An entertaining little tome for the fans of HP. Perhaps the best thing about this book is the 'commentary' from Albus Dumbledore. Long my favorite HP fandom character, his droll and amusing observations were far superior to the actual tales. "...humans have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them." Oh Professor, how true.

Book 32 - Treasure Island - R.L. Stevenson
I have read this book several times at different stages in my life and it always holds something different each time I read it. Adventure, evil-doings, action, treachery, loyalty, the inner-workings of man's soul. Is there a better anti-hero than Long John Silver? Or better men than Dr. Livesey or the Captian? I know I will never tire of this marvelous story.

Book 33 - The Enchantress of Florence - Salman Rushdie
With the possible exception of Shakespeare, there is no better master of the English language than Rushdie. It's magic just to read his stories. Trouble is, his plots are usually so-so (for me, anyway). That changed with this novel. It's difficult to describe: a sort of magical mystery tour of Renaissance Florence with a side trip to India. I plan on actually buying this book, I liked it so much.

Book 34 - The Tale of Despereaux - Kate Di Camillo
It seems I saved the best book for last. Although technically this is a children's book, it is one that can be cherished and appreciated by any adult with a heart. A touching tale of bravery, perfidy, and true love, very sweetly told. Dear reader, you must pick up this book.

So that is most likely it for 2008. I start again January 1!

Book 29 - The Bridge to Terabithia byKatherine Paterson
This book is a bit dated, referring to hippies and the Vietnam war and “Free to Be You & Me”, but the theme was good: kids that are different and outside the norm trying to find their own way. I did not at all care for the ultimate plot ending, but the message of the book was good.

Book 30 - Sadako & the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr
This is a novelization of the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a young Japanese girl who fought a brave battle against leukemia as a result of her exposure to radiation during the bombing of Hiroshima. It is almost more of a short story, but it is very simply and touchingly told. Recommended, but bring your tissues.

Book 31 - Lyra’s Oxford - Philip Pullman
This is an odd little book I found many years ago before I had even read the His Dark Materials trilogy. It’s not really part of the story, more of a quaint adjunct, but it does help to have read them to get a better picture of Lyra and also to understand who Mary is. It’s delightfully illustrated with a fold-out map of Oxford, odd little adverts, and quirky postcards. I highly recommend it if you are fan of Lyra Belacqua’s stories.

Sedaris's new book contains some of his best essays and stories ever. Some are just silly, and some are a bit gross, but overall there is an extremely poignant and touching thread throughout the book: you can tell Sedaris is looking back far more fondly on his adolescence and young adult life than he has in previous stories, although he still spends a great deal of time with his tongue planted firmly in cheek when talking about the people of Raleigh, NC.

More touching are his musings about his relationship with his longtime boyfriend, Hugh, as well as his very personal account of his 'coming out' in 'Road Trip'. I was lucky enough to see him last year and got to hear that story first hand and I'll tell you, by the time he got to the end I was almost in tears, both from laughter and from sadness.

If you can, I highly recommend getting an audio version of this book because nothing beats Sedaris's deadpan monotone when it come to telling his stories.

David, I love you.

I came across this book when I was looking for "Baba Yaga" stories in the children's section of the library. (Am I the only one who remembers Baba Yaga?) Although this is supposed to be a book for juveniles, I found it to be very dry and scholarly, and for the most part, badly written. There was a nice section on the origins of many Irish symbols and some good Irish songs, but the legends were rather mixed up and the historical sections didn't seem particularly trustworthy. It wasn't much of a 'treasure' for me.

A sequel to McCourt's earlier work, Angela's Ashes, this book follows the author on his journey back to America. Told in a similar style as his fist memoir, Frank tells about workings odd jobs, going into the Army, working more odd jobs, & finally following his dream of attending university. Along the way, he is haunted by ghosts of his Irish past, but ultimately learns to reconcile his past with his present.

It was ejoyable to read but the last third of the book was a bit of a mish-mash, crossing back and forth between time lines and leaving many things rather vague. It was almost as if his editor said to him, "Hurry up and finish the book, Frank!" It seemed very short and abrupt especially in contrast to the detailed stories in the first part of the book.

Still, I enjoyed it & would certainly recommend it.

This is the seventh book in Aiken's Wolves Chronicles, a fantastical series of stories set in Dickensian England but with a historical twist. Certain characters are featured throughout the series but each book is a stand-alone story. Her books always feature strong, clever children in dire circumstances who survive by their courage and their wit and this episode is no different.

I highly recommend reading at least the first two books of the series, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and Black Hearts in Battersea (my favorite!) as well as this book.

Sometimes I put books on hold at the library and when they come in I think "Why?" I guess I chose this one because it was written by an Irish author and set in 1950s Dublin so I thought it might be interesting. It was, in a way: a murder mystery that unfolded bit by bit, told from the viewpoints of all the various characters. The trouble was, ALL of the characters were just so incredibly unlikeable. In fact, very nearly detestable.

It's funny, gazingeye and I were discussing the other day that we both have a hard time putting a book down even if it's bad. I'm afraid this was one of them. The book was actually well written in term of mechanics, even a bit James Joyce-ish poetical at times. But that still couldn't save it. Perhaps this quote sums it up best: "Life consists, she reflected with matter-of-fact clarity, in a long series of misjudgments." It seems checking this book out was one of them.

At least I am now halfway through the 50 Book Challenge. Woot!

I loved this book. A witty and intelligent re-telling of the Gospel from the perspective of Jesus' best friend, Levi who is called Biff. Humorous, warm and fun, and of course incredibly blasphemous, Moore shows a wide range of knowledge of the history of the time of Christ, as well as a wealth of knowledge of various religious philosophies.

Biff "reveals" Jesus' years between age 13 and 30 which includes a trip to the Far East and India where Jesus learns the ancient religions of Buddhism and Hinduism and formulates his own philosophy. I laughed 'til my sides hurt at some spots in this book, although it did get a slight bit tiresome on the part in India. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this, unless of course you think it may offend you.

Believe it or not, until about two weeks ago, I hadn't heard of Klosterman. I'd heard of his books, but never connected the name. I figured it was time to dig into his work.

This book is a collection of several interviews and essays he wrote for such magazines as Spin, GQ, and Esquire and edited with introductions & footnotes that explain the 'behind the scenes' stories. He's marginally funny, somewhat insightful, and knows how to write a well-constructed sentence, so I enjoyed reading his works. I especially enjoyed the interviews of Radiohead & U2.

Some of his essays were a bit odd, but what made each one more interesting was the 'philosophical delemma' question he posed at the beginning of each. I especially enjoyed the quirky piece of new fiction which closed out the book.

Not for everyone but if you're looking for something different (or some really insightful words from Thom Yorke), it's good.