Total for 2015:  23 total, 7 new authors

1. Yes Please - Amy Poehler *
2. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy - Julia Quinn
3. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins *
4. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo *
5. Clear - Jessica Park
6. Three Weeks with Lady X - Eloisa James 
7. The Paying Guests - Sarah Waters *
8. The Governess Affair - Courtney Milan *
9. The Duchess War - Courtney Milan 
10. Four Nights with the Duke - Eloisa James
11. Vampire Most Wanted - Lynsay Sands
12. Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire - Kerrelyn Sands
13. All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr *
14. The Immortal Who Loved Me - Lynsay Sands
15. A Darker Shade of Magic - V.E. Schwab *
16. A Duke of Her Own - Eloisa James
17. Speaking in Bones - Kathy Reichs
18. Left Drowning - Jessica Park (re-read)
19. Restless Waters - Jessica Park
20. At the Water's Edge - Sara Gruen
21. In the Unlikely Event - Judy Blume
22. A Wrinkle in Time (graphic novel) - Madeleine L'Engle and Hope Larson*
23. About a Vampire - Lynsey Sands

Total for 2014:  19 total, 8 new authors

1. NOS4A2 - Joe Hill
2. One Lucky Vampire - Lynsay Sands
3. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green *
4. The Vampire with the Dragon Tattoo - Kerrelyn Sparks
5. The Sum of All Kisses - Julia Quinn
6. The Kill Room - Jeffery Deaver
7. Fun Home - Alison Bechdel *
8. Half Bad - Sally Green *
9. Flat-Out Celeste - Jessica Park
10. Bones of the Lost - Kathy Reichs
11. The Tao of Martha:  My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off of the Dog - Jen Lancaster 
12. Invisible City - Julia Dahl *
13. How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days - Laura Lee Guhrke *
14. How to Seduce a Vampire (Without Really Trying) - Kerrelyn Sparks
15. When the Marquess Met His Match - Laura Lee Guhrke
16. We Were Liars - E. Lockhart *
17. Working Stiff:  Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner - Judy Melinek, MD, and TJ Mitchell *
18. Bones Never Lie - Kathy Reichs
19. Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel *

Total for 2013: 16 total, 5 new authors (seriously, how did this happen?  Did I forget to list books?  How can I be reading less than ever when I have a nook?  Ah, distractions, distractions... MUST DO BETTER IN 2014!!!)

1. The Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker *
2. Life After Death - Damien Echols *
3. A Brew to a Kill - Cleo Coyle
4. Flat-Out Matt -  Jessica Park
5. The Lady Most Willing.... - Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway
6. Immortal Ever After - Lynsay Sands
7. Wild About You - Kerrelyn Sparks
8. Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl *
9. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris
10. Beautiful Darkness - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
11. Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
12. Left Drowning - Jessica Park
13. Inferno - Dan Brown
14. Orange Is the New Black - Piper Kerman *
15. Beautiful Chaos - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
16. The Strain - Guillermo delToro and Chuck Hogan *

 Total for 2012: 38 total, 16 new authors

1. Flat-Out Love - Jessica Park
2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor *
3. A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin
4. The Winter Palace - Eva Stachniak *
5. MIss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs *
6. State of Wonder - Ann Patchett *
7. The Anatomist's Apprentice - Tessa Harris *
8. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (again)
9. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins (yes, again)
10. The Boy in the Suitcase - Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis *
11. The Madonnas of Leningrad - Debra Dean *
12. Prized - Caragh M. O'Brien
13. Catherine the Great:  Portrait of a Woman - Robert K. Massie
14. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (yes, AGAIN - what's your point?)
15. Pure - Julianna Baggott *
16. The Course of True Love - Betty Neels
17. Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) - Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess) *
18. Ice Road - Gillian Slovo *
19. The Bite Before Christmas - Lynsay Sands and Jeaniene Frost *
20. City of Thieves - David Benioff *
21. The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Eugenides
22. The Siege - Helen Dunmore *
23. Under the Never Sky - Veronica Rossi * 
24. A Million Suns - Beth Revis
25. Fifty Shades Darker - E.L. James *
26. Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L. James (yes, out of order.  The vagaries of getting e-books through the library.  Trust me, it didn't make a difference.)
27. Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) - Mindy Kaling * 
28. Wild:  From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Cheryl Strayed * 
29. Fifty Shades Freed - E.L. James
30. Green River Killer:  A True Detective Story - Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case *
31. An Echo in the Bone - Diana Gabaldon
32. Under a Vampire Moon - Lynsay Sands
33. Wanted: Undead or Alive - Kerrelyn Sparks
34. Bones Are Forever - Kathy Reichs
35. The Passage - Justin Cronin
36. The Twelve - Justin Cronin
37. The Lady Is a Vamp - Lynsay Sands 
38. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn 
     

Total for 2011: 52 total, 14 new authors. 

1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest - Stieg Larsson
2. Moonlight Mile - Dennis Lehane
3. Edge - Jeffery Deaver
4. I'd Know You Anywhere - Laura Lippman 
5. Roast Mortem - Cleo Coyle
6. Full Dark, No Stars - Stephen King
7. A Witch in Time - Madelyn Alt
8. Thunder Moon - Lori Handeland
9. Bookplate Special - Lorna Barrett
10. If Books Could Kill - Kate Carlisle
11. Sleeping with Anemone - Kate Collins
12. Cross Fire - James Patterson
13. The Walking Dead, Volume 1 - Robert Kirkman *
14. Matched - Ally Condie * 
15. The Lady Most Likely... - Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockaway
16. Born to Bite - Lynsay Sands
17. Hungry for You - Lynsay Sands
18. The Countess - Lynsay Sands
19. A Breath of Snow and Ashes - Diana Gabaldon
20. The Heiress - Lynsay Sands
21. Angel - James Patterson
22. Don't Blink - James Patterson
23. Delirium - Lauren Oliver *
24. Virals - Kathy Reichs
25. World War Z:  An Oral History of the Zombie War - Max Brooks *
26. I Remember Nothing:  and Other Reflections - Nora Ephron *
27. The Zombie Survival Guide:  Complete Protection from the Living Dead - Max Brooks
28. One of Our Thursdays Is Missing - Jasper Fforde
29. A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness *
30. Beyond the Universe - Beth Revis *
31. Wither - Lauren DeStefano *
32. The Silent Girl - Tess Gerritsen
33. Just Like Heaven - Julia Quinn
34. Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord - Sarah MacLean
35. Unwind - Neil Shusterman *
36. The Reluctant Vampire - Lynsay Sands
37. Divergent - Veronica Roth *
38. Bossypants - Tina Fey *
39. 10th Anniversary - James Patterson
40. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin *
41. Flash and Bones - Kathy Reichs
42. Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart - Sarah MacLean
43. The Most Dangerous Thing - Laura Lippman
44. Murder by Mocha - Cleo Coyle
45. Enclave - Ann Aguirre *
46. Birthmarked - Caragh M. O'Brien *
47. A Clash of Kings - George R. R. Martin
48. Vampire Mine - Kerrelyn Sparks
49. A Storm of Swords - George R. R. Martin
50. A Feast for Crows - George R. R. Martin
51. It Looked Different on the Model:  Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy - Laurie Notaro
52. The Walking Dead, Volume 2 - Robert Kirkman
     

Total for 2010: 41 total, 14 new authors. Pathetic year...but at least it gives me a resolution for 2011! (goal: ?100 total, 25 new authors) // 4/24/11 - OK, new goal is 50 total, 15 new authors.  That's what I get for reading Diana Gabaldon.

1. Roadside Crosses - Jeffery Deaver
2. American on Purpose: The Improbably Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot?- Craig Ferguson *
3. Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life?with a Blind Wonder Cat?- Gwen Cooper *
4. A Touch of Dead: Sookie Stackhouse - The Complete Stories - Charlaine Harris
5. I, Alex Cross - James Patterson
6. Alex Cross' Trial?- James Patterson and Richard DiLallo
7. Commencement - J. Courtney Sullivan *
8. Ten Things I Love About You - Julia Quinn
9. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot *
10. Cook the Books - Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant
11. The Double Comfort Safari Club - Alexander McCall Smith
12. The 9th Judgment - James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
13. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - Stephenie Meyer
14. Seducing an Angel - Mary Balogh *
15. The Burning Wire - Jeffery Deaver
16. First Comes Marriage - Mary Balogh
17. Then Comes Seduction - Mary Balogh
18. At Last Comes Love - Mary Balogh
19. A Secret Affair - Mary Balogh
20. Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis - Lisa Sanders *
21. Private - James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
22. Fang - James Patterson
23. The Passage - Justin Cronin *
24. Worst Case - James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
25. Ice Cold - Tess Gerritsen
26. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
27. Oprah - Kitty Kelley *
28. Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah *
29. The Vampire and the Virgin - Kerrelyn Sparks
30. Nine Rules to Break While Romancing a Rake - Sarah MacLean *
31. Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay *
32. Some Enchanted Evening?- Christina Dodd
33. Secrets of a Summer Night - Lisa Kleypas
34. Spider Bones - Kathy Reichs
35. The Checklist Manifesto - Atul Gawande *
36. Angelology - Danielle Trussoni *
37. Sepulchre - Kate Mosse
38. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson *
39. The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson
40. Eat Prey Love - Kerrelyn Sparks
41. Stuff - Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things - Randy Frost and Gail Steketee *

Total for 2009: 105 total, 35 new authors

December 2009 (8 total, 2 new authors)

1. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Katherine Howe *
2. The Ride - Brian MacQuarrie *
3. Where There's a Witch - Madelyn Alt
4. Grave Secret - Charlaine Harris
5. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
6. Evidence - Jonathan Kellerman
7. Holiday Grind - Cleo Coyle
8. Fed Up - Jessica Conant-Park & Susan Conant

November 2009 (7 total, 2 new authors)

1. Doom with a View - Victoria Laurie
2. Steamed - Jessica Conant-Park & Susan Conant *
3. Simmer Down - Jessica Conant-Park & Susan Conant
4. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
5. Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
6. The Magicians - Lev Grossman *
7. Turn Up the Heat - Jessica Conant-Park & Susan Conant

October 2009 (6 total, 4 new authors)

1. Still Alice - Lisa Genova *
2. Killer Cruise - Laura Levine
3. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins *
4. Something for the Pain: One Doctor's Account of Life and Death in the ER - Paul Austin *
5. Secondhand Spirits - Juliet Blackwell *
6. The Renegade Hunter - Lynsey Sands

September 2009 (4 total, 1 new author)

1. Death by Pantyhose - Laura Levine
2. Killing Bridezilla - Laura Levine
3. Sworn to Silence - Linda Castillo *
4. 206 Bones - Kathy Reichs

August 2009 (8 books, 1 new author)

1. True Detectives - Jonathan Kellerman
2. Dead Until Dark (again) - Charlaine Harris
3. Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris
4. Now & Then - Jacqueline Sheehan
5. Swimsuit - James Patterson
6. Angel's Advocate - Mary Stanton
7. Blueberry Girl - Neil Gaiman
8. Just Gus: A Rescued Dog and the Woman He Loved - Laurie Williams & Roslyn Banish *

July 2009 (7 books, 2 new authors)

1. Columbine - David Cullen *
2. Max: A Maximum Ride Novel - James Patterson
3. Pretty in Plaid: a life, a witch, and a wardrobe, or the wonder years before the condescening, egomaniacal, self-centered, smart-ass phase - Jen Lancaster
4. Match Day: one day and one dramatic year in the lives of three new doctors - Brian Eule *
5. What Happens in London - Julia Quinn
6. Forbidden Nights with a Vampire - Kerrelyn Sparks
7. Handle with Care - Jodi Picoult

June 2009 (12 books, 5 new authors)

1. Bones - Jonathan Kellerman
2. A Fatal Slip - Melissa Glazer
3. Grave Surprise - Charlaine Harris
4. An Ice Cold Grave - Charlaine Harris
5. Bigfoot: I Not Dead - Graham Roumieu *
6. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! - Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith *
7. Homicide in Hardcover - Kate Carlisle *
8. Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery - Spencer Quinn *
9. Death Takes the Cake - Melinda Wells
10. Mysteria Lane - MaryJanice Davidson
11. The Final Warning: A Maximum Ride Novel - James Patterson
12. The Anti 9 to 5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube - Michelle Goodman *

May 2009 (12 books, 3 new authors)

