The Book List: 2008

My goal is to read 30 by the end of the year. This will be a working document and I have added a link in my sidebar. Here's to page turning! (** denotes "In Progress")

1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - I put off reading this book for so long because I really thought it was going to be overrated. I was SO wrong! Heart wrenching story that is staying with me. I'm excited (and nervous) to see if the movie is just like the book.

2. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain - This is HYSTERICAL! I loved everything about it. A must read if you enjoy all things food.

3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls - This is kind of stalling for me right now in the middle. I'm tempted to put it down, but I kind of want to know how it all works out.

*Ok, I'll have you know I finished it. What a heart wrenching story. Definitely not a beach read, but worth it to finish.

4. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell - New Book Club selection. So I didn't love this book...and actually my whole book club hated it so much we never even finished it. Interesting...I guess I would NOT recommend this book to others.

5. **Make Him Look Good by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez - My cousin Jenny gave this to me last summer (sorry Jen!)and it looks like a dishy read. I need a bit of a break after all the heavy, depressing boooks I've been reading. So far, so good.

*Yeah, haven't finished this yet...I'm an ass.

6. The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs- Wow, so that took me like 6 months to read, didn't it? Looking at my list so far I'm kind of embarrassed by how few books I've finished this year. The ratio of books to magazines is staggering. This book should have been a quick read, but again, I kind of got bored in the middle. By the time I finished it, I was like "Finally! I'm glad that's over." But in all seriousness, had I just read it in a weekend like I should have, I would have enjoyed it.

7. ** The Divide by Nicholas Evans- My Aunt Martha always recommends delicious reads. When I was in Fremont a few weeks ago she passed this along to me. So far, so good.

8. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - Yeah, so I read Young Adult Vampire Romances, what of it? I resisted reading this for a long time -- shocking, I know. But it was 25,000 recommendations and one too many trips to the book section in Target (again, shocking!) that finally convinced me to at least pick it up. All I can say is it was a total page turner, and everyone needs to revisit their teen angst once in a while. The fangs were just a nice accessory. Mindless reading, perfect for Summer -- I will totally be reading the sequels.

9. Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster -- See here...I think that was a pretty thorough explanation of my opinion of this book.

10. Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster - Though not quite as linear as Such a Pretty Fat, Lancaster's sardonic wit is in full effect in this collection of essays regarding city living. Her books make me laugh, and again, great reading for Summer!