58. In Big Trouble

The next in the Tess Monaghan books, I liked this one but I didn't get through it as quickly as the prior ones... it just didn't quite pull me in as quickly, but in the end, still a good read.

Here's the description from B&N:

First as a reporter and then as a p.i., Tess Monaghan has learned how to survive and thrive on the streets of Baltimore. But a new case will force her to confront her own past, and a man she loved and lost. It starts when she gets a newspaper photograph of her old boyfriend with a tantalizing shard of headline attached: In Big Trouble. The answers lie far from Baltimore, deep in a world of good-time music, old-fashioned ambiiton, and rich people's games. For Tess must find out what happened to a man she thought she knew, to a woman who may have changed him forever, and to the victims of a killer who dances to a different—and deadly—drummer.

57. Death by Chick Lit

This was a cute beach read, or should I say pool read as most of it was read while standing in the pool, at the beach. :)

Here's a review from B&N:

Chick lit authors become a killer's target in this loving sendup of the popular genre from journalist Harris (Miss Media). After Mimi McKee, author of Gay Best Friend, has her throat slit with a shard from a broken martini glass, Lola Somerville, a 32-year-old freelance writer living in Brooklyn, determines to unmask the murderer. The investigation could help land Lola a new book deal and boost flat sales of her debut novel, Pink Slip. Is the fiendish killer "Reading Guy," a 40-something dweeb who stalks chick lit author signings? Or could it be Mimi's boyfriend, Quentin, a crossword puzzle composer? Then there's Wilma, the militant leader of the Jane Austen Liberation Front, who has no love for authors of low-brow literature. When not sleuthing or scribbling, Lola gabs on her cellphone to best friend Annabelle and leans on her "geek-hottie" husband, Doug, for support. Readers will down this fizzy "murder-tini" in one gulp.

56. Queen of Babble Gets Hitched

Chick lit fluff at it's best. :) If you liked the other Queen of Babble books, or the Heather Wells books you'll love this one too. And if you didn't like those, well, then there is something wrong with you. :)

Here's the description from B&N:

Things are looking up at last for Lizzie Nichols. She has a career she loves in the field of her choice (wedding gown restoration), and the love of her life, Jean-Luc, has finally proposed. Life's become a dizzying whirl of wedding gown fittings—not necessarily her own—as Lizzie prepares for her dream wedding at her fiancé's château in the south of France.

But the dream soon becomes a nightmare as the best man—whom Lizzie might once have accidentally slept with . . . no, really, just slept—announces his total lack of support for the couple, a sentiment the maid of honor happens to second; Lizzie's Midwestern family can't understand why she doesn't want to have her wedding in the family backyard; her future, oh-so-proper French in-laws seem to be slowly trying to lure the groom away from medical school and back into investment banking; and Lizzie finds herself wondering if her Prince Charming really is as charming as she once believed.

Is Lizzie really ready to embrace her new role as wife and mistress of Château Mirac? Or is she destined to fall into another man's arms . . . and into the trap of becoming a Bad Girl instead?

55. Celebutantes

This one was OK. It took me awhile to get into it and then it kinda annoyed me. It did have it's good moments, and as usual, a happily ever after ending I enjoyed. It is the perfect read for those obsessed with fashion and with Us Weekly/TMZ/Perez Hilton, etc.

Here's a review from B&N:

Gawker.com meets Glamour in this insider's look at Oscar week penned by L.A. junior royalty: Goldberg, producer Leonard Goldberg's daughter, has worked for Todd Oldham; Khalighi Hopper, daughter of Dennis Hopper and Daria Halprin, produced and starred in the indie film Americano. After a disastrous turn acting and bedding her superhunk co-star, Lola Santisi, 26 and the daughter of famed director Paul Santisi, swears off actors and acting for good. But Lola agrees to be the Hollywood ambassador for "Best Gay Forever" designer Julian Tennant, to help get a major actress to wear one of his dresses at the Oscars. Lola woos an array of glitterari, each more self-absorbed than the next in the runup to Graydon Carter's famed Vanity Fair bash, and competes against the ruthless Prada ambassador Adrienne Hunt for the plum actor bods. There's up-to-the-minute star chatter and fashion name-checking throughout; wonderfully dead-on moments as Lola negotiates underlings to get on set; and a possibly fatal relapse of actor fever. The shallowness is more severe than Angelina's neckline, but that's the point, and it quickly becomes imperative to discover just who is going to wear Julian Tennant to the Oscars.

