Just finished Longbourn by Jo Baker, which is about the servants of the Bennett family in Pride and Prejudice. Very good book. I'm now reading The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt.

I'm struggling with the Goldfinch. I keep putting it down and picking up something else.

I just read "The Fault Is In Our Stars" by John Green. It's a book written for teens or young adults, but good reading for older adults too. It's humourous, but sad. You laugh and cry with this book. I loved it.

Just finished two thrillers--Dead Irish by John Lescroat and The Pied Piper by Ridley Pearson--two of my favorite authors in the thriller/mystery genre--both good.

I just finished Wally Lamb's newest book, We are Water. It was very interesting and thought provoking but not for the faint hearted.
Also I recently read The Orchardist by Amanda Copland. It was interesting and thought provoking, too.
I just started W is for Waste by Sue Grafton. A friend recommended it.
My favorite book this year (or the end of last year) was A Tale for The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.

I've been reading the Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross--just finished number 8 of 13. They are delightful books and easy reading.

Just finished "Second Honeymoon" by James Patterson and now reading "Private London". Patterson's books are all good.

Just finished "Loss of Innocence" by James North Patterson. He usually writes suspenseful stuff, so this 'coming of age' novel was a surprise that I enjoyed greatly. It is a trilogy, and Book #1 I haven't read yet... "Fall from Grace". If you haven't discovered this author and like suspense, try the Spire, or Devil's Punchbowl.

Finally finished When We Were the Kennedys, by Monica Wood. I loved the book (a memoir that has nothing to do with "the" Kennedys), but it took me forever to read it because it's on my Kindle and I guess I'm not an e-book person. I keep gravitating to real books while my Kindle sits.

Anyway, the book is about the author's working-class family in Maine during the 1950s after the father dies. I think I've mentioned it at the KT before.

I liked Monica Wood's writing so much that I immediately bought two more of her books: a novel called Any Bitter Thing and a nonfiction book for writers about description.

Our Humane Society just had a book sale today.....all you can get in a bag for a dollar! So many that it's hard to see them, but I managed to nearly fill my bag. One of them is an Anita Shreve book that I haven't read yet, so that was a plus. The rest all look interesting.

I think I mentioned Alistair MacLeod's "Island" before. It is marvelous, but I hate to finish it, for that very reason. It isn't really a sad book, but I weep, regardless.

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard and This is When I Leave You by Josh Trapper. Both just OK. They were on a list I saw somewhere about books to read before they come to the theaters this year. Right now I am reading The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I've been wanting to read When We Were the Kennedys for a long time, I forgot about it. Maybe that will be next.

I usually have a few books going at the same time and here are a couple that I just finished.....
"The Longest Ride" by Nicholas Sparks....Excellent
"Don't Blink" by James Patterson.......Very good
"low Pressure" by Sandra Brown......Very good
"Play Dirty" by Sandra Brown.....also very good.......
And in between I'm picking up some of Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove's series....I really liked the TV show and enjoy the books as well......

"One Second After," by Willian Fortschen.

It will rock your world and change your life! GREAT book!!!

Carol; you and I have been reading some of the same books. I also read The Orchardist - not terribly impressed.

Read A Tale for the Time Being and didn't care for it. I've heard you either love it or hate it.

I have loved Wally Lamb's previous books, but shied away from his new one because it didn't get good reviews.

Recently read The Orphan Train which was great.

Finished The Goldfinch last week and loved it. The best so far of Donna Tartt's work.

Read The Dinner, which was great - that's one that's really thought provoking.

I finally broke down and bought a copy of Wolf Hall. I hadn't wanted to read it earlier as I don't much care for historical stuff, but I picked up a copy of Bringing Up the Bodies for $2, and decided I had better read the first book but couldn't find a used copy, so I bought it. I'll start that today.

One good thing about cold weather; you can read and not feel too guilty doing it when you should be doing other things. Nothing better than snuggling up with a good book.

I loved The Fault in Our Stars also. Highly recommend it. It's well written. I'm presently reading The Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts. It's very interesting but a slow read. Just finished Rage Against Dying. Not a Pulitzer Prize book but a good mystery-type quick read.

Maxmom--Orphan Train was good.

I just finished a classic--All Quiet on the Western Front. It was a very touching war book, not normally my taste, but did not include a lot of war strategy, troop movement, etc. which to me is boring.

So far, I am loving The Goldfinch. I found myself tearing up during part of it. She's an incredible writer.