The Things They Carried

by Tim O'Briend

thumbs up

This isn't a novel, but a collection of short stories on one subject that read similarly to a novel. The subject is a soldier's experiences in Vietnam during the Vietnam Conflict. It was a good read.

Dress Your Best: Complete Guide to Finding the Style That's Right For Your Body

by Clinton Kelly and Stacy London

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If you watch TLC's What Not To Wear you'll recognize these authors as the show's hosts. The book has all sorts of body types and what they recommend people with those shapes of bodies to wear. Good book.

The Covenant

by Naomi Ragen

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This was a good book. Part action/thriller, part story of friendship. A man and his daughter are kidnapped by bad Arab people and the man's wife's grandmother and her three friends from Auschwitz work to get the man and child safely home.

The Wal-Mart Effect

by Charles Fishman

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The first chapter or two held made no strong opinions for or against Wal-Mart, but by the end of the book I definitely walked away with more ammo for hating Wal-Mart. The book does point out a couple good things Wal-Mart has done for the world, but there are so many bad things because of Wal-Mart. Very interesting book.

The Prophet of Yonwood

by Jeane DuPrau

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This book was yet another children's book, but I enjoyed it well enough. It is the prequel to City of Ember, I book I read and enjoyed two or three years ago.

The People of Sparks

by Jeane DuPrau

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This book is recommended for ages 5th to 8th grade, but I found it enjoyable just the same. It is the sequel to The City of Ember, which is also an enjoyable book. The stories are about people surviving in a post-apocalyptic world. I look forward to reading the prequel to the series.

Magical Thinking: True Stories

by Augustus Burroughs

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Yet another books of memoirs. I just can't seem to get enough of 'em lately.

His stories are fun. I sometimes hear them in my head as if they were read to me by Carson from the Fab 5.

I will definately be looking for one of Burroughs' other books.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by Mark Twain

on the fence

I know this is supposed to be an American classic, but I wasn't gripped by the book. Maybe because, even though I hadn't ever read the book before, I had read passages here in there in English classes throughout school and scene plays/tv shows/skits based on the book.

It's a good enough story, though.

Revenge of the Paste Eaters

by Cheryl Peck

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I wanted to read this book based on the title alone. At first I was a little disappointed, thinking the essays weren't fun enough to measure up to such a title, but I eventually became endeared by the author and her essays.

Dragon Bones: A Novel

by Lisa See

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I don't usually pick up mysteries, but I enjoyed this book just the same. A Chinese wife and her American husband work together to solve a crime in China. It's a good story with glimpses into Chinese culture at the same time.