Monthly Wrap-Up: February 2012

Well, another month has passed! I hope that everyone had a great month. For me, it was a pretty exciting one ... I bought my first car! I went with a 2012 Kia Sportage and I absolutely love it! It's so cute and it's perfect for me. Other than that, I've gotten some mroe reading done this month than I did last month, but not quite the amount that I would like to be reading. Oh well, that leaves me some room to improve! So, here's what my month looked like, reading-wise:

Number of Books Read: 8

Book Completed

Before Versailles by Karleen Koen

The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen

The Taker by Alma Katsu

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky (audiobook)

Masie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Favorite Book of the Month: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (can't wait to read the rest of this series!)

Least Favorite Book of the Month: The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

At least I'm building momentum going into March! How was your month? Let me know, and happy Leap Day!

Waiting On Wednesday (2-29-12)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly awaiting. This week, my pick is: The Innocent by David Baldacci (expected publication date: April 17, 2012).

Synopsis (from BN.com): America has enemies--ruthless people that the police, the FBI, even the military can't stop. That's when the U.S. government calls on Will Robie, a stone cold hitman who never questions orders and always nails his target. But Will Robie may have just made the first--and last--mistake of his career . . . THE INNOCENT It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn't seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable. He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a fourteen-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn't an ordinary runaway-her parents were murdered, and her own life is in danger. Against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can't walk away. He needs to help her.Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he's convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents' deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power. Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl's life . . . and perhaps his own.

So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday (2-28-12)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week, 

they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's 

topic is:

Books I'd Give a Theme Song To (And Which Song It Would Be)

1) The Devil Wears Prada - You're So Vain by Carly Simon (for Miranda Priestly ... because she is so vain!)

2) Jane Eyre - On My Own from Les Miserables (I feel like this song should be played when Jane is leaving Thornfield. It's too perfect!)

3) A Summer Affair - Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra (just because this book is all about summer, which makes me automatically think of this song.)

4) Maine - Landslide by Fleetwood Mac (with the three generations of women narrating this story, I think this is the most fitting song. It resonates with each woman in some way.)

5) True Colors - True Colors by Phil Collins (so it may not seem very original, but it fits so well for these sisters, who don't realize how special they each are.)

6) Tabloid City - New York, New York by Frank Sinatra (obviously, a book about what happens in 24 hours in NYC. Is there any other song that is as appropriate as this one?)

7) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson - I know that Lisbeth would probably hate this song since it's so pop and not her, but it makes me think of her! 

Well, that's all that I could come up with for this week. That was a tough topic, but fun! So, what books would you give a theme song to? Let me know!

Review: Before Versailles by Karleen Koen

Before Versailles
Author: Karleen Koen
Published: June 28, 2011
Genre: historical fiction
Hardcover: 460 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating:  2 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): After the death of his prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin, twenty-two-year-old Louis steps into governing France. He’s still a young man, but one who, as king, willfully takes everything he can get—including his brother’s wife. As the love affair between Louis and Princess Henriette burns, it sets the kingdom on the road toward unmistakable scandal and conflict with the Vatican. Every woman wants him. He must face what he is willing to sacrifice for love. But there are other problems lurking outside the chateau of Fontainebleau: a boy in an iron mask has been seen in the woods, and the king’s finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet, has proven to be more powerful than Louis ever thought—a man who could make a great ally or become a dangerous foe ...


My Thoughts: I enjoy a good historical fiction novel, especially one that centers around the French monarchy (they were so odd and yet set the precedent for how courts around Europe should behave). So this books seemed like something right up my alley, following Louis XIV right as he begins his reign as king. However, there was so much going on in this book that there ended up being very little plot and too many characters coming and going. At first, it seems like the book will follow Louise, a maid of honor to the king's brother's wife. Then, it seems like we will be following Louis himself. Then maybe, his scheming finance minister, Fouquet. Then there is a boy with an iron mask! Seriously, there was so much going on that it became too much to handle and seemed like four different novels were all smooshed together into this one book.


There were also a lot of characters in this story. Normally, I don't mind a lot of characters, as long as they are all important to the plot. However, many of these characters didn't seem to do anything and would come into the story for a chapter or two, disappear for a hundred pages, then show up again. It just became a lot to keep track of, and since many of them weren't contributing anything to the story, it just seemed very cluttered. I did enjoy the writing and it was evident that Karleen Koen did a lot of research for this story. For me, though, there was just too much going on with this book, but not enough story being told.

