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?

Divine Justice, by David Baldacci

Lukewarm thriller. This is a less than satisfying entry into the Baldacci's wildly popular Camel Club series. It had a lot of distracting subplots set in rural Divine, Virginia, and a kind of unsatisfying end. The kind of book you might buy at the airport and leave on the plane when it was done.

Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading, by Lizzie Skurnik

I loved her Fine Lines column on Jezebel.com, and had been excited about this book, but it seems that a. lots of it I had read already, as it was posted, and b. small doses, you know what I mean?

What I Saw And How I Lied, by Judy Blundell

FANTASTIC historical YA. Set in 1947, 15 year old Evelyn is taken on an impromptu trip to Palm Beach, Florida by her mother and stepfather. There, she falls in love, learns about racial and religious segregation, and learns that much of her life has been built on a foundation of lies. The way she handles this is wonderful, an awesome example of a person recognizing shades of gray in morality, and the conclusion was immensely satisfying. The clothes and cars and material ambition of the post-war era were beautifully depicted. This was wonderfully written, and may be the best YA I've read this year.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan

Flawed post-apocalyptic zombie YA. Interesting, but too many holes in the plot, not enough background, and unsatisfying ending. Pretty gross, though, if that's a plus.

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy

Well. This was, of course, long. But, the thing is, I had read another translation many and many a moon ago, and had thought I enjoyed it. I'm not sure if the difference is the translation (and if I have to read it again to figure it out, it may never happen) but I did not enjoy this much.
Pierre is an idiot, Andrei insufferable, Natasha is ok, I guess, Helene and Dolokhov were the only interesting characters, so of course aren't around much, and Nikolai was a swine to do what he did.
Too long, too many rants about philosophy and politics, too detailed with the battles, all in all, not a fun summer read.

Swan for the Money, by Donna Andrews

Another fun, fast paced funny Meg Langslow mystery. Not a whole lot more to say about that.

Flood, by Stephen Baxter

Post apocalyptic dystopia, but was sadly disappointing as the science behind the flooding seemed sketch at best. Undersea pockets of frozen ocean are released, resulting in rapid and catastrophic flooding, and a group of characters, who bonded while living as hostages with various Spanish breakaway groups are the focus of the plot. Some interesting ideas, some good scenes, but nothing really spectacular. Save this for when you need something mindless and disastery.

Tipping the Velvet, by Sarah Waters

Well, after Sarah Waters ghost story The Little Stranger was placed on the long list for the Booker prize, to my surprise, I decided I had to find out what all this was about, so went ahead and read this one. 1998, and it is a hell of a good book, if surprisingly bawdy and explicit. Nan's life, from an oyster girl in Victorian Whitstable, to her days on the music hall stage, to her time as a kept girl of a wealthy woman of varied and unusual tastes, was extraordinary reading, and I understand why she has the reputation as a writer that she does. I still don't see nominating The Little Stranger as one of the 13 best books of the year, but if there's any taking into account other works by the same writer, she should certainly win something, at any rate.

Man Booker Prize Long List

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt

Summertime by J.M Coetzee

The Quickening Time by Adam Foulds

How to Paint A Dead Man by Sarah Hall

The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey
Me Cheeta by James Lever

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer

Not Untrue and Not Unkind by Ed O'Loughlin

Helopolis by James Scudamore

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

Love and Summer by William Trevor

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

The Maggody Militia, by Joan Hess

As usual, very funny Joan Hess Maggody book. Read it before, will probably read it again, to be honest.

The Girl Who Played With Fire, by Stieg Larsson

Wonderful, again. This was so good, and I'm half in love with both Blomquist and Salander.
Sequel to the amazing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, this was violent, dramatic, political, dealt with gender issues and human trafficking and commercialized sexuality, has interesting and well developed characters, and I CANNOT WAIT for the third (and final, presumably, unless that story about the laptop with the last book on it is true) book in the Millenium trilogy.

Twenties Girl, by Sophie Kinsella

As always, fun. I wonder how much longer she will keep the Madeleine Wickham and the Sophie Kinsella writing separate- I think this very much blurred the line, as did The Wedding Girl. I had thought that she was keeping the Wickham for more kind of lit-fic style writing, and Kinsella for the sex+shoes kind of writing, but both The Wedding Girl and Twenties Girl had the same kind of Katie Fforde went to London vibe, and it seems silly almost to keep the brands separate. Just saying.
Anyway, this was great fun, for what it is.

The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams

Good YA- set within a religious compound much like the Warren Jeffs thing- 14 year old Kyra risks getting her entire family in serious trouble if she refuses to marry her much older uncle. Well written issue book.

Born Again Vintage, by Bridgett Artise

Seriously useless how-to-combine-ugly-clothes-into-even-uglier-clothes how to book. Wow.

Exclusively Chloe, by J.A. Yang

Pretty bad YA, but with an interesting premise. The Chinese born adopted daughter of married movie stars wants to find out about her birth family, which could have made for a pretty great book, but it went another way.

The Unnamed, by Joshua Ferris

I was so excited to get this ARC yesterday, and read it straight away. It is wildly different from Then We Came to The End, but is is hauntingly sad in that same way, and was a wonderful, if disturbing read.

Tim, a lawyer, suffers from a condition with no name- he walks and walks and walks, without direction or a plan. Doctors and neurologists and psychiatrists and so on try and try to name his problem, while his wife Jane does what she can to support him and his daughter Becka retreats further into her own sadness.

Scenes of climate change (record breaking winter cold, dying bees, seasonal disruption) lend the book an air of inevitable doom but the focus isn't on the world slowly going haywire around the family, it's about the family going quickly mad within the world.

As with Then We Came To The End, surprising gallows humor had me laughing at some incredible inappropriate moments, adding to the sensation of being caught on some demented downward spiral.

Such a good writer and such a good book. Wonderful.

The Girl Stays In The Picture, by Melissa de la Cruz

Pretty bad YA- I'm surprised, I liked Melissa de la Cruz's Blue Bloods books very much, and Fresh Off The Boat was really good too. The Au Pairs were all pretty terrible, but this one was even worse.

The Finishing Touches, by Hester Browne

Silly but kind of fun book, about a woman trying to update a traditional finishing school for the 21st c. Overly complicated subplots distracted.

How I Became A Famous Novelist, by Steve Hely

Now this was pretty fantastic. Pete wants to become a writer for many reasons, but mostly to upset his ex at her wedding, so studies the market and sets out to write a commercially successful book. The best part of this was the skewering, with sample chapters, of so many of the most recognizable writers out there, and the NYT bestseller lists were hysterical. This was a lot of fun, but also a pretty decent look at what literature means to who.

The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters

Gothic horror meets Brideshead Revisited. Creepy, but not spectacularly so.

The Wedding Girl, by Madeleine Wickham

A fast paced fluffy bit of very very very light but kind of fun reading from Madeleine Wickham/Sophie Kinsella. Fun but predictable. but thats kind of fun in its own way.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen, by Janet Evanovich

Fluff but fun. The same as all the others.

The Rapture, by Liz Jensen

FANTASTIC book. Apocalyptic near future environmental disaster thriller with amazing, well-developed and memorable characters, and quite honestly, incredibly good writing. Couldn't put it down, and want to read it again.

Fearless Fourteen, by Janet Evanovich

Fun Stephanie Plum book. Jersey mayhem with all the usual characters.

One Second After, by William Forstchen

Pretty fantastic post-apocalyptic drama. 3 EMPs knock out electrical systems over the continental US, and the story is set in a small town in North Carolina, where the residents have to adapt and then band together to defend the town from rampaging hordes of refugeses.
It was distressingly realistic, and I've read more about the actual possibility of this kind of attack, and it is kind of scary.
If you want to really freak yourself out, go to http://www.empcommission.org/ - the full report to Congress is at http://www.empcommission.org/docs/empc_exec_rpt.pdf.
Great read, pretty good book, and *very* anxiety inducing. Good times!

The Blizzard of '78, by Michael Tougas

Interesting photographs, mostly, of the blizzard. Some text. Amazing snowstorm.

101 Projects for Bottle Cutters, by Walter Fischman

Yet another wildly attractive strange hobby book from the mid-seventies. Along with the amazing array of vases, jars, ashtrays and q-tip holders that one can make out of bottles, this book included, surprisingly, detailed instructions on how to build a water pipe.

Bottle Cutting, by Michael de Forrest

Bizarrely appealing 1974 book on the craze that was sweeping the nation. Not much more to say about this one.