4. Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan

This is the mother-daughter book club selection for this month. At first I was a little nervous about it because the library lady said it was about a young girl in India that is forced into an arranged marriage and then, through some crazy circumstances, ends up living on the street. That doesn't exactly sound like something I want my 10 year old reading. But I read the book, and although that is an accurate depiction of the storyline, I didn't find anything offensive in the story. It is beautifully written and very hopeful. It reminds me a little of Shannon Hale's writing, but set in real world circumstances. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone. It may not be for young readers, but the age on the book says 10 and up and I agree. There are some sticky situations but they are told in a very non-graphic, non-shocking way. It probably will lead to some good discussions about different cultures and situations, but I think that is productive. It is a National Book Award winner and I would encourage anyone to read it.

3. Helen Keller: Her Life in Pictures by George Sullivan

This is the book for the mother-daughter book club this month. It is a collection of photographs that chronicle Helen Keller's life. The story is very interesting. I really didn't know much about Helen Keller besides what you see in the movie "The Miracle Worker", so it was very interesting to see all the other things she did in her life. The pictures are beautiful and the writing is informative and easy to read. I read it in about a half an hour. I would highly recommend it.

2. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

I honestly feel a little silly reading this book. But I have to admit that the first time I saw this book in the BYU Bookstore I laughed hysterically. Something about it struck me as the funniest thing ever. I know. I'm weird that way. I think I even called John on my cell phone to tell him about it (which I never do). But after reading the book, the whole idea still makes me giggle. And it IS funny even if it is a little gory and zombieish at times. But, it actually is like a guy took Pride and Prejudice and juiced it up with a few beheadings, some ninja battles and a lot of zombie fighting in all the mushiest or most important parts of the book. It really is hilarious, maybe the best rewriting of P&P yet. If you don't mind the gore, I would highly recommend it. The novel is really pretty well written, (and I don't even like zombies). It's definitely worth a few good laughs and I haven't laughed so much in a long time.

1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

As my first book of the new year I chose the Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I was a little hesitant at first because it is the second in a trilogy and I didn't want to die waiting for the third one to come out. I also was a little nervous because of all the hype. But this is actually the second time I've gotten it from the library, after being on 100+ person waiting list. And one of our friends went on and on about how jealous he was that I had the book. I kind of felt like I should read it. So I did. And it is great in a quirky, addictive sort of way. It's got romance, social unrest, and action. I also have to say that it is super unpredictable, which I only have the highest respect for. It takes talent to write a story that is unpredictable and hers is so much so that it kept me up a whole night just marveling at the twists and turns the story takes. Her characters are also really likeable. I would highly recommend it, especially if you like sci-fi, or even just adventure.

94. The King's Equal by Katherine Paterson

This is an original fairy tale. It tells the story of a selfish prince who is cursed that he can't be crowned king until he finds a princess that is his equal. Of course that is hard when you think you are the best person in the world by far. The story shows how the prince is humbled and finds someone far better than he in the most unexpected place. It was cute. A good read aloud book.

93. Scripture Power: Helping Kids Love the Scriptures by Dennis Wright

This is a fun little book full of suggestions on how to teach the scriptures to your kids. The book is divided up into chapters that discuss each age group according to child development stages. To be honest, it is a little overwhelming. I'm not sure I have the energy for most of the suggestions in the book, but it really has some good ideas. Might be worth a glance if you are looking for some new ideas for family scripture study.

92. The Plight of the Darcy Brothers by Marsha Altman

This is a sequel to a sequel, but I actually really like it. I like the author's adaptation of the characters. This time Mary Bennet is in trouble and in need of help. Darcy, of course, comes to the rescue. However, rescuing Mary requires a trip to the continent with Elizabeth. Along the way, he discovers some unsettling things about his own family that he must come to terms with. It is a fun story and moves as quickly as Austen style novels usually move. I like it, probably even better than her first sequel.

