1288. A Game of Thrones (George R. R. Martin)

Synopsis:
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

My rating: 5 stars

1286. A Clash of Kings (George R. R. Martin)

Synopsis:
A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

My rating: 5 stars

1282. Black Ties and Lullabies (Jane Graves)

Synopsis:
As a bodyguard, Bernadette Hogan's professional life is devoted to keeping self-made millionaire Jeremy Bridges safe. But if she has to spend one more evening watching him pick up vacuous blondes for casual flings, she may have to kill him herself. After a particularly infuriating night, Bernie drops her professional veneer and calls Jeremy on his womanizing ways. Unfortunately, she discovers that anger and passion are intimately entangled, and before she knows it, she's succumbed to the sexy millionaire herself. Humiliated by her lack of control, Bernie quits on the spot, only to discover eight weeks later that she's pregnant with their baby.

Jeremy is thrilled to discover the hot-blooded woman hiding beneath Bernie's cool control. Even though weeks have passed, he can't stop thinking about her. When he finds out about her pregnancy, he decides to step up. He coaxes her into a reluctant truce, convincing her he's ready to change from partying playboy to dependable dad. But Jeremy has never been a one-woman man. So how can he be falling for this tough, sassy, uncompromising woman who wants nothing less than his heart forever?

My rating: 5 stars

1281. A Storm of Swords (George R. R. Martin)

Synopsis:
Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King'€™s Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world ....

But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others—a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords ....

My rating: 5 stars

1271. The Runagates Club (John Buchan)

Synopsis:

Mixed collection of twelve short stories, mostly of horror, espionage, or the supernatural, including Buchan's popular "The Green Wildebeest."

My rating: 5 stars

My review: So much fun to read. One of my favorite books ever.

1235. The Geography of Bliss (Eric Weiner)

Synopsis:

Part foreign affairs discourse, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide, The Geography of Bliss takes the listener from America to Iceland to India in search of happiness, or, in the crabby author's case, moments of "un-unhappiness." The book uses a beguiling mixture of travel, psychology, science and humor to investigate not what happiness is, but where it is. Are people in Switzerland happier because it is the most democratic country in the world? Do citizens of Qatar, awash in petrodollars, find joy in all that cash? Is the King of Bhutan a visionary for his initiative to calculate Gross National Happiness? Why is Asheville, North Carolina so damn happy? With engaging wit and surprising insights, Eric Weiner answers those questions and many others, offering travelers of all moods some interesting new ideas for sunnier destinations and dispositions.

My rating: 5 stars

1224. Ashenden: Or the British Agent (W. Somerset Maugham)

Synopsis:

Inspired by Maughams's own experiences as a British secret agent in World War I, this series of stories features a fictional spy, John Ashenden, whose dangerous assignments entangle him with traitors, assassins and beautiful but treacherous women.

My rating: 5 stars

My review: One of my favorite spy novels. Sadly, it is rare to find a copy.

1186. Wicked All Day (Liz Carlyle)

Synopsis:
The beautiful Miss Zoe Armstrong is rich, spoiled, impulsive and desperately illegitimate. Though Zoe burns bright as the most vibrant diamonds, all the money in the world won't buy her what she secretly desires, to be loved for who she is. But when a night of passion leads to Zoe's betrothal to her distant cousin, her perfect world is turned upside down and shattered before her very eyes. Lord Robert Rowland has been Zoe's partner in crime since childhood. When he sees his cousin in tears at a ball, what else can he do but console her by doing what Robin always does best. But a rogue's chivalry can have unexpected consequences, not the least of which is the loss of his one true love. Suddenly, Zoe finds herself on the verge of marrying a broken man and the only solace she can find is in the arms of Lord Robert's older brother, the stern and powerful Marquess of Mercer.

My rating: 5 stars

My review: The three main characters (Zoe, Robert, and Mercer) are deeply flawed, with lots of personal issues, and that's what makes this book so good -- they are aware of their problems and they try to be better, despite themselves, but they don't become "good" overnight, unlike characters in other romance novels, and the reader (me) can't help but be sympathetic.

1144. Just One of the Guys (Kristan Higgins)

Synopsis:
Being one of the guys isn't all it's cracked up to be.

So when journalist Chastity O'Neill returns to her hometown, she decides it's time to start working on some of those feminine wiles. Two tiny problems: #1 - she's five feet eleven inches of rock-solid girl power, and #2 - she's cursed with four alpha male older brothers.

While doing a story on local heroes, she meets a hunky doctor and things start to look up. Now there's only one problem: Trevor Meade, her first love and the one man she's never quite gotten over - although he seems to have gotten over her just fine.

