Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents

Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents - Cormac O'Brien

Fun read. There have been 5 Aquarians, which is actually disproportionately high for the total number of presidents to date. Read this one on an airplane - very light and breezy and perfect for picking up and putting down (between snacks, naps, and staring out the window).

November 2006.

The Time Traveller's Wife

The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

I loved this one! My sister in Halifax lent it to me (I think her book club read it). The structure was complex, but flawless. The relationship was so believable, you didn't even question the time travelling. A few places really made me cry - especially when you approached them from different points in time (not to spoil it, but daughter, death, and old wife were all very poignant and heartbreaking at one point or another). You'll know what I mean when you read it. I will say it was a slow read - I started it in October but didn't finish until November. I ended up couriering it to my Burnaby colleague so she could read it. She was trying to decide on her book club selection for the coming year, and I thought she should check this out.

November 2006.

Infatuation

Infatuation - Alison Kent

A Blaze Harlequin title. I tried to subscribe to Red Dress Ink titles through Harlequin's mail service, but nothing ever came, so I cracked and bought this at the drug store. It was okay - nothing memorable. I'm going to see if I can sell it for loose change at the used bookstore. Sadly, this is the only book I finished this month (you'll see why in the next post.) Giving me a whopping 1 book for this month, and a year to date total of 69 (already exceeded 2005's grand total!)

October 2006.

Intelligent and Loyal - A Celebration of the Mongrel

Intelligent and Loyal - A Celebration of the Mongrel - Jilly Cooper

Loaner from my sister-in-law. Compilation of photos, letters, and anecdotes about mongrels in Britain. A lot less sex than you would typically find in a Jilly Cooper book. Very sweet, very enjoyable, and a real tearjerker in places. A good read for dog lovers who aren't purebred snobs. This was my final read for the month of September, and brought me to 7 books for the month, and 68 books year-to-date.

September 2006.

Unexpected Son

Unexpected Son - Marisa Carroll

Free Harlequin. Supposed to get me hooked on a ten year old series. It didn't.

September 2006.

Rielisms

Rielisms - Catherine Mattes

This was a thesis, plus some other essays, about images of Louis Riel in Canadian art. Mattes is the curator in the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Nice pictures, a bit academic. Only interesting because I read it so close to the Chester Brown comic collection.

September 2006.