1. Obsession, Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate - Kyra Davis
2. Killer Mousse - Melinda Wells *
3. State of the Onion - Julie Hyzy *
4. The Immortal Hunter - Lynsey Sands
5. Grave Sight - Charlaine Harris
6. Cross Country - James Patterson
7. Hail to the Chef - Julie Hyzy
8. Organize Your Corpses - Mary Jane Maffini *
9. The Cluttered Corpse - Mary Jane Maffini
10. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built - Alexander McCall Smith
11. Then Came You - Lisa Kleypas
12. Secret Life of a Vampire - Kerrelyn Sparks

April 2009 (10 books, 5 new authors)

1. The Second Opinion - Michael Palmer
2. Seducing Mr. Darcy - Gwen Cready *
3. Eggs in Purgatory - Laura Childs
4. Defending Angels - Mary Stanton *
5. Serendipity - Louise Shaffer *
6. Evil in Carnations - Kate Collins
7. The 19th Wife - David Ebershoff *
8. Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence -- and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process - Irene M. Pepperberg *
9. Dreaming of You - Lisa Kleypas
10. Life Sentences - Laura Lippman

March 2009 (10 books, 2 new authors)

1. Zen and the Art of Vampires - Katie MacAlister
2. Bookmarked for Death - Lorna Barrett
3. A Veiled Deception - Annette Blair
4. Suddenly You - Lisa Kleypas
5. The Rogue Hunter - Lynsay Sands
6. Second Chances: More Tales of Found Dogs - Elisa Lufkin and Diana Walker *
7. Blood Lite: An Anthology of Humorous Horror Stories - Kevin J. Anderson, ed.
8. Biting the Bullet - Jennifer Rardin
9. Up in Smoke - Katie MacAlister
10. The Know-It-All - A. J. Jacobs *

February 2009 (10 total, 4 new authors)

1. Hidden Moon - Lori Handeland
2. Espresso Shot - Cleo Coyle
3. Once Bitten, Twice Shy - Jennifer Rardin
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows *
5. Run for Your Life - James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
6. Cruise Confidential: A Hit Below the Waterline - Brian David Bruns *
7. Another One Bites the Dust - Jennifer Rardin
8. Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl - Stacey O'Brien *
9. Gone with the Witch - Annette Blair
10. Girl Most Likely To - Poonam Sharma *

January 2009 (11 total, 4 new authors)

1. Shoots to Kill - Kate Collins
2. Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice - Maureen McCormick *
3. No Rest for the Wiccan - Madelyn Alt
4. Since My Last Confession: A Gay Catholic Memoir - Scott Pomfret *
5. Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips *
6. Scarpetta - Patricia Cornwell
7. Just One Bite - Kimberly Raye
8. How to Murder a Millionaire - Nancy Martin *
9. All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire - Kerrelyn Sparks
10. Monkey See, Monkey Die - Cynthia Baxter
11. Murder Packs a Suitcase - Cynthia Baxter

Total for 2008: 120 books, 41 new authors

December 2008 (10 total, 4 new authors)

1. Wish List - stories by Lisa Kleypas, Lisa Cach, Claudia Dain, and Lynsay Sands
2. Weddings from Hell - stories by Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey, and Kathryn Smith
3. The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox *
4. Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders - Neil Gaiman
5. Uncertain Summer - Betty Neels
6. Mike, Mike & Me - Wendy Markham *
7. Forget About It - Caprice Crane *
8. A Highlander for Christmas - Sandy Blair
9. Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven? - Erica Orloff *
10. Death Perception - Victoria Laurie

November 2008 (7 total, 0 new authors)

1. Dognapped - Gabriella Herkert
2. Extras - Scott Westerfeld
3. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume - Julia Quinn
4. Like a Charm: A Novel in Voices - edited by Karin Slaughter
5. Any Given Doomsday - Lori Handeland
6. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - Judy Blume (nostalgia!)
7. My Sister Is a Werewolf - Kathy Love

October 2008 (9 total, 2 new authors)

1. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
2. The Captain of All Pleasures - Kresley Cole
3. Devil Bones - Kathy Reichs
4. Eight in the Box - Raffi Yessayan *
5. The Keepsake - Tess Gerritsen
6. Handyman - Jodi Lynn Copeland *
7. The Fire - Katherine Neville
8. Specials - Scott Westerfeld
9. Dead Secret - Beverly Connor

September 2008 (5 total, 1 new author)

1. Dead Guilty - Beverly Connor
2. The Broken Window - Jeffery Deaver
3. The Cracked Pot - Melissa Glazer
4. Trouble in High Heels - Christina Dodd
5. Leftovers - Laura Wiess *

August 2008 (9 total, 1 new author)

1. Hex Marks the Spot - Madelyn Alt
2. I Only Have Fangs for You - Kathy Love
3. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
4. Sail - James Patterson
5. Change of Heart - Jodi Picoult
6. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
7. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
8. Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie Is Not the Answer - Jen Lancaster
9. One Grave Too Many - Beverly Connor *

July 2008 (12 total, 6 new authors)

1. Undead and Unpopular - MaryJanice Davidson
2. Close to You - Christina Dodd
3. Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend - Victoria Laurie
4. The Education of Mrs. Brimley - Donna MacMeans *
5. Fangs for the Memories - Kathy Love
6. The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein *
7. Distracting the Duchess - Emily Bryan *
8. The Host - Stephenie Meyer *
9. Playing with Fire - Katie MacAlister
10. Fat Free: The Amazing All True Adventures of Supersize Woman! - Jude Milner *
11. The Cat That Changed My Life: 50 Cats Talk Candidly About How They Became Who They Are - Bruce Eric Kaplan *
12. Fangs but No Fangs - Kathy Love

June 2008 (18 total, 6 new authors)
Crap! I forgot to change the title and I've overwritten my June list! Crap! Does anyone remember what I read? --> I read 10 books...there's a reason I keep track of the numbers! -- so let me see what I can put together....

1. Ghost of a Chance - Katie MacAlister
2. Dead and Loving It - MaryJanice Davidson
3. A Murderous Glaze - Melissa Glazer *
4. Five Days in Summer - Kate Pepper *
5. Almost Like Being in Love - Christina Dodd
6. Anything Goes: The Autobiography - John Barrowman *
7.
8.
9.
10.

