2008 Reading List

Thanks for the idea, Karaoke Diva.

I'll populate this list with the books I read during the year, and keep linking back to it when I change it. Unfortunately, I'm not blog-gifted enough to know how to host it as its own page. But this'll work ;)

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld - finished January 4, 2008
Interesting book. Kind of depressing. A 'memoir' of sorts about a girl's experience in a private boarding school as a scholarship student for her four years of high school.

The Lake House by James Patterson - finished January 10, 2008
I wish I'd read the first one first, but I wasn't too terribly behind to just pick up this one. I love most anything by James Patterson - this was a little different than I remember most of his stuff as far as subject matter goes, but I really liked it. Kind of medical-mystery, sci-fi-ish.

Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan - finished February 17, 2008
I really like the anonymous story-thingy the title was based on. A Buddhist fisherman doesn't want to 'kill' anything, so each day he tries to save 100 fish from drowning by bringing them out of the sea. He's always 'too late' and they die anyway, so he sells them at the market so their death won't be totally pointless. Beautiful, I think. The book took a while to get into, but once I did, I couldn't set it down.

Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs - finished March 11, 2008
What a funny author! I'd read Running with Scissors already, so I jumped right into this one when I saw it on a friend's bookshelf. It was actually a collection of short stories. I prefer a book with a plot, so I'll keep reading, but I made it through and it was funny. Based on these two, I'd recommend books by him. I'm looking forward to Dry, myself.

Baby Laughs by Jenny McCarthy - finished March 24, 2008
I knew this would be just as amusing as Belly Laughs and I was right :) The only thing that kept distracting me from laughing out loud was remembering that the hilarious baby she was talking about has since been diagnosed with autism, and she attributes it at least in part to the immunizations her doctor insisted he have. Breaks my heart.

The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney - finished March 31, 2008
This was originally in a box from my mom to send to a friend of mine in the Bahamas (since she has a hard time getting enough books to read without spending a fortune), but I snagged it for myself. I'm not sure if I should have. I loved, loved, loved it, but it really pulled at my heart strings. It's about four friends who have been friends for over ten years. It's pretty much some period of their lives (I'm not sure how long) told by all four of them in turn. Well told, and easy to relate to. The part that threw me for a loop was one of them was being treated for breast cancer. I cried a few times, remembering my best friend going through the same things a few years ago, before she died.

Cat and Mouse by James Patterson - finished April 6, 2008
My second James Patterson book this year was more what I expected. How can you not love Alex Cross and his family and friends? Definitely a suspenseful and well-told story. I thought it could have been wrapping up about half way through, but that's where the first exciting twist came in instead. I'd definitely recommend it, so I don't want to spoil it for you now ;)

Entranced by Nora Roberts - finished April 10, 2008
I am of the opinion that you can't go wrong with Nora Roberts to pass a few relatively mindless afternoons. There's a plot, there's romance, there's likeable characters. This was more fun in my mind because there was even a bit of magic. Life is good.

Before Women had Wings by Connie May Fowler - finished April 12, 2008
I have a sneaking suspicion I'd read this one before, but nothing sounded too familiar, and I haven't yet taken a minute to look in my old list of books read to see if it's there.
This was a very good book. Even the 'bad' characters were good in their own turn. I loved the young narrators descriptions of how she 'imagined' things, even as she knew it wasn't how they really were.

The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard - finished April 17, 2008
Definitely a page-turner. I wanted to know what would happen. I actually still do. This book is written in a way that it could pass as a true story, albeit a very scary one! I'm off to put the movie in my Netflix queue now and see how it compares.

Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter - finished April 28, 2008
Excellent book to pass the time. A single mom is used to being unique, and loves it, but her nine-year-old daughter wants to fit in and be popular. With just a pinch of romance, this book was a lot of fun to read and see what would happen.

On the Run by Iris Johansen.

The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle.

Irish Hearts by Nora Roberts.

The Husband by Dean Koontz.

The Alibi by Sandra Brown.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory.