This was my first Christie in a while, and I think it satisfied my desire for a solid British mystery. The Lee family is home for Christmas and visiting their curmudgeonly old father, Simeon. He's a wealthy man who likes to see his family squabble. On Christmas Eve, Simeon calls his lawyer and mentions that he's ready to change his will. That night, he is brutally murdered in his bedroom. Luckily, Hercule Poirot is in town and begins his witty investigation into the family. People's stories are turned upside down and the story takes a great turn of direction near the end - one that you can almost see coming, but not completely. Good fun, 4 stars.

This book seemed perfect for early Fall nights. Its characters, Billy and Mona, work for Samuelson, a company that writes dictionaries. While working, they discover a strange citation that looks like it's part of a bigger story. They slowly begin to unearth more of these citations and uncover a mystery, right within the walls of Samuelson.returnreturnThis was a cozy book - lots of tea, people sitting silently in their cubicles reading books and magazines to chronicle new usages of words. But, for me, it was missing something. I longed for more of a storyline between Billy and Mona and for more mystery and intrigue. It also felt a small bit repetitive, because we read a few of the citations several times throughout the book.

This was another Picoult novel that gives an inside look at the challenges that can occur with the American justice system. This is the story of Katie Fisher, a young Amish woman, living in rural Pennsylvania. She is accused of murdering her newborn baby boy - a birth and death that she cannot recollect. In fact, she completely denies the idea that she had been pregnant in the first place.returnreturnAs usual, Picoult gives us such complex characters - even though one may find individual acts reprehensible and completely against one's moral code, there's usually something so compelling in so many of the characters that they're hard not to like. In this case, we are presented with the accusation of the purposeful death of a newborn child, and are meanwhile presented with the fascinating way of life the Amish live and how murder is so totally out of tune with the ethics of that community. It was truly delightful to learn a little bit about a way of life so foreign to mine (even as a nonreligious person). returnreturnSo what did happen to Baby Fisher? As usual with Picoult, there are many twists and turns that keep the pages turning. As soon as you think the mystery is solved, we're presented with a new piece of evidence that throws every theory out the window. This was another great page turner from Picoult!

This was my first Geraldine Brooks novel and it was amazing. Hanna Heath is a book conservationist who is called in to work on a Jewish prayer book found in Sarajevo. This book has, against all odds, made it through over 500 years of book burnings and religious fighting. From the clues that Hanna finds (such as salt, an insect wing, and blood), we learn about the book's journey and the people that risked their lives to save it. Wonderful, wonderful read: 5 stars.

This was the first King book that I've read in years. I was actually pretty scared to read it because of all of the things that I've read and heard about it. However, it didn't really scare me. I think it's because this novel is centered around vampires taking over a small town and I don't seem to believe in vampires. Now, loved ones going crazy from being isolated in a humongous mansion? Crazy stalkers that are obsessed with their idols? Those are more realistic plots that scare me more than any vampire tale. But in all honesty: it was a good story. There were memorable characters (Mark Petrie, Ben Mears, Father Callahan) that were plucky and admirable and a storyline that kept me reading until the end. And that's more important than being scared to fall asleep at night.

A dystopian novel that has us living in a world where it is illegal to own books. The reference of Fahrenheit 451 is that this is the temperature at which paper burns - and it agonizingly does so.returnreturnThis is the story of Guy Montag, a fireman in the future. The roles of firemen have changed - buildings are fireproof, so firemen don't have to worry about saving people from fires. Now, firemen set fires. If the police department is alerted that a home may contain books, the firemen are sent to set the place ablaze. Guy is unhappy in his life - his wife attempts suicide, wants him to spend outrageous amounts of money on a fourth wall (the walls are giant interactive television sets), and after meeting Clarisse McClellan (a young girl next door) he begins to question his job and book burning. He even brings books home at the risk of his job and his home.returnreturnBradbury has definitely created a scary world, one that makes me cling to my books and public library card. I can't imagine a world that values television and pop culture more than sitting in a quiet room or a sunny park and reading a good book. Oh wait, yes I can. How interesting.

What fun! A reclusive writer (Vida Winter) who has never been honest about her past finally tells her story to a bookish young woman (Margaret Lea). One of the blurbs on the back of the book says that it's a cross between Jane Eyre and Rebecca, and I must agree! The story of Vida Winter is heartbreaking and haunting; Margaret Lea owns a key to my heart. This book is great for anyone wanting to curl up in front of a fire for a rainy weekend (

This was the story of a man accused by teenage girls of rape. As a reader, one knows that the man is innocent, but the evidence is definitely stacked against him. This book was definitely thought provoking - how many times has an unfortunate series of events caused a person to be wrongly accused? And how many times have *I* jumped to conclusions before hearing a person's entire story? It bring to mind to the Duke scandal from a couple of years ago and even calls into question some of my feminist beliefs (example: why would a woman claim she was raped and go through all of the struggles that ensue?).returnreturnAt times, I had to put the book down for a few hours because it was just so uncomfortable; I thought Picoult did a wonderful job of making the reader feel the hurt and anger of the situation.