Books Read From January 2003 Through December 2007, alphabetical by title

• Abandoned Prayers--Gregg Olsen (7/03)
• Abner & Me--Dan Gutman (2/07)
• Absolutely Captivated--Kristine Grayson (2/04)
• Ace of Hearts--Barbara Metzger (12/05)
• Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell--Kristiana Gregory (8/04)
• Adventures of an Ice Princess--Liz Maverick (12/07)
• Adventures of a Scottish Heiress--Cathy Maxwell (4/04)
• The Adventures of Treehorn--Florence Parry Heide (4/03)
• Again the Magic--Lisa Kleypas (1/04)
• The Agony of Alice--Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (12/06)
• Ain't She Sweet?--Susan Elizabeth Phillips (7/04)
• Alex, Who Won His War--Chester Aaron (12/07)
• The Alibi--Sandra Brown (1/06)
• Alice's Tulips--Sandra Dallas (12/06)
• All a Woman Wants--Patricia Rice (2/03)
• All He Ever Wanted--Anita Shreve, read by Dennis Boutsikaris (8/07)
• All I Want for Christmas--Sheila Rabe (11/05)
• All Souls: A Family Story from Southie--Michael Patrick MacDonald (5/03)
• Almost a Bride--Jane Feather (5/05)
• Almost Like Being in Love--Christina Dodd (8/04)
• Almost Perfect--Julie Ortolon (8/05)
• Always--Jude Deveraux (1/05)
• America's Dumbest Criminals: Wild & Weird Stories of Fumbling Felons, Clumsy Crooks, and Ridiculous Robbers--Daniel Butler, Alan Ray, and Leland Gregory (11/05)
• Among the Hidden--Margaret Peterson Haddix (10/03)
• The Angel Doll: A Christmas Story--Jerry Bledsoe (4/05)
• The Angel of Darkness--Caleb Carr (7/04)
• Angels Among Us--A Guideposts Book (4/03)
• Angels Fall--Nora Roberts (11/06)
• Another Chance, Another Time--Catherine Snodgrass (1/03)
• The Anybodies by N. E. Body--Julianna Baggott (5/06)
• Ares of Westford--Robin Hardy
• Around the Next Corner--Elizabeth Warren (6/06)
• The Artful Miss Irvine--Jennifer Malin (1/04)
• As Big As Texas--K. N. Casper (2/06)
• Autobiography of a Face--Lucy Grealy (1/05)
• Awaken Me Darkly--Gena Showalter (8/07)
• The Baby on the Car Roof and 222 More Urban Legends--Thomas J. Craughwell (6/03)
• The Bad Beginning--Lemony Snicket (2/04)
• The Bad Seed--William March (3/03)
• The Ballad of Dixon Bell--Lynnette Kent (6/07)
• Basket Case--Carl Hiaasen, read by the author (12/07)
• Beautiful Child--Torey Hayden (1/03)
• Beauty and the Beast--Hannah Howell (5/07)
• Beauty Like the Night--Liz Carlyle (11/05)
• Because You're Mine--Nan Ryan (6/05)
• Been There, Done That--Carol Snow (8/06)
• Bella at Midnight--Diane Stanley (10/07)
• Be Mine Forever--Rosemary Laurey (1/06)
• Best Laid Plans--Constance O'Day-Flannery (5/06)
• The Best Man--Maggie Osborne (6/03)
• The Betrayal--Beverly Lewis (9/03)
• Betrayal in Death--J. D. Robb (7/05)
• Bet Your Bottom Dollar--Karin Gillespie (6/06)
• Beyond Paradise--Elizabeth Doyle (5/04)
• Beyond the Burning Time--Kathryn Lasky (8/05)
• Beyond the Highland Mist--Karen Marie Moning (6/04)
• Big Cherry Holler--Adriana Trigiani (8/05)
• Big Girls Don't Cry--Brenda Novak (2/06)
• Billy Dead--Lisa Reardon (5/06)
• Bird--Angela Johnson (2/07)
• Birthright--Nora Roberts (5/03)
• The Black Canary--Jane Louise Curry (12/07)
• Blindsighted--Karin Slaughter (2/06)
• Blizzard's Wake--Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (11/07)
• Blood and Lust: The Best of Court TV--David Jacobs (7/03)
• Blue Dahlia--Nora Roberts (10/04)
• Blue Jasmine--Kashmira Sheth (1/07)
• Blue Skies--Catherine Anderson (4/05)
• Blue Smoke--Nora Roberts (12/05)
• Blue Waltz--Linda Francis Lee (8/04)
• Boo--Rene Gutteridge (9/03)
• Boo Hiss--Rene Gutteridge (9/05)
• Bookends--Jane Green (5/03)
• Boo Who--Rene Gutteridge (9/04)
• Born in Death--J. D. Robb (5/07)
• Born in Sin--Kinley MacGregor (2/03)
• Boston Jane--Jennifer L. Holm (4/03)
• The Breaker Boys--Pat Hughes (3/07)
• A Break with Charity: A Story About the Salem Witch Trials--Ann Rinaldi (7/06)
• Breath of Scandal--Sandra Brown (3/05)
• Brian's Return--Gary Paulsen (11/05)
• Brian's Winter--Gary Paulsen (6/05)
• The Bridal Veil--Alexis Harrington (7/03)
• The Bride--Julie Garwood (12/05)
• The Bride and the Beast--Teresa Medeiros (12/05)
• A Bride Most Begrudging--Deeanne Gist (7/06)
• The Bride Quilt--Pamela Quint Chambers (10/03)
• Brides of Prairie Gold--Maggie Osborne (4/03)
• Bridget Jones's Diary--Helen Fielding (6/03)
• Broken Doll--Burl Barer (5/07)
• The Bronze Bow--Elizabeth George Speare (5/06)
• The Bronze Horseman--Paullina Simons (3/07)
• The Buck Stops Here--Mindy Starns Clark (7/04)
• The Cabin--Carla Neggers (10/05)
• Calculated Loss: A Madeline Carter Novel--Linda L. Richards (8/06)
• Carolina Isle--Jude Deveraux (12/06)
• Caroline's Waterloo--Betty Neels (1/03)
• A Case of Nosy Neighbors--Lori Copeland (10/04)
• Catching Katie--Robin Lee Hatcher (12/03)
• A Celebration of Babies--edited by Sally Emerson (6/03)
• Chagall--Marie-Therese Souverbie (12/07)
• Chalk's Woman--David Ballantine (10/04)
• Change of Life--Judith Arnold (4/06)
• Changing Habits--Debbie Macomber (5/03)
• Charlie's Run--Valerie Hobbs (11/07)
• Charming the Highlander--Janet Chapman (10/03)
• Chesapeake Blue--Nora Roberts (10/03)
• The Chick and the Dead--Casey Daniels (5/07)
• The Children's Blizzard--David Laskin (9/05)
• A Child's Promise--Deborah Bedford (1/05)
• Chill Factor--Sandra Brown (8/05)
• Chocolate for a Woman's Heart & Soul--Kay Allenbaugh (5/03)
• A Christmas Baby--Annette Blair (3/06)
• The Christmas Basket--Debbie Macomber (3/03)
• The Christmas Blessing--Donna VanLiere (12/07)
• The Christmas Doll--Elvira Woodruff (11/03)
• Christmas in Canaan--Kenny Rogers & Donald Davenport (1/03)
• A Christmas Legacy--Kathryn Shay (7/06)
• The Christmas Quilt--Jennifer Chiaverini (11/05)
• The Christmas Quilt--Thomas J. Davis (1/03)
• The Christmas Train--David Baldacci (11/04)
• The Cinderella Pact--Sarah Strohmeyer (6/06)
• Claiming the Highlander--Kinley MacGregor (3/03)
• Close to You--Christina Dodd (4/05)
• Club Dead--Charlaine Harris (7/07)
• A Coal Miner's Bride: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska, Lattimer, Pennsylvania, 1896--Susan Campbell Bartoletti (7/05)
• Coffin on a Case--Eve Bunting (6/03)
• Colliding Forces--Constance O'Day-Flannery (5/06)
• Color the Sidewalk for Me--Brandilyn Collins (2/05)
• Comanche Woman--Joan Johnston (11/04)
• Complete Abandon--Cheryl Holt (6/04)
• Completely Smitten--Kristine Grayson (11/03)
• Copycat--Erica Spindler (5/06)
• Coraline--Neil Gaiman (12/03)
• The Cottage--Sandra Steffen (1/03)
• Count on Me--Kathryn Shay (11/03)
• The Courier--Melanie Jackson (5/06)
• Courting Claudia--Robyn DeHart (9/05)
• Covenant Child--Terri Blackstock (8/03)
• Cowboy Cristmas--Catherine Palmer, Linda Goodnight, and Lisa Harris (9/04)
• Crimson Stain--Jim Fisher (7/03)
• Cruel Doubt--Joe McGinniss (7/03)
• Cry for the Strangers--John Saul (7/04)
• Crystal--V. C. Andrews (9/03)
• Cupid's Dart--Maggie MacKeever (4/04)
• Daisy's Back in Town--Rachel Gibson (8/04)
• Damsel in Green--Betty Neels (7/03)
• Dangerous Attractions--Colleen Easton (1/03)
• Dangerous Evidence: The True Story of an Accused Man's Search for Justice--and the Woman Activist Who Fought for His Rights--Ellis A. Cohen with Milton J. Shapiro (2/05)
• Dark Gold--Christine Feehan (5/06)
• Dark Desire--Christine Feehan (5/06)
• Dark Prince--Christine Feehan (5/06)
• The DaVinci Code--Dan Brown (5/05)
• Dead as a Doornail--Charlaine Harris (9/07)
• Dead Certain--Mariah Stewart (6/05)
• Dead Ends: The Pursuit, Conviction, and Execution of Female Serial Killer Aileen Wuornos, The Damsel of Death--Michael Reynolds (2/05)
• Deadly American Beauty--John Glatt (11/05)
• Dead to the World--Charlaine Harris (9/07)
• Dead Until Dark--Charlaine Harris (7/07)
• Dead Witch Walking--Kim Harrison (2/05)
• A Deal with the Devil--Liz Carlyle (9/05)
• Dear Dr. Bell...Your friend, Helen Keller--Judith St. George (5/06)
• Dear Maggie--Brenda Novak (9/04)
• Death, Bones, and Stately Homes--Valerie S. Malmont (5/06)
• Deck the Halls--Arlene James (4/07)
• Definitely Dead--Charlaine Harris (10/07)
• Depraved: A True Story of Sadistic Murder in the Heartland--John Glatt (1/06)
• The Destiny--Kathleen Givens (3/03)
