The Monster in the Box, by Ruth Rendell

Another great Inspector Wexford novel by Ruth Rendell, le grande dame of UK psychological suspense. So good. I am almost ashamed to admit it, but I actually cried in parts of this. I think a great deal of the strength of some of the series fiction, as opposed to stand alone titles, is that growing with a character over years and years makes them so familiar, and you have an existing emotional relationship with them. As with Martha Grimes' Richard Jury, I feel that Wexford is (ok, an imaginary) friend, and to see him so vulnerable and looking back through the years made me kind of achy. The Wexford series has been going since 1964, I think I found them in about 1997 or so, and I've read all 22, so I feel like I've seen Wexford grow up faster than I did. It's a funny feeling. Anyone who cried reading Curtain by Agatha Christie will know what I mean. (no, not that!!! Just, you know, hard to read.)

The Actor and The Housewife, by Shannon Hale

Stupid, stupid book. Mormon Utah housewife Becky (gag) sells a screenplay (without an agent, no less), goes to Hollywood, and hits it off (in a friendly way only, because, see above, Mormon, housewife, Utah) with a handsome movie star. They become best friends. It only gets more improbable and pathetic from there. This was the worst kind of schlock.

The Broken Teaglass, by Emily Arsenault

Wonderful, literate and intricate mystery. Lexicographers Mona and Billy discover a long ago murder mystery buried in the citation files where they work for America's oldest dictionary company. Aside from the unique nature of their jobs, the way the story came together in so many little pieces was great- this was very different, and very good. There was a kind of bildungsroman feel to it as well, which is so rare in a mystery.

Up the Amazon Without A Paddle, by Doug Lansky

Very funny collection of travel essays. My favorite was definitely the Jordanian Border Control story, but all were interesting and thought provoking, especially the Disney one. I'd like to read more of him. Reminded me (vaguely) of Bill Bryson and J. Maartin van Troost.

Desert Lost, by Betty Webb

Fascinating mystery. The story takes place in Scottsdale, Arizona, all too close to some of the notorious Utah polygamist compounds. Private Investigator Lena gets a little too involved in helping some sister-wives escape, and boom. The book was remarkably well written, and gave a horrifying look at what lives are like in, as the author states, America's own Taliban.

Ivy and Bean Doomed to Dance, by Annie Barrows

Children's book that reminded me why I don't read more of them- or at least more recent ones. Ivy and Bean were wily, sly, manipulative, sarcastic, clever, and unpleasant. I appreciate that ballet is not for everyone (it wasn't for me) but overly demanding brats is not what I want to read about, and I can't help but think that children's books like this only add to The Problem.

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest, by Stieg Larsson

Absolutely fantastic book, the last of the Millenium Trilogy, which breaks my heart. Lisbeth Salander, one of the most original characters I've encountered, and Mikael Blomqvist feel so real, I'd know them if I saw them walking down the street. This book had so much going on in it that it's swirling around in my head like confetti, amazing dialogue, incredible tight plot, great fight scenes, less sex than the other two books, but given the plot, which I don't want to give away a drop of, it had to be that way. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! Thank you so much mom!

We'll Always Have Parrots, by Donna Andrews

Very funny Meg Lanslow mystery, this one set at a convention for fans of a fantasy show that her boyfriend, actor and drama professor Michael is on.

Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938, by R.A. Scotti

Re-read for book group, still fantastic non-fiction that reads like a thriller, still made me cry in parts. Hard to believe the devastation that happened right here in Rhode Island.

The Unseen, by Alexandra Sokoloff

Pretty damn good horror/ghost story/paranormal thriller. Psych professor Laurel moves to North Carolina to take a position at Duke, where sealed files from the Rhine paranormal study labs have just been unsealed. She gets caught up in a spiral of HORROR, etc, it was impossible to put down!

The Atlantis Code, by Charles Brokaw

Fast paced international conspiracy thriller. Well done, much snappier than The Lost Symbol.

How to Sell, by Clancy Martin

Amazing first novel. Bobby Clark leaves Canada at 16 to go work with his brother at a jewelry store in Dallas, and the process by which he learns to sell (watches, jewelry, his integrity) was painful and fascinating to read. Precise details about the shadier sides of the jewelry industry read so right, it's left me feeling wary of the entire sector.

