh?
102. Never Throw Out a Banana Again: and 364 other ways to save money at home without knocking yourself out – Darcie Sanders. One of those tips books that has lots of tips but only 2 or 3 your might actually use. Well, I might actually use. You might actually use 30. I don’t know about that.
103. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: a fable – John Boyne. Oh my. This is just an incredible, fantastic, heartbreaking book about a 9 year old boy. But it’s not for a 9-year-old reader. Oh, no. The average 9-year-old wouldn’t understand what was happening, who the Fury is, where Out With is, and what happens to Bruno. And that’s a good thing. I wouldn’t want a 9-year-old to understand that. Beautiful book.
104. The Sinner – Tess Gerritsen. I like Tess Gerriten’s books. You may have figured that, by how I’ve listed them one after another. I think I only have one more to read, and it’s a stand-alone. Her medical thrillers are fantastic; her detective novels are fantastic; and if you like that sort of thing, it’s the sort of thing you will like.
105. The Medieval Cookbook – Maggie Black. I was browsing in the cookbook section, and had to check this out. Black has updated medieval recipes to modern cooking techniques and equipment. Now you, too, can make Sweet-sour Spiced Rabbit for Six, or  Cherry Pottage, or Pine Nut Candy. Black includes the original recipe so you can see what she’s working from. While plenty of the recipes in this book could be considered mere curiosities and not something one would actually prepare, there are several that I’d like to try. I’ll keep you posted.
106. Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food for Kids – Sheri L. Sanderson. My mom’s coming for a visit in June, and she has celiac disease. So I thought it would be interesting to look through recipes for gluten-free food and get some ideas. I’ve come up with menu plans, and it’ll be interesting cooking with these new recipes.
107. The Prince of Darkness – Barbara Michaels. Barbara Michaels, aka Elizabeth Peters, aka Barbara Mertz, is one of my long-time favourites. Romantic suspense? Check. Supernatural mysteries/ghost stories? Check. Egyptology? Check. Mysteries set in Victorian England/Egypt? Check. What’s not to love?
108. Cooking at Home with America’s Test Kitchen – I love America’s Test Kitchen. Not quite feeling the love so much for this particular cookbook, although the recipes are fantastic. It’s just not one I see myself using too often. It’s well, well worth a read, though.
109. A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A melodrama – Laura Amy Schlitz. This is a wonderful book!! (And yes, the two exclamation points were quite necessary.) Take an 11-year-old orphan out of the institution and put her in a home with some spiritualists (who are really hucksters), add in a deaf-mute servant and a grieving mother, and you’ve got a thrilling story that will touch your heart.
110. The Mystery of the Third Lucretia – Susan Runholt. Friends Kari and Lucas (who is a girl–her father just didn’t want a girl) notice an extremely grouchy man painting in the Rembrandt Room in a St. Paul Museum. They see him again in the Rembrandt Room at the National Gallery in London, and quickly suspect he’s up to no good. They decide to spy on him and see what they can find out. There’s plenty of adventure, a good dose of art and history, and a lot of fun in this book that I hope will be the first of many.
111. The Saturday Evening Post Small-Batch Canning and Freezing Cookbook – Since there are just two humans in my family, I’m not really interested in canning huge batches of stuff that we might never eat. So I was intrigued by the title of this book. The recipes typically make 2-4 jars of whatever it is you’re canning or freezing, which is about what I’d want of most things. I’m going to try the watermelon rind pickles pretty soon, I think. I’ll let you know how they turn out.
112. Make-a-Mix – Katherine Eliason, Nevada Harward, & Madeline Westover. I had a copy of this cookbook years ago, and it fell to bits. I was wondering if it might be of use to me now. Considering the size of my family, it does not appear that it will. However, I would recommend it to someone who has more than 1 or 2 people to feed, and not necessarily a lot of time.
113. The Dinner Doctor – Anne Byrn.  I seriously love this cookbook. It’s full of fantastic recipes that don’t assume I’ve got loads of time to spare and unlimited funds and space for all the exotic and complicated things I’d like to prepare. I’ve read it twice, and decided to get my own copy. That’s how much I love it, because you know I’ve been cutting way back on the number of books I buy. It’s really a good cookbook.
