Almost at the halfway point

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47. Lucky You - Carl Hiaasen
48. Stormy Weather - Carl Hiaasen

I enjoy his books, obviously.

They're somewhat predictable, in that someone is either destroying the state of Florida directly (developers) or doing it indirectly (tourists, mostly), and he has a few anti-heroes he cycles through, but I still love the books. I love the style of writing, the acerbic wit and I love Skink (especially) and Mick Stranahan. Carl's also usually good for a well-written and relatively intelligent female character, and ya gotta love him for that.
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Latest Books

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44. Sick Puppy - Carl Hiaasen

45. Plum Lucky - Janet Evanovich

46. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris
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Updated List

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1. The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
2. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman
3. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman
4. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
5. Innocent in Death - J.D. Robb
6. Seven Up - Janet Evanovich
7. Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich
8. Unconditional Parenting - Alfie Kohn
9. To the Nines - Janet Evanovich
10. Tourist Season - Carl Hiaasen
11. The Secret Life of Bees - Sun Monk Kidd
12. Crazy Time: Surviving Divorce and Building a New Life - Abigail Trafford
13. Ten Big Ones - Janet Evanovich
14. Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton
15. The Ruby in the Smoke - Philip Pullman
16. Double Whammy - Carl Hiaasen
17. The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler
18. Blood Brothers - Nora Roberts
19. Eleven on Top - Janet Evanovich
20. The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing - Melissa Bank
21. Zlata's Diary - Zlata Filipovic
22. The Reading Group - Elizabeth Noble
23. Heartburn - Nora Ephron
24. The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
25. Twelve Sharp - Janet Evanovich
26. Girl, Interrupted - Susanna Kaysen
27. Lean, Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich
28. Plum Lovin' - Janet Evanovich
29. The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time - Mark Haddon
30. Skinny Dip - Carl Hiaasen
31. Metro Girl - Janet Evanovich
32. Native Tongue - Carl Hiaasen
33. Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
34. Morrigan's Cross - Nora Roberts
35. Dance of the Gods - Nora Roberts
36. Valley of Silence - Nora Roberts
37. Strangers in Death - JD Robb
38. The Mermaid Chair - Sue Monk Kidd
39. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris
40. The Laughing Corpse - Laurell K. Hamilton
41. Flush - Carl Hiaasen
42. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks
43. Bare Bones - Kathy Reichs
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#39-41

#39 - Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris
Laugh out loud funny. Loved this book.

#40 - The Laughing Corpse - Laurell K. Hamilton
Very good - I like the characters in the book and loved the dark ending.

#41 - Flush - Carl Hiaasen
One of his two young adult books, so a quick, easy read but still exactly what I read Hiaasen for.

And in the "full circle" arena, a UF alumnus-written book has a fansite at a Pflugerville, TX high school. Whooda thunkit.

Book #38 / Updated List

The Mermaid Chair

Not bad. I like Kidd's kind of "Ya Ya Sisterhood" meets "Steel Magnolias" sensibilities where it comes to female bonding and "family". I saw a review on Amazon saying the book was overwritten ... I can see where they get that. I did find myself skimming now and then, but not nearly as much as I used to when reading Stephen King.

1. The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
2. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman
3. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman
4. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
5. Innocent in Death - J.D. Robb
6. Seven Up - Janet Evanovich
7. Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich
8. Unconditional Parenting - Alfie Kohn
9. To the Nines - Janet Evanovich
10. Tourist Season - Carl Hiaasen
11. The Secret Life of Bees - Sun Monk Kidd
12. Crazy Time: Surviving Divorce and Building a New Life - Abigail Trafford
13. Ten Big Ones - Janet Evanovich
14. Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton
15. The Ruby in the Smoke - Philip Pullman
16. Double Whammy - Carl Hiaasen
17. The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler
18. Blood Brothers - Nora Roberts
19. Eleven on Top - Janet Evanovich
20. The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing - Melissa Bank
21. Zlata's Diary - Zlata Filipovic
22. The Reading Group - Elizabeth Noble
23. Heartburn - Nora Ephron
24. The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
25. Twelve Sharp - Janet Evanovich
26. Girl, Interrupted - Susanna Kaysen
27. Lean, Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich
28. Plum Lovin' - Janet Evanovich
29. The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time - Mark Haddon
30. Skinny Dip - Carl Hiaasen
31. Metro Girl - Janet Evanovich
32. Native Tongue - Carl Hiaasen
33. Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
34. Morrigan's Cross - Nora Roberts
35. Dance of the Gods - Nora Roberts
36. Valley of Silence - Nora Roberts
37. Strangers in Death - JD Robb
38. The Mermaid Chair - Sue Monk Kidd

#37 - Strangers in Death

It's been awhile since I've read an "in Death" book, and I missed Roarke :)

A good read, as usual. And yeah, Roarke. Mmmm.

The Circle Trilogy - Nora Roberts

Book 1. Morrigan's Cross
Book 2. Dance of the Gods
Book 3. Valley of Silence

I enjoyed this trilogy. Six people (a sorcerer, a witch, a shape-shifter, a scholar, a vampire and a demon hunter) are charged by the goddess Morrigan to fight the ultimate battle against a vampire queen set on destroying the world. It's fantastic and unbelievable (in the literal sense), but the characters are well-developed and likable, and the story moves along well.

It felt a little formulaic, for lack of a better term, as I've started another of her 'Sign of the Seven' trilogy, which also has 6 people that pair off into romantic couples, and battle evil. I've not read the Key trilogy or the In The Garden trilogy, yet, so I may be off on the 'formulaic' assessment; I'll let ya know.