American Teen

Interesting 2008 documentary about the senior year of high school for 5 students in Warsaw, Indiana. High school looks so much worse now than even I remember it- the texts, the online humiliation seem to add a new level to the lord of the flies nature of high school.

How It Ended: New and Collected Stories, by Jay McInerney

Superb collection of short stories from one of my favorite writers. Revisiting much of the same ground (NYC, Tennessee) as his novels, and in some cases revisiting familiar characters like Russell and Corrinne from Brightness Falls, and of course, inevitably, Alison Poole from Story of My Life (who was also used as a character in Ellis's American Psycho), McInerney brings his stories and characters to life, thwarted as some of them may be. Some find some wisdom, 9/11 has happened, there are wars and protests and middle age and past middle age- new territory for a writer who wrote so incandescently about being young in New York, before some buildings blew up and everything got different. Favorite stories: My Public Service, How It Ended, Getting In Touch With Lonnie, I Love You, Honey, Penelope on the Pond (the Allison Poole/Rielle Hunter/John Edward's mistress character), and The Last Bachelor.

American Salvage, by Bonnie Jo Campbell

Phenomenal collection of short stories. Nominated for the National Book Award, each story in this collection was set in rural Michigan, which, to be honest, sounds a bit of a depressing place, but the stories themselves were incredibly powerful. My "favorite", if you could call it that, was The Solutions to Brian's Problem- the title alone hints that Brian has a hell of a problem.
Rough and inspiring.

Family Album, by Penelope Lively

Interesting and well written, if slow paced novel about a family of 6 children and their parents, and their relationships with each other, with Ingrid the au pair who never quite moves on, and with the family home, Allersmead, which was more of a character than some of the children. Feminism and femininity, memory and myth, and whether truth is in the head of the thinker are all kind of addressed in a dreamy, very polite style.

The Sunday Philosophy Club, by Alexander McCall Smith

Well, I've finally read one of this absurdly prolific writer's books, and can't say I loved it. Can't say I hated it either, it was well written, made Edinburgh seem very civilized and appealing, but it was also 1. incredibly slowly paced 2. frustratingly and unnecessarily high-falutin', and 3, I COULD NOT STAND the 'heroine' of the book, which makes me suspect I would not like the rest of the books in the series. Isabel Dalhousie, I want to smack you for your unforgivable nosiness, judgemental ways, condescension, laziness, pride, snobbery, and probably for the way you dress. Also, you are no Nancy Drew - the lack of a satisfying conclusion made me long for a good fast thriller where everyone swears and everything blows up.

Blackwork, by Monica Ferris

Needlework-themed cozy mystery, with a solid plot and interesting characters.

Viola in Reel Life, by Adriana Trigiani

Ok enough YA. Brooklyn native Viola is a fish out of water when her documentary-maker parents send her to a midwestern boarding school for a year while they cover the war in Afghanistan, but (surprise) she finds that making new friends and becoming more accepting is A Good Thing.

Alphas, by Lisi Harrison

This may have been the worst book ever. Lisi Harrison's manipulative and misogynistic tween writing has hit a new and exceptionally low low. I felt brain cells leaping off cliffs to get away from this drivel as I read it. Wildly depressing.

In A Perfect World, by Laura Kasischke

Phenomenal book. This was so good.
Flight attendant Jiselle marries Captain Dorn, and settles down to take care of his 3 children. A strain of flu, known as the Phoenix Flu, with a kill rate of about 1 in 3 spreads over America, and the world, and Jiselle and the children inhabit a world in which electricity becomes unreliable, cars useless without gas, the whole unsustainable life thing, coupled with rage from the rest of the world...
Haunting, and I've read a LOT of near-future disaster scenarios. So quietly done, this had all the impact of the noisiest.

But Not For Long, by Michelle Wildgen

Well, this was very good, and interesting, but as I read it immediately after the absolutely fantastic In A Perfect World, which dealt with much of the same ideas and issues, it paled in comparison.
Hal, Karin, and Greta live in a co-op kind of living situation, in which they agree to eat locally, cook for each other, etc, and this enables Hal and Karin to work at non-profits and feel good about themselves, while Greta has left her alcoholic husband and is kind of drifting. The power goes out- and stays out. There's an air of confusion throughout the book, which makes sense in that the characters themselves are isolated from news, but it was frustrating as a reader to have no explanation for what finally crashed the grid.
Good read, but for a near-near-future take on crashed grids and unsustainable lifestyles, read In A Perfect World by Laura Kasischke.

