Confessions of a Contractor, by Richard Murphy

This is not a particularly good book, but is interesting in that it is chick lit written by a man, which brings to mind a sort of rude term that rhymes with "chick lit." A new style, I guess. Hoping it won't catch on.

Red Rover, by Deirdre McNamer

I liked this book. Didn't love it. Kind of bounced around in time a little too much for me, and without any initial payoff. The end was wrapped up a little too fast, but the characters are interesting, and the setting in Montana is really vivid.

The Fourth Hand, by John Irving

I always like his books, though I find that they frequently have a few too many words in them, you know what I mean? This one is the same: quirky characters, ridiculously singular situations. Fun.

The Forgery of Venus, by Michael Gruber

A fun book. A weird book. I'm still not sure if the narrator was crazy or not, and which of the many alternate realities presented was the real one. But really fun, and full of art and history.

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

I picked this up randomly off of the kids' rack, knowing that I liked Neil Gaiman's adult books, but totally unaware that it was a movie coming out soon. In one of those fun coincidences, I saw three giant billboards (true LA-style) for Coraline as I was in the midst of reading it.

I've heard raves about the movie, especially in 3D, and if it hews closely to the book, I can imagine. Creepy story, not at all condescending in the way kids' books often are. Also not lesson-heavy, though a thoughtful reader could certainly find several.

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

I read this as part of an online book group, and then missed the conversation about it until it was over. This is not a book I would have picked up, and maybe even not a book I would have finished (though I usually finish books even when I don't like them), so I'm glad I felt some accountability.

It's a very stylized prose that takes some getting used to, and Murakami's technique of telling the reader what they're seeing and thinking is a little off-putting. That said, the "real" part of the story was good, and the characters were interesting, as was the framework of putting the whole story in one night, with hourly chapters.

My favorite part was the monologue toward the end by one of the hotel workers. If I ever act again, it will make a great audition piece.

My least favorite part was the metaphysical/magical realism bit about the main character's sister and the strange room/tv she was locked in. Odd. Unmotivated. Unresolved.

Dark Hollow, by John Connolly

More of the same. Spooky, spooky.

The White Road, by John Connolly

These are creepy thrillers, and I enjoy them, despite their outlandishness. Charlie Parker is a sort-of PI with a gift for seeing dead people -- hijinks ensue.

Finally Sitting Down

All right, part of the reason I've been waiting is that I've been trying to find the list of the books I read in December 2008, but I haven't found it, so I'm just going to go out of order. I'm the only one who cares about the numbers, and I'm managing that with tags, so here we go.

I Know, I Know

2 months with nothing. No posts, nothing. I have been reading. I can only blame the impending holidays, the holidays themselves, and the aftermath of the holidays, in which we have been trying to get back to what passes for normal around here.

I will catch up soon. Hopefully this weekend.

Feeding Your Baby, by Judy More

This one I liked, and not least because it is British, and therefore filled with entertaining linguistic departures from my own vocabulary (For instance, pulses means beans and such, which I didn't know before). It also references all kinds of British formula and milk products I'm not familiar with, but the recommendations and the recipes are great. There are really good for-the-whole-family recipes I'm eager to try.

The Outside Man, by Richard North Patterson

I usually really like RNP, but this one is kind of all over the place. The story is murky, and mostly in an unpleasant-to-keep-track of way, and the characters just didn't resonate for me at all. Disappointing.

The Baby Sleep Book, by William Sears

There's a ridiculously long subtitle that I didn't include. This book is much better written than the Weissbluth, and occupies the other end of the sleep-training spectrum. Still not much help.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth, MD

We are in the midst of some really challenging sleep issues, and I've been reading quite a few books about it. This one is on the more extreme end of things, and I can't say I liked it. Philosophically, I'm definitely not in line with Weissbluth so much, but the bigger factor for me was his tone and the quality of the writing. It strikes me as really poorly written, and the tone is so alarmist, like if you don't do it his way, your child will end up addicted to Ambien or worse, and a chronic insomniac and manic-depressive.

The frustrating thing about these books is that no one really knows anything, and you can find a book to support any course of action. As a research-hound, I'm feeling a bit at sea over this.

Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and a Dream, by H. G. Bissinger

First, may I say that Friday Night Lights is one of the best shows on TV, and it is a sad testament to the poor taste of the viewing public that it is not more highly rated.

Second, the book is fascinating, and it's neat to see little bits of the book that I recall directly from the series. I need to watch the movie again, too; I believe it's written more closely to the book than the series.

It's also cool that the book has such a sense of time and place. It's the 80s, and the political and economic backdrop is as much a character as any of the people in the book.

Pope Joan, by Donna Woolfolk Cross

My friend Tanya alerted me to this one, and somewhere in the back of my head, I remember reading it years ago. It was fun to read again, though. Lots of history, good character development, and kind of neat to think that it might very well be true.

Mommy Made and Daddy Too, by Martha and David Kimmel with Suzanne Goldenson

A new friend made through my mom's group lent me this, and I'm asking for it for Christmas. It's a really user-friendly introduction with lots of yummy recipes, and lots of good information on each food. I've made several of the recipes already, and Clara seems to enjoy them!

Super Baby Food, by Ruth Yaron

I had this on hold at the library when a friend gave me her old copy of it. It's a little bit overwhelming, but appears to be full of good recipes.

Plum Island, by Nelson DeMille

Another John Corey book, and just as fun. Gets a little tediously implausible at the very end, but still good.

Night Fall, by Nelson DeMille

DeMille's character John Corey makes me and Chris laugh out loud occasionally, which is saying something, especially with Chris.

I enjoyed it. Slightly rogue cop, going off the reservation to solve a covered-up mystery. The ending of this book is both satisfying and unsatisfying, the reasons for which will be obvious if you read it, I think.