A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson - Science! That makes sense! Bryson has a gift for being able to make complex scientific ideas easy (well, easier) to understand. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who wonders "why" and "how" - and anyone else for that matter. 560 pages (100 books, BA, BAM, Chunkster)

Frequently Asked Questions by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum - Librarian humor :)  Funny and oh-too-real.

again, all authors I've read before - and ::sigh:: again not their best.
Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews - delightful Southern chicklit with a foodie edge. Gina Foxton's health conscious cooking show gets canceled when the sponsor finds his wife in bed with Gina's producer/boyfriend. But the producer/now ex-boyfriend finds them a chance for a new show. But the Cooking Channel is also interested in another local area show with a male chef, called Vittles. Sparks fly between Gina and Tate - and the show sponsor dreams up a way to drum up interest in the new show - a Top Chef Survivor kind of reality show, where Gina and Tate will compete to find ingredients and cook for judges. But things really start cooking between Gina and Tate :)   Fun, flirty, and hungry making, but her other novels were better. Go to the library or wait on the paperback.

The Third Circle by Amanda Quick - newest book in the Arcane Society series - chronologically the second, fourth written. Leona Hewitt has the paranormal power to work with crystals, meets up with Thaddeus Ware, a formidable hypnotist, while both are trying to steal the same crystal from a antiquities collector. A murdered prostitute and a poisonous vapor complicate things, as does the attraction between them. Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz - frothy fun. This series is written under both names, Victorian times under Quick, current time frame under Krentz - so far, two each.  (A to Z)

The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinsky -  On a rainy night, Deborah Monroe and her daughter Grace are driving home, when a man comes out of nowhere and the car hits him. The man turns out to be Grace's history teacher and later dies. Grace was driving, but Deborah sends her home to look after her younger brother, who's alone, and never mentions that fact to the police, who assume she was the driver.  It's a interesting premise, but most of the characters felt very flat and cliched - angsty teen, stern father, black sheep sister, etc. I did like the sister, but the best part was the relationship between Deborah and Tom, the victim's estranged brother. *That* felt more like the Delinsky stories I've read and enjoyed. Readable, but forgettable. (EMAH, BAM - the Book A Month theme was mothers, so I chose Mother's Day as the holiday for Every Month a Holiday)

all books: 100 books (currently at 85)

The Good Women of China by Xinran - Xinran, a journalist/radio personality, writes about stories she learned about  (some reported on her radio show, some not) the lives of Chinese women during and after the Cultural Revolution. Sad to heartbreaking. (A to Z)

Legends by LIFE Magazine - photographs of legendary people and quotations about them by other famous people. Some nice pictures and quotes.  (888, BAM)

The Quotable Star Wars - quotations from the original trilogy. Cute. Has a few photographs. (A to Z, 888)

all books: 100 books

The Joy of Writing Sex by Elizabeth Benedict - I got this years ago, back when I was still writing fanfiction. Mine tended to be a bit naughty :)  Benedict isn't interested in porn here, but using sex scenes to further plot and/or characterization. She includes quotes from authors she interviewed, plus excerpts from books. Mostly read this to get it off my TBR pile, but it was okay. (888, BAM)

Frontier by Louis L'Amour - Read this for the Every Month a Holiday challenge(see links) - L'Amour was born in March.  This book is a series of essays on the frontier - but not just what is typically considered the frontier. L'Amour looks at all of the US as a frontier - as it was when people first started exploring. I love his writing - and his love for the wild parts of the country are obvious. The accompanying photographs by David Muench are gorgeous. (emah)

both: 100 books (halfway! 52 books)

Excellent book. FIrst read it in the late 80s, I guess. Have my own copy :)


Replay by Ken Grimwood

Ever wonder what it would be like to live your life over again, while still knowing what you know now?

Jeff Winston gets to find out. He's 43, unhappy at work and at home. He's on the phone with his wife, when he dies. Then he wakes up in his 18 year old body in his college dorm with all his memories of the next 25 years intact. What changes should he make, what things should he do?

But when he hits that day again at 43, he dies again. And wakes up again. Replaying his life.

But during one replay, something new happens - he finds someone else who's replaying too. Can the two of them figure out what's going on? And what can they do with their knowledge of what's going to happen?


WInner of the 1988 World Fantasy Award.