The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton

Perfection. What else is there to say.

Big Easy To Big Empty

Short but powerful documentary about government failures (and worse) leading up to and after Hurricane Katrina.

Pebble Mosaics, by Deborah Schneebeli-Morel

No idea why I took this out, and i certainly have no urge to make pebble mosaics, but if I did have such an urge, this was definitely a well done craft book.

Bad Apple, by Laura Ruby

Interesting, well written YA. Tola is the focus of a rumor storm after her art teacher is dismissed after accusations of an inappropriate relationship, so it's a little suburban trauma-porn, but her character was unique enough to make the book stand out.

Bought, by Anna David

Although it looks like straight up chick-lit, this was actually pretty serious, and it was a good book. Emma wants to be a serious journalist, but her job just has her covering press lines at Hollywood events. She ends up looking into the world of modern day courtesans in L.A., and realizes how easily lines can blur. Good read.

Dream House, by Valerie Laken

Re-read, and even better on the second reading. Really, one hell of a good book.

Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?, by Louise Rennison

The latest (and last?) in the Georgia Nicholson series. I loved the first ones so much, the middle was a bit iffy, and while I enjoyed this, I'm kind of glad it's over. Still love Angus the cat though.

I Love You Miss Huddleston, by Philip Gulley

Sweet and funny memoir of growing up in Indiana- much of a Bill Bryson's Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid flavor. Very nice.

False Impression, by Jeffrey Archer

Clever art theft/fraud thriller set during and immediately after 9/11, which might be a bit of a crass plot device, but it was pretty well done.

Murder at Longbourn, by Tracy Kiely

Absolutely fantastic locked door mystery/Jane Austen tribute thing. I usually get very annoyed with the Jane Austen take-offs, but this was so well done, and the mystery itself was fair play, I can't wait for her next book.

Scary Stuff, by Sharon Fiffer

A Jane Wheel cozy mystery, antiques and family secrets and Halloween- ok.

Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter, by Lisa Patton

Fun book! Leelee's husband suddenly gets the urge to move from Memphis to Vermont to run a bed and breakfast, but when Leelee is left to face Vermont winters and to run an inn on her own, she finds she's much more competent and capable than she had ever thought. I usually don't enjoy books that twang on about Southern-ness, but this was an enjoyable light read.

Much Ado About Anne, by Heather Vogel Frederick

Very sweet YA/Children's book. A sequel to The Mother Daughter Book Club, this time the girls read Anne of Green Gables, and the plot of the book vaguely mirrors the plot of Anne. Lovely.

Box 21, by Roslund-Hellstrom

Disturbing but well done Swedish noir. Corrupt police? check. Illegal immigrants and human trafficking? check. A dark and awful twist at the end? check. Fantastic, I'm sold.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, by Jeff Kinney

More of the same, but Greg is definitely growing up. Very funny.

And Another Thing, by Eoin Colfer

This was lovely, funny, and fit right into the series. I'm never sure about a new writer finishing a dead writer's work, but supposedly Douglas Adams was sad about where he'd left Arthur, Trillian, Ford, Random, etc, and Colfer definitely tried to follow the magic formula.

I Never Fancied Him Anyway, by Claudia Carrol

Standard psychic Irish chick lit. fun.

Emma

A really lovely movie version of Emma (Jane Austen). This was lovely, I liked it a lot more than the Gwyneth Paltrow version.

George Bush Dark Prince of Love, by Lydia Millet

One of the strangest books I have ever read. Ex-con Rosemary fallis in love with George Bush during his inaugural speech, worships him from afar, builds altars and effigies, writes to him and gets secret service visits, and in the end, transfers her insane affections to Bill Clinton. Kind of fabulous, very depressing, wonderful writing.

If I Stay, by Gail Forman

Trauma-porny YA. After a horrific car crash that kills her parents and her little brother, Mia floats around the hospital in some kind of out-of-body coma and decides whether to 'stay' or go.