• The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America--Erik Larson (7/06)
• Devilish--Jo Beverly (7/04)
• The Devil's Heiress--Jo Beverly (5/04)
• The Devil Wears Prada--Lauren Weisberger (5/05)
• Dime Store Magic--Kelley Armstrong (11/05)
• Divided in Death--J. D. Robb (1/04)
• Dollar Daze--Karin Gillespie (11/07)
• A Dollar Short--Karin Gillespie (6/06)
• The Doll People--Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin (5/03)
• Don of the Dead--Casey Michaels (6/07)
• Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven?--Erica Orloff (1/06)
• Double Dare--Rhonda Nelson (11/04)
• Dovey Coe--Frances O'Roark Dowell (11/05)
• Down By the River--Robyn Carr (6/03)
• Down the Rabbit Hole--Peter Abrahams (10/07)
• Dream On--Beverly Brandt (2/05)
• Dreamwold Castle--Florence Hightower (2/04)
• The Drifter--Lori Copeland (5/06)
• Dr. Laura: The Unauthorized Biography--Vickie L. Bane (1/05)
• Drop-Dead Blonde--Nancy Martin, Elaine Viets, Denise Swanson, and Victoria Laurie (6/05)
• The Duchess's Next Husband--Terri Brisbin (6/05)
• Dwelling Places--Vinita Hampton Wright (4/07)
• Dying Declaration--Randy Singer (5/06)
• The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906--Laurence Yep (11/07)
• Eat Cake--Jeanne Ray (12/05)
• Ellen Foster--Kaye Gibbons (2/03)
• An Elm Creek Quilts Sampler--Jennifer Chiaverini (11/03)
• Emma's Journal--Ed Rowell (11/03)
• Empty Promises--Ann Rule (6/05)
• The Enchanted April--Elizabeth Von Arnim, read by Josie Lawrence (11/07)
• Enchanted, Inc.--Shanna Swendson (10/06)
• Enchantress from the Stars--Sylvia Louise Engdahl (5/04)
• The Endearment--LaVyrle Spencer (10/03)
• England's Perfect Hero--Suzanne Enoch (9/04)
• Every Storm--Lori Wick (7/04)
• Everything's Coming Up Josey--Susan May Warren (7/06)
• Every Which Way but Dead--Kim Harrison (7/05)
• Evidence of Murder--Bill McClellan (7/03)
• Evvy's Civil War--Miriam Brenaman (12/07)
• Except My Love--Mary Burchell (5/05)
• Eye of the Beholder--Ingrid Weaver (2/03)
• The Eye of the Dream--Elizabeth Sinclair (8/06)
• A Face First--Priscilla Cummings (1/04)
• Fairest--Gail Carson Levine (12/06)
• The Fairies of Nutfolk Wood--Barb Bentler Ullman (11/07)
• Fanged and Fabulous--Michelle Rowen (8/07)
• Fantasy Lover--Sherrilyn Kenyon (4/05)
• Fast Food Nation--Eric Schlosser (2/06)
• Fate Is Remarkable--Betty Neels (5/05)
• Feet First--Leanne Banks (8/05)
• Fever 1793--Laurie Halse Anderson (11/05)
• Finders Keepers--Shirl Henke (12/05)
• Finding Mary Blaine--Jodi Thomas (11/05)
• Firestarter--Stephen King (9/03)
• Firestorm--Iris Johansen (6/06)
• The First Day--Barbara McMahon (11/04)
• First Impressions--Jude Deveraux (11/06)
• First Love, Second Chance--K. N. Casper (11/07)
• A Fistful of Charms--Kim Harrison (7/06)
• Five Children and It--E. Nesbit (7/06)
• Five Kids, One Christmas--Terese Ramin (3/05)
• The Five People You Meet in Heaven--Mitch Albom (2/05)
• Flash Point--Sally John (2/06)
• Flesh & Blood: Guilty As Sin, Erotic Tales of Crime and Passion--edited by Max Allan Collins & Jeff Gelb
• The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary & Sewing Circle--Lois Battle (11/04)
• Flour Babies--Anne Fine (4/05)
• Fog Magic--Julia L. Sauer (3/04)
• For a Few Demons More--Kim Harrison (12/07)
• Forbidden--Helen Kirkman (6/05)
• Forbidden Magic--Cheyenne McCray (12/07
• The Forest Lover--Susan Vreeland (1/06)
• Forever and Always--Jude Deveraux (9/03)
• Forgive the Wind--Cindy Holby (8/05)
• Four to Score--Janet Evanovich (3/06)
• Freedom's Wings: Corey's Diary, Kentucky to Ohio, 1857 (My America)--Sharon Denis Wyeth (7/06)
• Friday--Robert A. Heinlein (1/05)
• Friday's Child--Georgette Heyer (6/06)
• Frisco's Kid--Suzanne Brockmann (5/06)
• The Frog Princess--E. D. Baker (5/05)
• Front Porch Princess--Kathryn Springer (2/07)
• A Garden in the Rain--Lynn Kurland (5/04)
• A Gentle Awakening--Betty Neels (2/03)
• A Gentleman at Heart--Barbara Pierce (11/03)
• A Gentleman By Any Other Name--Kasey Michaels (6/07)
• Georgie's Moon--Chris Woodworth (12/07)
• Getting Lucky--Susan Andersen (6/03)
• The Ghost Children--Eve Bunting (9/05)
• Ghost Girl--Torey L. Hayden (2/05)
• Ghost Girl: A Blue Ridge Mountain Story--Delia Ray (8/04)
• Ghost Stories of Ohio--Edrick Thay (11/06)
• The Gift--Julie Garwood (4/03)
• The Girl in the Blue Dress--Mary Burchell (5/06)
• The Girls--Amy Goldman Koss (8/07)
• Girls' Poker Night--Jill A. Davis (6/04)
• The Goblin Wood--Hilari Bell (6/06)
• The Good, the Bad, and the Undead--Kim Harrison (5/05)
• Grail Prince--Nancy Affleck McKenzie (1/03)
• A Great and Terrible Beauty--Libba Bray (12/06)
• The Great Good Thing--Roderick Townley (5/03)
• The Great Little Madison--Jean Fritz (9/06)
• The Great Mom Swap--Betsy Haynes (5/06)
• Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane--Suzanne Collins (9/04)
• Gregor the Overlander--Suzanne Collins (6/04)
• Growing Wings--Laurel Winter (1/04)
• The Hadassah Covenant: A Queen's Legacy--Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen (12/05)
• Hadassah: One Night with the King--Tommy Tenney with Mark Andrew Olsen (3/04)
• Half-Magic--Edward Eager (5/04)
• Halos--Kristen Heitzmann (5/05)
• Hand Quilted with Love--Joyce Livingston (6/05)
• Hannah's Vow--Pam Crooks (1/05)
• Hard Eight--Janet Evanovich (7/06)
• Harmony--Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle (5/04)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--J. K. Rowling (7/07)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince--J. K. Rowling (4/06)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix--J. K. Rowling (6/03)
• Hatchet--Gary Paulsen (5/05)
• Haunted--Kelley Armstrong (1/06)
• Haunted--Heather Graham (2/05)
• Haven--Bobbi Smith writing as Julie Marshall (3/05)
• Hawk's Way--Joan Johnston (11/03)
• Head Over Heels--Susan Andersen (2/05)
• Heart Choice--Robin D. Owens (8/05)
• Heart Dance--Robin D. Owens (10/07)
• Heart Duel--Robin D. Owens (3/04)
• The Heart Reader--Terri Blackstock (8/05)
• Heart Thief--Robin D. Owens (5/04)
• Heaven on Earth--Constance O'Day-Flannery (9/04)
• Hello, Darkness--Sandra Brown (9/03)
• The Helmet of Navarre--Burke Wilkinson (11/05)
• Here Today--Ann M. Martin (1/07)
• Her Man Friday--Elizabeth Bevarly (12/05)
• Hero Worship--Dawn Calvert (9/07)
• Her Perfect Stranger--Jill Shalvis (11/04)
• Hers to Desire--Margaret Moore (7/06)
• Hidden--Tara Taylor Quinn (5/05)
• High Energy--Dara Joy (6/04)
• High Five--Janet Evanovich (3/06)
• Highlander in Love--Julia London (8/07)
• The High Rocks--Loren Estleman (3/07)
• His Every Kiss--Laura Lee Guhrke (10/04)
• Holding the Dream--Nora Roberts (3/04)
• Holes--Louis Sachar (5/03)
• Holly--Jude Deveraux (11/04)
• Homeport--Nora Roberts (3/05)
• Honey Moon--Susan Elizabeth Phillips (4/03)
• Hosea's Bride--Dorothy Clark (4/05)
• Hot and Bothered--Susan Andersen (4/05)
• Hot Six--Janet Evanovich (6/06)
• Hot Under the Collar--Kirstin Hill (10/03)
• The House Where the Hardest Things Happened--Kate Young Caley (8/03)
• Howl's Moving Castle--Diana Wynne Jones (10/04)
• The Husband Quest--Lori Handeland (6/06)
• The Ideal Bride--Stephanie Laurens (2/04)
• The Ideal Bride--Nonnie St. George (1/04)
• The Ideal Husband--Shari Anton (12/03)
• I Do, I Do, I Do--Maggie Osborne (12/03)
• If I Gained the World--Linda Nichols (8/04)
• If Tomorrow Comes--Sidney Sheldon (6/06)
• If You Could Read My Mind--Pamela Labud (5/07)
• If You Only Knew (The Frienship Ring)--Rachel Vail (3/06)
• If You Really Loved Me--Ann Rule (6/04)
• I'll Be Home for Christmas--Linda Lael Miller, Catherine Mulvany, Julie Leto, and Roxanne St. Claire (1/07)
• Imitation in Death--J. D. Robb (10/03)
• In a Dark Wood--Amanda Craig (8/05)
• In Deep Voodoo--Stephanie Bond (3/06)
• An Independent Wife--Linda Howard (3/04)
• An Independent Woman--Betty Neels (5/03)
• Industrial Magic--Kelley Armstrong (12/05)
• Infernal Affairs--Jane Heller (2/06)
• Inklings--Melanie M. Jeschke (6/04)
• The Inn at Oak Creek--Linda Barrett (2/04)
• Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey--Alison Weir (5/07)
• In Quest of Ghosts--Hans Holzer (7/04)