114. Elsie’s Holidays at Roselands – Martha Finley
115. Elsie’s Girlhood – Martha Finley
116. Elsie’s Womanhood – Martha Finley
117. Elsie’s Motherhood – Martha Finley
118. A Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan
119. MEE Thinks – Mary Ellen Edmunds.
120. Dr. Bridell’s Logical and Rational & Poetic and Beautiful & Completely Fuaranteed Diet for ALL your appetites – The Mysterious Dr. Bridell.
121. Elsie’s Children – Martha Finley. And I have now officially stopped with the Elsie books because, to quote Dorothy Parker, “Tonstant Weader fwowed up.”
122. America’s Test Kitchen Live! – by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated.
123. The Cat Who– Cookbook – Julie Murphy & Sally Abney Stempinski.  This contains recipes for some of the many mouth-watering items described in the mystery series. It would be a fun resource if one were discussing any of those books at a book club meeting.
124. The Best Slow Cooker Cookbook Ever – Natalie Haughton.  It’s not.
125. Mrs. Wilkes’ Boardinghouse Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections From Her Savannah Table – John T. Edge. Now this is a cookbook! The recipes are for just good homestyle Southern food as served at Mrs. Wilkes’ boardinghouse for years and years. I had hard work not to drool on the pages.
126. Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Two – Beth Hensperger.  I like using my slow cooker, but I will confess that frequently we end up throwing 1/3 to 1/2 of whatever we make into the garbage, simply because we can’t eat it before it starts going bad, or we’re sick of it, or whatever. So I was delighted to find this book at the library. After reading it, I strongly suspect that I shall add it to my cookbook library.
127. The Book of Names – Jill Gregory & Karen Tintori.
128. Blasphemy – Douglas Preston. I started off liking this book, then didn’t, then did, then didn’t, and in the end couldn’t decide. Preston is a good writer, and I’ve enjoyed his other books. This one left me feeling slightly meh, while at the same time fairly impressed.
129. The Red Tent – Anita Diamant. I HATED this book!!!!  It was very well written, with a lot of depth to the  characters.  I kept wondering why I didn’t just put the book down, and I think Diamant’s writing skills have much to do with the fact that I did read the entire book.  When I read Dinah’s story in the Bible, I thought it was heartbreaking. And I wondered more about her. But the fictional liberties Diamant takes with the stories of people like Rebekah, Isaac, and Joseph I find utterly loathesome.  I’ve written at least 20 sentences here that I’ve immediately erased. Any further expression of my thoughts will have to wait until I’ve figured out how to word it. 
130. In Search of Molly Pitcher – Linda Grant De Pauw. You can find the review on my blog, here.
131. The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Perilous Journey – Trenton Lee Stewart. The second book about the Mysterious Benedict Society is as fun and thrilling a ride as the first one was. Go for it.
132. 660 Curries – Raghavan Iyer. You can find the review on my blog, here.
133. Left Behind – Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins. While I don’t necessary agree with the theology in the Left Behind series, I will say that LaHaye and Jenkins did a great job at creating characters I care about and telling an intriguing story.
134. Tribulation Force – Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins
135. Nicolae – Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins
136. Soul Harvest – Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins
137. Apollyon – Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins
138. Assassins – Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins
139. The Indwelling – Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins
140. The Mark – Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins
141. Desecration – Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins
142. The Remnant – Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins
143. The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide – David J. Miklowitz
144. House of Many Shadows – Barbara Michaels. This is a reread of one of the spookiest ghost stories I’ve ever read. It does a very nice job of chilling the bones.
145. The Walker in Shadows – Barbara Michaels. I think this one is almost spookier than the one just above. Nice and creepy. Don’t read it if you’re at home by yourself and will be all evening, because you’ll hear noises and it might be hard to go to sleep with the light off.
146. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, Volume 4 – Volume 4 finished off the stories that took place during Season 3. It’s actually not my favourite volume, but it’s still well worth reading.
147. Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread: A Country Inn Cookbook – Crescent Dragonwagon
148. the kid’s cookbook – Williams-Sonoma
149. Cook-Off America
150. Summertime Treats – Sara Perry
151. Great Cakes – Carole Walter
152. Gourmet Cooking for Dummies – Charlie Trotter
153. Express Lane Meals – Rachael Ray
154. Murder in Three Acts – Agatha Christie
155. The Blood Detective – Dan Waddell
156. The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Cake Decorating – Carol Deacon
157. The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets – Nancy Springer. Have you read these? They’re Tales of Intrigue and Suspense involving the Detecting Skills of Enola Holmes, Younger and Adventurous Sister of Sherlock Holmes. Not to be missed!
