Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About, by Mil Millington

One of my reading equivalents of comfort food- I read this over and over, and laugh myself silly every time. Pel and Ursula are one of my all time favorite fictional couples.

Roommates Wanted, by Lisa Jewell

Fun, charming London chick-lit, from Sophie Kinsella's Very Short List of 5 recommended titles. Toby Dobbs inherits a large london house, and fills it with lodgers. 15 years later, he needs to move on in his life, and with a neighbor, starts trying to sort out how to get them all to move on to happier, fuller lives.

Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England, by Amanda Vickery

Fascinating, highly academic look at residential interiors in Georgian England and what sociological evidence can be gathered by studying household bills, inventories, architecture, and craftwork.
This was really wonderful- a bit dry in spots but it's been a while since I read any history, and this was a really satisfying, in-depth look at an era of great change. Lots about women's status, of course, and also looked at how changing politics and military issues affected interior design- the rage for Chinoiserie and Japanning, for example.
Really good, though provoking stuff- I even think I'll be able to use one chapter for the Jane Austen Book Club.

39 Clues: Into The Gauntlet, by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The last book in the 39 Clues series!
Satisfying conclusion to fantastic series- this one was set mostly in England and Ireland.

39 Clues: Storm Warning, by Linda Sue Park

Caribbean- Bahamas and Jamaica.

39 Clues: The Emperor's Code, by Gordon Korman

China.

39 Clues: The Viper's Nest, by Peter Lerangis

Indonesia.

39 Clues: In Too Deep, by Jude Watson

Australia.

39 Clues: The Black Circle, by Patrick Carman

Russia.

39 Clues: Beyond the Grave, by Jude Watson

Yup- 39 Clues, this one Egypt.

39 Clues: The Sword Thief, by Peter Lerangis

More action and adventure- Japan.

39 Clues: One False Note, by Gordon Korman

Amy, Dan and the rest of the Cahills on the Clue adventure- this one mostly in Vienna.

The Urban Treasure Hunter, by Michael Chaplan

Really interesting how to book that will, I am sure, be much more useful if (when) I get a metal detector, but it made me even more sure that I do want to.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself, by Bill Bryson

Reliably funny and enjoyable Bill Bryson's collection of articles he wrote shortly after moving back to America after 20 years living in England.

Amanda's Wedding, by Jenny Colgan

Very funny British chick-lit. I found this on a Very Short List of the Top Five Chick-Lit books according to Sophie Kinsella, who I always enjoy, so requested it immediately at the library.
Melanie is dating Alex, but always had a fancy for Frasier. Her friend Fran is dating whoever she likes on the day, and she and Melanie have always loathed their childhood frenemy Amanda. When Amanda becomes engaged to Frasier,  Melanie, Fran, and an assortment of other characters decide to do whatever it takes to sabotage Amanda's wedding.
This was really a fun read- very Bridget Jones.

The Duff, by Kody Keplinger

The cover on the finished copy is slightly different from the cover on the ARC that I read, and I am really dissapointed at the change. Bianca looks so much more interesting on the ARC.
The premise of this was one I though I'd find irritiating, but the book actually had more depth than I initialy thought.
Bianca goes with her friends Casey and Jessica to a teen dance club (the only really implausible thing- are there such places?) every Friday, until one night high-school playboy Wesley tells her that she is the D.U.F.F. of the group- the Designated Ugly Fat Friend- that every group of girl friends has one.  Understandably, this sends Bianca a little off the rails, but instead of turning into a girl v. girl story, it went in an unexpected and much more interesting direction. One of the few YA books I've read where sex is treated as natural and healthy, and a solid, well written book.

39 Clues: The Maze of Bones, by Rick Riordan

This was fantastic!!!!!!! I am literally aching to read the rest of the series. I don't know why it took me so long, I sent this to my nephews about 2 years ago, but didn't read one myself until yesterday!
The Cahill family, whose members have included just about every important historical figure, is divided into 4 branches, who are racing each other around the world to solve a set of 39 clues left by the family matriarch in her will. Excellent puzzles, history, setting- this one was Paris, and made me want to crawl around the Catacombs and climb Mont Martre on a stormy night- great (if briefly introduced) characters- this was a wonderful start to what I hope is a great series!

My Life as A Book, by Janet Tashjian

Well, this seemed to be an obvious attemp at catching the slightly older readers who might have finished the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, but I don't feel that it was successful. 12 year old Derek's voice did not ring true- he read much too young and innocent, I think. It's a tricky age to get right, but his antics were much more along the lines of Greg Heffley's 10 year old behavior, and there seemed a lot of forced-in life change and growth. I like Tashjian's Larry books so much that I had very high hopes for this, and I do (in sentiment) like it that her son did the illustrations, but maybe that collaboration led to the white-washing of the plot?