Yet the more time she spends with Dr. Perfect, the better Trevor looks. But even with the in-your-face competition, the irresistible Trevor just can't seem to see Chastity as anything more than just one of the guys..

My rating: 5 stars

My review: Another keeper by Kristan Higgins. I LOVE the ending of this book. For a few reviews, I've been raving about Kristan Higgins without specifically mentioning why. Here are the things that I love about her stories:

• Her heroines are not model-perfect stunners with kindness and sweetness seeping out of their pores. They're normal girls who are nice but have issues.
• The male characters are not billionaires or heroes. They're normal guys who are decent and nice but have issues.
  
• The families are not out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Siblings fight. Parents fight. Siblings and the parents fight. The families are normal.
• In other words, the people in her books are real with real problems mixed in with their good qualities. I found myself identifying with most of her female main characters, not something that happens often.
• And the book covers are cute.
  

1142. Catch of the Day (Kristan Higgins)

Synopsis:
First Date a la Maggie
Take one lovelorn diner owner (me)
A generous helping of nosy local gossips
A dollop of envy at married sister's perfect life
A splash of divine intervention (my matchmaking priest)

Combine ingredients with one adorable puppy, add a strong but silent lobsterman with a hidden heart of gold . . . and watch the sparks fly.

My rating: 5 stars

My review: One of my favorite books by Kristan Higgins.

1119. The Little Lady Agency and the Prince (Hester Browne)

Synopsis:
Hester Browne created a unique heroine in Melissa Romney-Jones a.k.a. Honey, London's ultimate freelance girlfriend, who won the hearts of readers on both sides of the Atlantic in her "charming and feel-good"(Cosmopolitan) and "funny and original" (People) earlier adventures. Now her New York Times bestselling series sparkles brighter than ever as irrepressible Melissa is hired to reform a playboy prince -- and finds she could get used to the royal treatment.

Making plans for her wedding to American fiancé Jonathan Riley, who now runs a prestigious Parisian real estate company, Melissa agrees to do a favor for her beloved grandmother: transform the notorious Prince Nicolas von Helsing-Alexandros into a proper gentleman for the sake of preserving a family inheritance. Even possessive Jonathan agrees it's a great opportunity to make social connections. But taming a prince might prove too big a professional challenge for Melissa when she's confronting so many seismic changes in her own personal life.

Jonathan needs her in Paris. Her sister Emery's newborn son needs a christening ceremony, as well as a proper name. Emery herself needs Melissa -- to protect her from their bulldog nanny who's returned to do much more than babysit. Most unsettling of all, Nelson needs her to find him a new flatmate because she'll be moving out soon. Balancing all this with late-night dinners, polo matches, and a Mediterranean cruise with Prince Nicky, who is as charming as he is exasperating, suddenly has bride-to-be Melissa dreaming of a fairy-tale ending -- and not the one she expected!

My rating: 5 stars

My review: A charming chick-lit series with a perfect ending!

1118. A Little Ray of Sunshine (Lani Diane Rich)

Synopsis:
Emmy James is not the kind of girl who attracts angels. In fact, after she sent her life into a nosedive six years ago, she's tried to attract as little as possible -attention, people, or responsibility. She skips from town to town in an Airstream trailer, working odd jobs and keeping to herself until a sudden whim lets her know it's time to move again.

And this works just fine, until the day two unexpected visitors show up at the New Jersey trailer park she calls home. One is a childhood friend with news: her mother and his father are getting married, and they want EJ to be there. The other is a sweet but odd woman named Jess, who says she's an angel specializing in cosmic relationship mending...and blueberry pancakes. Jess doesn't think it's any coincidence that this is all happening at once, but EJ would rather run herself over with her own Airstream before reconnecting with her neglectful, self-absorbed mother. When she wakes up to find her trailer cruising down the highway with a determined angel at the wheel, however, EJ realizes that sometimes what you want and what the Universe intends for you can be two very different things...

My rating: 5 stars

My review: Don't read this book if you're feeling a bit down; I was weepy pretty much from beginning to end. Totally tugs at the heart strings.

1079. The Moving Finger (Agatha Christie)

Synopsis:
Poison-pen letters cause two deaths in Lymston, a town where gossip is the breath of life and suspicion can spread like venom. Miss Marple comes to town to save the day in this classic that ranks among the author's favorites.

Publication information:

• Publisher: Dodd, Mead, and Company
• Publication date: July 1942
• Pages: 229

My rating: 5 stars

1067. To Wed a Wicked Earl (Olivia Parker)

Synopsis:
Adam Faramond, Earl of Rothbury, needs to find a wife - immediately! - or his beloved grandmother will leave him penniless. But Adam, an unrepentant rake, would reform for only one woman, the woman he's lusted after - and loved - for years. It's rather unfortunate, then, that Miss Charlotte Greene would never consent to be the blushing bride of a rogue . . . or so he thinks.

