Books I've read recently:

Here's a little archive of my thoughts about some recent reads. (Alphabetized by title)

Anybody Out There?, by Marian Keyes
Oh, it's fantastic, but wrenching. I cried embarrassing amounts. But if you're following Keyes' Irish sisters (I also loved Rachel's Holiday and Watermelon), you'll definitely want to pick this up. Or start with this one. It's really really good.

A Civil Contract, by Georgette Heyer
Would you believe I'd never read Heyer before? So many of my fellow Jane Austen fans have raved about Heyer's books, but I'd never tried one before. This one was... odd. I loved the writing, very sharp and funny, but the characters and the plot setup were a little less than inspiring. It's enough to make me want to give The Grand Sophy a try, though, since that's the one I hear the most raves about.

The Comeback Kiss, by Lani Diane Rich
Funny, sharp, well-constructed, with great loveable characters. If you read Rich's Maybe Baby, you'll recognize and happily re-embrace some of the characters from that book. Good stuff.

Everything Changes, by Jonathan Tropper
I got this as a freebie handout at RWA National last year, and it languished on my TBR pile for a while until I picked it up on a whim. I liked it; it has some fun characters and some touching moments. I hear it's going to be made into a movie, so I'll have my eyes open for that.

The Fortune Quilt, by Lani Diane Rich
Oh, a Lani book! And possibly my favorite to date. This is a tale of a woman who has her life "Towered" (meaning completely crushed, in Tarot-card terms) and has to decide what to salvage and what to remake. Funnier than it sounds, and it made me cry, too.

The Ghost at the Table, by Suzanne Berne
This is a rather absorbing read despite being narrated by — well, come to think of it, totally populated by — characters that are hard to sympathize with. It's about Important Life Stuff, like family and secrets and lies. It takes itself a little too seriously for my taste, but I'm not sorry I read it.

I Love Everybody (And Other Atrocious Lies), by Laurie Notaro
I approached this one with caution, because I'd tried Notaro's first collection of stories/essays and didn't love it. But this one is laugh-out-loud funny, endearing, and just plain fun.

jPod, by Douglas Coupland
Interesting, but it doesn't compare in my mind to Coupland's fabulous Microserfs. A bit too farcical for my taste, and the side discussions and internal ramblings of the characters are more interesting than the actual plot. But there are some interesting ideas here.

Love and Other Near-Death Experiences, by Mil Millington
This is a novel by the author responsible for the Web phenom Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About. I really enjoyed it. The narrator is a good guy who's paralyzed by the prospect of making even minor choices in life after randomly avoiding death. I adored his snarky, suicidal love-interest, Elizabeth.

Natural Born Charmer, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Another reliable read from SEP. It doesn't touch my favorites — Fancy Pants and Dream A Little Dream — but it's got fun characters, some hilarious lines, and lots o' touching moments.

Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy!, by Bob Harris
This is a great book by a former champ on the game show Jeopardy!, and even though it contains lots of game strategy, it's definitely worth reading even if you're not a Jeopardy! enthusiast. It's also a memoir of sorts, and it's funny and thought-provoking and wonderful. I recommend it.

There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say, by Paula Poundstone
I've always loved Paula Poundstone's standup, so I enjoyed reading her rambling thoughts about famous people in history and about her own life. I wish I'd bought an audiobook version, though — I think it would've been funnier hearing it in her voice.