One D.O.A., One on the Way, by Mary Robison

Beautifully written book about life in post-Katrina New Orleans. I have only read one of Mary Robison's books, Oh, and that was years and years ago and it barely made an impression on me, but this was something else. Achingly perfect use of language, and the interspersed lists and holster-wearing guidelines didn't distract from the kind of melancholy Southern Gothic love triangle that was the heart of the story. Lit fic, done well.

Misconception, by Ryan Boudinot

Wonderful, twisted little book. From two of the most unreliable narrators I've seen in fiction, this tiny masterpiece was such a blurry little nightmare. Even to the last line, nothing was clear. Kat and Cedar haven't seen each other since they were teens, at the end of a first-love summer that went incredibly awry. 20 years later, Kat needs Cedar to sign off some documents her publishers require, saying that he won't sue over what she has written in her memoir- parts of which she has written from his point of view. The power of the novel lies in the space inbetween her memories and his, and between truth and fiction, and the loopy meta-ness of having Cedar read an Amazon review of Kat's first collection of short stories by a Ryan Boudinot- sneaky!
Wonderful.

Hummingbirds, by Joshua Gaylord

Beautifully written book about teachers and students at an all-girls school in Manhattan. The language was finely used. If the 2 male teachers at the heart of the story weren't original, there were some lovely phrases used in their spiraling to what was told as inevitable disaster.

Juliet, Naked, by Nick Hornby

Well, this was pretty standard Nick Hornby. Depressed, go-nowhere pop-culture obsessed man-children, women who for the most part should run rings about these guys but who love them nonetheless, bittersweet romance, and all.

The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi

Fantastic, disturbing near-future sci-fi. Gene mutations and spread of genetically modified food that bears diseases that taint 'natural' crops has left the world in a famine, while rising sea levels have destroyed most coastal cities. Bangkok, however, due to massive engineering and successful wars between Thailand and it's neighbors, survives in a surreal animal power driven nightmarish state, and the machinations and plottings of some expatriate corporate types with a need to get their hands on the imperial seed bank drive the plot for the most part. The windup girl of the title, Emiko, is a Japanese creation abandoned after her owner left her in the city, and her 'life' has become a nightmare. Questions of civil rights for artificial life are hard to look at in a novel where humans suffer this much, but miraculously, Emiko's struggles are as agonizing, if not more so, as the humans she was created to obey.

After, by Amy Efaw

Trauma-pornish YA issue novel, this time about the dumpster-baby phenomenon. Pretty well written, but...

Down At The Docks, by Rory Nugent

Interesting and sad look at the disintegration of New Bedford's economy and of the city's fishing community.

Well Read and Dead, by Catherine O'Connell

Another fluffy mystery, set among Chicago 'society', and in Bangkok. Suprisingly good plot.

Purses and Poison, by Dorothy Howell

Another fun, fluffy mystery, a little more Stephanie Plum than September Fair.

September Fair, by Jess Loury

Fun, fast and breezy month-by-month mystery. Set at the Minnesota State Fair, Mira James, recovering alcoholic and journalist is there to cover the prizes residents of her tiny town Battle Lake win, but ends up having to investigate the death of Milkfed Mary, the beauty queen.

The War After Armageddon, by Ralph Peters

Thoroughly engrossing apocalyptic novel.

I can't summarize it as neatly as booklist, so I shall use their (no doubt copyrighted) words.

"Peters unveils the possibility of a terrifying future in his latest thriller. Following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rest of the world becomes embroiled in battle. Los Angeles doesn't exist anymore after a nuclear blast, and most of Europe and Israel are also wiped off the map. How will the remains of the U.S. react to this new and horrible landscape? The scenario that unfolds demonstrates both a paranoid and all-too-plausible possibility. Peters doesn't take the time to explain how all the cataclysmic events transpired. Instead, he drops the reader directly into the battle for the remains of the planet, with weapons firing and limbs flying. The result is an extremely brutal and bloody novel. The introduction, set after the war, takes away some of the narrative's suspense, though the reader is never quite sure at what point the story will end. Military-fiction fans who don't mind Armageddon-style bleakness and massive carnage will find plenty to sink their teeth into here.--Ayers, Jeff Copyright 2009 Booklist "

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, by Ridley Pearson

Haunted house story, gothic horror set in turn of the century Seattle. Was ok.