May 2008 (10 total, 2 new authors)

1. Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why It Often Sucks in the City, or Who Are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? - Jen Lancaster
2. Your Coffin or Mine? - Kimberly Raye
3. Just the Way You Are - Christina Dodd
4. French Pressed - Cleo Coyle
5. Compulsion - Jonathan Kellerman
6. The Undead Next Door - Kerrelyn Sparks
7. Megan's Mark - Lora Leigh *
8. Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights - Kyra Davis
9. Murder Is Binding - Lorna Barrett *
10. Murder with Reservations - Elaine Viets

April 2008 (13 total, 5 new authors)

1. The Royal Mess - MaryJanice Davidson
2. Any Way You Want It - Kathy Love
3. Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish - Mark R. Levin *
4. Playing Easy to Get - stories by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jaid Black, and Kresley Cole
5. A Rose from the Dead - Kate Collins
6. Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella
7. Candy Girl - Diablo Cody *
8. Endymion Spring - Matthew Skelton *
9. Killer Hair - Ellen Byerrum *
10. What She Wants - Lynsay Sands
11. Time After Time - Sue Haasler *
12. Vampires Are Forever - Lynsay Sands
13. Scent to Her Grave - India Ink

March 2008 (7 total, 4 new authors)

1. Seduction by Chocolate - stories by Nina Bangs, Lisa Cach, Thea Devine, and Penelope Neri
2. Catnapped: An Animal Instinct Mystery - Gabriella Herkert *
3. The Cat's Fancy - Julie Kenner *
4. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell *
5. The Rest Falls Away - Colleen Gleason *
6. Decaffeinated Corpse - Cleo Coyle
7. Rises the Night - Colleen Gleason

February 2008 (13 total, 5 new authors)

1. The Rosetti Letter - Christi Phillips *
2. Sex and the Psychic Witch - Annette Blair
3. Promise Not To Tell - Jennifer McMahon *
4. The Accidental Vampire - Lynsay Sands
5. The Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club - Susan McBride
6. Have Glass Slippers, Will Travel - Lisa Cach
7. Latte Trouble - Cleo Coyle
8. Murder Most Frothy - Cleo Coyle
9. Never Sorry: A Leigh Koslow Mystery - Edie Claire *
10. Murder of a Small-Town Honey - Denise Swanson *
11. 7th Heaven - James Patterson
12. The Fifth Victim - Beverly Barton *
13. Murder of a Sweet Old Lady - Denise Swanson

January 2008 (15 total, 8 new authors)

1. Who's Killing the Great Wrters of America? A Satire - Robert Kaplow *
2. You Only Love Twice - Lori Wilde *
3. Nothing to Fear but Ferrets - Linda O. Johnston
4. Sugar and Spite - G.A. McKevitt
5. Sex and the Immortal Bad Boy - Stephanie Rowe
6. Greywalker - Kat Richardson *
7. Sour Grapes - G.A. McKevitt
8. Ain't Myth-Behaving - Katie MacAlister
9. The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones - Anthony Bourdain
10. The Thief-Taker: Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner - T.F. Banks *
11. Many Bloody Returns - Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, editors
12. The Survivors - Dixie McCall *
13. Whistling in the Dark - Leslie Kagan *
14. Dying to Be Thin: A Fat City Mystery - Kathryn Lilley *
15. The Trouble with Tulip - Mindy Starns Clark *

Total for 2007: 201 books, 87 new authors

December 2007 (16 total, 6 new authors)

1. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld *
2. Pretties - Scott Westerfeld
3. I Am America (And So Can You!) - Stephen Colbert *
4. Blue Blood: A Debutante Dropout Mystery - Susan McBride *
5. The Good Girl's Guide to Murder: A Debutante Dropout Mystery - Susan McBride
6. Who's Kitten Who (Reigning Cats and Dogs mystery #6) - Cynthia Baxter
7. On What Grounds (Coffeehouse mystery #1) - Cleo Coyle *
8. Through the Grinder (Coffeehouse mystery #2) - Cleo Coyle
9. Holy Smokes - Katie MacAlister
10. Lost & Found - Jacqueline Sheehan *
11. Killer Calories - G.A. McKevett
12. Just In Case - Meg Rosoff
13. Cooked Goose - G.A. McKevett
14. Double Cross - James Patterson
15. Murder Unleashed - Elaine Viets
16. Heartsick - Chelsea Cain *

November 2007 (17 total, 7 new authors)

1. Cancer Vixen: A True Story - Marisa Acocella Marchetto *
2. Cancer Made Me A Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics - Miriam Engelberg *
3. Someone to Watch Over Me - Judith McNaught
4. Here If You Need Me: A True Story - Kate Braestrup *
5. Dead and Dateless - Kimberly Raye
6. Wicked Fantasy - Nina Bangs
7. Larger Than Death - Lynne Murray *
8. Murder Under a Mystic Moon - Yasmine Galenorn
9. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen *
10. The Key - Jennifer Sturman
11. Lethally Blonde - Kate White
12. A Harvest of Bones - Yasmine Galenorn
13. One Hex of a Wedding - Yasmine Galenorn
14. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia - Elizabeth Gilbert *
15. Book of the Dead - Patricia Cornwell
16. The Bone Garden - Tess Gerritsen
17. What Happened to Lani Garver - Carol Plum-Ucci *

October 2007 (8 total, 2 new authors)

1. You've Been Warned - James Patterson
2. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See *
3. The PMS Murder: A Jaine Austen Mystery - Laura Levine
4. Charmed to Death - Shirley Damsgaard
5. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Hot - Stephanie Rowe
6. The Burnt House - Faye Kellerman
7. Don't Scream - Wendy Corsi Staub *
8. Crime Seen - Victoria Laurie

September 2007 (8 total, 1 new author)

1. Wanted: One Special Kiss - Judi McCoy
2. Derik's Bane - MaryJanice Davidson
3. Wicked Nights - Nina Bangs *
4. Wicked Pleasure - Nina Bangs
5. Rising Moon - Lori Handeland
6. Number 10 - Sue Townsend
7. Stroke of Midnight - Sherrilyn Kenyon, Amanda Ashley, L.A. Banks, and Lori Handeland
8. Bones to Ashes - Kathy Reichs

August 2007 (10 total, 4 new authors)