158. The Case of the Left-Handed Lady – Nancy Springer
159. The Case of the Missing Marquess – Nancy Springer
160. Christmas with Paula Deen: recipes and stories from my favorite holiday – Paula Deen
161. The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: and other small acts of liberation – Elizabeth Berg.
162. Hallowe’en Party – Agatha Christie
163. Murder in Three Acts – Agatha Christie
164. The Blood Detective – Dan Waddell.  I loved this one! Unlike the Christie novels that are rereads of rereads for me (although it’s been quite some time since I’ve read them, and I tend to forget whodunnit), this was a new discovery for me. Waddell blended the mystery, that I love, with a good dose of genealogy, which I also love, and concocted a most tasty novel.
165. Hitchhiking through Asperger’s Syndrome – Lise Pyles
166. At Bertram’s Hotel – Agatha Christie
167. Rubbish: Reuse Your Refuse – Kate Shoup. This sounds like a good idea, and it is, in theory. But some of the projects in the book are so ghastly and involved to prepare that it makes me want to just put my reusable refuse into a recycle bin.
168. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Living – Beverly Lynn Bennett and Ray Sammartano.
169. William Shakespeare’s King Lear: a graphic novel – Gareth Hinds
170. The Secret of Chimneys – Agatha Christie
171. The Girl Who Could Fly – Victoria Forester
172. A Murder is Announced – Agatha Christie
173. The A.B.C. Murders – Agatha Christie
174. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe – Agatha Christie
175. Cat Among the Pigeons – Agatha Christie
176. The Mystery of the Blue Train – Agatha Christie
177. Murder in Mesopotamia – Agatha Christie
178. They Came to Baghdad – Agatha Christie
179. So Many Steps to Death – Agatha Christie
180. Passenger to Frankfurt – Agatha Christie.  Yes, I like Christie’s novels. I prefer the Poirot ones to the Miss Marple, although I do love Miss Marple.
181. Dandelion Wine – Ray Bradbury
182. The Suffrage Cookbook – Mrs. L.O. Kleber. I found this gem at Project Gutenberg. Besides having tasty recipes, there are snippets of letters and quotations of and by supporters of the women’s suffrage movement, as well as photos of various people.
183. Debbie Brown’s Magical Cakes – Debbie Brown. The cakes in this book look absolutely gorgeous. Would I ever make one? Oh, no. They involve hours of molding and rolling and draping and shaping rolled fondant. But they’re beautiful.
184. Mothers of Invention: women of the slaveholding South in the Amreican Civil War – Drew Gilpin Faust.
185. Don’t Know Much About the Civil War – Kenneth C. Davis
186. The Civil War, strange & fascinating facts – Burke Davis
187. Light Thickens – Ngaio Marsh
188. Heck: where the bad kids go – Dale E. Basye.  Ok. I checked out this book because of the title and the cover. But do you remember that old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover?”  Well, that’s occasionally true. I loved the concept, loved the characters, loved the cover, didn’t like the book, won’t be reading any sequels. But then again, I’m not the intended audience, so don’t judge it by me. I found it a little gross. And you know I’m a 12-year-old boy at heart, so you’ve gotta know that my finding a book gross is a little scary.
189. When in Rome – Ngaio Marsh.
190. The Calder Game – Blue Balliett.  Balliett never fails to enchant. She continues to explore the worlds of art and life through the eyes of three unique kids. Right now Balliett is on my must-read list.
191. Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos – R.L. LaFevers.  Fantastic book! Theodosia, daughter of an Egyptologist mother and a museum curator father, has the talent to see dark magic on the artifacts her mother sends to the museum. Now she’s got to get the Heart of Egypt back to its rightful place before all chaos is opened on Great Britain and the country and people are destroyed. Deliciously dark and eminently satisfying.
192. Strong Poison – Dorothy L. Sayers. Meet Harriet Vane, and join Lord Peter Wimsey as he figures out just who poisoned Philip Boyles.