Wicked Girls, by Amy Hemphill

Wonderful YA novel told in verse. I couldn't stand Stephanie Hemphill's last book, so I'm amazed I even gave this a go, but it was gripping, and so well done. Her last book, Yours, Sylvia, was an attempt at a YA verse novel in the first person, in Sylvia Plath's voice- who the heck has the nerve to do that? And, of course, it was agony for a Plath fan to read this imitation of an inimitable voice.
Here, though, Hemphill rotates narraration among the 7 girls at the heart of the Salem witch trials of 1692, and examines the shifting alliances and motivations that led to teenage girls suddenly having the power of life and death over much of Massachusetts. From 17 year old servant Mercy Lewis to 12 year old priviliged Ann Putnam, the girls' voices rang true, and the stark language of Hemphill's poetry fit in beautifully with the dark and bloody story. This was really fantastic.

Beautiful Disaster, by Kate Brian

After finishing Pretty Little Liars, I wanted more, so tried another Kate Brian, but they are like Brie and Velveeta- the first a delicious, slightly sinful-feeling indulgence, the second leaving you with a headache and a sense of horror that you consumed it.
The plot, if it may be called that, was if possible even more ludicrous and implausible and daffy than almost anything I've read this year, including the startling wrap up to Pretty Little Liars, and without the redeeming qualities of characters, setting, or wit.

Wanted, by Sara Shepard

The last of the Pretty Little Liars series! Oh noes!
Well, I have to say, Sara Shepard managed to write an ending for what was starting to feel like an un-end-able mystery series, and I honestly enjoyed every one of the books. Also, her book covers are amazing!
I wonder if the TV series based on the books will run into the same problem that Gossip Girl did- once you're past the books' end, what then?
I don't want to even risk giving any spoilers on this, so I'll end it here.

Wish there were more to come, but I've seen the cover for her newest series starter, "The Lying Game", which sounds awfully familiar, but with that cover, I know I'll grab it as soon as it's out! (December).

Heartless, by Sara Shepard

OMG! Squee! I love a Pretty Little Liars book, and this was no exception. Rosewood sounds like a *very* dangerous town, y'all. No, seriously, I love the characters in this series and how they developed. I love that Emily's sexuality is never an *issue*. I love that Aria is always way cooler than the other girls, that Hanna knows how much of a follower she is, that Spencer knows that the golden ring she chases is fake, but needs the validation anyway- with characters like these, plot doesn't matter that much, and it keeps the pages turning!!! I can't wait to read the latest (and last?)

Envious Casca, by Georgette Heyer

I am super enjoying the fact that Georgette Heyer is being re-published with such flashy great covers. She is such a hidden treasure. I read somewhere (oh GOD now I have to find where) that her research for her Regency romances was so thourough that she is considered to be an expert on subjects such as coach makes, dresses and so on, and I have to say that Envious Casca was a WONDERFUL golden age locked-door fair play mystery that I loved reading. OK- here's the Wikipedia, and go forth and read about how awesome she was. LINK

The Stars in The Bright Sky, by Alan Warner

Incredible book. Follow-up to The Sopranos, where readers first meet the Scottish girls, Fionnula, Chell, Manda, Kylah, and Kay - and in this book, there's the addition of Finn's college friend Ava, an English girl who shakes up the fmailiarity of the old friends. Aiming to plan a holiday to wherever they can afford, the girls gather at Gatwick. Trapped in the timeless space of airport shopping and airport hotels, so much is revealed that the book reads like eavesdropping- that real and that uncomfortable, but I loved them even more this time than last, which says more than I can say. This might be the best book I've read this year, but it's complicated by the fact that I feel like reading The Sopranos is necessary to grok it fully. Booker Longlist nominee, and it deserves it.

Super Sad True Love Story, by Gary Shteyngart

Amazing, wonderful, memorable book. One of the best books of the year. Lenny Abramov falls, foolishly, in love with Eunice Park, and their correspondance creates the novel (which, we find out early, is a best-seller). The near-future setting is vivid and fully realized, with credit poles with blare one's credit ratings as you walk by a major feature of urban shopping districts, with a government that is half corporation, with onionskin see-through jeans that are all the rage, with a society that regards books as smelly artifacts. And in the middle of this, Lenny (whose job as a high-end salesman of endless life doesn't disturb him), manages to fall hopelessly in love with young Eunice, who majored in college in Images and Confidence, and managed not to graduate...
Wonderful, devastating, magical.

Three Quarters Dead, by Richard Peck

Pretty fantastic YA!!! I couldn't put this down- it was fast, creepy, wonderfully written, utterly realistic (within the paranormal teenage realm) and I loved it. Kerry feels invisible at her school until the fabulous 3, Tanya, Natalie and Makenzie, ask her to join them at lunch, and in other, less civilized activities, but when the other girls die in a car crash, Kerry has to deal with how to handle summons from the other side. This was just so well done.