• In Search of Eden--Linda Nichols (8/07)
• In the Country of the Young--Lisa Carey (6/06)
• In the Name of Love and Other True Cases: Ann Rule's Crime Files, Volume 4--Ann Rule (11/05; 9/07)
• Into the Water--Diane Fanning (1/06)
• Involuntary Daddy--Rachel Lee (8/05)
• It Happened One Autumn--Lisa Kleypas (11/05)
• "I" The Creation of a Serial Killer--Jack Olsen (5/04)
• It's in His Kiss--Julia Quinn (9/05)
• Jack and Jill--Louisa May Alcott (10/04)
• Jack of Clubs--Barbara Metzger (3/06)
• Jack of Hearts--Marjorie Farrell (9/03)
• Jackson Rule--Dinah McCall (6/03)
• Jane-Emily--Patricia Clapp (4/03)
• Jane Millionaire--Janice Lynn (12/05)
• Jane's Warlord--Angela Knight (1/06)
• January 1905--Katharine Boling (11/06)
• John Adams--David McCullough (5/07)
• John the Deliverer--Rhiannon Neeley (8/03)
• Journeys: A Reading and Literature Program--Richard J. Smith and Max F. Schulz (5/05)
• Judas Child--Carol O'Connell (4/05)
• Just Before Daybreak--Elizabeth Turner (1/03)
• Just Ella--Margaret Peterson Haddix (4/03)
• Just for Kicks--Susan Andersen (8/06)
• Just Imagine--Pat Lowery Collins (10/07)
• Just Over the Mountain--Robyn Carr (2/03)
• Just Perfect--Julie Ortolon (9/05)
• Just the Way You Are--Christina Dodd (6/03)
• Kaleidoscope--Lauralee Bliss, Gloria Brandt, DiAnn Mills, and Kathleen Paul (3/04)
• Kansas Brides: Four Marriages Face Conflict in the Town of Cedar Springs--Denise Hunter (4/05)
• Katie's Dream--Leisha Kelly (10/04)
• Katrina's Wings--Patricia Hickman (8/07)
• Key of Knowledge--Nora Roberts (5/04)
• Key of Light--Nora Roberts (5/04)
• Key of Valor--Nora Roberts (5/04)
• A Killing in the Family--Stephen Singular with Tim and Danielle Hill (6/04)
• A Kingdom of Dreams--Julie Garwood (10/05)
• King of Hearts--Pat Pritchard (10/03)
• Kirsten on the Trail--Janet Shaw (2/06)
• A Kiss for Julie--Betty Neels (3/04)
• The Kissing Game--Kasey Michaels (3/03)
• Kiss Me Again--Margaret Moore (1/04)
• Kiss Me, Kill Me--Ann Rule (12/04)
• A Kiss of Fate--Mary Jo Putney (6/06)
• Kiss the Bride--Patricia Cabot (10/05)
• The Kitchen Witch--Annette Blair (9/04)
• The Kite Runner--Khaled Hosseini (12/06)
• The Knight at Dawn: Magic Tree House #2--Mary Pope Osborne (1/06)
• Kushiel's Avatar--Jacqueline Carey (5/03)
• Lady Danger--Sarah McKerrigan (3/06)
• A Lady of His Own--Stephanie Laurens (10/04)
• Lancaster's Orphans--Robert J. Randisi (9/04)
• Landing It: My Life On and Off the Ice--Scott Hamilton with Lorenzo Benet (2/06)
• A Lantern in Her Hand--Bess Streeter Aldrich (9/03)
• A Lawman for Christmas--Pat Pritchard (12/05)
• Leaving Ireland--Ann Moore (3/05)
• Leaving Protection--Will Hobbs (8/07)
• The Legend MacKinnon--Donna Kauffman (9/04)
• Lethal Lies--Laurie Breton (11/05)
• Life in These United States--Reader's Digest (11/04)
• Lincoln: A Photobiography--Russell Freedman (4/06)
• The Living End--Lisa Samson (12/03)
• Little Girl Blue--David Cray (9/03)
• The Little Lame Prince and the Adventures of a Brownie--Dinah Maria Mulock Craik (3/06)
• Live Bait--P. J. Tracy (2/07)
• Living Dead in Dallas--Charlaine Harris (7/07)
• Long Time Coming--Edie Claire (12/03)
• Looking for Bobowicz--Daniel Pinkwater (2/07)
• Looking for Lacey--Linda Francis Lee (7/03)
• Lord Logic and the Wedding Wish--Melynda Beth Skinner(1/03)
• Loser--Jerry Spinelli (6/06)
• Lost and Found--Carolyn Parkhurst (8/06)
• The Lost Boy--Dave Pelzer (12/05)
• Love Comes Softly--Janette Oke (4/06)
• Love, Loss and What I Wore--Ilene Beckerman (5/06)
• Love of My Life--Meredith Bond (7/07)
• Lover Beware--Christine Feehan, Katherine Sutcliffe, Fiona Brand, and Eileen Wilks 6/03)
• Loverboy--Lauren Agony & Jan Springer (2/03)
• A Loving Scoundrel--Johanna Lindsey (7/03; 12/04)
• Lyon's Gate--Catherine Coulter (10/07)
• Macaroni Boy--Katherine Ayres (10/07)
• Maggie's Miracle--Karen Kingsbury (7/03)
• Maggy--Sara Seale (11/03)
• Magic Lessons--Justine Larbalestier (9/07)
• Magic or Madness--Justine Larbalestier (9/06)
• The Magic World--E. Nesbit (4/04)
• The Mansion in the Mist--John Bellairs (10/03)
• A Man to Call My Own--Johanna Lindsey (8/03)
• March--Geraldine Brooks, read by Richard Easton (6/07)
• The Marriage Contract--Cathy Maxwell (8/07)
• Marriage Most Scandalous--Johanna Lindsey (11/06)
• The Marriage Spell--Mary Jo Putney (6/07)
• Master of Dragons--Angela Knight (11/07)
• The Master Quilter--Jennifer Chiaverini (4/04)
• Match Me If You Can--Susan Elizabeth Phillips (9/06)
• The Meanest Doll in the World--Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin (1/05)
• Measle and the Wrathmonk--Ian Ogilvy (1/07)
• Memory in Death--J. D. Robb (7/06)
• Mercy--Jodi Picoult (2/06)
• Mercy at Midnight--Lois Hoadley Dick (9/05)
• The Messies Manual: The Procrastinator's Guide to Good Housekeeping--Sandra Felton (6/05)
• Midnight Is a Place--Joan Aiken (9/04)
• Midnight Magic--Avi (9/04)
• Mind Game--Christine Feehan (2/07)
• Mind Reader--Victoria Cole (2/06)
• Mine for All Time--Julia Hanlon (12/03)
• The Mirror--Marlys Millhiser (8/05)
• The Misadventures of Maude March--Audrey Couloumbis (12/07)
• Mischief and Marriage--Emma Darcy (11/04)
• The Misconception--Darlene Gardner (5/04)
• Missing Incorporated--Tess Pendergrass (5/06)
• Miss Parker's Ponies--Victoria Hinshaw (9/03)
• Mistress to a Tycoon--Emma Darcy (11/04)
• Monkeewrench--P. J. Tracy (2/07)
• The Monkey's Paw and Other Tales of Terror--read by Victor Garber (8/05)
• Moon's Crossing--Barbara Croft (5/07)
• The Moorchild--Eloise McGraw (6/06)
• More Than You Know--Evelyn Rogers (9/05)
• The Morning After--Lisa Jackson (12/05)
• Mortal Sin--Laurie Breton (1/06)
• Mossflower--Brian Jacques (4/06)
• Mostly Mayhem--Lisa Manuel (11/05)
• A Most Unsuitable Man--Jo Beverley (6/05)
• Mr. Blue--Myles Connolly (7/05)
• Mr. McAllister Sets His Cap--Laura Paquet (4/03)
• Mrs. Mike--Benedict and Nancy Freedman (2/03)
• Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch--Alice Hegan Rice (6/06)
• The Mulberry Tree--Jude Deveraux (3/03)
• Murder of a Small-Town Honey--Denise Swanson (2/05)
• Murder in Spokane--Mark Fuhrman (7/03)
• My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding--edited by P. N. Elrod (10/07)
• My Big Old Texas Heartache--Geralyn Dawson (4/05)
• My Face to the Wind: The Diary of Sarah Jane Price, A Prairie Teacher--Jim Murphy 7/04)
• My Father's Dragon--Ruth Stiles Gannett (4/03)
• My Outlaw--Linda Lael Miller (9/03)
• My Pleasure--Connie Brockway (10/04)
• My Seduction--Connie Brockway (9/04)
• My Sunshine--Catherine Anderson (9/05)
• Nancy and Plum--Betty MacDonald (1/06)
• Naples: 1940s to 1970s (Images of America)--Lynne Howard Frazer (5/07)
• Natural Born Charmer--Susan Elizabeth Phillips (2/07)
• Nellie Bly, Reporter--Nina Brown Baker (10/04)
• Nerd in Shining Armor--Vicki Lewis Thompson (6/04)
• Neurotica--Sue Margolis (5/04)
• Never Mind--Avi and Rachel Vail (1/07)
• The New Yorker Book of Lawyer Cartoons--The New Yorker (11/05)
• The Next Ex: A Madeline Carter Novel--Linda L. Richards (11/05)
• Night Fire--Catherine Coulter (3/04)
• The Night Lives On--Walter Lord (1/05)
• Night's Edge--Maggie Shayne, Barbara Hambly, and Charlaine Harris (11/04)
• Noble Destiny--Katie MacAlister (11/04)
• The Nobodies, by N. E. Bode--Julianna Baggott (11/06)
• No, Daddy, Don't: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge--Irene Pence (4/05)
• No Flying in the House--Betty Brock (8/04)
• No Need to Say Goodbye--Betty Neels (4/03)
• No Ordinary Child--Darlene Graham (4/04)
• No Regrets and Other True Cases: Ann Rule's Crime Files, Volume 11--Ann Rule (8/07)
• Northern Lights--Nora Roberts (10/04)
• No Safe Place--Bill G. Cox (7/05)
• The No Spin Zone--Bill O'Reilly (1/03)
• Not a Sparrow Falls--Linda Nichols (8/04; 12/06)
• Nothing Sacred--Tara Taylor Quinn (1/05)
• Not Just for Tonight--Susan Johnson, Katherine O'Neal, and Diane Whiteside (7/05)
• Not Quite Married--Betina Krahn (8/04)
• The Observatory--Emily Grayson, read by Laural Merlington (6/07)
• Oceans of Fire--Christine Feehan (9/05)
• An Old-Fashioned Girl--Betty Neels (4/03)
• Once a Bride--Shari Anton (8/04)
• Once a Dreamer--Candice Hern (1/03)
