24. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

I would never have picked up this book on my own but my book club is reading it for this month, and I'm glad they chose it. It was super interesting. It tells the story of a man named Greg Mortenson who tried to climb K2 in Pakistan, but failed. He almost died and ended up in a little village at the base of the mountain. The Baltistan people there nursed him back to health and he swore that he would come back and build a school for this little village. He was good to his word and didn't stop there. By the end of this book, he had built over 40 schools all over Northern Pakistan and was branching into Northern Afghanistan. It's an amazing story, but most amazing to me is that this guy isn't rich, he's just dedicated and hard-working and he believes that education for these people can make all the difference, especially for the girls. It's a little harder book than I've been reading lately, so it took me a little to get into it. But, in the end, it really made me think. I enjoyed it and am glad that there are people like Greg Mortenson in the world. It was very inspiring. It really shows that one man can make a difference.

23. Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo

This is the second book in the Charlie Bone series. I liked it just as much as the first. This time Charlie encounters his long-lost great uncle, Henry, who disappeared at the age of 11 and mysteriously reappears in Charlie's school. Charlie and his friends help Henry escape from the evil faction who hope to get rid of him for good. More about the Red King is revealed and the other regular characters continue to develop. Charlie also finds more clues as to what might have happened to his missing father. This is a great series and the books are quick reads. This one only took me about 2 days to get through. The print is pretty big and there is lots of white space. I love that. I would highly recommend it.

22. Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo

This book is the first in the Charlie Bone series. It is a great series. If you like Harry Potter you will probably like these. In some ways I like these better. The basic premise is that there are a group of descendants of a long lost king that have magical powers. On Charlie's tenth birthday, he finds out that he is one of the "Endowed" (one with powers) and must go to a special school. He can hear people talking in pictures (what they were saying when the picture was taken). At the creepy school he meets a few new friends and is pulled into a mystery about a missing baby and one about his own missing father (who he thought had died in an accident when he was little). Charlie gets caught between the good and the evil factions of his family and later at the school. They are really quick, fun books and the characters and powers are really creative. One boy can feel the feelings of anyone by touching their clothes. (He tells Charlie that he has to have new clothes because if they're used, it drives him crazy, feeling all those unconnected feelings.) They're kind of like a cross between Harry Potter and the X-men. I listened to this one and the production is amazing. I would highly recommend it.

21. The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough

This book was very different than most of the P&P sequels that I've read. (The book takes place about 20 years after the original.) First of all, Mary is the heroine. She's still a little quirky but she makes a great character. Next, Elizabeth and Darcy are not happy in their marriage. They basically either fight or ignore each other. Darcy is very controlling and Elizabeth basically just suffers through. Darcy has controlled the entire Bennet family to minimize embarassment to himself. At the beginning of the book, Mrs. Bennet finally passes away and Mary is freed from her job of taking care of her mother. A semi-elderly (age 38) spinster, she decides to start making some decisions for herself, much to Darcy's dismay.

This book has madmen, thieves, murderers, orphans, hordes of gold, skulking mystery relatives, bad father-son relationships, and bad marriages. With all that, it ended happily. Darcy and Elizabeth reconcile and Mary gets her own way.

I really liked it. It did have a little language and a little sex. But overall, it was pretty exciting and interesting and I liked the realistic characterizations. It was a fun book.

20. River Secrets by Shannon Hale

This is the third book in the Bayern series. This time the focus is on Razo, a friend of Isi(Goose Girl)and Enna's(Enna Burning). Isi and Enna are still there but the story is told from Razo's point of view. Basically Razo goes as part of an envoy with the new ambassador to Bayern's former enemy Tira. Razo becomes a spy when bodies keep turning up burned to ashes and the Bayern contingent fear that someone is trying to frame Enna in order to start the war again. Razo also runs into a girl that has the power of water speaking (as opposed to wind or fire like Isi and Enna). Again, it is a really well written book and an engaging story. I really liked it and I wish they had it on CD because I'd love to listen to it (at least our library doesn't). There's a little romance, a little intrigue, a lot of humor. I'd highly recommend it.

19. Boston Jane: The Claim by Jennifer L. Holm

This is the third and last book in the Boston Jane series. In this one, Jane's ex-fiancee, William, and her childhood nemesis, Sally Biddle, tag team to make her life miserable. They basically take over the little town, Shoalwater Bay, and cause all kinds of trouble between Jane and her friends, including her new love, Jehu. They also begin to cause trouble between the settlers and the Chinook Indians, who are Jane's friends. It is really sad to see the horrible treatment that both the women and the peaceful Chinooks recieve at the hands of so-called civilized people. This whole series is loosely based on an actual book called, The Northwest Coast, Or, Three Years' Residence in Washington Territory, by James G. Swan (who is one of the main characters in the novels). Again, I think these are great books. Really quick reads that are wonderfully written and very thought provoking.