1. Bones of the Earth by Michael Swanwick - read another of his science fictions novels, Vacuum Flowers, which didn't thrill me but something in his style made me go seek out this one. NOT READ: Not my cup of tea. I gave up 1/4 of the ways in and sent it to a reader in Finland. Interesting story, just too science fiction for me.
  2. Blood of Angels by Michael Marshall - This is last in a series. I haven't read the other three, but I tend to not read series so I hope this will be just enough. It has an X-files feel, which is probably what attracted me.
  3. The World in a Phrase: A History of Aphorisms by James Geary - Another in my collection of books about language. Sure to feature lots of Benjamin Franklin quips so I couldn't resist.
  4. A Bed in Heaven by Tessa de Loo - The author is Dutch and I don't think I've read any Dutch authors. Plus, the title is intriguing. READ: Amazing story. Brutally short and beautiful. Takes place in Hungary in 1960s and during WWII. Just stunning.
  5. Almost by Elizabeth Benedict - Bought solely for the cover art.
  6. Y: The Last Man: Kimono Dragons by Brian K. Vaughan - 8th in a series. I love this series. A mysterious something has killed every thing on the planet with a Y chromosome except one rather hapless man and his male monkey. Lots of twists! READ: Fabulous read, as expected. Can't wait for the next one in the series!
  7. The Sacred Cut by David Hewson - A historical thriller with comparisons to a fine writer, Arturo Perez-Reverte. Also gets compared to Da Vinci Code which I thought pretty mundane writing, but I'll give Hewson 50 pages to prove he is more Perez-Reverte than Brown. READ: characters interesting enough and it is better written than Da Vinci Code, but not much. I really think I am not cut out for mystery thrillers.
  8. Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith - Love the title. I am not usually a fan of mystery, but I'm determined to read the classics, like this one.
  9. The Violent Land by Jorge Amado - Latin American fiction that I bid for in a book relay game online. It was so long ago that I can't remember what it was about the book that appealed to me.
  10. To the Lighthouse by Viginia Woolf - A re-read. One of my favorite books and since I am missing the lighthouses of my New England past, I figured it was time to re-read this story, even though this lighthouse is in Old England.
  11. Rules for Old Men Waiting by Peter Pouncey - This was released with great reviews a while back and I liked the title, so I bought it. READ: This is one of my all-time favorite reads. Sad but beautiful. And I won $20 at Powells for submitting my review there!
  12. The Bride Stripped Bare by Nicki Gennell - About as close to "chick lit" as I'll ever get. This one is for reading on holiday later this summer.
  13. Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach - Not sure why I bought this as I am not a fan of tulips. It has the painting-as-a-story theme like books by Tracy Chevalier and Susan Vreeland, which I only found mildly interesting.  I don't know...this one may stay "to be read" for a while.
  14. High Society by Ben Elton - A novel about drug culture and crime. No idea why I got this, but probably was recommended by a fellow BookCrosser. READ: Very, very interesting premise about legalizing drugs, but some of the plot lines just got too ridiculous. And the theme got lost at that end. Still, I would recommend it for a fun, easy read.
  15. War Against the Animals by Paul Russell - Family drama that is intelligent and explores the straight and gay cultures. Recommended by a very dear friend in Serbia.
  16. Black Lamb and Grey Falcon by Rebecca West - Classic travel narrative about Yugoslavia in the mid-20th century. This is a hefty book that will probably take a year to read.
  17. Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut - I've been trying to read/re-read all of Vonnegut's writing. This will be the first outing for this title.
  18. Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters - Quirky sounding story.
  19. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - A novel about books. I am a sucker for this theme. READ: I was enjoying this until the last 10 or so pages. The author ruined the entire story by creating a totally artificial conclusion for each and every character, like a badly produced television drama. Up until then the story, while uneven and too self-conscious, was entertaining. Gothic, but contemporary. She should have ended with the end and not with "just a bit more."
  20. The Lost Colony: The Snodgrass Conspiracy by Grady Klein - First in a graphic novel series. I am pretty new to graphic novels, but find myself enjoying them more and more.