• Once Upon a Prince--Holly Jacobs (3/06)
• One Day, My Prince--Linda Jones (8/03)
• One Forbidden Evening--Jo Goodman (8/06)
• One for the Money--Janet Evanovich (1/04)
• One Good Knight--Mercedes Lackey (5/07)
• One Last Christmas--Joyce Livingston (5/06)
• One Last Time--John Edward (5/05)
• One Night of Passion--Elizabeth Boyle (2/04)
• One Night of Scandal--Teresa Medeiros (8/03)
• Only for a Knight--Sue-Ellen Welfonder (1/06)
• Only the Wind Remembers--Marlo Schalesky (10/03)
• The O'Reilly Factor--Bill O'Reilly (1/03)
• Orphan Train West Collection--Jane Peart (3/07)
• The Outlaw Groom--Pat Pritchard (2/06)
• Over Hexed--Vicki Lewis Thompson (11/07)
• Over the Edge--Michael Fleeman (11/04)
• A Painted House--John Grisham (3/05)
• The Painted Rose--Donna Birdsell (5/06)
• Pamela's Second Season--Donna Simpson (2/03)
• Passage--Connie Willis (12/06)
• Passions of the Ghost--Sarah Mackenzie (9/07)
• Patience--Lori Copeland (1/04)
• Pay It Forward--Catherine Ryan Hyde (7/04)
• The Peacemaker--Lori Copeland (5/06)
• A Perfect Hero--Samantha James (1/06)
• A Perfect Husband--Aphrodite Jones (2/05)
• The Perfect Match--Susan May Warren (6/04)
• The Perfect Wife--Jane Goodger (5/03)
• The Perfect Wife--Lynsay Sands (12/06)
• Phoebe--Diane Noble (10/03)
• Picket Fence--Kimberly Cates (8/06)
• The Pied Piper's Bride--Myrna MacKenzie (4/04)
• Pilgrim's Promise--Emma Goldrick (1/03)
• Pillow Talk--Hailey North (6/05)
• A Place Called Bliss--Ruth Glover (9/06)
• Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish--Sue Bender (11/05)
• Plain Jane--Fern Michaels (9/05)
• Plain Jane: A Novel of Jane Seymour--Laurien Gardner (6/06)
• Playing with Fire--Gena Showalter (6/07)
• The Pleasure of His Company--Mary Blayney (3/04)
• Poisoned Love--Caitlin Rother (4/07)
• Poisoned Vows--Clifford L. Linedecker (6/05)
• Portrait in Death--J. D. Robb (4/03)
• Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed--Patricia Cornwell (3/05)
• Prairie Moon--Maggie Osborne (7/04)
• Prairie Rose--Susan Kirby (3/05)
• Prairie Whispers--Frances Arrington (10/07)
• A Pretend Engagement--Jessica Steele (9/06)
• Prince Charming's Child--Jennifer Greene (11/04)
• Prince of Frogs--Barbara Plum (5/06)
• Prince of Ice--Emma Holly (12/07)
• The Prince of Midnight--Laura Kinsale (5/06)
• Princess Academy--Shannon Hale (6/06)
• Princess Charming--Beth Pattillo (6/04)
• The Princess Diaries--Meg Cabot (10/04)
• Princess Nevermore--Dian Curtis Regan (6/05)
• Prisoners of Hope--Robin Hardy (10/05)
• The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio--Terry Ryan (1/03)
• The Promise of Happiness--Betty Neels (11/06)
• The Promise of Jenny Jones--Maggie Osborne (6/03)
• The Prophecy of the Stones--Flavia Bujor (11/06)
• The Quiet Little Woman: A Christmas Story--Louisa May Alcott (1/05)
• A Rage to Kill and Other True Cases--Ann Rule (7/03)
• Rainsinger--Ruth Wind (5/06)
• Reason and romance--Debra White Smith (7/04)
• Recipes for Easy Living--Curtiss Ann Matlock (10/03)
• Reconstructing Natalie--Laura Jensen Walker (6/06)
• Redeeming Love--Francine Rivers (10/03)
• The Redemption of Sarah Cain--Beverly Lewis (12/04)
• Red Lily--Nora Roberts (2/06)
• Rejar--Dara Joy (6/04)
• The Replacement--Anne Marie Duquette (8/03)
• The Reptile Room: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Second--Lemony Snicket (11/04, 6/06)
• The Restless Sleep: Inside New York City's Cold Case Squad-Stacy Horn (8/07)
• Retrieval--Jeanie London (11/06)
• Riding in Cars with Boys--Beverly Donofrio (3/03)
• River Rising--Dorothy Garlock (5/07)
• Roller Skates--Ruth Sawyer (1/04)
• The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold--Francesca Lia Block (6/03)
• Rose Daughter--Robin McKinley (8/04)
• A Rose for Her Grave and Other True Cases--Ann Rule (8/03)
• Rose in Bloom--Louisa May Alcott (2/03)
• The Rose of York: Love and War--Sandra Worth (5/03)
• Rosie Dunne--Cecelia Ahern, read by Roger Rees, Moira Quirk, Rosalyn Landor, and Russell Copley (6/07)
• The Rules of Silence--David Lindsey, read by Lou Diamond Phillips (11/07)
• Ruthie's Gift--Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (3/06)
• The Sacrifice--Beverly Lewis (6/04)
• Salem Witch Trials--Kathryn Wesley (8/05)
• The Same Stuff as Stars--Katherine Paterson (12/07)
• Sand Dollar Summer--Kimberly K. Jones (12/07)
• Sarah's Song--Karen Kingsbury (10/04)
• The Saving Graces--Patricia Gaffney, read by Judith Ivey (11/07)
• A Scandalous Marriage--Debbie Raleigh (4/03)
• Scandalous Virtue--Brenda Hiatt (7/03)
• A School for Sorcery--E. Rose Sabin (12/03)
• Schoolroom in the Parlor--Rebecca Caudill (2/06)
• The School Story--Andrew Clements (6/06)
• The Scottish Bride--Catherine Coulter (4/05)
• Scrib--David Ives (4/07)
• Seabiscuit: An American Legend--Laura Hillenbrand (7/03)
• Searching for David's Heart--Cherie Bennett (9/06)
• The Searching Hearts--Dorothy Garlock (8/05)
• A Season of Miracles--Heather Graham (7/05)
• Second Sight--Beth Amos (3/05)
• A Secret Infatuation--Betty Neels (4/03)
• Secret Santa--Robert Tate Miller and Beth Polson (7/04)
• Secret Santa--Anne Osborn Poelman (8/04)
• The Secret School--Avi (6/05)
• The Seductive One--Susan Mallery (2/05)
• Seeds of Hope: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild, California Territory, 1849 (Dear America)--Kristiana Gregory (3/05)
• Seen By Moonlight--Kathleen Eschenburg (12/03)
• Serial Murderers--edited by Art Crockett (7/03)
• Seven Days to Forever--Ingrid Weaver (3/03)
• Seven Up--Janet Evanovich (6/06)
• Sex and the Single Vampire--Katie MacAlister (7/05)
• Sex, Lies, and Vampires--Katie MacAlister (7/05)
• Shades of Gray--Wendy Douglas (4/05)
• The Shadow--Shelley Munro (6/06)
• Shadowed Secrets--Lois Richer (5/06)
• Shadow Game--Christine Feehan (7/03)
• Shadowheart--Laura Kinsale (5/05)
• Shattered Love--Richard Chamberlain (7/03)
• The Sheriff of Heartbreak County--Kathleen Creighton (6/07)
• She's Come Undone--Wally Lamb (10/04)
• The Shop on Blossom Street--Debbie Macomber (7/04)
• Shotgun Wedding--Maggie Osborne (11/03)
• Silver Bells--Luanne Rice (11/04)
• Silver Blades: In the Spotlight--Melissa Lowell (1/06)
• Silver Blades: The Competition--Melissa Lowell (2/06)
• Silverbridge--Joan Wolf (6/04)
• Silver Lining--Maggie Osborne (9/03)
• Silverwing--Kenneth Oppel (2/06)
• Simply Irresistible--Kristine Grayson (4/05)
• Single White Vampire--Lynsay Sands (10/03)
• Sins of Midnight--Kimberly Logan (9/06)
• Sins of the Night--Sherrilyn Kenyon (9/05)
• The Sister Secret--Jessica Steele (2/06)
• Skating Shoes--Noel Streatfeild (6/03)
• Skylark--Jo Beverley (3/05)
• The Sleeping Beauty--David Halliday (5/06)
• Sleep, My Child, Forever--John Coston (7/03)
• Slow Way Home--Michael Morris (6/05)
• The Smoke Thief--Shana Abe (11/06)
• Snowbird--Stef Ann Holm (7/04)
• Snow Treasure--Marie McSwigan (11/07)
• So Far from Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, An Irish Mill Girl--Barry Denenberg (8/04)
• Somebody's Baby--Tara Taylor Quinn (12/06)
• Some Like It Wicked--Deborah Raleigh (11/05)
• Something Wicked--Evelyn Vaughn (6/07)
• Son: A Psychopath and His Victims--Jack Olsen (7/03)
• Song of Redemption--Lynn Austin (8/05)
• Song of the Road--Dorothy Garlock (12/04)
• Sophie and the Rising Sun--Augusta Trobaugh (4/07)
• The Soul Collector--Kathleen Kane (5/03)
• Special of the Day--Elaine Fox (5/05)
• Spell of the Highlander--Karen Marie Moning (8/07)
• The Spiderwick Chronicles, Books 3 and 4: Lucinda's Secret and The Ironwood Tree--Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, read by Mark Hamill (5/07)
• Spindle's End--Robin McKinley (1/04)
• The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down--Anne Fadiman (8/07)
• Spy Goddess: Live and Let Shop--Michael R. Spradlin (1/07)
• The Stand--Stephen King (12/04)
• Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763 (Dear America)--Mary Pope Osborne (6/05)
• Stardust--Alane Ferguson (2/03)
• Stargazer--Colby Hodge (5/07)
• Star in the Storm--Joan Hiatt Harlow (11/07)
• Stay with Me--Beverly Long (12/06)
• A Stockingful of Joy--Mary Jo Putney, Jill Barnett, Justine Dare, and Susan King (5/07)
