78. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned by Michael J. Fox

I picked up this book because it looked interesting. Turns out it is written as a gift book for graduates. I liked it ok. Fox tells about how he dropped out of high school and never went to college, but felt that a lot of his experiences taught him what he would have learned in these more conventional ways. Fox tells a little about his struggle as a young actor, his battle with alcoholism, and his more public battle with Parkinson's Disease. He really has a remarkably positive outlook on life. The only thing I don't like is the occasional bad language. It's a short little book that is fun to read. I wouldn't buy it but it might be worth checking out from the library.

77. Gabriella the Snow Kingdom Fairy by Daisy Meadows

This is another Ruthie pick. Kirstie and Rachel try to help the snow fairy find all the things necessary for a perfect snow holiday. These books are silly but obviously good enough that I can read them constantly without getting bored. They're cute and I can't say enough good things about the pictures. There are just enough words to the pictures to make it perfect to read-aloud to Ruthie's age. She loves them.

76. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

This is another book I read for my book club. A 16 year old girl is forced to leave her home in Chicago and go live with her grandma in Hicksville, Illinois during the depression. I think Richard Peck is really good at depicting small town America. I think this book is hilarious. The grandma is quite the character and the girl learns, over time, to appreciate her grandma's eccentricities. The older ladies in my book club really related to the stories, and remembered similar stories from their own childhood. It was fun to hear those too. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is short and sweet and worth the hour it will take to read.

75. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This is the second time I've read this book. I read it when it first came out a year or so ago and this time I read it for my book club. I like the dilemmas this book brings up: What is the difference between a body and a consciousness? Is it right to take control if you make things better? Is love felt just by our consciousness or spirit, or does it extend to the very cells of our bodies? There are a lot of older ladies in my book club and I wasn't sure they would love this book. But I was surprised by how many enjoyed the story. The lady that reviewed it said she didn't think it read like science fiction. It was just a good story. I think that describes the best science fiction. It reads like a story that seems very familiar but with a few twists. The story, told from an alien's point of view, is of a alien that comes and takes over a human that doesn't want to be taken over. It really is interesting. My biggest complaint is that it is really heavy to carry around. Other than that I would recommend it to anyone.

74. Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson

This was the last book that Kate and I read for the mother-daughter book club. They picked it because the author has been a librarian at our library for about the last 10 years. She came and talked at the club meeting and she was very interesting. She said she got the idea of writing the book because she had so many pre-teen girls asking for mermaid books and she couldn't think of any. She was able to sell the book to Scholastic without an agent which is pretty amazing, so she obviously found a good niche. I really liked the book. It takes place on an island in the Victorian era. A girl is haunted by a mermaid and eventually leaves to visit her world. It kind of reminded me of The Perilous Gard, another book that I really liked. The heroine is very strong, yet compassionate. I would recommend it to anyone. Kate really liked it too.

73. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

This is one of those books that Mary chose for her bedtime story, but that I've been meaning to read for at least a year. The author, Jessica Day George, comes to a lot of the library's book fests and she's always fun to listen to talk. I really had never heard of her before I saw her the first time at the library. And I must say, I think this book is amazing. It is based on a Nordic fairy tale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon and a little bit of Beauty and the Beast. It made a great read-aloud because it is so interesting that you just want to keep reading, but the chapters are short enough that you can read one a night in not too long and make yourself stop that way. My favorite part, though, is the names. The little girl, who is the main character, is just called, "Lass". And the polar bear is an "isbjorn". I just really liked her names for things; it made it very fun to read out loud. I would highly recommend it. All my girls loved it, even the younger two. It is a beautiful story.