Tales from Outer Suburbia, by Shaun Tan

Haunting and strange short story collection/graphic novel. This was a surreal and beautiful book, but I don't see who it's aimed at- maybe the point of art isn't to aim it but to make it because you have to, and it was so very gorgeous and wierd.

The Accidental Bestseller, by Wendy Wax

Fun, loopy kind of meta women's fiction. Writer Kendall Aims is on the verge of losing everything- her husband, her agent, her career, and 3 of her writing friends, pastor's wife Fay, waitress and romance writer Tanya, and successful Mallory help her complete a manuscript by its due date to fulfill contractual obligations. The title gives an idea what happens to this group effort, but it was very clever in ways. Fluffy, but a neat skewering of the publishing industry, with a lot of real names etc popping up, and great defenses of inspirational fiction, harlequin type books, women's fiction, etc. Also funny- how mean she was about paranormal romance. Tee hee.

Spoiled, by Caitlin Macy

Pretty amazing collection of short stories. Mostly focused on class tension among privileged New Yorkers and each other or with the help (nannies, cleaning help) that they employ. It wasn't that this whole thing hasn't been done before, but it was the knifelike precision of the writing that really knocked me out. The Red Coat, about Trish and her cleaning lady, Evgenia, was wonderful, the title story Spoiled, about teenage Leigh and her riding instructor was great, but I think my favorite might have been the first story, Christie.

Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin

Beautifully told immigration and coming of age story. Eilys leaves her mother and sister in rural Ireland in the 1950s to emmigrate to Brooklyn. While this was really good, I am surprised it was on the Booker long list- as I was surprised with The Little Stranger being nominated too. Good, but...

Holly's Inbox, by Holly Denham

Funny breezy London chick-lit, told through emails in Holly's inbox. Bit of a sudden end, but was frothy and had some laugh-out-loud bits, mostly from Holly's friend Aisha.

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

Sequel to The Hunger Games. I actually enjoyed this book more than the first, thought it had a lot more going on and liked the character development. Looking forward to the third.

Blue Heaven, by C.J. Box

2008 Edgar Award winner, this thriller set in North Idaho follows a 12 year old girl and her younger brother who go on the run after witnessing a brutal execution-style murder, and know that the killers saw them. Fun read, and really well done look at what happens when people (in this case retired LAPD) move into an area with well-established locals, and no one has the same ideas about what the town should feel like.

Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn

Wonderful, very dark and gruesome. Libby Day was 7 when she was the sole survivor of the murders of her mother and two sisters, and based on evidence she gave, her 15 year old brother Ben was convicted of the very violent murders. Now as an adult, the last of the sympathy fund that had been established for her has run out, and she has no life skills to earn a living. A group of true crime enthusiasts offers her money to tell them about that night, and she begins to explore, for the first time, the facts of the case, and to find out what really happened that night. This was pretty fantastic, but disturbing- not for the squeamish, but a really well written take on a very unsympathetic character and a wonderfully plotted story.

Frozen Fire, by Bill Evans and Marianna Jameson

Fast paced disaster thriller, very James Bond-y with hot brilliant scientists willing to die for charismatic leader of covert group, great explosions, etc. Ridic, but super fun.

The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown

Dreadful improbable schlock, but quick.

Lush Life, by Richard Price

Gritty with amazingly realistic dialogue. The mix of immigrants, projects, and hipsterish newcomers to the lower east side of NYC leads to what feels like inevitable tragedy.

Moonlight in Odessa, by Janet Skeslein Charles

This was so good, yet frothy somehow. Ukrainian Daria is working in Odessa at an inport/export company, avoiding her lecherous boss, and takes a second job helping translate for a Valentina, who is running a dating site to match Ukrainian women to American men. Daria's character was so well developed, and her insight into the world of mail-order brides was fascinating, but I felt the story lost strength when Daria herself came to America.

Love Will Tear Us Apart, by Sarah Rainone

I really wanted to like this book, but found it hard. Set in Rhode Island over a wedding weekend, this story of friends gathering in what was clearly Cranston felt overwritten.

Killer, by Sara Shepard

The fifth in the increasingly nonsensical Pretty Little Liars YA series.

The Season, by Sarah MacLean

Exceptionally bad YA regency romance, interesting only in that- YA regency romance? really?