• Stolen Magic--M. J. Putney (9/06)
• The Stone Prince--Gena Showalter (3/07)
• Stonewords: A Ghost Story--Pam Conrad (8/05)
• Storm Front--Jim Butcher (10/07)
• Storm Warning--Dinah McCall (1/03)
• Strong for Potatoes--Cynthia Thayer (11/04)
• Stuck on You--Patti Berg (2/03)
• Suddenly Gone--Dan Mitrione (7/03)
• The Sugar Camp Quilt--Jennifer Chiaverini (3/06)
• Summer Breeze--Catherine Anderson (1/06)
• Summer Lovin'--Carly Phillips (7/05)
• Summer of Storms--Judith Kelman (2/03)
• Summer Reading Is Killing Me!--Jon Scieszka (5/06)
• Summer's End--Lyn Cote (10/03)
• Sun and Candlelight--Betty Neels (10/03)
• Sunwing--Kenneth Oppel (9/07)
• Survivor in Death--J. D. Robb (10/05)
• Sweet Adventure--Mary Burchell (8/05)
• Sweet Deceit--Lynn McKay (7/04)
• Sweet Everlasting--Patricia Gaffney (1/05)
• Sweet Grass--Dee Marvine (7/06)
• Sweethearts of the Twilight Lanes--Luanne Jones (4/04)
• Sweet Hush--Deborah Smith (7/04)
• Sweet Memories--LaVyrle Spencer (4/05)
• Sweet Violet--Catherine Palmer (2/06)
• Sybil--Flora Rheta Schreiber (10/03)
• The Tail of Emily Windsnap--Liz Kessler ((8/07)
• Take Me, I'm Yours--Elizabeth Bevarly (7/05)
• Taken--Barbara Freethy (11/07)
• Taming the Heiress--Susan King (6/04)
• The Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society--Augusta Trobaugh (8/06)
• The Tea Rose--Jennifer Donnelly (3/04)
• Temptation--Nora Roberts (10/03)
• Temptation of a Proper Governess--Cathy Maxwell (8/04)
• Tempting Fortune--Jo Beverley (4/05)
• Tempting the Highlander--Janet Chapman (9/04)
• The Texan's Dream--Jodi Thomas (8/03)
• A Texan's Luck--Jodi Thomas (12/04)
• The Texan's Reward--Jodi Thomas (12/05)
• Their Very Special Gift--Jackie Braun (7/07)
• There's Something About Christmas--Debbie Macomber (11/05)
• The Thief and the Beanstalk--P. W. Catanese (3/06)
• The Thief Lord--Cornelia Funke (6/06)
• The Thief of Always--Clive Barker (5/04)
• The Things We Do for Love--Kristin Hannah (6/06)
• This Is Graceanne's Book--P. L. Whitney (8/05)
• Thorn in My Heart--Liz Curtis Higgs (2/03)
• Thorns in Eden--Rita Gerlach (10/03)
• Thoroughly Kissed--Kristine Grayson (11/03)
• The Thrall's Tale--Judith Lindbergh (3/06)
• Three Roads Home--Travis Thrasher (8/03)
• Three to Get Deadly--Janet Evanovich (3/06)
• Through the Window--Diane Fanning (5/03)
• Thy Heart in Mine--Cara West (1/06)
• Tiger Lillie--Lisa Samson (9/04)
• Time and Again--Kathryn Jensen (1/05)
• Time for Andrew--Mary Downing Hahn (6/03)
• Time Stops for No Mouse--Michael Hoeye (9/05)
• 'Tis Herself--Maureen O'Hara with John Nicoletti (12/06)
• To Find You Again--Maureen McKade (4/06)
• To Love an Older Man--Debbi Rawlins (6/06)
• To Love a Scottish Lord--Karen Ranney (1/05)
• Tombs of Endearment--Casey Daniels (12/07)
• Too Close to Home--Maureen Tan (10/06)
• To Pleasure a Prince--Sabrina Jeffries (6/05)
• Torvill and Dean: The Autobiography of Ice Dancing's Gold Medal Winners--Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean with John Man (9/07)
• To Sing Me Home--Doris E. Smith (11/03)
• To Sir Phillip, With Love--Julia Quinn (6/03)
• Total Rush--Deirdre Martin (5/05)
• To Tame a Highland Warrior--Karen Marie Moning (7/05)
• To the Last Breath--Carlton Stowers (3/04)
• Touch the Dark--Karen Chance (8/07)
• Trading Places--Fern Michaels (3/04)
• Triangle: The Fire that Changed America--David Von Drehle (1/05)
• A Trick of the Light--Tina Wainscott (3/05)
• Troll Fell--Katherine Langrish (11/05)
• The Trouble with Harry--Katie MacAlister (7/04)
• The Trouble with Valentine's Day--Rachel Gibson (3/05)
• Truesight--David Stahler, Jr. (3/07)
• Truly a Wife--Rebecca Hagan Lee (7/05)
• Trust Me: Men of Steele--Caroline Cross (1/06)
• The Truth About Sparrows--Marian Hale (2/07)
• Turnabout--Margaret Peterson Haddix (8/07)
• Turning for Home--Sarah Challis (5/06)
• Tweed--Lass Small (6/05)
• The Twilight Before Christmas--Christine Feehan (1/04)
• Twins Times Two--Lisa Bingham (4/04)
• Two for the Dough--Janet Evanovich (2/06)
• Two Hearts in Time--Eugenia Riley (12/03)
• Two Short and One Long--Nina Ring Aamundsen (10/03)
• Tying the Knot--Susan May Warren (9/03)
• Uncertain Magic--Laura Kinsale (5/04)
• The Unchosen--Nan Gilbert (4/07)
• Uncle John's Second Bathroom Reader--Bathroom Readers' Institute (6/05)
• Undead and Unappreciated--MaryJanice Davidson (6/05)
• Undead and Unappreciated--MaryJanice Davidson, read by Nancy Wu (7/07)
• Undead and Unwed--MaryJanice Davidson (6/04)
• Under a Lucky Star--Diane Farr (1/05)
• Underfoot--Leanne Banks (6/07)
• Understudy--Carole Bellacera (6/03)
• The Unknown Twin--Kathryn Shay (9/05)
• An Unmistakable Rogue--Annette Blair (12/03)
• An Unquiet Grave--P. J. Parrish (7/06)
• The Unwilling Bride--Margaret Moore (9/05)
• Upon a Wicked Time--Karen Ranney (5/04)
• Utterly Charming--Kristine Grayson (5/07)
• The Vampire Who Loved Me--Teresa Medeiros (9/07)
• The Veil of Night--Lydia Joyce (5/05)
• A Victorian Rose--Catherine Palmer (1/03)
• The Viscount in Her Bedroom--Gayle Callen (10/07)
• Visions in Death--J. D. Robb (10/04)
• Visions of Sugar Plums--Janet Evanovich (12/06)
• Vital Signs--Bobby Hutchinson (2/04)
• Wait for the Sunrise--Cassandra Austin (6/06)
• The Wall and the Wing--Laura Ruby (11/07)
• Waltz with a Vampire--Maggie MacKeever (12/05)
• Wanted Across Time--Eugenia Riley (7/04)
• Warrior in Her Bed--Cathleen Galitz (7/06)
• The Wedding--Nicholas Sparks (7/05)
• The Wedding Deception--Adrienne Basso (11/05)
• The Wedding Escape--Karyn Monk (6/03)
• The Wedding Night--Barbara Dawson Smith (3/04)
• A Week in the Zone--Barry Sears, Ph.D. (8/07)
• Well Wished--Franny Billingsley (7/04)
• What Do You Say to a Naked Elf?--Cheryl Stirling (5/05)
• What Lies Beneath--Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne, and Caroline Burns (11/04)
• What They Did for Love: The Untold Story Behind the Making of A Chorus Line--Denny Martin Flinn (9/05)
• When a Texan Gambles--Jodi Thomas (12/03)
• When He Was Wicked--Julia Quinn (11/04)
• When It's Perfect--Adele Ashworth (6/03)
• When Will This Cruel War Be Over? The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 (Dear America)--Barry Denenberg (6/05)
• When You Believe--Deborah Bedford (7/03)
• Where I'd Like to Be--Frances O'Roark Dowell (6/06)
• Where Mercy Flows--Karen Harter (10/06)
• Where the Bodies Are Buried--Fannie Weinstein and Melinda Wilson (9/04)
• While Innocents Slept--Adrian Havill (8/03)
• Whippoorwill--Sharon Sala (2/05)
• Whispers--Belva Plain (11/04)
• White Deception--Susan Edwards (8/05)
• White Lies--Linda Howard (7/03)
• Whose Child?--Susan Gable (8/05)
• Wicked Angel--Shirl Henke (6/07)
• The Widows of Wichita County--Jodi Thomas (8/03)
• Wild Desire--Phoebe Conn (4/04)
• Wild Horses--Bethany Campbell (5/05)
• Wild Orchids--Jude Deveraux (5/03)
• Wild Women: Crusaders, Curmudgeons, and Completely Corsetless Ladies in the Otherwise Virtuous Victorian Era--Autumn Stephens (8/05)
• Windfall--Cindy Holby (8/05)
• The Wings of Pegasus--Anne McCaffrey (10/07)
• The Winter Mantle--Elizabeth Chadwick (1/06)
• Winter of Change--Betty Neels (5/04)
• The Winter of Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1777 (Dear America)--Kristiana Gregory (6/06)
• The Winter Seeking--Vinita Hampton Wright (12/03)
• The Wishing Chalice--Sandra Landry (4/04)
• With All My Heart--Barbara Dawson Smith (5/04)
• With Love from Bliss--Ruth Glover (9/06)
• Without Pity: Ann Rule's Most Dangerous Killers--True Cases From Ann Rule's Crime Files, Volumes 1-8--Ann Rule (2/05)
• The Wizard Test--Hilari Bell (7/06)
• A Woman in the House--William E. Barrett (9/04)
• The Woman in the Wall--Patrice Kindl (1/03)
• A Woman's Innocence--Gayle Callen (6/05)
• World of Pies--Karen Stolz (9/05)
• Ya-Yas in Bloom--Rebecca Wells, read by Judith Ivey (9/07)
• A Year and a Day--Sara M. Harvey (12/07)
• Yellow--Janni Visman (7/06)
• Yesterday and Forever--Vickie Presley (10/03)
• Yet Love Remains--Mary Burchell (5/05)
• Young Pioneers--Rose Wilder Lane (5/04)
• Yours Always--Gabriella Anderson (5/04)
• Yours Until Dawn--Teresa Medeiros (11/04)
• You Slay Me--Katie MacAlister (8/05)

