Good Dog, Stay by Anna Quindlen

From Amazon: “The life of a good dog is like the life of a good person, only shorter and more compressed,” writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen about her beloved black Labrador retriever, Beau. With her trademark wisdom and humor, Quindlen reflects on how her life has unfolded in tandem with Beau’s, and on the lessons she’s learned by watching him: to roll with the punches, to take things as they come, to measure herself not in terms of the past or the future but of the present, to raise her nose in the air from time to time and, at least metaphorically, holler, “I smell bacon!”

My not being happy with this book was my own fault - I knew going in that it was not what I liked from Anna Quindlen but I bought it anyway. The good - it was a very loving portrait of her dog. The pictures of her dog were touching. The bad - it was like a Hallmark book, one you buy at the drugstore when you don't have a gift for someone at the last minute, and the random pics of other dogs were just overly cute.

Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen

From the dust jacket: Young Maggie Scanlon begins to sense that, beneath the calm, everyday surface of her peaceful suburban life, everything is going mysteriously wrong. Her all-powerful grandfather is reduced to a shadow by a stroke, and to Maggie's astonishment this causes her usually unemotional father to burst into tears. And Connie, her lushly beautiful mother, who Maggie could always be sure of finding at home, is now rarely there. Her street smart cousin Monica and her best friend, Debbie, start doing things that leave her frightened about sex and sin. All theses shifts become so linked in Maggie's mind to the building of a housing development behind her home that, years later, whenever she smells "the peculiar odor of new construction, of pine planking and plastic plumbing pipes," Maggie will think back to this summer.
Anna Quindlen is a favorite but this book isn’t my favorite Anna Quindlen. In fact, this is a book that I have read before and it was so NOT memorable that I had forgotten I had read it. I started it right after Gravedigger’s Daughter and thought, “Wow, another book about the daughter of a grave digger, what a coincidence.” Then, more and more of it started to feel familiar and before you know it, I was in that “Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah” state - where you remember each scene as soon as you start reading it but you don’t remember it well enough to remember how things turn out or what happens next. It’s an annoying state to be in! (Just think, with aging, at some point that will be my whole life – vaguely familiar but sketchy on the details.) But it certainly made for a quick read – I just kind of skimmed right through and that was that. It’s done – again! I better ship it off to Goodwill before it goes back on another list by mistake!

As I came back to add the dust jacket notes to this post, I thought that I have many interesting parallels in my own life now. We have a housing development going up in our backyard - rather than being worried about it we are pretty excited - new houses mean possible playmates - the boys would like kids to move in! Bookworm is learning how to drive - but we're going the route of paying a stranger to teach her not seeking out an old flame! And, sadly, my father-in-law's failing health has reduced him in many ways. Well..interesting to me in a "hmm...imagine that" kind of way - probably not at all interesting to you! But maybe these parallels were another reason I had that - been here, read this feeling - you know other than the reason that I actually HAD read the book before!

A Short Guide to A Happy Life by Anna Quindlen

I like Anna Quindlen but all I could think in the fifteen minutes that it took me to read this book was, "She must have needed a little quick cash." This is basically a be thankful for life pep talk, perhaps an old commencement address she gave, spread out over fifty or so pages with about half of those pages devoted to greeting card style sentimental pictures. Really. It would be good in a guest bedroom because it is such a quick read, if only I had a guest bedroom!

Why I Need to Quit My Job

Things have gotten a little out of hand with my TBR pile. I'm going to have to whittle this down. I've joined some reading challenges and some I am just going to have to pass on. I'll keep you posted!