Charlotte believes that the earl, the only man whose touch leaves her trembling, would never want a woman like her. Weary of her wallflower ways, Charlotte decides that a friendship with the earl just might give her the excitement she desires. Keeping their true feelings hidden, she and Adam plan a sham ceremony to placate the dowager. But when the "marriage of convenience" takes an unexpected turn, will Charlotte and her wicked earl finally reveal their irresistible, unforgettable love - and delight in a lifetime of passion?

My rating: 5 stars

My review: I love this book. One of my favorite romances and the best I've read in 2009. I cannot recommend this book enough to those who enjoy historical romances with a dash of humor.

1062. The Day of the Jackal (Frederick Forsyth)

Synopsis:
An adventure thriller in which an anonymous Englishman who in the spring of 1963, was hired by Colonel Marc Rodin, Operations Chief of the OAS to assassinate General De Gaulle.

Publication information:

• Publisher: Hutchinson
• Publication date: June 7, 1971
• Pages: 358
• ISBN: ISBN 0-09-107390-1

My rating: 5 stars

My review: Loved it. One of the best adventure thrillers I've ever read (and I've read a lot). It was a little slow in the beginning but once The Jackal is introduced, the book picks up and becomes a wonderful read. Forsyth's writing is quite enjoyable, with moments of dry humor (especially in the sections about the British government). And I'll admit it: I had a slight crush on The Jackal (who doesn't love a cool assassin?).

978. All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque)

Synopsis:
Paul Baumer enlisted with his classmates in the German army of World War I. Youthful, enthusiastic, they become soldiers. But despite what they have learned, they break into pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches. And as horrible war plods on year after year, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principles of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against each other--if only he can come out of the war alive.

My rating: 5 stars

939. The Wench Is Dead (Colin Dexter)

The Oxford Canal

Synopsis from Amazon:
It is only to entertain himself in the hospital that the impatient Inspector Morse opens the little book called Murder on the Oxford Canal. But so fascinating is the story it tells--of the notorious 1859 murder of Joanna Franks aboard the canal boat Barbara Bray--that not even Morse's attractive nurses can distract him from it. Was Joanna really raped and murdered by fellow passengers? Morse believes the men hanged for the crime were innocent. Now, in one of the most dazzling investigations of his career, Morse sets out to piece together the shattered past, hoping to expose the shocking truth about the Barbara Bray--and a beautiful wench who is journeying towards her death.

My rating: 5 stars

My review: My favorite Inspector Morse book.

932. The Honourable Schoolboy (John Le Carre)

Hong Kong at night

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
This is the second of le Carre's Smiley novels, featuring the character of George Smiley who was introduced in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy". The story involves the betrayal of a Soviet spy and suspicions that the network has been infiltrated from the top downwards.

My rating: 5 stars

My review: Current authors of thrillers could learn a lesson or a hundred about writing from Le Carre. A case that is essentially a paper chase is told thrillingly.

916. Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series (Eliot Asinof)

1919 Chicago White Sox team photo

Synopsis from Amazon:
The headlines proclaimed the 1919 fix of the World Series and attempted cover-up as "the most gigantic sporting swindle in the history of America!" First published in 1963, Eight Men Out has become a timeless classic. Eliot Asinof has reconstructed the entire scene-by-scene story of the fantastic scandal in which eight Chicago White Sox players arranged with the nation's leading gamblers to throw the Series in Cincinnati. Mr. Asinof vividly describes the tense meetings, the hitches in the conniving, the actual plays in which the Series was thrown, the Grand Jury indictment, and the famous 1921 trial. Moving behind the scenes, he perceptively examines the motives and backgrounds of the players and the conditions that made the improbable fix all too possible. Here, too, is a graphic picture of the American underworld that managed the fix, the deeply shocked newspapermen who uncovered the story, and the war-exhausted nation that turned with relief and pride to the Series, only to be rocked by the scandal. Far more than a superbly told baseball story, this is a compelling slice of American history in the aftermath of World War I and at the cusp of the Roaring Twenties.

My rating: 5 stars

My review: A great description and explanation of the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Very fairly told, with neither the players, the owners, or MLB (or the version back then) being blameless.

894. Rumpole and the Golden Thread (John Mortimer)

Chateau Thames Embankment

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
This collection includes "Rumpole and the Genuine Article", "Rumpole and the Golden Thread", "Rumpole and the Old Boy Net", "Rumpole and the Female of the Species", "Rumpole and the Sporting Life" and "Rumpole and the Last Resort".

My rating: 5 stars