My 50 books for 2009...so far and in no particular order:

1. Scarpetta

2. Slumdog Millionaire A Novel

3. Our Ladies of the Tenderloin Colorado's Legend in Lace

4. Flapper A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern

5. The Devil in the White City Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

6. The Great Influenza The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History

7. The Rules of Life A Personal Code for Living a Better, Happier, More Successful Life

8. Letters to a Young Poet

9. What Would Jackie Do? An Inspired Guide to Distinctive Living

10. Lincoln's Greatest Speech The Second Inaugural

11. Summer at Tiffany

12. Addition

What did you think of Slumdog Millionaire? I have it, (the Q and A version, i assume they are the same) coming up next on my tbr pile?

Fran,

I'm probably the only person in the world who hasn't seen the movie! I absolutely LOVED this book and I can only hope the movie lives up to it!



Fran wrote: "What did you think of Slumdog Millionaire? I have it, (the Q and A version, i assume they are the same) coming up next on my tbr pile?"

I also haven't seen the movie, so that makes two of us. I'm hoping to read the book first and am very happy to hear you enjoyed it. I'll start it today. Thanks.

It's a quick read. I read it in a day and couldn't put it down! Let me know what you think. We'll have to see the movie and then compare notes again!


Fran wrote: "I also haven't seen the movie, so that makes two of us. I'm hoping to read the book first and am very happy to hear you enjoyed it. I'll start it today. Thanks."

I've read it. (Slumdog Millionaire) Very good! I was a little worried at the beginning, (first third maybe) that everything seemed so horrible in his life, but as the story progressed, and the personalities developed, and the optimism, it was wonderful. Now I need to go rent the movie. Thanks for the encouragement. It might have sat on that pile a few more months.

13. 1 Dead in Attic
This is an incredible book.

14. The Worst Hard Time The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl

15. Ladies of Liberty The Women Who Shaped Our Nation

16. Citizen Coors A Grand Family Saga of Business, Politics, and Beer

17. The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death A Novel

18. Barbie and Ruth The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her

19. Called Out of Darkness A Spiritual Confession

20. Personal History

21. The Last Days of the Romanovs Tragedy at Ekaterinburg|4769909]

22. Look Again

23. If You Give a Mom a Martini 100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself

24. The Big Rich The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes

25. The Help


Halfway there!

26. DESIGNATED DAUGHTER THE BONUS YEARS WITH MOM

27. Love You, Mean It A True Story of Love, Loss, and Friendship

28. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

29. The Shack

30. Dewey The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

Julie wrote: "30. Dewey The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World"

How did you like this book? I live 10 miles from Spencer, Iowa, and visit this library at least once a week. I petted Dewey many times and was always delighted when he chose my lap or my feet to curl up on. The library is not the same without him!

I LOVED this book and I'm not even a cat lover! Cried at the end though :( You were lucky to know Dewey!

You know, the library had the opportunity to take another little lost kitten in, but opted not to because the consensus is that Dewey could not - and should not - be replaced! Not only was the topic on the agenda at the library board meeting with an audience in attendance, but came up in the city council meeting as well! Dewey has been front page news more than once!

Carol wrote: "You know, the library had the opportunity to take another little lost kitten in, but opted not to because the consensus is that Dewey could not - and should not - be replaced! Not only was the topi..."

So would you say the book was an accurate portrayal of the community - the people/culture/values - as well as capturing the essence of The Dew? And I was curious what it would be like to learn so many private details of a person who you interacted with - I didn't realize going in the book would be so autobiographical about the author and how Dewey helped her through.

Yes, I would say that the book was pretty true to what actually happened in the area over the time period. Spencer had a very depressed economy in the 80s, but so did Iowa in general. It is, after all, a farming community. I had only a casual acquaintance with Vicki Myron - just "hi, how are you" when I saw her in the library. So I guess I learned about her private life just like everyone who reads the book. I knew that she had a really special relationship with Dewey from newspaper and magazine articles as his fame spread. It's proof positive that you can get as close to animals as you can to other humans. I do talk quite a bit to my dog, too!

31. Emily Post Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners

32. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff with Your Family Simple Ways to Keep Daily Responsibilities and Household Chaos from Taking Over Your Life

33. Out of Captivity Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle

34. Outliers

35. Columbine

36. Night

37. The Scotia Widows Inside Their Lawsuit Against Big Daddy Coal

38. The Diary

39. The Secret Service The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency

40. Very Valentine

41. Brooklyn

42. The Devil's Highway A True Story

43. Something Borrowed

44. The Killing Tree A Novel

45. The Girls from Ames A Story of Women and Friendship

46. Eat, Pray, Love One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

47. The Crying Tree A Novel

48. South of Broad

49. Homer and Langley A Novel