The Restless Sleep, by Stacy Horn

THE RESTLESS SLEEP: INSIDE NEW YORK CITY'S COLD CASE SQUAD
Stacy Horn
ISBN: 0-14-303729-3
Nonfiction
Book #07-077

Between 1985 and 2004, there were nearly 9,000 unsolved murders in New York City. The longer it takes to track down information and evidence about a murder, the more likely it is to go "cold," which often means the criminal goes free while the case is relegated to a back burner for lack of progress. In 1995, Jack Maple and Edward Norris came up with the idea that became New York City's Cold Case Squad, a group of detectives whose sole purpose was to examine file cases that had stalled and breathe new life into them in order to find the killer(s) and close the cases.

Stacy Horn has focused on several cases spanning fifty years: the 1951 strangulation of a young wife, the murder of a cop by a meat hook in 1979, the killing of a misfit girl in 1988, and a couple murdered in front of their three young sons in a 1996 drug-related incident. Horn does a good job of switching back and forth between the development of the Cold Case Squad and the details of the crimes and their related investigations. Her account of NYPD politics is riveting and insightful, and her take on the city's unsung heroes is clear-eyed and realistic.

Horn's prose is both compelling and easy to read, although some readers may be put off by her casual profanity. Each case is deftly introduced, and the victims, although clearly flawed, are nonetheless sympathetic figures. Horn is particularly adept at explaining the ins and outs of organized crime and its deterioration since its heyday. Readers will be invested in the outcome of the detectives' investigations and surprised at the differences between reality and popular TV crime shows. Ultimately, The Restless Sleep is a must-have addition to anyone's true crime library.

Book Give-Away for September 1, 2007

For September 1, I'm giving away Ann Rule's book No Regrets and Other Cases--Ann Rule's Crime Files: Volume 11. My review of this book is already posted, for those who would like to know more about it.

To be entered into the drawing for this book, simply comment on this post. I will draw the winner on Saturday, September 1, and mail the book the following Monday. Be sure to check back on the first to see if you won!

No Regrets and Other True Cases, by Ann Rule

NO REGRETS AND OTHER TRUE CASES--ANN RULE'S CRIME FILES: VOLUME 11
Ann Rule
ISBN: 0-7434-4875-8
Book #07-076
True Crime

Ann Rule is probably America's best-known true crime writer. In this volume of her accounts of case files, she focuses on crimes where the perpetrators apparently had no regrets about their actions.

The main case of the book is the mysterious disappearance of ship's pilot Rolf Neslund, an eighty-year-old man whose stellar career was eclipsed by one unfortunate event at its end, the crashing of the ship he was piloting into a bridge. Rolf's wife, Ruth, told various stories to explain his absence, but eventually two of her nieces came forward and claimed that their aunt had admitted to killing her husband and burning the pieces of his body. It took years for Ruth to be brought to justice. The highlight of this account are the limericks by horror author John Saul, whose poetry displays a keen wit and wicked humor.

The other cases in the book all share an improbable pathos. The young mother whose religious fervor led her to kill her two young children is especially tragic, because she sought help from multiple sources, who all brushed her off. The bank robber who shot an elderly man during his escape, the woman whose marriage fell apart after she was kidnapped and raped, and the teen runaway who teased her boyfriend until he murdered her are equally sad. The most memorable case, in some ways, is that of the young prostitute who was savagely beaten and left for dead, but managed to crawl for help. In an unusual oversight, Rule neglects to mention the fate of the young woman's infant son during the many hours of her ordeal.

As always, Rule gives readers her special insight into these cases, and shares her opinions of the various crimes. Her dry, biting humor is again on display. Readers will have NO REGRETS at spending several hours with Rule's rogues' gallery of hapless criminals.

Book Give-Away for August 18, 2007

In memory of Ben, I am giving away two brand new sets of E. B. White paperbacks. They are still in shrink-wrap and do not have BookCrossing labels. I wanted this give-away to be totally altruistic in honor of my little friend, who was a fine reader and will be deeply missed.

BOOK GIVE-AWAY FOR AUGUST 11, 2007

I'm giving another book away. Sorry for the delay in the first one--I spent a chunk of my weekend in the hospital to find out why the right side of my face is paralyzed. Turns out I have Bell's Palsy, which, as a diabetic, I was four times more likely than the general population to contract. Sigh. I should see some improvement by the end of the week, and there's an 80% chance of full recovery within three months. Let me just say, I look and feel like a freak.

So, because I'm really stressed about this, my give-away book for the week is INSIDE MY HEART: CHOOSING TO LIVE WITH PASSION AND PURPOSE by Robin McGraw (AKA Mrs. Dr. Phil). There are likely to be several copies of this available in hardcover. These books are brand-new, except that there is a BookCrossing label inside each cover. Winners, please make a journal entry at http://www.bookcrossing.com/ when you recieve your books. You don't have to join BookCrossing, and you can do an anonymous journal entry that simply says that you received the book. After that, I don't care what you do with the books, because they will be yours.

I will choose and announce the winners here on Saturday, August 11th, and mail the books on the following Monday.

I hope to see a lot of entries this time out. Just make a comment on this post, and you will be entered. Good luck, everyone!

Living Dead in Dallas, by Charlaine Harris

LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS
Charlaine Harris
ISBN: 0-441-00923-9
Fantasy/Mystery
Book #07-061

Sookie Stackhouse is an ordinary young woman with an extraordinary "dis"ability: she can read minds. This ability has caused her grief throughout her life, particularly when it comes to romance, because as she says, how can you make love with someone when you know what they really think about you and your body? When Sookie meets Bill the Vampire and realizes that she can't hear his thoughts, the mental silence is very attractive to her, and before long, she's got a real, live (not) boyfriend.

Being involved with a vampire has its own special problems. When Bill's vampire colleagues save Sookie's life, she feels obligated to accomodate when asked for a favor, she agrees to read the minds of people involved in the case of a missing vampire. Sookie's only condition is that if her abilities reveal the culprits, they must be handed over to the authorities and dealt with through legal channels.

Once in Dallas, Sookie encounters the Fellowship of the Sun, a fanatical anti-vampire group. The resulting chaos and carnage make for fast, frantic reading as Charlaine Harris masterfully pits the vampires and their foes against each other, with the intrepid Sookie smack in the middle. In this second installment of Harris's Stackhouse series, readers get more of Sookie's scrupulously honest self-analysis and her amusingly pragmatic approach to life. Harris has created a detailed depiction of vampire politics, and Eric, Bill's supervisor, proves to be a formidable enemy and a seriously good kisser.

Charlaine Harris keeps the action and the angst coming in this completely delectable page-turner. Sookie is a heroine readers can identify with, and her wise-cracking sense of humor leavens many a tense moment. Harris gives her imagination free rein, and the resultant account of modern vampire life is a marvel of wit and wonder. LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS is a breath of fresh air in a genre that is in high demand with readers, and that popularity shows no sign of declining any time soon. With Sookie Stackhouse, Charlaine Harris has earned her spot on the paranormal keepers shelf.

Mostly Paranormal Bookbox Going Out Soon

I've put together a box of paperback books that I no longer want, and I've made a list of people who would like to play bookswap with me. Basically, you get the box, take out the books you want and replace them with your own books that you no longer want, log the information on the list that you find in the box, then mail it off to the next person. When the box gets back to me, with any luck, I'll find books I haven't read, but more importantly, I've passed along books I've already read.

A few points of interest: all my books are logged at http://www.bookcrossing.com/, so I expect people to make a journal entry on any of my books that they choose from the box. Usually people wait to make entries once they've read a book, but I need instant gratification that I've actually passed a book along, so I ask that the entry be made when a book is taken.

Postage for these boxes can vary, but they generally go media mail with delivery confirmation.

This box contains mostly paranormal romances, but there are books of other genres in it, too. You don't have to match genres, it's simply a one-for-one trade.

I'll have other boxes going out soon. One will be trade paperbacks, and one will be audiobooks on cassette and CD.

If this is something you'd like to do, please go to Bartered_Book@yahoogroups.com and sign up. Once I approve your membership, you will need to send me your mailing address so I can put you on the flight list. This box was supposed to go out a few weeks ago, but I'm notoriously poky about getting my boxes started. I will be sending it out next Thursday, the 9th of August.

Hope to see you there!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling

Ordinarily, I have a format for my book reviews, and I follow it closely. I don't write in the first person, most of the time, and I try to give a summary of the book, followed by my reaction to it. This book is so big and so unique that I've chosen not to review it here because I don't want to spoil it for anyone, and because this is the final book in a series that has forever changed the landscape of children's literature. I don't think a review can truly do justice to the impact that J. K. Rowling and the Boy Who Lived have had on our culture.

That being acknowledged, I have to admit that I wolfed this book down in one day. We were on the second day of our road trip home to Georgia from Massachusetts, so I pulled out the book and hunkered down for a long day of travel. I didn't finish it before we got home, but I finished it before I went to bed, and I have been mulling it over ever since.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS was everything I'd hoped it would be, and I closed the book feeling satisfied, wistful that it was over, and sorry to say goodbye to characters who have come to mean so much to me over the years. I cried several times over the course of the day, and especially at the end, but they were cleansing tears of genuine emotion. Death came fast and furious in the final volume of this series, but various characters were vindicated, others got their just desserts, and some discovered things about themselves that we, the readers already knew.

We had just seen the new movie on Saturday, so the visuals of the characters was fresh in my mind, and I must say, everyone in films has been perfectly cast all the way along. Generally, when I read a book, I have vague images of what the characters look like, but reading the Potters has been enhanced by the spot-on performances of the actors chosen for each role. (I have one qualification--Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. He has grown on me, and I've come to appreciate him, but he has never had the requisite twinkle that is so inherently characteristic of Dumbledore, and I miss Richard Harris desperately.)

