In addition to all the nonfiction books I read, I’ve been reading quite a number of fiction this year. Marc and I are finishing up the Pullman trilogy and we’ve started on Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, a massive tome of a book on Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism. Feel free to join our book club .

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield: if you like a great mystery, this book is it. I couldn’t put the book down once I read the first chapter. It’s well written and very much a gothic novel with a modern touch. Think Scarlet Letter, Wuthering Heights, and House of the Seven Gables.

Secrets of the Fire King: Stories by Kim Edwards: a collection of brilliant short stories by a great author.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards: a sad novel about the long-lasting consequences of one man’s choice. I bought this book without knowing anything about the author and I’m glad I did. Liked this book, but I like Edwards’ short stories better (see above).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling: I re-read books 1-6 in preparation for the last book in the Potter series. Reading the last chapter was bittersweet as this is the best book of the series, but also the last. I stayed up till 4 am trying to finish this book and just when I got to the best part, fell asleep! Woke up a few hours later to finish the book.

The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman: Marc and I are reading books together this year and because of him, I’ve been spending lots of money at Barnes & Noble. J/K. Like anyone needs to tell me to buy more books. We’ve been reading this series together and he’s probably done with the 3^rd book of the series by now, The Amber Spyglass. I’ve read this trilogy before and had some issues with the book due to some misunderstandings about how the universe of this story works. Marc wanted to read the series and it’s been interesting reading it again and discussing the story with Marc. The movie on the first book has been released, but we haven’t seen it yet. Hopefully we can watch it once I go on Xmas vacation.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire: an interesting, yet at times disturbing, and quite dark retelling of the Wizard of Oz story. And no, I haven’t seen the Broadway play, yet. Tickets are not exactly easy to get.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman: if you enjoyed the movie, the book is just like the movie.

Wish You Well by David Baldacci: a great story with a great character, Louisa Mae Cardinal, who reminds me quite a bit of Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my favorite characters.

The Children of Men by PD James: Okay, I have a confession to make. I only read this book because Clive Owen was starring in the movie adaptation. I know, I know, a shallow reason to read a book, but I am glad I read the book. I liked the book even though it’s very much a post-apocalyptic story. And no, I haven’t seen the movie either. I keep buying DVDs of movies that I’d like to watch…many of the DVDs are still shrink wrapped. Don’t laugh…it’s not like I have a lot of free time.

Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman: no…I haven’t seen the movie either and no, I didn’t buy this book because of the movie. I happen to read a lot of books on Zen and this book discusses many of the same concepts. And yes, I am planning to watch the movie. In fact, I just added the DVD to my shopping cart at Amazon.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig: story that’s along the same lines as Millman’s book. But can you just picture me on riding a Harley? And yes, they do make some Harley motorcycles low enough for me to actually ride on and touch the ground. Okay…you can stop laughing now.