1. Thursday Next in: First Among Sequels - Jasper Fforde
2. The Return Journey - Maeve Binchy
3. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever - Julia Quinn
4. The Sleeping Doll - Jeffery Deaver
5. Michael Tolliver Lives - Armistead Maupin
6. Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn *
7. Death of a PTA Goddess - Leslie O'Kane *
8. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports - James Patterson
9. Austenland - Shannon Hale *
10. Rumspringa: To Be or Not To Be Amish - Tom Shachtman *

July 2007 (11 total, 4 new authors)

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
2. Drop Dead, Gorgeous! - MaryJanice Davidson
3. A Hunger Like No Other - Kresley Cole *
4. Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down - Sherrilyn Kenyon, Melanie George, & Jaid Black
5. Tall, Dark & Dead - Tate Hallaway *
6. A Three Dog Life - Abigail Thomas *
7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling (re-read)
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling - woohoo! :)
9. What's A Ghoul to Do - Victoria Laurie
10. A Rogue in a Kilt - Sandy Blair *
11. The Quickie - James Patterson

June 2007 (18 total, 6 new authors)

1. The Descent - Jeff Long *
2. Be Still My Vampire Heart - Kerrelyn Sparks
3. Charity Girl - Michael Lowenthal *
4. Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See: My Story - Erik Weihenmayer *
5. The 6th Target - James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
6. Shop Till You Drop - Elaine Viets
7. The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires - Katie MacAlister
8. The Halo Effect - M.J. Rose
9. Right from the Gecko - Cynthia Baxter
10. Hello, Gorgeous! - MaryJanice Davidson
11. How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff *
12. Scot on the Rocks - Brenda Janowitz *
13. Killer Blonde - Laura Levine
14. Shoes to Die For - Laura Levine
15. Murder Between the Covers - Elaine Viets
16. Dying to Call You - Elaine Viets
17. The Next Big Thing - Johanna Edwards *
18. Just Murdered - Elaine Viets

May 2007 (16 total, 7 new authors)

1. Hare Today, Dead Tomorrow - Cynthia Baxter
2. Heart-Shaped Box - Joe Hill *
3. The Scot, the Witch and the Wardrobe - Annette Blair
4. Obsession - Jonathan Kellerman
5. Witch Way to Murder - Shirley Damsgaard *
6. Last Writes - Laura Levine
7. Boomsday - Christopher Buckley *
8. Charming the Highlander - Janet Chapman *
9. The Ivy Chronicles by Karen Quinn *
10. The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri *
11. A Charmed Death - Madelyn Alt
12. Feint of Art - Hailey Lind *
13. Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult
14. The Hunted - Jaid Black & J.W. McKenna
15. Step on a Crack - James Patterson
16. All Together Dead - Charlaine Harris

April 2007 (23 total, 10 new authors)

1. Sit, Stay, Slay - Linda O. Johnston *
2. East of Peculiar - Suzann Ledbetter *
3. A Vision of Murder - Victoria Laurie
4. Killer Insight - Victoria Laurie
5. What the Dead Know - Laura Lippman
6. Mistress of the Art of Death - Ariana Franklin *
7. Swimming with the Fishes - MaryJanice Davidson
8. Bite Me If You Can - Lynsay Sands
9. The Delilah Code - M.J. Rose
10. Shopaholic & Baby - Sophie Kinsella
11. Hangman's Root - Susan Wittig Albert *
12. The Bachelor - Carly Phillips *
13. The Big Dig - Linda Barnes *
14. Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult
15. Ghost of a Chance - Yasmine Galenorn
16. This Pen for Hire - Laura Levine *
17. Acts of Violets - Kate Collins
18. In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing - Lee & Bob Woodruff *
19. South of Sanity - Suzann Ledbetter
20. Carved in Bone - Jefferson Bass *
21. The Back Passage - James Lear *
22. Deep, Dark & Dangerous - Jaid Black
23. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive - Alexander McCall Smith

March 2007 (20 total, 14 new authors)

1. The Perfect Elizabeth - Libby Schmais *
2. A Babe in Ghostland - Lisa Cach *
3. The Bone Vault - Linda Fairstein *
4. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: confessions of Georgia Nicolson - Louise Rennison *
5. Keepsake Crimes - Laura Childs
6. Photo Finished - Laura Childs
7. Bound for Murder - Laura Childs
8. Too Much Temptation - Lori Foster
9. Never Too Much - Lori Foster
10. The Kitchen Witch - Annette Blair *
11. The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters: A Novel - Elisabeth Robinson *
12. Code Name: Baby - Christina Skye *
13. Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral - Kris Radish *
14. The Dress Lodger - Sheri Holman *
15. Out of the Night - Robin T. Popp *
16. A Connecticut Fashionista in King Arthur's Court - Marianne Mancusi *
17. Underfoot - Leanne Banks *
18. Dim Sum Dead - Jerrilyn Farmer *
19. Lead a Horse to Murder - Cynthia Baxter
20. The Ice House - Minette Walters *

February 2007 (25 total, 15 new authors)

1. Ghost Walk - Heather Graham
2. Bitter Is the New Black - Jen Lancaster *
3. The Last Kashmiri Rose - Barbara Cleverly *
4. For Love or Country - Kerrelyn Sparks
5. Nerd in Shining Armor - Vicki Lewis Thompson *
6. I'm In No Mood For Love - Rachel Gibson *
7. No Good Deeds - Laura Lippman
8. Men in Kilts - Katie MacAlister
9. Spring Break - Charlotte Douglas *
10. Dancing in the Dark - Mary Jane Clark *
11. Hunter's Moon - C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp *
12. Cross - James Patterson
13. Sex, Murder and a Double Latte - Kyra Davis *
14. Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston *
15. The Little Lady Agency - Hester Browne *
16. Drop-Dead Blonde - Nancy Martin, Elaine Viets, Denise Swanson, and Victoria Laurie
17. Slow Burn - Julie Garwood
18. A Well Pleasured Lady - Christina Dodd *
19. Shadow Dance - Julie Garwood
20. The Trouble with Magic - Madelyn Alt *
21. Princess in Waiting (The Princess Diaries, Volume IV) - Meg Cabot
22. Mapping the Edge - Sarah Dunant
23. Highlander in Her Bed - Allie Mackay *
24. Sleep Tight - Laura Marie Altom *
25. Bad Heir Day - Wendy Holden *