J.K. Rowling has said she's very proud that the cast is British, with no stunt-casting of Americans for box-office bonuses, and I have to agree that this has been part of the magic of this series. Honestly, could you imagine someone like Macaulay Culkin or Lindsay Lohan in this movie? I shudder to think how such casting would have compromised not only the integrity of the films, but also the very Britishness of the story. What makes this story so attractive to Americans is the combination of familiarity and foreignness, and I rejoice that Ms. Rowling has had the wherewithal to be true to her characters and her vision.

As sad as I was to close the book upon reading the final page, the thing that has kept my sorrow at bay is the knowledge that we still have a couple of films to go before it's well and truly over. I will likely reread the books someday, and I will listen to the audiobooks featuring the amazingly versatile Jim Dale, but I know that my time with these people is nearly over, and soon they will be fond memories from a place where I was happy for a time.

I look forward to Rowling's Harry Potter Encyclopedia, and I will gladly pick up anything else she writes, but I will miss Harry, Hermione, the Weasleys, the Hogwarts staff, and the rest of the characters.

BOOK GIVE-AWAY FOR AUGUST 4, 2007

I'm trying to get more traffic on my blog, so I've decided to do a give-away every week for the rest of the year. Everyone who leaves a comment here this week (after this blog entry!) will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong. I will choose the winner on Saturday, August 4th, and will post again to announce the title for the next drawing. I will be giving away a variety of books and genres over the next several months, so check back every week, and please browse my posts! Good luck!

Playing with Fire, by Gena Showalter

PLAYING WITH FIRE
Gena Showalter
ISBN: 0-373-77129-0
Paranormal Romance

Belle Jamison is an ordinary woman, albeit an underachiever and something of a slacker, with a cute figure and a bad attitude. Little does she know that she is one grande mocha latte away from being able to back up her attitude with a whole new set of skills. A stranger in a labcoat races into the coffee shop where Belle works, frantically begging for help, then disappears in the melee that follows, leaving everyone else in the shop to be interrogated by the three men who were chasing him. With the shop in a shambles, Belle is let go to attend a job interview, where a sudden illness prevents her from making a good impression.

The next thing Belle knows, she's waking up to a sexy stranger who tells her that she accidentally drank a formula that has given her supernatural powers, so she has to be neutralized. As Belle looks around the charred, water-damaged remains of her bedroom, she realizes that what she thought were dreams of fire, snow, and rain actually happened. The stranger, whose name is Rome, is regretful but determined to carry out his orders. In terror for her life, Belle manages to escape, and thus begins a merry chase, jam-packed with danger, adventure, and romance.

Gena Showalter has written a true sizzler, drawing readers in with the very first page and juggling an action-packed plot with ease. As Belle schemes to convince Rome to spare her life, the two are drawn closer in an attraction as irresistible as it is combustible. Belle's insecurities about Rome's feeling for her are funny and realistic, particularly after she meets the near-perfect Lexis, Rome's ex-wife and current partner. Belle befriends Tanner, the proverbial poor little rich boy who has some unusual abilities of his own, and before long, this group of diverse individuals begins to turn into a family. Even as the plot hurtles toward its climax, Ms. Showalter keeps readers guessing about Rome's intentions, Belle's dilemma, and everyone's survival.

The true magic of PLAYING WITH FIRE is in its blend of snappy dialogue, humor, and sexual tension. Nearly every character is keeping a secret or two, and the reveals are timed perfectly to keep the momentum building. Belle's interaction with Tanner provides much of the humor, and the "super-hero" names with which Belle, Rome, and Tanner dub each other provide a constant source of amusement. PLAYING WITH FIRE is a snappy, snarky sizzler of a read, perfect for a cold winter night or a scorching summer day.

The Chick and the Dead, by Casey Daniels

THE CHICK AND THE DEAD
Casey Daniels
ISBN: 978-0-06-082147-0
Mystery
Book #07-030


When Pepper Martin hit her head on the gravestone of mob boss Gus Scarpetti, she didn't just see stars, she began to see dead people. Gus needed Pepper to help him solve the mystery of his murder before he could succumb to his eternal rest. Once Pepper got the answer, she figured life would go back to normal, but Didi Bowman, a gum-chewing ghost in a poodle skirt and saddle shoes, has other ideas.


Didi claims to have written So Far the Dawn, a Gone with the Wind-type historical blockbuster that was made into a movie beloved by millions. The problem is, Didi died 50 years ago, before the book was published, and her sister Merilee, librarian and noted historian, has been lauded for decades as the author of the bestseller. When Merilee comes to town to donate the Bowman family home for a SFTD museum, Didi demands Pepper's help to reveal the truth. Caught between a rock and a hard place (reveal the truth and break the hearts of the nation, or refuse to help Didi and be haunted forever), Pepper reluctantly gives in.


Laid off from her job at the cemetery where the Bowmans are buried, Pepper finagles a job as Merilee's secretary. This gives her an insider's view of life with the diva, but it also keeps her in close contact with a weirdly unsettling cast of characters, including Elizabeth and Kurt, the spectral stars of the So Far the Dawn film, and Bob, the taciturn caretaker of the Bowman homestead. As Pepper unearths the details of Didi's short life, she discovers that there were several people who might have wanted the blonde bombshell dead: any of her numerous lovers, her granddaughter by her illegitimate (and now deceased) daughter, and, of course, her script-stealing sister. Is Pepper finally in over her head?

Casey Daniels has written a charmer of a mystery, with laugh-out-loud moments and plot twists aplenty. With two mysterious men popping in and out of her life and her penchant for poking her nose in where it doesn't belong, Pepper Martin may remind readers of Janet Evanovich's wildly popular Stephanie Plum. Pepper has all of Stephanie's wry spunkiness, and Daniels keeps the action and the comedy coming without ever hurtling over the top and straight into slapstick. Given the current popularity of paranormal plots, readers may pick up THE CHICK AND THE DEAD out of simple curiosity, but Daniels' skillful writing and delightful heroine will leave them quoting author Emilie Richards: "Write faster, Casey Daniels."

Bad Reading Year So Far

This has not been the best reading year for me. I've been distracted and unfocused, and have not felt the need to write about what little reading I've done. By this point in the year, I'm usually closing in on 100 books read, but this year, I barely have 40. It's been better this month, but the apathy continues to be a problem. I hope this improves soon.

The High Rocks, by Loren Estleman

THE HIGH ROCKS
Loren Estleman
ISBN: 0-812-53566-9
Western
Book #07-017

After three years of harsh winters, the people of Staghorn, Montana, have their work cut out for them in recovering from the depradations of severe weather. As bad as they have it, however, that Bear Anderson has it worse. Bear lives alone in the heights of the Bitterroot Mountains, where he works as a trapper when he's not busy hunting down and scalping Flathead Indians in revenge for their massacre of his family. Unfortunately, Bear's quest for vengeance has created a political impasse: the US government wants to negotiate a peace treaty, but the Indians won't cooperate until Bear is brought to justice.

Enter Page Murdock, US Deputy and childhood friend of one Bear Anderson. Murdock agrees to try to bring Bear down from the mountain, but it's going to take a lot of skill and even more luck. There's a trio of bounty hunters trying to beat Murdock up the mountain, and the Flatheads have decided to take matters into their own hands and bring the big man down themselves.

Loren Estleman has written a cunningly convoluted story that twists and turns like the narrow passages in the mountains he writes about. Murdock is a likeable protagonist, and Estleman makes Bear sympathetic and scary at the same time. As in the best caper yarns, the upper hand changes frequently, and Estleman keeps the action coming relentlessly. THE HIGH ROCKS is a hard-charging story in which the protagonist faces danger from every direction: the bounty hunters, their prey, the Indians, his former friend, and a pack of ravening wolves that shadow him on the trail. Readers will want to read more about Page Murdock.

The Stone Prince, by Gena Showalter

THE STONE PRINCE
Gena Showalter
ISBN: 0-373-77007-3
Paranormal Romance
Book #07-16

Katie James has five older brothers and a father who has very decided ideas about what a woman's place is. At six feet tall and in great shape, however, Katie is hardly a frail, wilting flower of a woman. She makes her living buying and restoring houses, then reselling them for profit. Her current project, a Victorian home, comes complete with a pleasure garden which features nude statues in various poses of self-gratification.

One of those statues holds an irresistible allure for Katie, and she daydreams about it constantly. When she finally gives in to her fantasy and kisses the statue, it comes to life in her arms. Jorlan en Sarr was encased in marble through a curse by his brother. Jorlan has two weeks to make Katie fall in love with him or he'll turn back into marble, and this time, the transformation will be irrevocable. Katie is definitely attracted to this warrior from another world, but his domineering masculinity is all too reminiscent of the James family males, and Katie is determined not to fall for a man who cannot recognize her as his equal in all things.

THE STONE PRINCE is a funny, frisky fable that many readers will find completely enjoyable. Its biggest weakness is the repetition of the same arguments about whether or not Katie will obey Jorlan. Katie's rules and Jorlan's counter-rules are amusing, and Jorlan's weapon of choice is truly giggle-worthy. The secondary characters are not fully developed and are mostly given short shrift(particularly Jorlan's mother), a flaw which could be remedied in a future book since this is first in a series. (The preview of Showalter's next book doesn't seem to leave that possibility open.) However, readers who wanted to know more about Jorlan's home planet of Imperia are likely to enjoy THE PLEASURE SLAVE, Showalter's follow-up to THE STONE PRINCE. Katie and Jorlan were fun to read about, but THE STONE PRINCE left this reader wanting more, and not in a good way.

Natural Born Charmer, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

NATURAL BORN CHARMER
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
ISBN: 0-06-073457-4
Romance
Book #07-014

When Dean Robillard, star of the Chicago Stars football team, first encounters Blue Bailey, she is dressed in a beaver costume and intent on killing Monty, her ex-lover. Unfortunately for Blue, her bank account has been wiped clean and kicking Monty's butt just isn't satisfying. Dean, who's on his way to his farm in Tennessee, takes advantage of the diversion Blue presents and allows her to ride along with him since she has nowhere else to go, anyway. Blue pretends not to recognize the famous athlete. Her refusal to swoon over him as other women do both amuses and annoys Dean, but adds humor and snappy dialogue to the already sparkling plot.

