You have been busy! I just finished Dicken's Great Expectations.

I'm less than 100 pages from the end of the 7th Harry Potter book!! Yesssssss. My goal was to get the first 6 by Christmas, but missed that mark by a month. Next on my list is one called Metal Cowboy, about a bicyclist. Oklamoni has probably read it. A series of short articles, it should go fast. I've had Brokaw's The Greatest Generation sitting by the bed for forever and will tackle that after Metal Cowboy, so many books, so little time.

Its been a boring winter with lots of snow Socks! LOL

I forgot 2 more.

Rainwater by Sandra Brown This one was really different. It was different for me anyway.

Succulent Container Gardens by Debra Lee Baldwin (beautiful pics!)

Thyroid Problems in Women and Children (that was a quick read, I learned a few things that I didn't already know).

Your Soul's Plan by Robert Schwartz
Then at the library I picked up Home with God in a Life that Never Ends by Neale Donald Walsh not knowing what it was about... coincidentally it was very very similar to Your Soul's Plan which deals with reincarnation and how we chose our life's lessons.

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell ... fascinating book about how and why certain people became/become successful.

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert ... The sad life story of a Hawaiian woman growing up in a leper colony on the island of Moloka'i in the 1890s.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson ... a murder mystery with some interesting characters.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck ... a classic, set in China during the pre-revolution of the 1920s. Last year I made it my goal to read all the classics. I am absolutely amazed how much my parents cited situations in this book during my youth. Sometimes much to my dismay.

Jodi-

This winter I am doing more reading rather than jigsaw puzzles.

I have read two very big books (one follows the other) that I bought at a garage sale last summer.
Both by Herman Wouk
Wind of War
War and Rememberance

Now I'm reading Sarah Palin's book.
Living in Alaska must be very interesting.

Precious...powerful
jd robb... always enjoy
short girls bich nguyen...boring
dear john...just started

Jodi in ca her books sound real interesting will look at library thx Jodi

Thanks for starting this thread, Connie. I'm always looking for a good recommendation. I just finished, "Absolute Power" by David Baldacci. Before that I read "Pegasus Descending" by James Lee Burke. "Half Broke Horses" by Jeannette Walls that wrote "Glass Castle".In January I read a couple of Lee Childs books and I always LOVE him. I'm now reading "The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs.

Sandy9743, Dear John was a good one!

Have read 8 of the Simon Scarrow's "Under The Eagle" series and waiting on number nine, The Gladiator" to come in the mail - today hopefully.

Hayjud, did you enjoy the Herman Wouk books? I read them both years ago and reading your post brought back how very much I enjoyed them. The Caine Mutiny and Youngblood Hawke were also good.

I just finished reading The Painted House by John Grisham. It was a good book and I really enjoyed reading it. I haven't really decided what I am going to read next. Trying to get some baby quilts done too. :o)

Vannie, did you read Glass Castle? If so, I'd love to hear your reaction to the book. It really set the gals in my book club on edge. Very emotional for many of them.

Sandy, I've been a member of a 10 woman book club who has been meeting for 12 years. We have a very diverse group of gals and their book selections are very interesting. Every calendar year, each member selects a month she wants to host a meeting and the book she wants to read (we do not meet in July or December) We meet at the end of that month to have dinner and discuss. Dinner is often more interesting than the book. Many of us choose the meal by the subject in the book. Last year I chose Winterdance which is about the Iditarod sled dog race from Willow (near Wasilla) to Nome, 1050 miles away. I searved "Moose" (really beef) stew in sourdough bread bowls, Alaskan cole slaw, puppy chow (snack) and baked Alaska. It was so much fun.

Probably a lot more than you wanted to read but bottom line is, that is how I end up reading so many wonderful books.

Jodi-

Mare,
I DID enjoy them! That really isn't the kind of book that I would ever pick out for myself, but the lady at the Garage Sale talked me into them -- AND at 50 cents each, how could I say no!

I did scan over some of the parts which were heavy on the millitary tactics, but I especially loved following the families. I lost a couple night's sleep over the concentration camps. I learned a lot about history, which I never took an interest in before. Our world today isn't much different from those days! I'm not so sure - we've come a long way baby! Not so!

Jodi I read "The Glass Castle" and LOVED it. It touched me deeply and I have her second one "Half Broke Horses" in my stack to be read. I'm reading Michael Connlley's newest "9 Dragons".

I've been quilting a lot this winter but the reading bug will hit when the days start warming up a bit. I love to sit outside and read...

Susan

Reading on the Kindle is 23 Seconds In Hell. A short book. Soon will be Sarah Palins book. My friends really liked it so that's next.

Right now I'm reading The Master Butcher's Singing Club by Louise Erdrich. It's about German immigrants in North Dakota from post World War I through the Second World War. This author does a wonderful job of creating complex, memorable characters.