A Green Desire by Myner, novel
A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen, reflection
A Son of the Circus by John Irving, novel
A Sudden Change of Heart by Brabara Taylor Bradford, novel
A Theory of Relativity by Jacquelin Mitchard, novel
A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons, novel
A Woman of Substanance by Barbara Taylor Bradford, novel
Another City, Not My Own by Dominick Dunne, novel
Anyone But you by Jennifer Cruise, novel
Audacity of Hope, The by Barack Obama, non-fiction politics
**U.S. President's Reading Challenge
Bet Me by Jennifer Cruise, novel
Blood Orange by Druscilla Campbell, novel
Blue Bedspread, The by Jha, novel
Bluest eye, The by Toni Morison, novel
Boleyn Inheritance, The by Phillipa Gregory, historical fiction
Brethenm The by John Grisham, novel
Call No Man Father by William X. Kienzle, novel
Cat and Mouse by James Patterson, novel
China Card, The by James Erlichman, novel
Choke by Stuart Woods, novel
Cider House Rules by John Irving, novel
Color of Water, The by James McBride, memoir
Coming Attractions by Fannie Flagg, novel
Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher, novel
Day of Drums by Philip Shelby, novel
Dear Mem Fox by Mem Fox, memoir
Devil in the Junior League, The by Linda Francis Lee, novel
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee, novel
Doubel Take by Catherine Coulter, novel
Dry by Augustne Burroughs, memoir
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons, novel
End of Summer, The by Rosamunde Pilcher, novel
Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier, historical fiction
Fat Tuesday by Sandra Brown,novel
Fried Eggs With Chopsticks by Polly Evans, travel
From Beginning to End by Robert fulghum, essays
Gap Creek by Robert Morgan, novel
Greatest Generation, The by Tom Brokaw, non-fiction history
Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Frederikson, novel
Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman, novel
History of God by Armstrong, non-fiction religion
Hours, The by Michael Cunningham, novel
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubuis III, novel
Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubis, novel
In the Shadow of the Crown: The Story of Mary Tudor by Jean Plaidy, historical fiction
Jack and Jill by James Patterson, novel
Jane Austen Book Club by Fowler, novel
John Adams by David Mccullough, historical fiction
**U.S. President's Reading Project
Johnny Tremain by Esther forbes, kids lit
Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado, non-fiction religion
Killshot by Elmore Leonard, novel
Kiss the Girls by James Patterson, novel
Kitchen Priveleges by Mary Higgins Clark, memoir
Lords of Discipline, The by Pat Conroy, novel
Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living by Martin Clark, novel
Mary, Mary by James Patterson, novel
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, essays
Mexico by James Michener, novel
Midwives by Chris Bohijalian, novel
My Losing Season by Pat Conroy, memoir
New Testament, The by John Grisham, novel
Other Boleyn Girl, The by Philippa Gregory, historical fiction
Partner, The by John Grisham, novel
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, historical fiction
Praying For My Life by Marion Bond West, memoir
Rainmaker, The by John Grisham, novel
Ralph's Party by Lisa Jewell, novel
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, memoir
Red Tent, The by Anita Diamant, novel
Run With the Horsemen by Ferrol Sams, novel
Running With the Devil by Steve Kissing, memoir
S. by John Updike, novel
Shiloh, Shiloh Season, Saving Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, kids lit
Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen, novel
Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris, novel
Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, The by Anne Fadiman, non-fiction culture
Starting Out in the Evening by Brian Morton, novel
Stone Diaries, The by Carol Shields, novel
Sunday Wife, The by Cassandra King, novel
Surrender the Pink by Carrie Fisher, novel
Thinking Out Loud by Anna Quindlen, essays
Thirteenth Tale, The by Diane Setterfield, novel
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald, novel
Thorn Birds, The by Colleen McCullough, novel
Thy Brother's Wife by Andrew Greeeley, novel
Tipping Point, The by Macolm Gladwell, non-fiction business
'Tis by Frank McCourt, memoir
Twelth Card, The by Jeffreu Deaver, novel
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, novel
Under the Tuscan Sun by Francis Mayer, novel
Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwall, novel
Watership Down by Richard Adams, novel
We Wish to Let You Know That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch, non-fiction history
What Is Mine by Anne Holt, novel
When All the World Was Young by Ferrol Sams, novel
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris, essays
Where or When by Anita Shreve, novel
Where You Belong by Barbara Taylor Bradford, novel
While I Was Gone by Sue Miller, novel
Whisperer of the River by Ferrol Sams, novel
Winter People, The by Phyllis Whitnet, novel
World Is Flat, The by Friedman, non-fiction politics
Year of Dreams by Gloria Goldreid, novel
Year of Pleasure by Elizabeth Berg, novel

Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen

From the dust jacket: It's an otherwise ordinary Monday when Meghan Fitzmaurice's perfect life hits a wall. A household name as the host of "Rise and Shine", the country's highest rated morning television talk show, Meghan cuts to a commercial break - but not before she does something that, in an instant, marks the end of an era, not only for Meghan who is accustomed to dealing with adversity, but also for her younger sister, Bridget.

I was dead tired when I started the book but I had to read the first 35 pages through my half closed eyes just because I was so curious about what the main character, Meghan, does on air to start this ball rolling. Of course, I won't reveal that here! But in actuality the story isn't about that moment, it's about all the repercussions from that moment. It's about the relationship of the two sisters and there was much more delving into the character of the "lesser sister" than I expected, Bridget, the one who wasn't famous but lived her life in her sister's shadow. But isn't that what you find with all good storytellers? It's not the event or the setting or the activities that make the story - it's the relationships.


Anna Quindlen is a favorite author. I've read Black and Blue, Blessings, Object Lessons, and Loud and Clear. Rise and Shine would be in the category of Blessings - a good read but not her best. Black and Blue was the best - at least for me - I like the kind of books that at some point make you feel like you've just been punched in your emotional gut. Object Lessons was not a favorite - my review is here.

One True Thing by Anna Quindlen

From Amazon: After caring for her mother during her final, painful battle with terminal cancer, Ellen Gulden discovers many surprising things about her mother's life and finds herself accused of murdering her mother in a mercy killing.

I usually love Anna Quindlen but this one was a little bit slow for me. And, it turns out, I must have read it before because there was one part I remembered quite clearly (the "Minnies" decorating Christmas trees on the town square) and I had a feeling about the ending being a twist but couldn't remember what the twist was. So, Black and Blue remains my favorite of hers so far and I am looking forward to finding a copy of her newer book, Every Last One.

This book counts for these challenges:

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

From the author's website: On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged.

The book, The Last Lecture, that came from the event is a quick read. It's sentimental as you might expect and filled with life lessons that Randy wanted to pass on to his children. The book is divided into sixty short chapters each either a memory or an illustration of an axiom to live by. Through it all we learn Randy's history, his childhood, career success, and, finally, love and family. Would the same piece of work have any impact on us if not for Randy's illness? Probably not - Anna Quindlen proved that to me. But knowing that Randy was so sick at the time and has since died moved me. I wept my way through and took each little nugget of advice straight to heart.

What I haven't done yet is watch the lecture. Here it is for when I am ready.

Women Unbound Reading Challenge

This month a new challenge started, Women Unbound. Click to read the details but here is a short blurb from the dedicated website, "The challenge runs from November 1, 2009-November 30, 2010, but you may join in the fun whenever you wish! Participants are encouraged to read nonfiction and fiction books related to the rather broad idea of ‘women’s studies.’"

***UPDATE***I'll post what I have actually read here but leave my list of good intentions below.
Non-fiction:
1. Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza
Fiction:
1. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
The thing I love about these challenges is perusing my stacks of TBR's and finding the perfect fit. It's the same optimistic feeling I have when I come across books on my wish list and purchase them despite knowing I have more books than I will probably read in my LIFETIME already in my house.

As I looked through my stacks, I was fairly confident making my non-fiction selections. The fiction is a little shakier. I am basing my potential reads just on the back cover blurb; I think I'll have to read at least a bit before I know if it is truly a good fit for this challenge. Here's what I have come up with.....

