36. Fool by Christopher Moore – Bawdy and literate and wild and funny, Moore’s take on the King Lear story, from the POV of Lear’s fool (Pocket is his name), is truly memorable. I’m not sure if it helped or hurt me that I’d already read King Lear, although the 20+ years since that reading surely made this story more comprehensible. I’d hate to have been comparing the two with every plot twist, as that surely would have diminished the fun. And fun is the word, even in the tragic bits. Shakespeare’s King Lear was a tragedy, after all, so Moore could hardly leave them all out. I give this a big thumbs-up! (finished 7/3)
37. Sizzlin’ Sixteen by Janet Evanovich – Hey, it’s a new Stephanie Plum novel, what more do I need to say? OK, OK, how ’bout this: Don’t read this while drinking, if you’re the type to snort soda/coffee/tea all over when you LOL, ’cause you will LOL. Guaranteed. (finished 7/6)
38. Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore – Finishing this book today meant missing out on 90 minutes of precious sleep, but it was well worth it. This novel is the sequel to You Suck, which was the sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends, both of which rocked. I loved Bite Me, too, although I can see where Moore seemed to be tying off all the loose ends and ending the series. If you’re going to read Moore (and you should), I heartily recommend reading this set of books in order. (finished 7/6)
39. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare – What a good beginning to The Mortal Instruments series (a trilogy so far)! This YA fantasy story is so well-written and has such interesting characters that you will be caught up from the first chapter. Off to book two! (finished 7/10)
40. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare – This is book two in the Mortal Instruments series, which picks up the plot very shortly after the events of book one and runs with it. The plot truly thickens and the stakes rise sharply. Major characters’ lives are changed permanently, but not willy-nilly. Book three (judging by the preview chapter at the end of this volume) picks up mere days later and will keep the adrenaline pumping. (Note to self: must get book three!!) This whole series is YA, reminiscent of the last volumes in the Harry Potter series, in that the characters are near adulthood and are dealing with very adult and world-changing events, while trying to grow up and figure out their places in that world. Love it! (finished 7/11)
41. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare – A wonderful third volume in the Mortal Instruments series, City of Glass delivers a no-holds-barred wrap up to the plots and subplots begun in volumes 1 and 2. It also has a little twist at the end that leaves open the possibility of more to come, without leaving readers unsatisfied. I highly recommend the whole series. (finished 7/13)
42. Home is Where the Wine Is by Laurie Perry – Crazy Aunt Purl’s second memoir makes me wish more than ever that she and I were neighbors. Her Southern upraising and ”accent” are as familiar to me as my own and they are endearing. The book is LOL funny in places and heartwarming/life-affirming throughout. And there are more knitting patterns than you’d expect at the end of the memoir part. I love anything Laurie writes and am a faithful reader of her blog, where I came to love her generosity of spirit and her pluck and her refusal to be a victim. This memoir just underscores my faith in her. (finished 7/13)
43. Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares – This fourth book in the Traveling Pants series, subtitled “The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood,” could be subbed more accurately “The Final Summer of the Sisterhood.” And it’s a fitting and satisfying end to a really good YA chick-lit series. I thoroughly enjoyed it, a bit to my surprise, as I had forgotten how much I liked the other three in the umpteen months since I read them. I wept a couple of times in the early part of this book and throughout pretty much all of the last two sections. If you have not read these books, you should get your hands on them and indulge. I know many women my (our?) age who will automatically decline books featuring teen protagonists, but YA fiction today is so much more than when we were teens. (Sorry, Nancy Drew, but the truth’s the truth.) Today’s YA fiction is well-written and funny and pertinent to all our lives, even if we haven’t been YAs in a couple of decades. I only wish today’s YA books had been around when I was a YA. I love it, I read a lot of it, and I am confident in my opinion that Brashares’ series is a prime example of the genre. (finished 7/17)
44. Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs – I’m glad Jacobs wrote a third novel about the gang at the Walker and Daughter yarn store, as I was not happy with book two, which was a little too pat and smarmy and “feel good” for me. This third book, however, strikes the right balance and left me satisfied. If Jacobs decides to do a fourth book, I’ll read it gladly, but she could stop the series here and not leave her readers dangling or feeling cheated. A nice save! (finished 7/22)
45. A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris – This collection of short stories adds to the Sookie Stackhouse saga by letting us see her in situations that don’t appear in the major novels, but that nonetheless are interesting peeks into her life. Nothing earthshaking, but fun. (finished 7/26)
