Until now, I've tried to keep a list of books I've read in my planner. This is a much better place- plus I can share good books and warn against bad ones with friends.

I'm in a book club, and I read for relaxation on my own so this could be an extensive list.

• A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby. No High Fidelity, but a solid story about a group of people who meet while trying to commit suicide by jumping off the same building.
• French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano. I love the author's name. I mostly skimmed through the book, but it seems like solid ideas. This is a non-diet diet book, which I love. Perfect for people like me who love food but don't want to look like we love food.
• Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. A summary of this book would be uninteresting, but there's something about the writing that's compelling. Gibson writes like he's a visitor to modern day Earth. I love how neurotic and strange this book is at times. A new favorite.
• The Tale of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski: I'm not really a dog person, but I did enjoy this book. A little slow and meandering until the last few chapters, which had me rivited. I still don't understand Edgar's motives for doing much of anything, but admire his character.
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by Jon Berendt: I can't believe this is a true story. It's too beautiful and strange. I really want to visit Savannah now and carouse with all of these wonderful, weird people.
• Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs. Such tragic, true stories that are written with humor. I giggled a lot while reading this.
• The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster. A book that sounds boring from reading the blurb on the back but is written with poetry, grace, and beautiful sadness. A new favorite.
• Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I'm not sure I enjoy tall tales as much as an adult as I did as a child, but the story was good and I'm intrigued by the recipes.
• The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. A beautiful story. I fell for it completely, believing every word until the end. Some stories should be true, even if they are not.
• House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III. Not a feel good kind of book, but almost Shaksperean in the amount of tragedy by the end. A reminder to think before you act and the consequences of being too self-involved
• Unbearable lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. This book is unbearably good and unbearably bad at times. I'm still conflicted. I've put it down to read something else, but happily picked it back up again later. The treatment of women is disturbing, but other ideas are beautifully presented.
• Elizabeth Costello by J.M. Coetzee. A book about a writer, and writing, for people who are not necessarily writers.
• On Beauty by Zadie Smith. An interesting story about why we love who we do, why we fall out of it and why we stay.
• B is for Beer by Tom Robbins. He's my favorite author, and has made an excellent short "children's story for grownups" Loved it
• __Amsterdam__by Ian McEwan. This is one of may "literary" books I've gotten into the habit of reading. It's well written, but I'm not sure if I enjoy this author as much as others. Two longtime friends come together over the death of an old love, then sabotage each other and another old love. The main theme seems to be how people exploit others for personal gain, or because they think they're doing the right thing. Not the feel good book of the summer
• Timbuktu by Paul Auster. The book started out fascinating, then got predictable. Oh well.
• Special Topics In Calamity Physics By Marisha Pessl. Easily my favorite book so far this year. All I can say is WOW! I won't even try to explain the richness of it... a must read
• Bonk by Mary Roach. This book is about the history of science and sex. Informative and highly entertaining.
• The Human Stain by Philip Roth. Long winded in parts, but overall a fascinating look at race and how we portray ourselves vs. how other people see us.