I also couldn't help thinking that it felt kind of like she leaned pretty heavily on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, not just for the apocalyptic final battle and its build-up, but also or some of the characters. I'm not sure if Nora Roberts is a Buffy fan or not, but the characters of Cian in the Circle Trilogy and Roarke in her JD Robb "... in Death" series are very reminiscent of Angel(us) from Buffy. Not than I'm complaining - it just gives me more fodder for some very pleasant daydreams :)

Regardless of formula, or inspiration, Roberts is a beloved author, and darn good at it. I truly enjoy her books, and those of her 'alter ego', JD Robb. The Circle trilogy was no exception, and I look forward to completing Strangers in Death, The Hollow and then moving on to the Key and In The Garden trilogies.

Updated List

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1. The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
2. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman
3. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman
4. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
5. Innocent in Death - J.D. Robb
6. Seven Up - Janet Evanovich
7. Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich
8. Unconditional Parenting - Alfie Kohn
9. To the Nines - Janet Evanovich
10. Tourist Season - Carl Hiaasen
11. The Secret Life of Bees - Sun Monk Kidd
12. Crazy Time: Surviving Divorce and Building a New Life - Abigail Trafford
13. Ten Big Ones - Janet Evanovich
14. Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton
15. The Ruby in the Smoke - Philip Pullman
16. Double Whammy - Carl Hiaasen
17. The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler
18. Blood Brothers - Nora Roberts
19. Eleven on Top - Janet Evanovich
20. The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing - Melissa Bank
21. Zlata's Diary - Zlata Filipovic
22. The Reading Group - Elizabeth Noble
23. Heartburn - Nora Ephron
24. The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
25. Twelve Sharp - Janet Evanovich
26. Girl, Interrupted - Susanna Kaysen
27. Lean, Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich
28. Plum Lovin' - Janet Evanovich
29. The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time - Mark Haddon
30. Skinny Dip - Carl Hiaasen
31. Metro Girl - Janet Evanovich
32. Native Tongue - Carl Hiaasen
33. Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
34. Morrigan's Cross - Nora Roberts
35. Dance of the Gods - Nora Roberts

#33 - Into the Wild

I was kind of underwhelmed. It was a decent book, tho I'm not sure there was really enough material for an actual book, or that the story was compelling enough for an actual book ...

It's the story of Chris McCandless, a twenty-something kid from a well-to-do family whose wanderlust outstripped his common sense. He took off (totally unprepared) on a solo trip into the Alaskan interior and he died. Yeah, that's an oversimplification, but, stripped of romanticism, that's what happened.

I think the author needed McCandless' death to be more meaningful than it was; I'm not belittling the tragedy of death, or the heartbreak Chris' family experienced (and must still experience). But to make a hero out of a self-involved kid who put his own dreams/desires first, who ignored his family and left them no clue he was alive or dead for years, who willingly and blithely walked into the wilds of Alaska without being even remotely prepared for what he'd face ... it's just dishonest.

The author (Jon Krakauer) shared some of Chris McCandless' dreams and exploits, and admittedly was not an unbiased biographer. It felt like the author - in drawing parallels between his experiences, McCandless' experiences and the experiences of a few other men (always men) who followed their bliss into the wild - was attempting to make the acts into something more meaningful, almost transcendent.

What the author, and his self-styled contemporaries, fail to appreciate, in my opinion, is that "The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it" - running away into the wild and climbing mountains doesn't make you braver or better than anyone else.

#32 - Native Tongue

Another Hiaasen book. Another great read. I may have a new favorite author.

Books 30 and 31

Book #30 - Carl Hiaasen Skinny Dip

Loved it. Probably my favorite Hiaasen book to date. Thought it's tough to compete with Double Whammy ... I'll need to read the intervening books to see if he shows up in those as well, but I was thrilled to see The Governor make an appearance in Skinny Dip.

I highly recommend Hiaasen's books, especially for anyone partial to the environment in general, and Florida's environment in particular.

Book #31 - Janet Evanovich - Metro Girl

I enjoyed it, but not overly. I prefer her Stephanie Plum books. This one kind of felt like she was taking the basic Plum formula and plugging in new characters ... but not really new, just variations on a theme.

And there's no Ranger.

List to date

1. The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
2. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman
3. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman
4. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
5. Innocent in Death - J.D. Robb
6. Seven Up - Janet Evanovich
7. Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich
8. Unconditional Parenting - Alfie Kohn
9. To the Nines - Janet Evanovich
10. Tourist Season - Carl Hiaasen
11. The Secret Life of Bees - Sun Monk Kidd
12. Crazy Time: Surviving Divorce and Building a New Life - Abigail Trafford
13. Ten Big Ones - Janet Evanovich
14. Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton
15. The Ruby in the Smoke - Philip Pullman16. Double Whammy - Carl Hiaasen
17. The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler
18. Blood Brothers - Nora Roberts
19. Eleven on Top - Janet Evanovich20. The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing - Melissa Bank
21. Zlata's Diary - Zlata Filipovic
22. The Reading Group - Elizabeth Noble
23. Heartburn - Nora Ephron
24. The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
25. Twelve Sharp - Janet Evanovich
26. Girl, Interrupted - Susanna Kaysen
27. Lean, Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich
28. Plum Lovin' - Janet Evanovich
29. The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time - Mark Haddon
30. Skinny Dip - Carl Hiaasen
31. Metro Girl - Janet Evanovich

The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night -Time

Loved this book.

A funny 'murder mystery', in which the victim is a standard poodle and the detective is a socially inept autistic boy who claims not to be funny or like jokes, but nonetheless narrates an ironically funny story. I especially enjoyed the treatment of the boy (Christopher); the author characterized autism with a matter-of-fact, 'it is what it is' attitude that made Christopher even more likable.

http://www.amazon.com/Curious-Incident-Night-Time-Today-Show/dp/0385512104