Audiobook Review: The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

The Wedding Girl
Author: Madeleine Wickham
Published: June 23, 2009
CDs: 8 discs
Genre: chick lit
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 3 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): At the age of eighteen, in that first golden Oxford summer, Milly was up for anything. Rupert and his American lover, Allan, were an important part of her new, exciting life, so when Rupert suggested to her that she and Allan should get married to keep Allan in the country, Milly didn’t hesitate. Ten years later, Milly is a very different person and engaged to Simon—who is wealthy, serious, and believes her to be perfect. Milly’s secret history is locked away so securely she has almost persuaded herself that it doesn’t exist—until, only four days before her elaborate wedding. To have and to hold takes on a whole new meaning when one bride’s past catches up with her and bring the present crashing down. 


My Thoughts: Madeleine Wickham, also known as Sopie Kinsella, is one of my favorite authors to listen to on audiobook. Her stories are engaging, funny, and easy to listen to. While this story was good, it wasn't as good as some of her other books that I've listened to. For me, the characters were not as strong as they typically are in one of her books. Milly was so weak, it was maddening! She seemed to go through life with no backbone, just doing whatever her mother thought was best for her. And she never corrected her finace, Simon, when he made assumptions about her, which were inaccurate. Simon seemed a bit bullish, which really turned me off to him. The only two characters that I actually enjoyed were Milly's sister, Isabelle, and her father.


So, why did I give this book three stars if the characters were so lacking? The plot was interesting, and I couldn't help but get caught up in it. Milly married a gay man when she was 18 so that he could stay in the country with his lover. When that comes back to haunt her present, the story becomes interesting, and I wanted to know what happened to all parties involved. It was a bit sad but still something that was a fun read. If you are a Sophie Kinsella fan, then I would still check this book out because it's not awful, but it's also not her best work.

Follow Friday and TGIF (2-24-12)

Happy Friday everybody! I hope that you are having a great week and ready for the weekend. Unfortunately, I have to work all weekend, but that's the life of a restaurant manager! Oh well ... time for some Friday fun ...

Parajunkee asks:

Activity! Take a picture or describe where you love to read the most!

Well, I'm going to sound lame, but I don't really have a favorite place to read. In the summer, I love being outside and reading, but the place doesn't matter to me. Right now, I love going to Starbucks, getting my Skinny Vanilla Latte, and enjoying my book. But the place doesn't matter, so long as the book that I'm reading is a good one!

GReads asks:

Required Reading: Which book from your school days 

do you remember reading & enjoying? Is there a book published now 

that you'd like to see in today's curriculum for kids?

Great question! My favorites that we had to read were probably To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, and Ethan Frome. Something that I think should be included in today's curriculum? Harry Potter. Haha, I have no idea, but I wish that had been required reading when I was in school!

So, where's your favorite place to read? What was your favorite required reading in school? Let me know, and have a great weekend!

Waiting On Wednesday (2-22-12)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly awaiting. This week, my pick is: Come Home by Lisa Scottoline (expected publication date: April 10, 2012).

Synopsis (from bn.com): Jill Farrow is a typical suburban mom who has finally gotten her and her daughter's lives back on track after a divorce. She is about to remarry, her job as a pediatrician fulfills her—-though it is stressful—-and her daughter, Megan, is a happily over-scheduled thirteen-year-old juggling homework and the swim team.

But Jill’s life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill’s ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries and discovers that things don’t add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family, destroy their hard-earned happiness, and even endanger her own life. Yet Jill can’t turn her back on a child she loves and once called her own.

Come Home reads with the breakneck pacing of a thriller while also exploring the definition of motherhood, asking the questions: Do you ever stop being a mother? Can you ever have an ex-child? What are the limits to love of family? 

I've read two of Scottline's books now and have really enjoyed them, so I can't wait to read this one! What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday (2-21-12)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week, 

they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's 

topic is:

Books I'd Save If My House Was About to be Abducted by Aliens

1) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - a classic that must always be on my shelves.

2) A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith - my favorite book of all time. Of course I would have to grab this one.

3) The Harry Potter series - okay, so this is technically seven books, but I couldn't choose a few of them and leave the rest behind!

4) Bossypants by Tina Fey - such a funny book that I would feel guilty if I left that behind.

5) Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris - my favorite Sedaris book.

6) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - another classic that I would have to grab. Plus, I would feel bad if I left Mr. Darcy behind.

7) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - such a wonderful story, decadent in the details that left me wishing that the book never ended.

8) Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah - such a touching story.

9) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - a great World War II story (and I love a great WWII story).

10) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - another classic. I would feel bad if I left Jane behind.

So, which books would you save? Let me know!

