57. Dakota Home by Debbie Macomber

This book was definitely more of a romance than the other books I've read of hers--more sex than usual. The story was all right though. It was about a crippled rancher who falls in love with the new girl in a North Dakota farming community. It also continued a few of the storylines from the previous novel in the series. It was OK. I'd probaby give it about a 5 out of 10.

56. Dakota Born by Debbie Macomber

This book is about a woman who moves from Savannah, GA to a little town in North Dakota to teach school and escape a bad relationship. It is a pretty good picture of a small, farming community, and a fun story. I would rate it more of a PG-13 book than the other books I've read by this same author, so if you're sensitive you might want to pass. It made me think of my friend Shirley who grew up in North Dakota during the dust bowl years. It was a good story and I will probably read the two sequels (it is the first in a trilogy about this same town).

55. Right Next Door by Debbie Macomber

This book is actually a compilation of two previously published books by Debbie Macomber. I'm not sure what I would call these books. One of the reviewers called them "relationship dramas." I guess that is fitting. If they were movies I would classify them as PG romantic comedies. They're fun, quick reads. They're cheesy but not too bad--good things to read when your husband is in another state. I enjoyed reading them and I would recommend them. In fact I already gave the book to Amy to read. Both stories involve single women, both widows with children who are looking for something new. They both have happy endings, so it is all good.

54. Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan

This is a great little story about how some Norwegian children helped smuggle gold out of Nazi- occupied Norway by using their sleds. They hid the gold on top of their sleds, under some blankets and then sat on top of them and slid past the Nazi soldiers to a nearby bay where a ship was hidden. The story is told from the viewpoint of the 12 year old boy who is their leader. The story may or may not be true, but it is a common story coming out of WWII. I really liked it and so did Kate when she read it. The children are very couragious and the novel is pretty suspenseful. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I listened to it on CD and it was really well done.

53. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

This is one of my favorite books ever. I read or listen to it every few years. It's the story of a 13 year old girl who is trying to deal with her mother suddenly leaving. She goes with her grandparents to retrace the path of where her mother went and along the way tells them about her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left. I have to admit that I can totally relate to the women in this book. This time, it really made me think about how I feel about my own marriage and kids. And I love the grandparents. I also love this book because it is really written like a good mystery. The whole time you are trying to figure out what happened with the various mothers in the book and their families. It is a great book and I would highly recommend it to anyone. And it reads at different levels, so I think it would appeal to a wide range of ages. Loved it!!

52. Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen by Wendelin Van Draanen

I love this series. This one centers on the issues of honesty in relationships, gambling and animal cruelty. It was a really fun read. This time around, Sammy tries to figure out what is happening to the cats in her neighborhood. She and a friend find several dead ones in various dumpsters while looking for a lady's missing cat. Then, when her own cat goes missing, she goes full speed ahead in investigating where the cats are going. She also must deal with her visiting mother who has a surprise confession, a rematch with her archrival Heather, and her improving friendship with her archrival's older brother. These books are funny, yet they really make you think about the different issues that Sammy is trying to deal with. I would highly recommend any of them. I have loved them all. And I love the lady who reads them on the CDs. She does a wonderful job.

51. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan

This is a humorous, well-written memoir. I usually avoid memoirs because, anymore, memoirs seem to be just excuses to browbeat the author's terrible parents with how the author survived in spite of all the graphically horrible things that happened to them as a child. I find it depressing and I'd rather look for happier stories. But this one was just the opposite. It was a tribute to the author's mother, who helped herself and her family survive happily in spite of difficult circumstances. I just liked that there was no bitterness in the book, even toward Ryan's alcoholic father who kept the family perpetually poor. The crux of the story is that Ryan's mother kept her family afloat by entering and winning jingle contests in the 50's. It really is an amazing story and I would highly recommend it.

50. The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters

This is the third book in the Amelia Peabody Mystery series. This time Amelia and Emerson bring their son Ramses to excavate in Egypt. Of course, they find themselves involved in a few mysterious deaths that Amelia thinks are related to the illicit antiquities trade. They try to figure out who is bothering them and stealing antiquities around them. It is pretty interesting, but their son Ramses kind of got on my nerves. He had this annoying lisp that was hard to read. I'm not sure why this bothered me so much but it did. But the story was still interesting, the mystery had some good twists and there were lots of funny interchanges between Emerson and Peabody. It wasn't as good as the first two but was OK.

49.The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters

Amelia Peabody returns in this mystery to help solve a mystery in the Egyptian desert. A famous archaeologist dies on the brink of discovering a new tomb and his death is purported by the local media to be the result of the pharaoh's curse. Amelia and her husband return to Egypt to investigate the death as a favor to an old aquaintance. I liked this book. I have to say that the relationship between Amelia and her husband Emerson makes me laugh. The mystery is pretty good but the characters are what carry the story. I probably ruin the mystery part for myself because I can't help reading the end right after reading the beginnning, so I'm not sure that the ending is ever a real surprise, but even so, the twists and turns are always a surprise. I think they are fun, entertaining books, with a lot of humor, a fun mystery, and a little archaeology. I'd recommend it.

48. The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

This is a book about a little polish girl who gets picked on everyday by the other girls at school because of her differences. It is told from the viewpoint the head girl's best friend. It does a good job of showing the effects of teasing others. The ending is interesting and thought provoking. It is just a short little book and only about an hour long on the CD. I liked it. It made me think and the reading on the CD was really good. I think it was originally published in the 50's but the story isn't dated at all.

47. Covenants and Crucibles: A Handcart Saga by Bruce Newbold

This is a dramatic retelling of the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies. It is only about an hour long, but it does a good job of capturing the feel of the stories in such a little time. This would be a great thing to listen to as a family. I picked it out because John and I were going to go on a trek with the youth in the stake. Now it looks like we won't go, John is not sure he would make it, but I'm glad I listened to this CD. It leaves you with a very positive, hopeful feeling at the end, that the struggles were all worth it to those people. I liked it.

46. Christy by Catherine Marshall

Back to one of my obsessions, but I listened to this on tape shortly after I read it. I really like listening to it because, although it is long, the story is engaging enough that it doesn't seem long. The lady who reads it does a really good job too. Anyway, loved it again.

45. Sarah, Plain and Tall; Skylark; and Caleb's Story (Book on CD) by Patricia MacLachlan

I know I already reviewed these books, but I just listened to them on CD this past week. I found this compilation at the library that had the first 3 books in the series, all read by Glenn Close. It also included an interview with the author at the end. It was incredibly well read and the interview was very interesting. I find that listening to books and reading them are really two different experiences. A book can be great, but if it is not well-read, it is not fun to listen to. Conversely, some books that I don't enjoy reading, because they're too long or cheesy, are ok to listen to because they're well read, and they don't seem as long or cheesy when you're listening. Anyway, these CDs were great.

44. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

This book is the first in the Amelia Peabody Mysteries series. I loved it. It was recommended to me by my friend Darlene who is an avid mystery buff. She told me about the series a long time ago and I just now finally got around to figuring out which was the first book ( I like to read series books in order) and getting it from my library. It is exactly the kind of mystery I like: not gory or graphic but suspenseful. This series takes place in the late 1800s in Egypt. Amelia, a spunky English spinster who has inherited a great deal of money, decides to take a tour of the old, old world, Egypt and its pyramids. She is well versed in Egyptology and wants to have some fun. She starts out by rescuing a penniless English girl and gains herself a loyal companion in the bargain. It is really fun. It reminds me of Agatha Christie but in Egypt.