#1:
The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1), by Jonathan Stroud. Read as an audiobook. This is an amusing YA story about a magically-inclined London and one of the demons who inhabits it.
#2:
Victim of the Aurora (Harvest Book), by Thomas Keneally. By the author of Schindler’s List, this book is not Schindler’s List, but it is an historical novel set during the Edwardian days of exploration, journeys to the South Pole, and the waning days of English colonialism. It’s a mystery, but it’s also a lot of adventure. I picked it up at a bargain table at a bookstore in Washington D.C. for $5, and I’m glad it was there to be picked up. This has been an unexpected gem to read.
#3:
Crazy Aunt Purl’s Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair: The True-Life Misadventures of a 30-Something Who Learned to Knit After He Split, by Laurie Perry. I love her blog, and have looked forward to reading this ever since it first came out. Congratulations, Laurie!
#4:
A Dirty Job: A Novel, by Christopher Moore. I love Moore, but found A Dirty Job to be a little predictable, the ending didn’t feel right, and there was too much made of the “beta male.”