Review: The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman

The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost
Author: Rachel Friedman
Published: March 29, 2011
Genre: travel, memoir
Paperback: 320 pages
Source: personal copy


My Rating: 4 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Rachel Friedman has always been the consummate good girl who does well in school and plays it safe, so the college grad surprises no one more than herself when, on a whim (and in an effort to escape impending life decisions), she buys a ticket to Ireland, a place she has never visited. There she forms an unlikely bond with a free-spirited Australian girl, a born adventurer who spurs Rachel on to a yearlong odyssey that takes her to three continents, fills her life with newfound friends, and gives birth to a previously unrealized passion for adventure. As her journey takes her to Australia and South America, Rachel discovers and embraces her love of travel and unlocks more truths about herself than she ever realized she was seeking. Along the way, the erstwhile good girl finally learns to do something she’s never done before: simply live for the moment.


My Thoughts: While reading Rachel Friedman's travelogue about her adventures in Ireland, Australia, and South America, there were several times where I found myself packing my bags, about to jet off on my own adventure. Friedman writes very casually, describing her experiences in each place. While she does talk about the places that she's in, this book isn't focusing on the locations as much as it is Friedman discovering who she is and what she wants in life. It's her personal journey that makes this book so good and how she tells it that makes me wish that the book were longer (or that she will publish another book in the future!) 


It is difficult to write reviews for memoirs because I find it impossible to judge someone's experiences with something. For me, this was a great book that had me captivated and longing to plan a trip abroad, to go and see more of this world. If you enjoy travel memoirs, are a fan of Bill Bryson, or just looking for something to pull you out of a reading rut, then I would definitely recommend this book. It will make you feel as if you are going to all of these places without having to leave your hometown.

Review: Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

Then Came You
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Published: July 12, 2011
Genre: chick lit
Hardcover: 338 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 3 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): The lives of four very different women intertwine in unexpected ways in this new novel by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes; Best Friends Forever). Each woman has a problem: Princeton senior Jules Wildgren needs money to help her dad cure his addiction; Pennsylvania housewife Annie Barrow is gasping to stay financially afloat; India Bishop yearns to have a child, an urge that her stepdaughter Bettina can only regard with deeply skepticism until she finds herself in a most unexpected situation. Interlocking dramas designed to ensnare; bound to be a bestseller.


My Thoughts: I was very intrigued by this book when I first heard about it. I think surrogacy is a controversial issue today, so when I found out that Jennifer Weiner would be writing a book about this issue, I just knew that I had to read it. Not just because of the author, but because this is just too good of a topic to pass up. Four women share their stories of surrogacy, from the egg donor, the surrogate, the mother-to-be, and her stepdaughter. Each woman has a unique take on their experience with the process, handling the difficulties along with the joys. I think that having four women share their stories in this process was a great idea, because surrogacy involves so many people besides the mother and father. It really does take a team of people to bring a baby into the world. 


Each woman brings a unique perspective to this story and each voice is different. I was clearly able to distinguish between the four narrators and each had their own personality, which would shine through in their chapters. I don't want to give too much away in my review, but I would say that I found the ending to be very lacking. I felt the whole book building up to it, and then there was nothing. It just petered out, leaving me with a dissatisfied feeling. If the ending were stronger, then I definitely would have rated this book higher. I would still recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the topic of surrogacy or looking for a chick lit book that isn't all about love.

Follow Friday and TGIF (2-17-12)

Happy Friday, everybody! I hope that you are having a great week and that you had a good Valentine's day, whether you had a Valentine or not. I spent the day working ... Busiest night of the year for restaurants, so to say I was tired at the end of it would be an understatement. But, probably the best thing to happen for me this week was that I bought a new car! I feel very grown-up now that I have a car payment, but I'm still so excited about it. Now, onto the Friday fun ...

Parajunkee asks:

What's the most unique character name you've come across?

I would have to say Hermione is the most unique name that I've ever come across. I had never heard of it before reading Harry Potter.

GReads asks:

Book Blogger Pride: What do you take pride in when it comes to blogging?

I would say that I'm most proud of creating a blog that people want to read. I try to write good, honest reviews so that people know what I thought of a book without it being sugarcoated or trying to make a bad book sound better than what it was.

So, what do you take pride in when it comes to blogging? Leave me a comment and let me know, and have a great Friday!

Waiting on Wednesday (2-15-12)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly awaiting. This week, my pick is: Paris in Love by Eloisa James (expected publication date: April 3, 2012).

