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Once I finish The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz I will have read 38 books this year! May not sound like a lot, but I'm am proud of myself. Next years goal is 40 with at least 2 doorstops! woot woot

I received one too! I had been debating buy one for a half a year or so, so my hubby took over that decision for me. I like it much more than I expected to. Happy reading for 2011!

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott A classic for all ages about four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, growing up during the Civil War and experiencing war-time poverty and the absence of their father. A wonderful read filled with love, friendship, romance, and loss. A great winter read! (5/5) I called it a reread for me, but I really consider it a first read because the version I read years ago was only part I. Now, I'm about half way through The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum on my Kindle.

Has anyone read the new young adult novel Jane by April Lindner? It's supposed to be a modern retelling of Jane Eyre. The brief description and cover caught my eye, but I wonder if it is any good.

I've seen this cover with the big ? and have heard the title mentioned, but it never seemed to spark my interest. Now that I've taken a closer look I'm going to have to add The Sherlockian to my wishlist.

There are many I would like to be (at least for certain chapters), but I think I'd choose Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I'd get to have adventures in a fantasy world and meet quirky characters, even though some may want to kill me.

Describe yourself: The Girl Who Chased The Moon (Sarah Addison Allen) How do you feel: Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell) Describe where you currently live: Roseflower Creek (J.L. Miles) If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Austenland (Shannon Hale) Your favorite form of transportation: Sea (Heidi R. Kling) Your best friend is: A Great and Terrible Beauty (Libba Bray) You and your friends are:Rebel Angels (Libba Bray) What's the weather like:Shiver (Maggie Siefvater) You fear: Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury) What is the best advice you have to give: Linger (Maggie Stiefvater) Thought for the day:Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) How I would like to die: Before I Fall (Lauren Oliver) My soul's present condition:The Sweet Far Thing (Libba Bray)

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. Little Women ~ Louisa May Alcott

The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (YA) Four best friends, Carmen, Lena, Tibby and Bridget, spend a summer apart, but share a "magical" pair of jeans that fit them all perfectly. This is the first in a young adult series of four books. I really enjoyed how each chapter is splint into glimpses of each characters experiences. This is a book that leaves me wanting more, so it's a good thing their are three more! (4.5/5) I've started Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, which is a reread, but has been so long ago.

There are several for me to choose from among my favorites, but I'd have to pick To Kill A Mockingbird to give to everyone. Wonderful book, plus a perfect length. Not too long or too short. Also, I wouldn't want copies of Gone With The Wind hurled back at my face!

The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen Synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com "Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor, Julia Winterson, bakes hope in the form of cakes, not only wishing to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also dreaming of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in." This is Allen's third novel and is as full of whimsy and magic as the other two. The Girl Who Chased The Moon is a feel-good, sweet, magical novel with great characters. Fast, easy read. My favorite of Allen's so far.(4/5)

Your favourite read of the year? Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Your favourite author of the year? Suzanne Collins and Ray Bradbury Your most read author of the year? It's a threeway tie between Ray Bradbury, Suzanne Collins, and Libba Bray Your favourite book cover of the year? The Last Will Of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, then the one you read the least of)? The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery The book that most disappointed you? The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd The funniest book you read this year? Austenland by Shannon Hale (not that funny, but closest to funny) Your favourite literary character this year? Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games trilogy Your favourite children's book this year? Fancy Nancy series Your favourite non-fiction book this year? No non-fiction this year Your favourite biography this year? I rarely read a biography Your favourite collection of short stories this year? Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark by Alvin Schwartz (extremely short stories for children) Your favourite poetry collection this year? Didn't read any Your favourite illustrated book of the year? The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Book Of A Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (YA) Synopsis from Amazon.com "When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment. As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome, and the other decidedly less so—brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows. With Shannon Hale’s lyrical language, this forgotten but classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise." I thought Book Of A Thousand Days was an enjoyable, easy, young adult read. The story is based on a Grimm's fairy tale and is told in diary format by Dashti, a maid, who sings songs that have healing powers and has sworn seven years of servitude to her mistress. I've read Hale's Austenland and enjoyed it as well and would really like to read more. (4/5)

I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 on Sunday!! Loved it!

I'm putting Ruby's Spoon on my wishlist! I love debut novels.

Welcome Donna! Happy reading to you!

Thanks! I want to read three more books this year, but I might be able to squeeze in four! I was really disappointed by The Mermaid Chair. I wanted to like it.

One Day by David Nicholls Synopsis from Barnesandnoble.com "It's 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. They both know that the next day, after college graduation, they must go their separate ways. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. As the years go by, Dex and Em begin to lead separate lives-lives very different from the people they once dreamed they'd become. And yet, unable to let go of that special something that grabbed onto them that first night, an extraordinary relationship develops between the two. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day-July 15th-of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself." As I read this I could absolutely see every scene in my head. Each chapter is told by the same date, July 15th, of each year in the lives of Dexter and Emma. Very well written novel, but a bit sluggish at times. Also, exaperating, wishing this couple could just get together. In a way it was almost too real, but I did see the end coming. Described as romantic, but is not romantic at all. (3/5)

Unfortunately, Laura was sent to a mental hospital after murdering her stepfather Rick Webber on the night the remarriage was due. unfortunately, Laura became a sideshow. That sounds about right!

Can I have duel citizenship?! There are certain authors that I will read anything written by them. I also love reading a debut novel by an unknown. But, sometimes when I read a debut novel and love it I'm a bit apprehensive to read a new novel by that author for fear of disappointment.

A few bestsellers Indecisive Junctures ~ George W. Bush (Decision Points) Large Canine Breezeway ~ Hilary Mantel (Wolf Hall) Where the Undomesticated Beings Are ~ Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are)

I thought The Notebook film was far better than the book by Nicholas Sparks. Usually when I compare a book to a movie I enjoy the detail of the book better. I do think the Harry Potter movies are as equally wonderful as the books. I think of it as comparing two artistic mediums, like comparing a sculpture of a bird to a painting of the same bird. However, it is sooo disappointing to see a scene or character that is different from what is expected after reading a novel.

Seems like I'm usually pressed for time so I may stop mid-paragraph or even mid-sentence if I'm interrupted. I hate to leave off like that, but I read as long as I can.

That sounds interesting too! Do you know the title? I saw Devotion from 1946 that starred Olivia de Havilland about the Brontes. It was good, but not very accurate.