Fool by Christopher Moore
and
Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts

Currently reading "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell. Her later books are not as good as her early ones.

Just finished "Swimsuit" and "Run for Your Life" by James Patterson. His books are always very good.

Finally getting around to reading John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, and wondering why I never read it before. It's wonderful!

Just finised the Susan Wiggs Christmas one from last year, a recent Dean Koontz, and The Fixer Upper, by Mary Kay Andrews. All were library books, and all enjoyable:-)

Haven't felt like reading much but I have a couple I'm trying to finish: "Inside of a Dog" and "The Introvert Advantage"-which was a gift from a coworker.

"Virgin Time" and "The Florist's Daughter," by Patricia Hampl.
"Seven Storey Mountain," by Thomas Merton.
"Emma," by Jane Austen.

What the Dog Saw..Malcolm Gladwell

Very interesting so far. This book contains several different stories of real people, and other interesting ideas.

Erica, I started Travels with Charley today at lunch.

Itsmesuzq, I think too many gals in our book club are from very dysfunctional homes which is why Glass Castle was so emotional for them. We had four (out of 10) gals in tears while discussing the book.

Jodi-

The Art of Racing in the Rain....delightful
Sarahs Key....wonderful
The Weight of Silence...very good

Listening to Drop Dead Gorgeous by Linda Howard. I laugh all the way to work.

Just got The Face of Deception by Iris Johansen and something by Lisa Howard...I've got "The Help" on hold at the libary...I've been on a working vacation and have literally been falling asleep standing up every night so haven't read but come Friday I go back to work and can always find time to read then! I decided to write down every book I read this year...want to see how many I read! So far I've done about 10 for the year!!

John Grishams,the last juror.
One ofthe Chicken soup for the soul books about people battling/or have battled cancer.
Kathi

I am still reading on Miss Willie, A Piney Ridge Novel by Janice Holt Giles. I also read some of Cheryl's Chicken Soup books about dogs. I read on it while waiting for her to shop recently. Both books are very enjoyable to me.

Sue

My Sis-in-law sent me some books to read while I'm recuperating from foot surgery so I just finished reading:

Peace like a River by Leif Enger...very good book with a Dad that has amazing faith and miracles seem to be answered through him.

Like Jodi,I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Hard to get through the first few "set up" pages and it's set in Sweden so the names and currency system are different but a very good, although disturbing book. It draws you in through the mystery part of it but the events that happen to the girl are heartwrenching. And how she retaliates paints a mental image that is hard to get out of your mind. I must say, I'm looking forward to reading his next book "The Girl who Played with Fire" and as soon as I can hobble to the library, I'll get it.

And then, for a fun book, she sent me the first in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, One for the Money. How have I gone this long and not read any of this series? Definitely a fun, easy read so I'll be getting Two, Three, etc. soon.

I love to read, just usually don't make the time. Having to sit and keep my foot elevated is a perfect excuse. I enjoy all the recommendations from other KTers. I'm making my library list right now and adding Glass Castles among others.

Oh Jen you will LOVE all the rest of Janet Evanovich's series!! I started One For The Money after seeing it mentioned here.
Have you read any of the Sue Grafton books? They are good too. First one is A Is For Alibi?

Nope, I haven't read those either Connie. I swear, I do love to read but I'm one of those who gets immersed and can't put it down so I get nothing else done. So I have to read in spurts. I do like series because when it's a good book, I don't want it to ever end! I read all the Harry Potter books, the Twilight books and all the Sookie Stackhouse series. I thought it was time to venture away from the vampires for a while. LOL I'll have to put Sue Grafton on my list. Trouble is, I think my foot will heal before I can get caught up on all the reading there is out there! I'm WAY behind. LOL

I'm getting ready to start Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. It's our book club choice for February.

Thanks to seeing it listed here, I just started reading Travels with Charley. I really have LOL'd many times and I'm only on page 54.

My book club is reading A Reliable Wife this month but since I will miss the mtg I didn't want to borrow it from the library and prevent someone else from reading it. I'll wait or borrow someone's purchased copy next month.

Last month we read A Tale of Two Cities. It's a much better read now than as a high school student! We're waiting to read The Help until after it comes out in paperback. I read it last month so I will have to skim it to remind myself of details for the discussion.

I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and liked it although I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone because of the difficult subject matter. I had the follow-up The Girl who Played with Fire but couldn't focus on it, due to other things going on, so I returned it to the library. I'll probably put myself back on the waiting list since things have settled down and I hope I can focus better.

Just finished The Little Giant of Aberdeen County and would recommend it.

Well, back to reading about John and Charley while I wait for the snow to stop so I can start shoveling.

If you enjoy reading about snow and cold while you are deep in snow and cold (I do for some reason!) make sure to read
David Laskin's "The Children's Blizzard." I couldn't put it down when I first read it a few year's ago.