Synopsis (from BN.com): By day, James is actually Mary Bly, daughter of poet Robert Bly and associate professor and head of the creative writing department at Fordham University. By night, she's the New York Times best-selling author of 24 exquisitely written historical romances. This memoir discusses the year James spent with her family in Paris after she survived both cancer and the death of her mother. James is a smart writer in any genre, Paris is the dream city for escape, and this should be excellent.

So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday (2-14-12)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week, 

they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's 

topic is:

Books That Broke Your Heart a Little

1) The Art of Racing In the Rain by Garth Stein - okay, so maybe not a love story between two people, but this was one of the saddest books that I have ever read. It was just heartbreaking, but still a beautiful novel.

2) Dear John by Nicholas Sparks - I'm not a huge Nicholas Sparks' fan, but this book was definitely a tearjerker. If you have seen the movie, but not the book, the book is far better than the movie (the ending to the movie was AWFUL!)

3) Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah - once again, not a love story, but a story of friendship. I cried at several points while reading this novel. Definitely heartbreaking at times, but a great story.

4) The Help by Kathryn Stockett - parts of this book were so heartbreaking that I had to put it down and walk away. 

5) The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman - seriously, one of the saddest books that I have ever read. It was a great story, one that was building throughout the whole novel and had me until I closed the book.

6) The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer - another World War II story. It's very long (758 pages!), but it's so good that you won't care how long it takes you to read it.

7) The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen - the title alone lets you know that this won't be a happy read, but parts of it were so heartbreaking, it was hard to bear. Definitely heartbreaking.

Well, I could only think of seven this week. What books broke your heart? Let me know!

Audiobook Review: Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Can You Keep a Secret?
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Published: March 1, 2005
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook: 5 CDs
Narrator: Emily Gray
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets:
Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur. Sammy the goldfish in my parents’ kitchen is not the same goldfish that Mum gave me to look after when she and Dad were in Egypt.
Secrets from her boyfriend:
I weigh one hundred and twenty-eight pounds. Not one eighteen, like Connor thinks.
I’ve always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken.
From her colleagues:
When Artemis really annoys me, I feed her plant orange juice. (Which is pretty much every day.) It was me who jammed the copier that time. In fact, all the times.
Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world:
My G-string is hurting me.
I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is.

Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger. But come Monday morning, Emma’s office is abuzz about the arrival of Jack Harper, the company’s elusive CEO. Suddenly Emma is face-to-face with the stranger from the plane, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her. Things couldn’t possibly get worse—Until they do.

My Thoughts: I love listening to Sophie Kinsella's audiobooks. They are so easy to listen to, the narrators are always entertaining and bring the book to life, and it's so easy to come back to after not listening for awhile. So, I was expecting the same things from this book that I have come to expect from Kinsella's work. And while it was nice to listen to, it wasn't my favorite book. The concept is interesting, so you think that the whole book would be that way. Emma is working for Panther Cola in the marketing department as an assistant. She is really hoping for a promotion since she's worked at the company for a year, so her boss sends her to a business meeting in Glasglow, thinking that it's a simple meeting that even she could handle. Well, she loses the client and on her return flight, experience turbulence during the flight and thinks that she is dying, so she starts sharing all of her secrets with the man sitting next to her. The flight lands safely and Emma thinks she will never see this man again, until he shows up to her office a few days later and she realizes that he is the CEO of Panther Cola. Hilarity ensues as she realizes what this might mean to her career and her personal life.

It's a typical Kinsella novel, which is good, but it wasn't as gripping as her other works. I felt like Emma was too wish-washy. She wanted Jack to know about her, then she didn't, then she did. It was just too much back and forth for a main character. And Jack's secret was such a letdown! The novel is building up to this moment where Jack finally tells Emma why he was in Glasglow, and it wasn't even that big of a secret (at least to me)! It was unclimatic and I was left feeling like I listened to this book without getting something out of it. It wasn't an awful book, but not what I've come to expect from Kinsella. 

Review: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Rules of Civility
Author: Amor Towles
Published: July 21, 2011
Genre: historical fiction
Hardcover: 352 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 3.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Set in New York City in 1938, Rules of Civility tells the story of a watershed year in the life of an uncompromising twenty-five-year- old named Katey Kontent. Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, Katey embarks on a journey from a Wall Street secretarial pool through the upper echelons of New York society in search of a brighter future. The story opens on New Year's Eve in a Greenwich Village jazz bar, where Katey and her boardinghouse roommate Eve happen to meet Tinker Grey, a handsome banker with royal blue eyes and a ready smile. This chance encounter and its startling consequences cast Katey off her current course, but end up providing her unexpected access to the rarified offices of Condé Nast and a glittering new social circle. Befriended in turn by a shy, principled multimillionaire, an Upper East Side ne'er-do-well, and a single-minded widow who is ahead of her times, Katey has the chance to experience first hand the poise secured by wealth and station, but also the aspirations, envy, disloyalty, and desires that reside just below the surface. Even as she waits for circumstances to bring Tinker back into her orbit, she will learn how individual choices become the means by which life crystallizes loss. 