193. The Man in the Picture: a ghost story – Susan Hill
194. Head Games – Christopher Golden
195. Skin Deep – Christopher Golden
196. Charlatan: America’s most dangerous huckster, the man who pursued him, and the age of flimflam – Pope Brock.
197. Nightmare Academy – Frank Peretti
198. Hangman’s Curse – Frank Peretti
199. Chocolate Epiphany – Francois Payard, with Anne E. McBride. This is a cookbook that will make you drool.
200. Beautiful Boy – David Sheff. The story of how an addict’s life affects the family, written by Nic Sheff’s father.
201. Tweak (growing up on methamphetamines) – Nic Sheff. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
202. The Clue of the Velvet Mask – Carolyn Keene. I attempted to recapture a portion of my childhood by reading some Nancy Drew books. Didn’t work. The escapades that used to thrill and terrify me now make me either laugh or wonder about the incompetent crooks and the preposterous stories and the cops who cheerfully and willingly permit a teenager access to their records and cooperate with her, whether they be the local cops or the Scottish police or the police in Hong Kong. I doubt I’ll be returning to Nancy Drew until I’ve reached my dotage, when these facts no longer will matter.
203. The Witch Tree Symbol – Carolyn Keene.
204. The Scarlet Slipper Mystery – Carolyn Keene.
205. The Clue in the Crossword Cipher – Carolyn Keene.
206. The Mystery of the Fire Dragon – Carolyn Keene.
207. The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes – Carolyn Keene. I have to say that this was my favourite Nancy Drew story when I was a kid. And comparatively speaking, I suppose it still is, although it’s as inane as the others.
208. The Oath – Frank Peretti
209. Prophet – Frank Peretti
210. The Man in the Picture: a ghost story – Susan Hill
211. Manic: a memoir – Terri Cheney.
212. House – Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker.
213. Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: get out the shovel–why everything you know is wrong – John Stossel.
214. The Secret on Ararat – Tim LaHaye and Bob Phillips
215. Babylon Rising – Tim LaHaye and Greg Dinallo.
216. Spanish Phrases for Dummies – Susana Wald. I’m no dummy.
217. An Inconvenient Book: real solutions to the world’s biggest problems – Glenn Beck, Kevin Balfe
218. Obedience – Will Lavender
219. The Europa Conspiracy – Tim LaHaye and Bob Phillips
220. The Edge of Darkness – Tim LaHaye and Bob Phillips.
221. Obsessed – Ted Dekker.
222. Adam – Ted Dekker.
223. Anatomy of Fear – Jonathan Santlofer.
224. Thr3e – Ted Dekker
225. The Golden Compass – Philip Pullman. This was a “listen,” not a read, but I’m still counting it, as I avidly and greedily listened to the whole thing. I’ve got the second volume on reserve at the library.
226. French Phrases for Dummies – Dodi-Katrin Schmidt, Michelle M. Williams, Dominique Wenzel. Apparently, when it comes to French I am a dummy.
227. Black Dahlia Avenger: a genius for murder – Steve Hodel. I remember seeing the author on some show about the Black Dahlia, probably before the dreadful movie came out, and was interested in his theory that his father was the murderer. So I finally got around to reading the book. What to say? Well, his father may or may not be the murderer. I don’t know. Hodel makes a lot of huge leaps (his father had this type of a watch; there was this type of a watch found at the scene; the next photograph of my father showed him wearing a different watch; the original watch was not found amongst his effects when he died; ergo, there is a strong probability that he lost his watch at the crime scene). 
228. The Killing Art – Jonathan Santlofer. I like Santlofer’s original art, and was glad to see it in this novel. I think I like his art better than his novels, but I am continuing to read them.
229. Color Blind – Jonathan Santlofer. Very gory, but I liked it. Not because of the gore, but despite the gore.
230. The Viper Within – Sam Mills. I loathed this book.  Detested. Despised. Abhorred. Didn’t like it, not one little bit. Well written it was. Intriguing characters it had. But it was so grim and bleak, and the ending so awful, even though there was no other way it could have ended.
231. High School Bites – Liza Conrad. This is a delicious take on the original Dracula story. Lucy and Mina, best friends, are descended from the original Lucy and Mina of Stoker’s novel. Lucy’s object of affection is descended from Irving, and Van Helsing’s descendent is currently living with Lucy and her father in the form of a cat. I know this all sounds absurd, and it is, but Conrad has written it so beautifully that you buy every single bit of it. I absolutely loved this book, and will definitely be looking for more by Liza Conrad.