54. A Bad Bride's Tale

This one was good, but not quite about what the book jacket said. A pretty good example of where the jacket text writer didn't actually read beyond chapter 1 I suppose... the description only talks about one storyline - Stevie's so I was a bit surprised when all of the sudden there was a chapter from the perspective of someone named Katy who had yet to be mentioned.

In the end it all works out - characters all connected, and interconnected as it may be, and I liked the book. Good chick lit with the main storyline ending very predictiably and the side stories also wrapping up into their expected neat little conclusions.

If you are looking for a typical chick lit read, this is a good one.

Here's the (not so comprehensive) description from B&N:

Two weeks before her wedding, Stevie Jonson, a successful graphic designer in her mid-thirties, has got serious jitters. Is she finally growing up, or compromising horribly? In love or in denial? By the time Stevie steps into her 1930s vintage wedding dress for the last fitting, her life is coming apart at the seams. Her best friend, Lara, is moving to New York City, fulfilling Stevie's long-held dream of moving there herself; her parents' marriage is heading for the rocks; her teenage crush (The One That Got Away) is back in town, a reminder of everything her fiancé isn't; and that niggling little voice in her head is getting louder all the time. As the clock ticks, a shocking secret threatens to bring Stevie's future crashing down around her.

A Bad Bride's Tale is a grown-up love story about marrying, mating, compromising . . . and how love doesn't have a timetable.

53. Charm City

This was the 2nd in the Tess Monaghan series and I think I'll get through them pretty quickly if the library cooperates and has them in when I want them.

Here's the description from B&N:

As a practiced reporter until her newspaper went to that great pressroom in the sky, P.I. Tess Monaghan knows and loves every inch of her native Baltimore, even the parts being slobbered on by the sad-sack greyhound she's minding for her uncle. It's a quirky city where baseball reigns, but lately homicide seems to be the second most popular local sport. Business tycoon "Wink" Wynkowski is trying to change all that by bringing pro basketball back to town, and everybody's rooting fro him -- until a devastating, muckraking expose of his lurid past appears on the front page of the Baltimore Beacon-Light. It's a surprise even to the Blight's editors, who thought they'd killed the piece. Instead, the piece killed Wink -- who's found in his garage with the car running.

Now the Blight wants to nail the unknown computer hacker who planted the lethal story, and the assignment is right up the alley of a former newshound like Tess. But it doesn't take long for her to discover deeper, darker secrets, and to realize that this situation is really more about whacking than hacking. It's just murder in Baltimore these days -- and Tess Monaghan herself might be next on the list.

As a practiced reporter until her newspaper went to that great pressroom in the sky, P.I. Tess Monaghan knows and loves every inch of her native Baltimore, even the parts being slobbered on by the sad-sack greyhound she's minding for her uncle. It's a quirky city where baseball reigns, but lately homicide seems to be the second most popular local sport. Business tycoon "Wink" Wynkowski is trying to change all that by bringing pro basketball back to town, and everybody's rooting for him -- until a devastating,muckraking expose of his lurid past appears on the front page of the Baltimore Beacon-Light. It's a surprise even to the Blight's editors, who thought they'd killed the piece. Instead, the piece killed Wink -- who's found in his garage with the car running.

Now the Blight wants to nail the unknown computer hacker who planted the lethal story, and the assignment is right up the alley of a former newshound like Tess. But it doesn't take long for her to discover deeper, darker secrets, and to realize that this situation is really more about whacking than hacking. It's just murder in Baltimore these days -- and Tess Monaghan herself might be next on the list.

52. Baltimore Blues

This is the first in a series and I have a feeling I'll quickly work my way through them all. I have read all of Lippman's non-series books and decided it was time to start on these. I really liked it a lot - and of course, the fact that they are set in Baltimore doesn't hurt a bit. :)

Here's the description from B&N:

Until her paper, the BALTIMORE STAR, crashed and burned, Tess Monaghan was a damn good reporter who knew her hometown intimately—from historic Fort McHenry to the crumbling projects of Cherry Hill. Now gainfully unemployed at twenty-nine, she's willing to take any freelance job to pay the rent—including a bit of unorthodox snooping for her rowing buddy, Darryl "Rock" Paxton.

In a city where someone is murdered almost everyday, attorney Michael Abramowitz's death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer's notoriety—and his noontime trysts with Rock's fiancee—make the case front page news...and points to Rock as the likely murderer. But trying to prove her friend's innocence couls prove costly to Tess—and add her name to that infamous ever-growing list.