My Thoughts: I have wanted to read this book for sometime now, so when I finally got my hands on a copy, I couldn't wait a second longer to read it. It was a great read, reminding me a lot of The Great Gatsby, but I felt like something was lacking that I couldn't pinpoint. It was a very interesting story, but it never completely pulled me in, which made it seem like a much longer novel than it actually is. The main character, Katey, is a young woman, trying to make her way in New York City. The story follows her as she changes jobs, goes through many friends, experiences seedy jazz clubs to the penthouse apartment on Central Park West. Katey is from Brooklyn, so seeing how she handles herself throughout these situations is interesting. She befriends people who are a part of New York high society, allowing her to go to parties and restaurants that she couldn't ever dream of. Katey is likeable and a great main character, for she isn't overly involved in what is happening around her, but she plays a big enough part to be able to witness so many events.


Tinker reminded me a bit of Gatsby with his elusive ways. You are never quite sure what it is that Tinker has done to have what he has, but as the truth unravels, you realize that Tinker is a very lucky man. The other characters play very minor roles, coming and going throughout the story, which I think is what made this book drag for me. There were so many people that it weighed the story down and slump in places. If you enjoy The Great Gatsby, then I think that you would probably like this book. Now, I'm not saying that it could compare to Gatsby, but the writing style of Amor Towles reminds me of Fitzgerald, that it's hard to not draw comparisons. 

Follow Friday and TGIF (2-10-12)

Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoying February so far? The weather has been so mild that it doesn't feel like winter ... we are supposed to get some snow tonight (up to 2 inches), but I'll believe it when I see it. Are you reading any good love stories right now? I want to, but have managed to check out only depressing and thrillers from the library (fail on my part). Well, onto the Friday fun!

Parajunkee asks:

What would you prefer: reading your favorite book over and over again until you got sick of it OR reading 100s of mediocre books? And why?

I would much rather read 100s of mediocre books. I think after the 3rd time of having to reread my favorite book, I would be sick of it. And I love to reread some of my favorites every few years, but I don't start reading it again immediately after I finish.

GReads asks:

Love Stories: What are some of your favorite fictional love stories?

My goodness, there are so many! Obvious choice, Noah and Allie from The Notebook (one of the few Nicholas Sparks' novels that I actually enjoyed).

Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I think every girl that has ever read this book is on the lookout for her own Mr. Darcy.

Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter. When they finally kissed, I remember I was so happy that they finally realized they were meant to be!

So, what are some of your favorite love stories? Let me know, and have a happy Valentine's Day and wonderful week!

Top Ten Tuesday (2-7-12)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week, 

they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's 

topic is:

Books You'd Hand to Someone Who Says They Don't Like to Read

1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling - obviously. This is such a sweeping story, one that you can't help but get caught up in. And there are so many people who don't like to read who have read this book and continued to read.

2) Twilight by Stephanie Meyers - okay, I'm not a big Twilight fan. I liked the first book, then thought it got a bit repetitive as it went on. But, for any girl who says that they don't like to read, I would recommend this book. You get swept up in the love story and can't stop reading!

3) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - not only is this book a classic, but I think there is something that everyone can relate to. The writing is simple and straight forward so you never feel overwhelmed. And Scout is one of the best characters ever brought to the page.

4) The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown - mystery, intrigue, international cover-ups spanning centuries. This series is so thrilling and hard to put down!

5) any Bill Bryson book - Bryson is such a humorous writer, and his travelouges will have you packing your bags as you read. I think he's something that any reader or nonreader would enjoy experiencing.

6) Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah - it may seem daunting because it is pretty long (479 pages), but Hannah's writing is so engaging that you wish that the book was longer so that the story wouldn't end. I think any woman could find something in this book to relate to.

7) Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella - one of the best chick lit writers around, Kinsella makes sure that each story she writes is filled with humor. Very engaging and fun to read, I think any non-reader would really enjoy her writing.

8) Bossypants by Tina Fey - I think any non-reader would fall in love with this book and would end up demanding more once they finished it. Fey is hilarious and it's an easy read (I finished it in a day), but it's still one of the best things that I have ever read.

Well, that's all I could come up with for this topic. What would you recommend to a non-reader? I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!