232. Blink – Ted Dekker. What would life be like if you could see, in advance, the results of any decision you were to make? What about if you could see, again in advance, the results of any decision anyone were to make, no matter how random they might seem? This is an exciting novel. I liked it.
233. Night of the Living Rerun – Arthur Byron Cover. This is a Buffy novel, and a fun one.
234. Easy Fresco – Lina Ferrara
235. It’s a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod Murder – Rosemary Martin. Okay. Here’s the thing. If you play the drinking game, knock back a shot every time she makes a 60’s pop culture reference. I don’t drink, so I’d probably be drunk by the end of the first page. Someone who drinks would almost certainly be drunk by the end of the second page, if not dead from alcohol poisoning. But don’t let that deter you. After the first few chapters, when Martin is sure you understand the novel is set in the 60’s, it’s all good. The story’s entertaining, the characters are engaging, and the protagonist, while naive to the power of ridiculous, is charming. I liked the book.
236. Bones to Ashes – Kathy Reichs. This is one of the novels that the TV series Bones is based on. I really liked it. I’ve checked out a few more by Reichs.
237. Deceptively Delicious – Jessica Seinfeld. I liked this cookbook, and I will be searching for my own copy.
238. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Forensics – Alan Axelrod and Guy Antinozzi. I’m finding myself ever increasingly annoyed at these complete idiots guides, probably because I’m not a complete idiot. However, it’s a good high-level overview of forensics, and it was okay.
239. The Seventh Sacrament – David Hewson. It was decent, if a little predictable. I liked it enough that I’ll look for anything else he’s written to give him another shot.
240. Give Me a Break – John Stossel.
241. Perfume: the story of a murderer – Patrick Suskind, transl John E. Woods. A surprisingly good book. Suskind’s prose evokes the scents that permeate the pages of the novel.  I’d definitely recommend this one.
242. The Chronicles of Narnia: the magician’s nephew – C.S. Lewis
243. The Chronicles of Narnia: the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
244. The Chronicles of Narnia: the horse and his boy – C.S. Lewis
245. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – C.S. Lewis. These are all rereads/rehears, but I love them as much as I ever did.
246. The Murder Notebook – Jonathan Santlofer
247. Deja Dead – Kathy Reichs
248. A Catered Halloween  – Isis Crawford
249. Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun  Kathleen Bacus
250. Eat This Not That – David Zinczenko. What a handy book! It takes you through some of the major fast-food and casual dining chains, tells you what choices are good and which would sabotage your healthy eating. It decodes menus for various styles of restaurants (e.g. Italian, French bistro, Indian, etc.). It guides you through your grocery shopping. Fantastic. I’m going to have to buy this and keep it in my handbag.
251. Handbags and Homicide -Dorothy Howell. This entertained me, although I will confess to wanting to smack the heroine a time or two.
252. Shoe Addicts Anonymous – Beth Harbison. Worth reading if only for this line: “If pushing away uncomfortable thoughts about money burned calories, Lorna would have been a size 2.” Amen, sister!
253. Suddenly Supernatural – Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. Very fun middle-grade novel with a reluctant medium and her best friend, a prodigy cellist who is blocked.
254. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide – Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black. My first acquaintance with the Spiderwick Chronicles was the movie, which I loved. So today I decided to read the books. I love them as well, and have realized what a wonderful adaptation the movie was.
255. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Seeing Stone – Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
256. The Spiderwick Chronicles: Lucinda’s Secret  – Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
257. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Ironwood Tree – Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
258. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Wrath of Mulgarath – Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
259. Weight Loss Surgery: Is it right for you? – Merle Cantor Goldberg, George Cowan, Jr., and William Y. Marcus. I keep wavering back and forth on the question. But I don’t think it is right for me. (I reserve the right to disagree with myself at any time.)