  21. Alentejo Blue by Monica Ali - I enjoyed her Brick Lane, so figured I might enjoy this one, too. READ: More a series of short stories that all connect. Characters are never really fully realized though. The setting is quite lovely, though.... Portugal. Not highly recommended.
  22. The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition by Michael H Shuman and Bill McKibben - More background for my move to dump reliance on big business.
  23. The Last Witchfinder by James Morrow - Hmmm...another I picked up just for the title and cover art.
  24. The Diviners by Rick Moody - Have another of his books somewhere to read and somehow this one bumped the other to another bookshelf.
  25. The Conjurer's Bird by Martin Davies - A zoology mystery that looks like fun.
  26. Once Upon a Day by Lisa Tucker - Just looks to be a nice summer read with lots of detail, which I love.
  27. Blindness by Jose Saramago - Re-reading this novel about what happens when society breaks down, so that I can read the sequel below.
  28. Seeing by Jose Saramago - Didn't get great reviews, but I can't pass up a Saramago. His All the Names is one of my all-time favorite reads.
  29. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert - Non-fiction psychological read about what makes us happy.
  30. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl - Bought for the title the day it came out, but it has since received all sorts of great reviews.
  31. The Ruins by Scott Smith - Mystery thriller that I really should not have succumbed to, but I suspect it will be a fun read.
  32. Q & A by Vikas Swarup - An Indian man wins a "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" type contest and is thrown into jail. Just liked the premise. READ: not quite as intriguing as I thought it would be, but still fun.
  33. The Best People in the World by Justin Tussing - Set in 1970s USA and that alone appealed to me since it is when I was a teen then young adult, like the protagonist.
  34. Margarettown by Gabrielle Zevin - LOVED her young adult novel Elsewhere.
  35. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb - Young adult ghost love story of sorts. It could be a total bust, but I'm giving it a try. READ: Fabulous young adult novel! Setting is very well done, little creepy but not horribly so, and the characters quite believable. 
  36. Affinity by Sarah Waters - Waters is an amazing writer and does literary mystery better than most.
  37. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins - Winner of 2005 Newbery Medal. Written for young teens, but I think it might suit all readers.
  38. Winkie by Clifford Chase - Totally bizarre story of a teddy bear held for crimes it didn't commit. READ: Very interesting idea and love the political satire aspect, but the ending is just too bizarre. Recommended with reservations.
  39. The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen - Reminds me of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Haddon) which I enjoyed. Same sort of quirky storytelling.
  40. Wright 3 by Blue Balliett - Young teen mystery featuring a Frank Lloyd Wright house and a puzzle for the reader to figure out.
  41. The Housekeeper by Melanie Wallace - Just looked like a story that will feed my need for detail. And doesn't look to have a happily ever after ending. I don't like neat endings.
  42. Somebody's Heart Is Burning: A Woman Wanderer in Africa by Tanya Shaffer - Travel narrative that may or may not inspire me. I have not found many female travel writers who live up to my expectations.
  43. Logic: A Very Short Introduction by Graham Priest - I love this series. I need more logic in my life.
  44. Bees in America: How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation by Tammy Horn - One of about 50 books I have on bees, beekeeping and honey. I could go on forever about this topic, even though I don't keep bees and I am actually a bit afraid of them
  45. The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton-Porter - Bee fiction written back in early 20th century. A bit overly romantic, but been on my to be read pile for so long. Really need to read this.
  46. Gandhi's Way: A Handbook of Conflict Resolution by Mark Juergensmeyer - This has been lingering too long on my to-be-read, too.
  47. Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett - Another Discworld novel. I love this series and they make for great bus reading because I've got them in the small mass market size.
  48. Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins - I've read this many times. It always makes me smile and I always find something new.
  49. The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton - Combines two favorite topics...books and camels!
  50. Glass Soup by Jonathan Carroll - Good and evil battle and the result is a funny story. I hope this soup tastes like Good Omens (Gaiman and Pratchett).