This is one of those books that has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time, bought because I love the author and it had a pretty cover. After seeing Melody's review on livejournal, I finally decided that maybe I should read it. It's a charming little book, and I loved the incorporation of several culture's holiday stories. A few little things made me twitch (portrayal of African Americans--and some of the words used to describe them), but a beautiful book.

Part of the spark that led me to my last two books of 2007 was Melody mentioning that the illustrator This Way to Christmas is the younger sister of Frank Lloyd Wright and that she wrote a memoir of her childhood, which is this book. A quick read with fun little tidbits about life in Wisconsin in the late 19th century. As I was reading it, I realized that though I have long admired Wright, I don't really know much about him. This book wasn't enough to satisfy that desire (and I would have liked less about the large extended family and more about her adult years), but enough to make me want to know more about this talented family

Yes, I know the entire world read this book years ago. And most people loved it. I found it okay--much like I expected. What amazed me was how frustrated I got with the mother. Your husband's a loser--get a clue! But now I've read it and can do other things with my life.

book that really surprised me--I tend to avoid Civil War fiction, but I really enjoy Doctorow and then it won all these awards. A truly beautiful novel about the lives affected by the war--it wasn't just a soldier story or a brave woman story but a real cross-section of people in the closing days of the war. Definitely recommended.

Bookish chick lit, but I was expecting more humor. It was surprisingly serious, but again I got a bit frustrated with the main character. I like books a lot, but geez. I do like to think I do a few things besides read. It just wasn't a very satisfying book.

I spent many a late night with this book. A collection of objects and death, all leading to a bigger story. Sound familiar? But I had no desire to throw this across the room (like I did with DaVinci Code). Definitely a thoughtful, intellectual book, but enough action to keep the pages turning.

Sheer guilty pleasure--a collection of essays about Veronica Mars. Some of them were fabulous, others not so great. But overall, it was fun and got me wanting to rewatch the entire series. Perhaps if the writers' strike continues. . .

I was expecting gossipy social history--after all, these are people at the top of the social pecking order in the late 19th century. It was a great book, but a bit more academic and complex than I expected. Great intricate story of a mother and daughter, trying to find their way through the various social boundaries. There was so much they could do with their wealth, and so much that they couldn't. Definitely recommended-

My first read of my Persephone splurge. It was a great book, all about the shifting that occurs after war when people start coming home. In this case, it's England after WWII. Great but quiet tale of a small town that will never be the same.

A fairly formulaic detective novel except. . . it's by a local author and set in Dallas. In fact, the fictional detective's office is just a few blocks from my house. It was fun to read about places I knew, and the mess that is Trinity River development (something that continues to be a huge issue around here), but it wasn't so fabulous that I'll check out the other Lee Henry Oswald mysteries. Yep, you read that character name correctly. It's almost too much.