Nonfiction:
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Thinking Out Loud by Anna Quindlen
The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner

Fiction:
One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea

Spring Reading Thing 2009

I'm just throwing this up for now. I may come back later and add pictures of books, teasers from the back cover, etc. But..the important part is just getting the list done. I'm already like number 170 something - what a great response! Click on the logo above to find out more about Spring Reading Thing and you can sign up too!

Here's my list!

I'm in the midst of four already so goal one is finishing...
1. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
2. Book of the Dead by Preston and Child
3. Four Spririts by Sena Jeter Naslund
4. John Adams by David McCullough

Then I have my April book club selection...
5. A Silent Ocean Away
An audiobook that's sitting in the car waiting...
6.0. This Rock by Robert Morgan

And some others from my TBR stack....
6.1. had to add Amethyst Dreams by Phyllis Whitney
6.2. and this too The 60 Second Organizer by Jeff Davidson
6.3. and this one as well Isle of Palms by Dorothea Benton Frank
6.4 a girlfriend dropped this one (and the next two in the series) off to me with a good recommendation Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin
6.5 Dry by Augusten Burroughs
6.6 Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella

7. Interpreter of Maladies Jhumpa Lahiri
8. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (this was my stopper last time around!)
9. One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
10. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
11. A Hundred and One Days

Now I am listening to another audiobook...
12. The Power of Simple Prayer by Joyce Meyer
and two three other audiobooks
12.1 Lifeguard by James Patterson
12.2 Undead and Unreturnable by MaryJanice Davidson
12.3 When Madeliene was Young by Jane Hamilton

And, I've ordered my May book club selection from Amazon...
13. The Firemaster's Mistress by Christie Dickason

OK - today was the library Spring book sale...I've added a few "must reads"
14. We Thought You Would Be Prettier by Laurie Notaro
15. The Things They Carried
16. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
17. A Mary Higgins Clark - actually two - one mystery, one historical fiction
18. a book of essays by Anna Quindlen
19. The Quiet American by Graham Greene

This one I had to go out and buy because I kept reading about it on other book blogs!
20. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

And I had to reread this
21. A Child Called "It"
which led me to...
21.1 Please Stop Laughing At Me by Jodee Blanco

Then I went and impulsively bought this at Walmart despite having two of her other books already at home waiting TBR...
22. Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark

And this fell in my (much too big) lap...
23. French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano

My teacher's group summer book club pick was...
24. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Fall Into Reading Wrap Up

"My guesstimate of what I will accomplish between now and Christmas - maybe the first four - and then The Pillars of the Earth will do me in and it will all come to a grinding halt.."

Those are my words from September. I did better than I thought I would! I did end up deviating from my original list and if you counted the ones I read since I completely abandoned my original list, I'd look even better! (There's a reason those books on my original list are lingering in my TBR pile - the grass is always greener.)

My favorite book from the challenge was Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard. It was an emotional tale and just wrung me out with crying which is just a good thing every now and again. I'll remember that story while even now looking at some of the other titles, I couldn't do a plot summary without grabbing for the book to review.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first foray into a reading challenge. And this one was such a laid back "come as you are" affair that it was the perfect, no stress beginning for me. Thank you to Katrina for hosting..I'll be back!

Here's what I accomplished -

The Tent by Gary Paulsen

A kids lit book - not as good as his others.




The Gravedigger’s Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates

Didn't care for this one but plowed through.





Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen

Another dud.




Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy


Typical Maeve Binchy - gently entertaining.




Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard


My favorite.




The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve


Ugh - not a good one for me.




Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

I did end up skipping this one - not sure why I find it so intimidating.







The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard


Good but not her best - that would be Deep End of the Ocean followed closely by Cage of Stars!




Wallflower at the Orgy by Nora Ephron

Interesting collection of magazine articles from the late 60's - fun peek into the culture of the times.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.


I've never partcipated in this meme before but I had such a great haul from the library book sale this weekend that I just had to share it and I decided this was the perfect forum!