January 2007 (29 total, 11 new authors)

1. Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married - Marian Keyes
2. The Royal Treatment - MaryJanice Davidson
3. The Royal Pain - MaryJanice Davidson
4. Suspect - Michael Robotham *
5. Dead Canaries Don't Sing - Cynthia Baxter *
6. Putting on the Dog - Cynthia Baxter
7. The Virgin of Small Plains - Nancy Pickard *
8. Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods -- My Mother's, My Father's, and Mine - Nicole Howey *
9. Princess in the Spotlight (The Princess Diaries, Vol. 2) - Meg Cabot
10. Legend of the Jade Dragon - Yasmine Galenorn *
11. Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with The Bay City Rollers - Caroline Sullivan *
12. On the Couch - Alisa Kwitney *
13. Light My Fire - Katie MacAlister
14. Size 14 Is Not Fat Either - Meg Cabot
15. March - Geraldine Brooks
16. Zero at the Bone - Mary Willis Walker
17. Mum's the Word - Kate Collins *
18. Slay It with Flowers - Kate Collins
19. Must Love Dragons - Stephanie Rowe
20. Undead and Unreturnable - MaryJanice Davidson
21. Just Desserts - G.A. McKevett
22. The Shipping News - Annie Proulx *
23. Princess in Love (The Princess Diaries, Vol. 3) - Meg Cabot
24. The Eight - Katherine Neville
25. Dearly Depotted - Kate Collins
26. Snipped in the Bud - Kate Collins
27. Miss Bubbles Steals the Show - Melanie Murray *
28. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered - Maggie Shayne *
29. Thief of Souls - Ann Benson

* new author for me

Total for 2006: 186 books, 84 new authors

December 2006 (22 total, 7 new authors)

1. Undead and Unemployed - MaryJanice Davidson
2. The Pact - Jennifer Sturman *
3. The Jinx - Jennifer Sturman
4. Undead and Unappreciated - MaryJanice Davidson
5. Hunter's Moon - Lori Handeland
6. The Chemistry of Death - Simon Beckett *
7. The Book of Fate - Brad Meltzer *
8. The Guy Not Taken: stories - Jennifer Weiner
9. The Venus Fix - M.J. Rose
10. In Deep Voodoo - Jennifer Bond
11. Dark Moon - Lori Handeland
12. Crescent Moon - Lori Handeland
13. Midnight Moon - Lori Handeland
14. Dead End Dating - Kimberly Raye
15. Don of the Dead - Casey Daniels
16. Just One Sip - Jennifer Ashley, Katie MacAlister, and Minda Webber
17. Deep Freeze - Lisa Jackson *
18. Bitter Sweets - G.A. McKevett *
19. The First Horseman - John Case *
20. Getting What You Want - Kathy Love *
21. Wanting What You Get - Kathy Love
22. Wanting Something More - Kathy Love

November 2006 (13 total, 6 new authors)

1. Bite - Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, MaryJanice Davidson, Angela Knight, and Vickie Taylor
2. Skeleton Dance - Aaron Elkins *
3. Murder in the Queen's Armes - Aaron Elkins
4. Good Blood - Aaron Elkins
5. Gone with the Windsors - Laurie Graham *
6. My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding
7. Blue Moon - Lori Handeland *
8. The Other Side of the Story - Marian Keyes
9. The Jasmine Moon Murder - Laura Childs
10. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro **
11. Undead and Unwed - MaryJanice Davidson *
12. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashears *
13. Better Read Than Dead - Victoria Laurie

October 2006 (19 total, 10 new authors)

1. The Prey - Allison Brennan *
2. The Pursuit of Alice Thrift - Elinor Lipman **
3. Feeding the Monster: How Money, Smarts and Nerve Took a Team to the Top - Seth Mnookin *
4. The Dirty Girls Social Club - Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez **
5. Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress - Susan Jane Gilman *
6. The Sweet Hereafter - Russell Banks *
7. How to Be a "Wicked" Woman - MaryJanice Davidson, Jamie Denton, and Susanna Carr
8. Club Dead - Charlaine Harris
9. Bad Twin - Gary Troup *
10. I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies) - Laurie Notaro
11. A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime - Jeffery Deaver (editor)
12. Dead to the World - Charlaine Harris
13. Dead as a Doornail - Charlaine Harris
14. Definitely Dead - Charlaine Harris
15. Love You, Mean It: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Friendship - Patricia Carrington, Julia Collins, Claudia Gerbasi, and Ann Haynes *
16. Gracefully Insane: The Rise and Fall of America's Premier Mental Hospital - Alex Beam *
17. The Mephisto Club - Tess Gerritsen
18. Maximum Ride: School's Out - Forever - James Patterson
19. Sacred Trust - Meg O'Brien **

September 2006 (16 total, 8 new authors)

1. The Perfect Wife - Lynsey Sands
2. Our Husband - Stephanie Bond *
3. Leave the Grave Green - Deborah Crombie
4. Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye - Victoria Laurie *
5. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomedy - Alison Bechdel
6. The Ruins - Scott Smith
7. Judge and Jury - James Patterson
8. The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards *
9. Hot Summer Nights - Luann McLane *
10. You Slay Me - Katie MacAlister
11. The Princess Diaries - Meg Cabot
12. The Attack - Yasmina Khadra *
13. Fire Me Up - Katie MacAlister
14. Big Stone Gap - Adriana Trigiani *
15. Trace Evidence - Elizabeth Becka *
16. The Presence - Heather Graham *

August 2006 (19 total, 6 new authors)

1. Break No Bones - Kathy Reichs
2. Even Vampires Get the Blues - Katie MacAlister
3. On the Way to the Wedding - Julia Quinn
4. See Jane Date - Melissa Senate *
5. Bad Boys in Kilts - Donna Kauffman *
6. Almost a Goddess - Judi McCoy *
7. A Quick Bite - Lynsey Sands
8. A Bite to Remember - Lynsey Sands
9. See Jane Run - Joy Fielding *
10. Vamps in the City - Kerrelyn Sparks
11. Gone - Jonathan Kellerman
12. The Expected One - Kathleen McGowan *
13. Sex and the Single Vampire - Katie MacAlister
14. A New Leash on Life - Emily Carmichael
15. Men at Work - Janelle Denison *, Nina Bangs * & MaryJanice Davidson *
16. The Best of Jaid Black - Jaid Black
17. Hot Ticket - Deirdre Martin *, Julia London *, Annette Blair * & Geri Buckley *
18. She Went All the Way - Meggin Cabot
19. The Red Scream - Mary Willis Walker *