51. Chasing Harry Winston

This was super cute chick lit. A quick read but with identifiable characters who all just happened to be about to turn 30! Also very current on the pop culture references, which i always enjoy.

Here's the review from B&N:

The Devil Wears Prada author Weisberger delivers a hilarious, silly and entirely predictable chick lit romp. Book editor Leigh, chef Emmy and wealthy Adriana make a pact to change their disappointing lives within a year. Emmy vows to find the father of her future babies, and Latin temptress Adriana decides to settle on just one of her rich suitors. But Leigh is uncertain about what changes to make; she's lived in the shadow of her legendary literary father and accomplished boyfriend so long, Leigh barely recognizes what makes her happy. The protective wrapping dissolves when she gets the nod to edit bestselling, married author Jesse Chapman-and ends up polishing more than his prose. Emmy-after a year of trying to bed a man from every continent-might discover Mr. Right when he's least expected. As for the relentlessly slothful Adriana, she deflects engagement, but manages to snag something more important. Bookish Leigh defends chick lit as having "sensible structure and coherent language" in a package that's "witty, clever and fun to read." Weisberger is, of course, also talking about this book, and her assessment is right-on.

50. Belong to Me

I loved this book. It took me a little while to get into it, there are three separate but interwoven storylines going on, but in the end I absolutely loved it and definitely recommend it.

It's a sorta sequel to Love Walked In, a book I read and loved in late 2006. You don't need to have read that to get this one, but it too was wonderful so I'd recommend reading it as well.

Anyway, here's the description of Belong to Me from B&N:

Everyone has secrets. Some we keep to protect ourselves, others to protect those we love.

A devoted city dweller, Cornelia Brown surprised herself when she was gripped by the sudden desire to head for an idyllic suburb. Though she knows she's made the right move, she approaches her new life with trepidation and struggles to forge friendships. Cornelia's mettle is quickly tested by judgmental neighbor Piper Truitt, the embodiment of everything Cornelia feared she would find in suburbia. A saving grace soon appears in the form of Lake, and Cornelia develops an instant bond with this warm yet elusive woman.

As their individual stories unfold, the women become entangled in a web of trust, betrayal, love and loss that challenges them in ways they never imagined, and that ultimately teaches them what it means for one human being to belong to another.

49. Look Me In the Eye

This is the story of a man with Asperger's who has lived a pretty amazing life. It was a really interesting read and I'd recommend it.

Here's the description from B&N:

Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” No guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures, or his father, who spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on.

After fleeing his parents and dropping out of high school, his savant-like ability to visualize electronic circuits landed him a gig with KISS, for whom he created their legendary fire-breathing guitars. Later, he drifted into a “real” job, as an engineer for a major toy company. But the higher Robison rose in the company, the more he had to pretend to be “normal” and do what he simply couldn’t: communicate. It wasn’t worth the paycheck.

It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told him he had the form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way Robison saw himself—and the world.

Look Me in the Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of growing up with Asperger’s at a time when the diagnosis simply didn’t exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes you inside the head of a boy whom teachers and other adults regarded as “defective,” who could not avail himself of KISS’s endless supply of groupies, and who still has a peculiar aversion to using people’s given names (he calls his wife “UnitTwo”). He also provides a fascinating reverse angle on the younger brother he left at the mercy of their nutty parents—the boy who would later change his name to Augusten Burroughs and write the bestselling memoir Running with Scissors.

Ultimately, this is the story of Robison’s journey from his world into ours, and his new life as a husband, father, and successful small business owner—repairing his beloved high-end automobiles. It’s a strange, sly, indelible account—sometimes alien, yet always deeply human.

48. Fourth Comings

Another re-read, this one from the library. It was on a featured books shelf and I just couldn't resist. While looking back on last year's book list I said I liked it then, I think I actually liked it even more this time around because I wasn't as shocked by the more grown up version of Jessica Darling. I visited the author's website today and saw that the final book will be called Perfect Fifths and I guess will come out in 2009 as she's spending 2008 writing it. Very exciting!!

Anyway, for those unfamiliar with Jessica Darling, I'd definitely suggest starting with Sloppy Firsts and reading them all!

Here's the B&N description of Fourth Comings:

At first it seems that she’s living the elusive New York City dream. She’s subletting an apartment with her best friend, Hope, working for a magazine that actually utilizes her psychology degree, and still deeply in love with Marcus Flutie, the charismatic addict-turned-Buddhist who first captivated her at sixteen.