260. The Spiderwick Chronicles: Care and feeding of sprites – Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
261. Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? – Peter Walsh. You know, the whole time I was reading this book, I kept envisioning my bedroom closet. On the shelf above the hanger bar there is a big green plastic tub full of who knows what, a pile of shoes, some household organizer type thingies that are still in their original boxes, some oil paints and a sketchpad. I know there are some other things up there too, and except for the paints and shoes, most of those things could probably be thrown into a bag and hauled off to Goodwill, and I’d never miss them. And then the floors–some big jugs of water and some food storage (I’m Mormon, ok? We store food.), which is fine, even if not aesthetically pleasing. But there are two baskets of clothes that need to be put away, some more shoes, a few framed pictures with broken glass (glass breaks when you put shoes and clothes baskets on top of it), a smallish plastic tub full of toothpaste and mouthwash and toothbrushes (I’m Mormon. We store toothpaste and mouthwash and toothbrushes, apparently), and a thing of wheat (Mormon. yadda yadda). How long, realistically, would it take me to sweep up the broken glass and throw away the frames, put the shoes into a hanging shoe organizer, get the stuff we’ll never use into my car to take to Goodwill, and put the clothes away? Not long. And yet every day I go to the room and read or watch a movie on the computer, and let that stuff sit there, looking as ugly as it can be. The path of no resistance. And that, my loves, is why I’m fat. Is there hope? Oh, man, I hope so. I promise that tomorrow afternoon my closet is getting cleaned out. This is a good book to read, particularly for one concerned with both houshold clutter and body clutter. And, for the record, yeah, it’s making my butt fat. Forget the looking part. It just is.
262. Poison Pen: Death lies between the lines – Sheila Lowe. Loved this one!
263. Thugs and Kisses – Sue Ann Jaffarian.  I’ve read other mysteries with a plus-sized heroine. It’s been a few years, but it seems like the heroine’s size and her embracing of it, usually was the main point of the novels, and the plot and action ran far behind. Jaffarian’s Odelia Grey (an homage to P.D. James’s Cordelia Grey?) breaks that mold. She is, to quote Camryn Manheim’s blurb on the front cover, “. . .the perfect take-no-prisoners heroine for today’s woman.” You’ll love her.
264. the girl who stopped swimming – Joshilyn Jackson.
265. Looks – Madeleine George. A rather disturbing yet exceedingly well-written YA novel about an enormous girl who spends her life being unseen and an anorexic girl denying that she has an eating disorder, and how everything comes to a head at school.  The book isn’t about eating disorders, but about finding one’s voice and defending oneself. I can’t say that I liked it, but it was good.
266. The Secret Scroll – Ronald Cutler.
267. Bias – Bernard Goldberg
268. A Little Country Girl – Susan Coolidge.  I found this one at Project Gutenberg. I’ve read the Katy books by the same author and loved them, and this one was enjoyable as well.
269. Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You  – Dorian Cirrone
270. The Society of S – Susan Hubbard
271. Essential Do’s and Taboos: the complete guide to international business and leisure travel – Roger E. Axtell
272. The Book of Lies – Brad Meltzer
273. Shutter Island – Dennis Lehane
274. Sacred – Dennis Lehane
275. Waiter Rant – the Waiter
276. Mystic River – Dennis Lehane. I should probably mention here that while I don’t particularly like his style, I love his characterization. He makes me want to keep reading even when I’m snarling over a point of style.
277. It’s Kind of a Funny Story – Ned Vizzini.
278. Unraveling – Michelle Baldini, Lynn Biederman; poems by Gabrielle Biederman.
279. I Only Said I Had No Choice – Celia Banting. Ok. This kind of stinks as a book. However, it’s a really good look at cognitive therapy, and I liked it for that purpose.
280. Cathy’s Key: If found call (650) 266-8202 – Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman; interior design by Cathy Brigg.
281. Artichoke’s Heart – Suzanne Supplee
282. All the Lovely Bad Ones: a ghost story – Mary Downing Hahn.
283. Break No Bones – Kathy Reichs
284. Uninvited – Amanda Marrone
285. I Only Said Yes So That They’d Like Me – Celia Banting
286. Roux Morgue – Claire M. Johnson
287. The Subtle Knife – Philip Pullman
288. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Screenwriting – Skip Press
289. Zombie Blondes – Brian James
290. Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping – Judith Levine
291. The Dollhouse Murders – Betty Ren Wright
292. It’s My Life, by Caitlin O’Connor – Melody Carlson
293. Playing With Fire – Melody Carlson
294. Just As I Am – Virginia Smith
295. Beyond Reach – Melody Carlson
296. Bad Connection – Melody Carlson
297. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – C.S. Lewis
298. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair – C.S. Lewis
299. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle – C.S. Lewis
300. Brood of the Witch Queen – Sax Rohmer
301. The Fat Fallacy – Will Clower
302. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone– J.K. Rowling. Yes, I’ve read this a million times. Yes, I plan to read it a million more times.
