Creature Bug

The Bookseller of Kabul
by Asne Seierstad. I've started reading this several times, but now I finally got the audiobook. We'll see if that helps me finish.

Sleep Tight, Little Bear (with DVD)
by Martin Waddell. Oh my sweet goodness. If you can get the book with the DVD, then you'll be treated to Waddell reading the story in his beautiful Irish accent. THIS is the book (and DVD) to get for wee children this season.

Eclipse
by Stephenie Meyer. Certainly my favorite of the series so far. That's not to say I'm absolutely loving the series, only that I'm continuing to read them.

New Moon
by Stephenie Meyer. Working my way through the books. I liked this one better than the first one, although a trend is developing that the plot doesn't work for me once the crisis is over.

Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer. You know what? It wasn't half bad. I'm going to finish the series and then write a full review.

Brooklyn: A Novel
by Colm Toibin. Even though it was slow, I was totally captured by the plot. The story is about an Irish girl's new life in America. I found it engaging, but then the ending was flat for me. (Odd since that's what seems to redeem it for most people.) (****)

The Year of Magical Thinking
by Joan Didion. (audiobook version) After my summer of grief (which seems to be following me into my autumn), this was the book I needed to read. Cathartic. If you have ever experienced the loss of a loved one, you need to read this book. Absolutely. (*****)

Reading in the Dark: A Novel
by Seamus Deane. Read it again with my Irish lit class. Haunting, mythic, and reads like a memoir. Happy to say my students enjoyed it as much as I did. (*****)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith. A wonderful coming-of-age story. I read it on the airplane and cried. Beautiful blends the identities of being Irish, being American, and growing up poor. (*****)

Where the Heart Is
by Billie Letts. I was very skeptical about this book, and it ended up being such a delight. Really loved it. (****)