Of course, reality is more complicated than dreamy clichés. She and Hope share bunk beds in the “Cupcake”—the girlie pastel bedroom normally occupied by twelve-year-old twins. Their Brooklyn neighborhood is better suited to “breeders,” and she and Hope split the rent with their promiscuous high school pal, Manda, and her “genderqueer boifriend.” Freelancing for an obscure journal can’t put a dent in Jessica’s student loans, so she’s eking out a living by babysitting her young niece and lamenting that she, unlike most of her friends, can’t postpone adulthood by going back to school.

Yet it’s the ever-changing relationship with Marcus that leaves her most unsettled. At the ripe age of twenty-three, he’s just starting his freshman year at Princeton University. Is she ready to give up her imperfect yet invigorating post-college life just because her on-again/off-again soul mate asks her to... marry him?Jessica has one week to respond to Marcus’s perplexing marriage proposal. During this time, she gains surprising wisdom from unexpected sources, including a popular talk show shrink, a drag queen named Royalle G. Biv, and yes, even her parents. But the most shocking confession concerns two people she thought had nothing to hide: Hope andMarcus.

Will this knowledge inspire Jessica to give up a world of late-night literary soirees, art openings, and downtown drunken karaoke to move back to New Jersey and be with the one man who’s gripped her heart for years? Jessica ponders this and other life choices with her signature snark and hyper-intense insight, making it the most tumultuous and memorable week of her twenty-something life.

47. Dear John

This was a sappy romance novel by Nicholas Sparks that brought on the tears over and over and over again. So of course, I loved it. :) I listened to this one on my iPod during my recent travels and that was a bit much - just way too long, but, if you like Nicholas Sparks' other books you'll enjoy this one as well.

Here's the description from B&N:

An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love--and face the hardest decision of his life.

46. Deep Dish

Cute and predictable chick lit... perfect for reading at the beach, which is exactly what I did. :)

Here's the description from B&N:

Chef extraordinaire Gina Foxton doesn't expect anything to be handed to her on a platter. After years of hard work, the former runner-up Miss Teen Vidalia Onion is now the host of her own local Georgia public television show called Fresh Start, and she's dating the show's producer.

But when her show gets canceled, and she catches her boyfriend in flagrante delicto with the boss's wife, Gina realizes that she's meant for bigger and better things. The Cooking Channel is looking for its next star, and Gina is certain that she fits the bill. Trouble is, the execs also have their eye on Mr. "Kill It and Grill It" Tate Moody, the star of a hunting, fishing, and cooking show called Vittles. Tate is the ultimate man's man, with a dog named Moonpie and a penchant for flannel shirts. Little does Gina know, though, that she and Tate are soon to embark on the cook-off of their lives.

45. The Book of Fate

I read a few of Meltzer's books years ago and forgotten how much I like them. Similar to Vince Flynn, this was a good read and I'd recommend it.

Here's a really brief description from B&N:

"A two-hundred-year-old code devised by Thomas Jefferson becomes the key to a present-day conspiracy at the highest levels of Washington and the power elite of Palm Beach"--

44. Literacy and Longing in L.A.

This one took me awhile to get into, but in the end I did enjoy it. And of course, the main character's love of reading was... familiar. I love the idea of book binges and might just give that a shot next time I'm feeling blah. :)

Here's the description:

Some women shop. Some eat. Dora cures the blues by bingeing on books—reading one after another, from Flaubert to bodice rippers, for hours and days on end. In this wickedly funny and sexy literary debut, we meet the beguiling, beautiful Dora, whose unique voice combines a wry wit and vulnerability as she navigates the road between reality and fiction.

Dora, named after Eudora Welty, is an indiscriminate book junkie whose life has fallen apart—her career, her marriage, and finally her self-esteem. All she has left is her love of literature, and the book benders she relied on as a child. Ever since her larger-than-life father wandered away and her book-loving, alcoholic mother was left with two young daughters, Dora and her sister, Virginia, have clung to each other, enduring a childhood filled with literary pilgrimages instead of summer vacations. Somewhere along the way Virginia made the leap into the real world. But Dora isn’t quite there yet. Now she’s coping with a painful separation from her husband, scraping the bottom of a dwindling inheritance, and attracted to a seductive book-seller who seems to embody all that literature has to offer—intelligent ideas, romance, and an escape from her problems.

Joining Dora in her odyssey is an elderly society hair-brusher, a heartbroken young girl, a hilarious off-the-wall female teamster, and Dora’s mother, now on the wagon, trying to make amends. Along the way Dora faces some powerful choices. Between two irresistible men. Between idleness and work. And most of all between the joy of well-chosen words and the untidiness of real people and real life.