Here's what we have from the bottom up:

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle Saw this one on other blogs - wish I could remember which ones so I could give credit...you know who you are!
Daddy's Little Girl by Mary Higgins Clark One I don't have from one of my favorite authors.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
One Thousand White Women Just saw a review of this one but, again, can't remember where!
Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve
Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs I've enjoyed the two books I have read already - Running with Scissors and Dry.
The Faith Club and Abraham by Bruce Feiler Abraham is a reread for me but I liked the idea of reading these two together. I loved Abraham when I read it but then never could get into his other big book, Walking the Bible. I had given away my copy of Abraham after I reda it so I was happy to find this one. First I found it for four dollars and then about six inches down the row, I found it again for just one dollar - even better! I love how the prices can be so different depending on which volunteer did it!Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout Another blog find that I can't remember where to give credit to...
Body Surfing by Anita Shreve Love Anita Shreve - usually.
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Again with the "saw it on a blog" but " can't remember where".
Good Dog, Stay by Anna Quindlen I'm not sure about this one - looks like a gift book you buy at the drugstore when you don't have a present. I'll hope for the best.

Fall Into Reading 2008: Time to Read!

A fall ritual here in my town is the annual Friends of the Library book sale. I took DD Bookworm over the weekend and she stocked up on bags and bags of books. I bought just a handful although there were dozens that caught my eye. Why? Because I have a glut of books sitting on the shelves waiting to be read. It's not the current best sellers - it's the two years ago best sellers that I can now pick up for a quarter at a sale or at a thrift shop. So I was considering a post with a list of all the books that are sitting in the order that I think I want to read them. I envisioned the list with me going back to "cross off' the ones that I had finished - a testament to my reading stamina. And, of course, like the rest of my blog, it would be just for me - I'm alone out here in cyberspace you know!

But then I visited a blog on my Google reader that was participating in Fall Into Reading 2008: Time to Read! and it was a perfect fit for my state of mind. So I am joining a community. Which probably means I should edit my profile so it says something! I'm excited to see what everybody is reading. I can't wait to compare notes if there are any crossovers - that would mean someone else out there is as behind in their reading as me - boy, wouldn't that make me feel better! Improved self-esteem coming right up.

So, here's my list of fiction books that I have on hand waiting to be read. I'm not including the non-fiction books that I have that I think I should read because they will make me smarter - I'm going to throw in the towel on those for awhile and not even pretend that I might read them. I'm also not including my "To Read for Work" pile. Those get read in the hours that my appointments don't show and I want to use "professional reading" as my project code on my time sheet rather than "sat in the parking lot and did Sudoku" - which for some reason my employer likes to consider as "annual leave". But here is what I do plan to read, in order, although it could change based on feedback from others! My quesstimate of what I will accomplish between now and Christmas - maybe the first four - and then The Pillars of the Earth will do me in and it will all come to a grinding halt - have you seen it? That book is like three inches thick in paperback! But everyone says I will love it.


The Tent by Gary Paulsen So I am totally cheating with this one - it's juvenile fiction. Youngest and I are reading it aloud together and we are about a third of the way through. I will probably read ahead and finish it tonight just to preview. Not only because I am curious about how the story progresses but also because there was a reference to sex in what we read today and that was pretty much more than I wanted to discuss with my third grader. I am definitely not opposed to smut in my fiction - the fact that I have to edit my donations to our church thrift shop is evidence to that effect. I'm just opposed to it in the fiction I'm listening to a third grader read! Those darn good readers - ready for the vocabulary, ready for the sentence structure, just not necessarily ready for the actual content. But I just looked ahead at that paragraph and said to him - "hmm, we'll just skip this part" and he was like, "Ooooh-kay." Apparently he doesn't really want to read smut with his mother around either. But I love Gary Paulsen - Hatchet, Brian's Winter, he's wonderful. How was I to know this one was a little further off the path?! Well, cheating or not, I expect by this time tomorrow, I will have a notch on my belt!