July 2006 (13 total, 7 new authors)

1. Sushi for Beginners - Marian Keyes
2. How to Marry a Millionnaire Vampire - Kerrilyn Sands *
3. Finding Mr. Right - Emily Carmichael
4. Gunpowder Green - Laura Childs
5. L.A. Woman - Cathy Yardley *
6. Date Me, Baby, One More Time - Stephanie Rowe **
7. Diamond in the Ruff - Emily Carmichael
8. Shades of Earl Grey - Laura Childs
9. The English Breakfast Murder - Laura Childs
10. Dreaming of the Bones - Deborah Crombie *
11. Babe in Toyland - Eugenie Seifer Olson *
12. Phi Beta Bimbo - Trish Jensen *
13. Murder on Ice - Alina Adams *

June 2006 (13 books, 6 new authors)

1. Death by Darjeeling - Laura Childs *
2. Single White Vampire - Lynsay Sands *
3. The Trouble with Harry - Katie MacAlister *
4. Miracles on the Water: The heroic survivors of a World War II U-boat attack - Tom Nagorski *
5. Sex, Lies and Vampires - Katie MacAlister
6. Sweet and Low: a family story - Rich Cohen *
7. Size 12 Is Not Fat - Meg Cabot
8. At Risk - Patricia Cornwell
9. The Cold Moon - Jeffery Deaver
10. Love Bites - Lynsay Sands
11. Tall, Dark & Hungry - Lynsey Sands
12. Angels - Marian Keyes
13. Real Men Don't Rehearse: Adventures in the Secret World of Professional Orchestras - Justin Locke *

May 2006 (18 books, 10 new authors)
1. The Queen and I - Sue Townsend **
2. Cocktails for Three - Madeleine Wickham
3. Blue Shoes and Happiness - Alexander McCall Smith
4. Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson
5. She, Myself & I - Whitney Gaskell *
6. A Cat in Wolf's Clothing - Lydia Adamson *
7. The Axeman's Jazz - Julie Smith
8. He Loves Lucy - Susan Donovan *
9. The Hot Flash Club - Nancy Thayer *
10. Gone to the Dogs - Emily Carmichael
11. After Dark - Jayne Castle *
12. Sloppy Firsts - Megan McCafferty *
13. How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life - Kaavya Viswanathan *
14. Julie and Julia: 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen - Julie Powell *
15. Betrayed - Arnette Lamb *
16. Beguiled - Arnette Lamb
17. Elements of Style - Wendy Wasserstein
18. Beach Road - James Patterson

April 2006 (10 books, 7 new authors)

1. Labyrinth - Kate Mosse *
2. The 5th Horseman - James Patterson
3. The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries - Marilyn Johnson **
4. Intuition - Allegra Goodman **
5. The Tenth Circle - Jodi Picoult
6. A Necessary Evil - Alex Kava
7. Bark of the Tree - Mike Silvestri *
8. Marley and Me - John Grogan *
9. Fourplay - Jane Moore *
10. The Cat's Meow - Emily Carmichael *

March 2006 (13 books, 5 new authors)

1. The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls **
2. Always and Forever - Betty Neels
3. In the Company of the Courtesan - Sarah Dunant
4. Watermelon - Marian Keyes
5. Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris *
6. Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris
7. Son of a Witch - Gregory Maguire
8. The Boy Next Door - Meggin Cabot *
9. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd **
10. Turning Angel - Greg Iles
11. The Sinner - Tess Gerritsen
12. The Masque of the Black Tulip - Lauren Willig
13. The Shop on Blossom Street - Debbie Macomber *

February 2006 (14 books, 4 new authors)

1. The Moche Warrior - Lyn Hamilton
2. Blood Memory - Greg Iles
3. The African Quest - Lyn Hamilton
4. Jesus Land - Julia Scheeres **
5. The Etruscan Chimera - Lyn Hamilton
6. The Maltese Goddess - Lyn Hamilton
7. The Thai Amulet - Lyn Hamilton
8. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
9. Highland Vampire - Hannah Howell *, Adrienne Basso *, Deborah Raleigh *
10. Fledgling - Octavia Butler
11. Fat Girl - Judith Moore **
12. Last Chance Saloon - Marian Keyes *
13. The Kite Runner - Khaled Husseini **
14. Cell - Stephen King

January 2006 (16 books, 8 new authors)

1. PS I Love You - Cecilia Ahern **
2. The Well of Lost Plots - Jasper Fforde
3. Never Change - Elizabeth Berg **
4. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry
5. Talk to the Hand - Lynne Truss
6. Broken Wings - VC Andrews
7. Sex Wars - Marge Piercy **
8. The Last Days of Dogtown - Anita Diamant
9. The Hours - Michael Cunningham **
10. Specimen Days - Michael Cunningham **
11. Slammerkin - Emma Donoghue **
12. Where's My Hero? - Lisa Kleypas/Kinley MacGregor/Julia Quinn
13. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides **
14. You Belong to Me - Johanna Lindsey
15. The Ixbalba Murders - Lyn Hamilton *
16. Everything is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer **

* new author for me
** read for New Year's Authors Challenge

(Yep, only took me 9 months to figure out that it made more sense to keep the list here....)