303. Harry Potter and the Secret Chamber – J.K. Rowling
304. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J.K. Rowling
305. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling
306. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling
307. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J.K. Rowling
308. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling
309. Becoming me, by Caitlin O’Conner – Melody Carlson
310. On my own, by Caitlin O’Conner – Melody Carlson
311. Who I am, by Caitlin O’Connor– Melody Carlson
312. Kenzie’s story – Melody Carlson
313. Charlie Bone and the invisible boy – Jenny Nimmo
314. Torch red: color me torn – Melody Carlson
315. Moon white: color me enchanged – Melody Carlson
316. Burnt orange: color me wasted – Melody Carlson
317. When teens pray – Cheri Fuller and Ron Luce
318. Start living, start losing: inspirational stories that will motivate you now – Weight Watchers
319. Weight Watchers Weight Loss that Lasts: Break through the 10 big diet myths – James M. Rippe and Weight Watchers
320. Betty Crocker Quick Fixes: 100 recipes for the way you really cook – Betty Crocker
321. The Purpose-Driven Life: What on earth am I here for? – Rick Warren
322. Miranda’s Story – Melody Carlson
323. The Keepsake– Tess Gerritsen
324. The Tales of Beedle the Bard – J.K. Rowling
325. Masterpiece – Elise Broach
326. Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery
327. I do!  – Melody Carlson
328. Breach of Promise – James Scott Bell
329. Sins of the Fathers – James Scott Bell
330. Presumed Guilty – James Scott Bell
331. If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late – Pseudonymous Bosch
332. Suicide Notes – Michael Thomas Ford
333. Fool’s Gold: Color Me Consumed – Melody Carlson
334. Harsh Pink: Color Me Burned – Melody Carlson
335. Faded Denim: Color Me Trapped – Melody Carlson
336. Deep Green: Color Me Jealous – Melody Carlson
337. Bright Purple: Color Me Confused – Melody Carlson
338. Bitter Rose: Color Me Crushed – Melody Carlson
339. Dark Blue: Color Me Lonely – Melody Carlson
340. Blade Silver: Color Me Scarred – Melody Carlson
341. Dear Julia – Amy Bronwen Zemser
342. Grounds for Murder – Sandra Balzo
343. If I Did It: – O.J. Simpson. You want a book that will make you puke? This is it.
344. The Complete Peanuts, 1967 to 1968 – Charles M. Schulz
345. The Dangerous Book for Boys – Conn Iggulden
346. My Secret: a PostSecret Book – compiled by Frank Warren
347. A Curse Dark as Gold – Elizabeth C. Bunce
348. Charlie Bone and the Shadow – Jenny Nimmo
349. The Whole Truth– James Scott Bell
350. Charlie Bone and the Hidden King – Jenny Nimmo
351. 20 Rules and Tools for a Great Day  – Dr. Steve Stephens
352. The Listener – Terri Blackstock
353. The Gifted – Terri Blackstock
354. Notes from a spinning planet: Ireland – Melody Carlson
355. It’s Not News, It’s Fark – Drew Curtis
356. Last Light – Terri Blackstock
357. The Prayer of Jabez – Bruce Wilkinson
358. The Power of a Praying Wife – Stormie Omartian
359. Comes a Horseman – Robert Liparulo
360. A Friend at Midnight – Caroline B. Cooney
361. The Fruit of My Lipstick – Shelley Adina
362. Daisy Chains – Sandra Byrd
363. Notes from a spinning planet: Papua New Guinea– Melody Carlson
364. Cape Refuge – Terri Blackstock
365. Soon: the beginning of the end – Jerry Jenkins
366. Glimpses of the Devil: a psychiatrist’s personal accounts of possession, exorcism, and redemption – M. Scott Peck
367. Misquoting Jesus: the story behind who changed the Bible and why – Bart D. Ehrman
368. Losing Moses on the Freeway – Chris Hedges
369. In His Steps  – Charles M. Sheldon