Here's the rest of the list.....
The Gravedigger’s Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates
From the back cover: Fleeing Nazi Germany in 1936, the Schwarts immigrate to a small town in upstate New York. Here the father - a former high school teacher - is demeaned by the only job he can get: gravedigger and cemetary caretaker. When local prejudice and the family's own emotional fraility give rise to an unthinkable tragedy, the gravedigger's daughter, Rebecca, heads out into America. Embarking upon an extraordianry odyssey of erotic risk and ingenius self-invention, she seeks renewal, redemption, and peace - on the road to a bittersweet and distinctly "American" triumph.

Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen
From the dust jacket: Young Maggie Scanlon begins to sense that, beneath the calm, everyday surface of her peaceful suburban life, everything is going mysteriously wrong. Her all-powerful grandfather is reduced to a shadow by a stroke, and to Maggie's astonishment this causes her usually unemotional father to burst into tears. And Connie, her lushly beautiful mother, who Maggie could always be sure of finding at home, is now rarely there. Her street smart cousin Monica and her best friend, Debbie, start doing things that leave her frightened about sex and sin. All theses shifts become so linked in Maggie's mind to the building of a housing development behind her home that, years later, whenever she smells "the peculiar odor of new construction, of pine planking and plastic plumbing pipes," Maggie will think back to this summer.

Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
From the dust jacket: In a small Greek island village, a group of travelers from around the world and the local residents they encounter are brought together in unexpected ways when sudden tragedy strikes.


Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard
From the dust jacket: Twelve-year-old Veronica Swan’s idyllic life in a close-knit Mormon community is shattered when her two younger sisters are brutally murdered. Although her parents find the strength to forgive the deranged killer, Scott Early, Veronica cannot do the same.
Years later she sets out alone to avenge here sisters’ deaths, dropping her identity and severing ties in the process. But as she closes in on Early, Veronica will discover the true meaning of sin and compassion…before she makes a decision that will change her and her family forever.


The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve
From the back cover: "I wonder this: If you take a woman and push her to the edge, how will she behave?" The question is posed by Jean, a photographer, who in 1995 arrives on Smuttynose Island, off the coast of Maine, to research a century-old crime. As she immerses herself in the details of the case - an outburst of passion that resulted in the deaths of two women - Jean herself enters precarious emotional testimony. The suspicion that her husband is having an affair burgeons into jealousy and distrust, and ultimately propels Jean to the verge of actions she had not known herself capable of - actions with horrific consequences.





Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

I'm skipping this one...it is SOOOOO LOOOONG! I think I need to save it for Thanksgiving when I'll have a few days off of work. Especially since everyone who recommends it says once you start, you can't put it down.

The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard

From the back cover: Giving advice is what Julieanne does for a living – every Sunday in an advice column in her local paper. But in her own life, Julieanne missed some clues. She is completely caught off guard when her husband, Leo, tells her he needs to go on a “sabbatical” from their life together, leaving Julie with three children. Things worsen when Julie is diagnosed with a serious illness and the children undertake a dangerous journey to find Leo – before it’s too late. As the known world sinks from view, the clan must work their way back to solid ground and to a new definition of family.

Wallflower at the Orgy by Nora Ephron

From the back cover..From her Academy Award-nominated screenplays to her bestselling fiction and essays, Nora Ephron is one of America's most gifted, prolific, and versatile writers. In this classic collection of magazine articles, Ephron does what she does best: embrace American culture with love, cynicism, and unmatched wit.


Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio


Double Take by Catherine Coulter


The Thorn Birds by Colleen Mccullough


Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher


The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

A Theory of Relativity by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Blood Orange by Drusilla Campbell

Reading Lolita In Tehran by Azar Nafisi

The Sunday Wife by Cassandra King

The Blue Bedspread by Raj Kamal Jha

The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons

Out to Canaan by Jan Karon

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

My Losing Season by Pat Conroy

Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

Whew! I need some vacation - full time employment is just not conducive to full time book reading!