Dean's farm is being renovated, but he's been unable to get in touch with his housekeeper. Upon arrival in Tennessee, he discovers why: his estranged mother has been doing the job under a made-up name. Riley, Dean's half sister, shows up in the middle of the night after running away from home, she is soon followed by the father Dean has never acknowledged. To complicate matters, Blue offends the matriarch of Dean's new hometown, and the old woman has Blue arrested and strongarms the workers into boycotting construction on Dean's house.

NATURAL BORN CHARMER is full of SEP's trademark sizzle and snap. Dean and Blue are lovers of the more adventurous sort, and Phillips conveys that without going into too much detail. Blue's constant snarkiness toward elderly Nita is hilarious in a hands over mouth, Oh-no-she-did-NOT! fashion. The adults in the story deal with Riley's painful pre-pubescent angst in ways that are true to their individual characters, and while everything turns out much as epxected, Phillips makes the journey worthwhile.

The biggest problem with NATURAL BORN CHARMER is Dean's behavior during an impromptu visit from his Chicago friends. Dean is incredibly unkind to Blue during that interlude, and the requisite grovel is glossed over far too quickly and perfunctorily to provide the emotional payoff readers have come to expect from Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Further, the Annabelle readers met in MATCH ME IF YOU CAN is not the same Annabelle who shows up in a cameo in NATURAL BORN CHARMER, to the detriment of all concerned. More time to develop the climax of this story and give the characters their due would have resulted in a more emotionally fulfilling novel. As it is, the traces of saccharine at the end of an otherwise wonderful book leave a bittersweet aftertaste of artificiality. NATURAL BORN CHARMER doesn't quite satisfy.

Mind Game, by Christine Feehan

MIND GAME
Christine Feehan
ISBN: 0-515-13809-6
Paranormal Romance
Book #07-010

Dahlia LeBlanc has the amazing ability to manipulate energy, which allows her to perform such feats as "walking" on the ceiling. Her gift comes with a high price, because Dahlia is unable to spend more than a few minutes at a time with other people, whose emotional energy inflicts psychic pain. Dahlia has been able to use her talents to help the government recover lost or stolen items, and has created a relatively satisfying, if lonely, life for herself.

When her latest mission goes wrong and Dahlia and her partner are nearly assassinated, Dahlia has nowhere to turn, except to Nicolas Trevane. Nicolas is a GhostWalker, with some of the same talents Dahlia possesses, and others she can only imagine. Nicolas shares his past with Dahlia and reveals that they were both at the mercy of Dr. Whitney, who started his experiments on children and graduated to soldiers in an attempt to engineer and enhance his subjects' psychic abilities. Whitney's daughter, Lily, had no idea what her father was doing, but when she discovered his research tapes, she vowed to track his subjects and help them cope with the side effects of their talents. It is Lily who sends Nicolas and his warrior team to Dahlia's rescue.

As a romantic couple, Nicolas and Dahlia generate a lot of heat, in more ways than one. MIND GAME, however, is a bit stilted in places, and some of the dialogue seems forced. Feehan is at her best when writing about the rapport between the male GhostWalkers. When Nicolas and his buddies are exchanging barbs or teasing each other, the action flows fast and furious. Feehan is masterful with love scenes, as well. It's the rest of the story that doesn't quite work in this novel. Dahlia comes off a bit whiny and sorry for herself, despite Feehans' attempts to make readers emapthize with her, and Feehan too often resorts to telling readers things they should be shown. Dahlia's reluctance to talk to Lily when Nicolas has her on the phone is a contrivance that strains credulity. Her capitulation to desire is also a bit awkward, and her reunion with Lily is disappointing. Readers will enjoy the GhostWalkers and want their favorites to have their own stories, but they should hope that the next installment of this series flows more smoothly than MIND GAME does.

Front Porch Princess, by Kathryn Springer

FRONT PORCH PRINCESS
Kathryn Springer
ISBN: 0-373-78558-5
Women's Fiction
Book #07-009

Elise Penny has spent much of her life dreaming of getting away from small-town Prichett, Wisconsin. Falling for Sam and giving birth to Breanna before their first wedding anniversary has effectively tied Elise to the life she wanted so much to escape. Now that Bree is a teenager and has set her sights on a local boy, Elise is terrified that her daughter will waste her potential and end up stuck in Prichett, too.

When Bree enters Elise in a Christian beauty pageant, Elise does her best to get out of it, b ut soon realizes that the whole town is invested in the competition. Elise is the only one who seems to be avoiding preparations for the pageant as she helps her friend Bernice through a family crisis, becomes friends with (and mentor to) the new pastor's wife, and finds herself up to her ears in local events. Meanwhile, Sam is feeling hurt that even after all their years together, Elise still hasn't given up on her belief that rural life is inferior to the life she thinks she gave up to marry him. Bree is angry that Elise is pushing her so hard to go to college and shake the dust of Prichett off her feet. And Elise is bewildered that the town's view of her is so different from her own view of herself. The more Elise learns about the Proverbs 31 Woman, the less qualified she feels to compete for the title.

Kathryn Springer has written an engaging, funny, and ultimately heartwarming story about the power of dreams and faith to shape our lives. Elise's reaction to Annie, the pastor's wife, is wry and touching as she deals with the younger woman's conviction that they are friends. Bernice, the town hairdresser, is a bit brash, but her larger-than-life personality is masking a grief that adds a level of realism to the story. Readers will be pleased to learn that Bernice gets her own book, as author Springer leaves plenty of tantalizing business unfinished at the end of FRONT PORCH PRINCESS. Sam is a husband to die for, and Elise's adventures as the pageant draws near will leave readers smiling, if not laughing outright.

FRONT PORCH PRINCESS is a down-home treasure, sure to be savored for its easy-going approach to everyday faith.

The Truth About Sparrows, by Marian Hale

THE TRUTH ABOUT SPARROWS
Marian Hale
ISBN: 0-8050-7584-4
Young Adult
Book #07-008

Sadie Wynn is very happy with her life in Missouri. When she learns that her father is planning to move the whole family to Texas to find better opportunities in the midst of the Great Depression, Sadie immediately begins scheming to find a way back to her old home. She misses her best friend Wilma, whose family moved to California for the same reasons the Wynns moved, and is upset that her letters to Wilma have gone unanswered. Meanwhile, Sadie begins to see her family in a new light.

Marian Hale gifts young readers with a family that is strong and loving. Although Sadie's father's faith may not be conventional, Sadie marvels that he can always find a Bible verse for her to study that applies directly to whatever is happening in her life. Sadie's mother is fond of saying that people can see what is on the inside of others, and Sadie wonders if that means they can see her doubts and selfishness. Sadie's father is clever and ingenious, able to build things out of wood with very little scrap left over, and coming up with a way to drive the family car. The bond between Mr. and Mrs. Wynn is truly special, particularly as readers learn more about Sadie's father and his personal challenges.

In terms of Depression era history, the Wynns fall somewhere in the middle of experiences. They give up their relatively nice home and furniture to seek a better life somewhere more promising. Although their diet is rather unvaried, they never seem to be truly hungry. Sadie witnesses firsthand the depths to which deprivation has taken others she encounters through the course of the novel, and their misfortune opens her eyes to the bounty within her own life, while simultaneously strengthening her resolve to work her way back to Missouri.

Sadie's new friend Dollie, a cheerful redhead, guides her through life on the Texas coast, helping her to get a job in the shrimp factory and showing her the ropes in Sadie's new school. Unfortunately, Sadie is so focused on her promise that she and Wilma will always be best friends that she is unable to make room for Dollie. Dollie's elder brother, Davis, shows some interest in Sadie until Sadie says something so cruel that she realizes she's as bad as the girl at school who's been tormenting Sadie and Dollie. Sadie's concern for a homeless man (whom she calls Mr. Sparrow) eventually is the key to Sadie's epiphany about friendship and love for one's fellow man.

THE TRUTH ABOUT SPARROWS is a lovely book by first-time author Hale. Young readers will find it easy to relate to Sadie and her concerns. Although this book features a female protagonist, the boys in Sadie's life will keep young men engrossed in the story. THE TRUTH ABOUT SPARROWS is a new classic.

Monkeewrench, by P.J. Tracy

MONKEEWRENCH
P.J. Tracy
ISBN: 0-451-21157-x
Mystery/Thriller
Book #07-008

Grace McBride and her partners in Monkeewrench are a group of computer whizzes who have created the game, Serial Killer Detective, despite the objections of one of their members. The game is in limited release, allowing players the chance to try it out and giving the Monkeewrench crew a last chance to tinker with it. When a couple of murders make the headlines, Grace realizes that someone is using her game as a prototype in real life. Now the Monkeewrench group must make a decision: Do they tell the police what they know and risk being put at the top of the suspects list, or do they keep their suspicions to themselves and take the chance that the killer won't finish the other eighteen scenarios?

Leo Magozzi is the primary detective on the Monkeewrench murders. All evidence to the contrary, he believes Grace is not the killer, but his frustration mounts as more people are murdered and the Monkeewrench gang protect their firewall of silence. When a pair of homicides in Wisconsin seems to tie in with the murders in Minneapolis, and everything traces back to long-forgotten records, Magozzi turns to the most unikely source of help in cracking the paperwork logjam: the Monkeewrench gang themselves.

Grace's partners are an interesting group, whose loyalty to McBride is unwavering. There's Roadrunner, a lycra-clad pencil of a man; Mitch, married to an up-and-coming artist; Harley Davidson, the bearded biker; and Annie, two hundred pounds of glamour and sex appeal on the hoof. P.J. Tracy juggles the characters deftly, honoring their individuality without ever losing sight of the fact that Grace is the cog of the Monkeewrench wheel. As the story hurtles toward its climax, readers are treated to a bravura demonstration of literary sleight-of-hand in which the possible killer's identity seems to shift as rapidly as images in a hall of mirrors.

MONKEEWRENCH is the first novel by mother-daughter writing team P. J. Tracy, but its taut, sleek writing indicates superb mastery. Tracy handles the large cast of characters with assurance, maintaining a tantalizing balance of humor and suspense that keeps pages turning in rapid abandon. The premise of the novel is deeply original in its execution, and the suspects are just as interesting as the detectives. As the reveals come quick and fast in the latter half of the book, readers will find it utterly impossible to put the book down and will resent anything that comes between them and the solution to this convoluted roller-coaster of a thriller.