A – Cecilia Ahern - PS I Love You - enjoyed this very much - sad and funny, with quirky characters - a great premise for a novel, and very well done - finished 1/2/06

B – Elizabeth Berg – Never Change - Good & sad. What I enjoyed most was her incisive character descriptions of Myra's patients -- in only a few appearances, I felt that I really knew them. -- finished 1/6/06

C – Michael Cunningham - The Hours (also read Specimen Days) -- I really liked how Cunningham interwove the three stories, through seemingly minor things like yellow roses (or, in the case of Specimen Days, a china bowl) -- although I am now rethinking Virginia Woolf for my W -- not sure I can handle all that stream-of-consciousness! -- finished 1/14/06

D – Emma Donoghue – Slammerkin -- an historical page-turner, if that's not a contradiction in terms. Donoghue takes the barest of facts known about a young woman who murdered her mistress, and embroiders it into an absorbing tale of a poor London girl who turns to prostitution, and eventually to murder, all for the sake of a red ribbon and "fine clothes". -- finished 1/16/06

E – Jeffrey Eugenides – Middlesex -- loved, loved, loved this book. Given the subject matter, it was incredibly real -- vivid characters, a fascinating braid of plots, and genuinely witty. I wish I could read it for the first time again! -- finished 1/17/06

F – Jonathan Safran Foer -- Everything is Illuminated -- Hmmmm...still not sure how I liked this. Amazingly creative, but a little too quirky for my taste. I've also gotten Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close from the library; perhaps I'll like it better. -- finished 1/29/06
(3/2 - OK, I've started Extremely Loud, and I'm finding it even harder to get into -- way, way too odd and quirky.) (And I have given up, which I rarely do. I just found it too frustrating and annoying.)

G – Allegra Goodman - Intuition - Although it deals with possible fraud in a cancer research lab, you don't need to know anything about the area -- it's really more about the decisions we make in life, and things we do to get ahead - and how things don't always turned out as planned. Finely-drawn characterizations, and beautifully written. I look forward to reading more of her books. -- finished 4/18/06

H – Khaled Hosseini – The Kite Runner -- Beautifully written and heartbreaking. A story of friendship, betrayal, and redemption, and of the horrors of Afghanistan under the Taliban. I couldn't put it down. -- finished 2/23/06

I – Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go -- a haunting story of an idyllic childhood that, in retrospect, is terribly, terribly wrong - beautifully written (although I found myself wanting more detail about the society/world in which the children lived, but that's just me!) -- finished 11/24/06

J – Marilyn Johnson - The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries - Despite the subject matter, this is an absolutely delightful look at the different types of obituaries (and yes, there are different types!), who gets them, why they get them, and most interestingly, who writes them. -- finished 4/06

K – Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees - what a beautiful book. Despite some tragic events, an ultimately uplifting look at the power of love, and how mothers come in all shapes and sizes. -- finished 3/20/06

L – Elinor Lipman - The Pursuit of Alice Thrift - not quite sure what I thought of this. Very well-written and witty - somewhat of a dark social comedy - but I found both lead characters rather unlikeable, which made it hard to really enjoy the book. A good twist at the end, however. -- finished 10/2/06

M – Judith Moore - Fat Girl - see my notes under W. The author had a miserable childhood, and IMHO it has left her really bitter and resentful. Not an enjoyable read. Perhaps some of it struck too close to home, and I found it pretty depressing. Wasn't planning to use this as my M book; I just thought it was an interesting counterpoint to The Glass Castle (see W). I may end up reading something more enjoyable, like Angela’s Ashes (sarcasm intended). -- finished 2/20/06-ish.

N – Tom Nagorski - Miracles in the Water - another fascinating book. The real-life story of a British ship during WWII that was torpedoed by a German sub. Big whoop, you're saying? Wrong. This ship was carrying 90 children being evacuated to safety in Canada...or so they thought. Well-written and compelling; great use of passengers' recollections - you really feel as though it happened only recently. -- finished 6/6/06.

O – Meg O'Brien - Sacred Trust - pretty average thriller - not a bad story, but too many things going on, and needed an editor (e.g., if a house was built 20 years ago, it cannot have appeared in a movie 50 years ago. Not that complicated, guys). Didn't live up to the potential of the chilling opening. Also -- on the cover it says "if you like Mary Higgins Clark, you'll love Meg O'Brien." Um...not unless MHC's writing has really changed...Talk about an inappropriate recommendation. ("Hey, mom, here's a book for you. Just skip over the crucifixion, torture and mutilation in that first chapter....") -- finished 10/30/06.

P – Marge Piercy - Sex Wars - an absolutely fascinating look at the sexual and social revolution of the '70s -- the 1870s, that is. Piercy interweaves the lives of suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, free-love advocate (and presidential candidate!) Victoria Woodhull, and anti-smut crusader Anthony Comstock with that of a Jewish immigrant woman. So many of the themes echo today, especially the push by one faction to promote faith-based government (not to mention a hotly-contested presidential election, hinging on electoral practices in Florida, which came down to a Supreme Court decision in favor of the Republican candidate -- believe it or not!) - finished 1/11/06

Q – Anna Quindlen – One True Thing

R – Stephanie Rowe - Date Me, Baby, One More Time - hey, I just realized I have read a new R! A little sluggish in parts, but an interesting concept with great characters. Looking forward to the sequel (Must Love Dragons) -- finished 07/06

S – Julia Scheeres -- Jesus Land: a memoir - very interesting & sad, although I think the James Frey controversy has left me reading memoirs with a jaundiced eye. (Thanks, James! Way to go!) Still, an interesting look at religion and racism. -- finished 2/7/06-ish

T – Sue Townsend - The Queen and I - an absolutely delightful satire of what happens when the Republicans take over Parliament, and the (former) royal family are sent to live in Council housing, on the dole. Hilarious in a very dry, veddy British way. -- finished 5/1/06

U – Thrity Umrigar - The Space Between Us

V – Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez - The Dirty Girls Social Club - I liked this more than I'd expected. The author does a great job of creating six very different women, and showing the breadth of the often-homogenized "Latina" culture. At the end of the book, I found myself wanting to know more of what happens these women -- sequel, please? -- finished 10/6/06

W – Jeannette Walls - The Glass Castle -- Great book - very moving memoir of an unusual (to say the least) childhood. I think the thing that struck me most about this book was that, despite all the chaos and betrayals and frustration, it's still clear that she loved her parents. The experiences recounted in this book would have left a lot of people bitter and resentful. I recently finished reading Fat Girl by Judith Moore, and it's an interesting counterpoint. I think, going head to head, Jeannette Walls would win the "I had the most godawful, miserable childhood award". But Walls is still able to display compassion and understanding toward her parents, while Moore's memoir seeths with resentment. -- finished 3/2/06.

X – Alan P. Xenakis - Why Doesn't My Funny Bone Make Me Laugh?

Y – Elizabeth Young - Asking for Trouble or A Promising Man and About Time, Too

Z – Marcus Zusak - The Book Thief

12/9/06 - 21 of 26 authors done!