91. The Darcys & the Bingleys by Marsha Altman

This is another continuation of Pride and Prejudice, if you couldn't tell by the title. It starts a couple days before the weddings and continues through about the first year of marriage. It is pretty good. The characters all seem pretty true to Austen's characters without being boring. The author seems to have a gift for making even the unlikeable characters likeable. For instance Caroline Bingley ends up tolerable and so does Mr. and Mrs. Bennets' marital relationship. I don't know about her interpretation of Darcy as someone who can't hold his liquor (thus usually avoids drinking) but it does provide some comic relief and I think all authors have to come up with a fault for Darcy to make him a little more human. This was suggestive though. I would definitely rate it PG-13. This actually was one of the more interesting adaptations I've read though and, in the end, I liked the way she treated the original characters. Might be worth a try.

90. Mercedes' Mountain: A Love Story by Jewel Adams

This book tells the story of a black woman who moves from Brooklyn to a cabin in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina. There she meets and marries a Cherokee man. Her father basically disowns her because she married outside her "own" people. The couple also encounters a small amount of prejudice within the Cherokee community. So the question of prejudice within their own minorities was interesting. And the story was ok. At times though, it was a little too cheesy, even for me. This is an LDS book so there was nothing inappropriate in it, but again, it was a little cheesy. I'd say it was ok.

89. Esther's Gift: A Mitford Christmas Story by Jan Karon

This is the second Christmas short story based on Jan Karon's Mitford series. This time, one of the residents of Mitford, Esther Bolick is contemplating her annual baking of several orange marmalade cakes as presents for her neighbors. However, she makes the mistake of asking her husband to figure out exactly how much each cake is costing to make. It turns out to be a staggering amount and she must decide which is more important: the money or the joy the cakes bring her neighbors. It is really a fun book and made me think about the intangibles at Christmastime.

88. The Mitford Snowmen: A Christmas Story by Jan Karon

This is a cute little Christmas short story based on Jan Karon's Mitford series. If you haven't read any of this series, it might be worth your while to try it out. Jan Karon is a great Christian writer. The main character in the series, Father Tim, is an episcopalien (I think) priest. The stories are set in a little North Carolina (again I think, I haven't read them in a while) town, very small town South. This little book was made as a gift book and has some really cute snowmen pictures in it. Hallmark also did a series of snowmen ornaments based on this book. The book itself tells the story of a spontaneous snowman building contest that takes place on Mitford's main street. It is very cute.

87. Let It Snow by Debbie Macomber

This is a short little romance story. It reminded me of one of the stories you would read in Woman's Day or something. It was cute and really short. It is the story of two people who meet on a plane that gets stranded at an airport. They decide to share the last rental car available and hilarity ensues (or romance or something). I think it was originally put out as some kind of promotional thing at Christmas. I picked it up off the library's Christmas display. I liked it. John would have said that it was very cheesy but I say that Christmas is just the right season for cheese.

86. Sackett's Land by Louis L'Amour

I picked this book because I remember really enjoying the Sackett series of Louis L'Amour's books when I was younger. My older sister married a Louis L'Amour fanatic when I was in junior high and he got me started on some of his books. I remember liking the Sackett books the best so I decided to try them again when I saw them a few weeks ago in the library. It was just as good as I remember. It is your classic adventure story. This one is the first in the series and is set in Shakespearian England. Barnabas, the main character, is an honorable, ambitious, fenman who crosses a nobleman and then is forced to flee his home. Eventually he ends up in the new world and along the way crosses some powerful pirates. But he survives to fight another day and he gets the girl, so it was an enjoyable story.

85. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

I can't say enough good things about this book and the whole series (also called the Dark is Rising Sequence). Every time I read it I am amazed by how complex and deftly it is written. The author weaves the mythology into an original story. This time I listened to it on CD and the guy who reads it does a really good job. It is a little intense, probably not for really small kids, but I would say about 10 and up would really like it. This is the second book in the series and about the only continuing elements from the previous book are the Merriman ( a version of Merlin) and the overall good versus bad storyline. I love this book because it gives you a lot to think about. But most of all I like it because it is just an incredible story. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially if you liked the Narnia books or Harry Potter. Oh yeah, there was a movie made of this book, but it really was loosely based on the book. So if you saw the movie and didn't like it, you should still give the book a try because it is about a hundred times better.