My January 2011 reading list:

Finished -

1.  "1022 EVERGREEN PLACE" by Debbie Macomber (Cedar Cove #10) (A) Dear Reader, Guess what? I'm falling in love! With Mack McAfee. My baby daughter, Noelle and I have been living next door to Mack since the spring. I'm still a little wary about our relationship, because I haven't always made good decisions when it comes to men. My baby's father, David Rhodes, is testament to that. I' so worried he might sue for custody. In the meantime, the World War II letters I found are a wonderful distraction. Both Mac and I are trying to learn what happened to the soldier who wrote them and the woman he loved. Come by sometime for a glass of iced tea and I'll show you the letters. Plus I'll tell you the latest about Grace and Olivia, my brother Linc and his wife, Lori (who tied the knot about five minutes after they met!), and all our other mutual friends. Oh, and maybe Mack can join us...Mary Jo Wyse
2. "SONS OF FORTUNE" by Jeffrey Archer (abridged Audio CD) (A+) Jeffrey Archer returns with a powerful tale of twins separated by fate and reunited by destiny. In Hartford, Connecticut, in the late 1940s, a set of twins is parted at birth. Nat Cartwright goes home with his parents, a schoolteacher and an insurance salesman, while his twin brother begins his days as Fletcher Davenport, son of a multimillionaire and his society wife. During the 1950s and 1960s, the two brothers grow up apart. Nat leaves college to serve in Vietnam, then earns his MBA and becomes a successful currency dealer. Fletcher graduates from Yale and goes on to distinguish himself as a criminal defense lawyer before becoming a senator. At various times both men are confronted with challenges and obstacles, tragedy and betrayal, loss and hardship, before they both decide to run for governor - unaware they are brothers. Sons of Fortune is as much a chronicle of a nation in transition as it is the story of these two men - how they discover the truth - and its tragic consquences.
3. "ZEKE AND NED" by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (C) The story of Ezekiel Proctor and Ned Christie, the last Cherokee warriors - two proud, passionate men whose remarkable quest to carve a future out of Indian Territory east of the Arkansas River after the Civil War is not only history but legend. Played out against an American West governed by a brutal brand of frontier justice, this intensely moving saga brims with a rich cast of indomitable and utterly unforgettable characters such as Becca, Zeke's gallant Cherokee wife and Jewel Sixkiller Proctor, whose love for Ned makes her a tragic heroine. At once exuberant and poignant, bittersweet and brilliant, Zeke and Ned takes us deep into the hearts of two extraordinary men who were willing to go the distance for the bold vision they shared and for the women they loved.
4. "UNDER HER SKIN" by Susan Mallery (Lone Star Sisters #1) (A) Heiress Engaged to Marry Playboy! Lexi Titan can just see the headlines. All of Titanville will be buzzing. Not that she has any other choice. Faced with exactly thirty days to come up with two million dollars, she is out of options. Marry Cruz Rodriguez or lose everything - the successful day spa she built herself, her tyrant of a father's respect. And the long-standing competition with her sisters for the family business. Cruz has money, success, smoldering good looks - everything but the blue blood needed to become a true member of Texas society. If Lexi agrees to be his fiancee for six months, lending him her famous father's influence and connections, he'll hand her a check on the spot. And in six months they'll go their separate ways. But neither one is prepared for their long-ago shared passion to throw a wrench into what would seem to be the perfect deal.
5. "A SUMMER IN SONOMA" by Robyn Carr (A++) They've been friends since seventh grade. But this summer, teetering on the threshold of thirty, four women are going to need each other more than ever. Cassie has sworn off men after yet another bad date. Yet deep down, she's still looking for Mr. Forever. A long haired biker doesn't figure into her plans, so where's the harm in touring the back roads of Sonoma on a Harley with Walt Arneson? Julie married her high school sweetheart - who can get her pregnant with a mere glance - too young and now wonders how her life became all about leaky faucets and checkbook balances. Maybe love isn't enough to sustain the hottest couple in town. Marty's firefighter husband has forgotten all about romance, and an old flame begins to look mighty tempting. Beth, a busy doctor trapped in a body that's betrayed her yet again, is becoming a difficult patient and a secretive friend. Life can change in an instant...or a summer. And having old friends to lean on can only up the chances of happily ever after.
6. "THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL" by Greg Iles (Natchez) (abridged Audio CD) (A+)  As a prosecutor in Houston, Penn Cage sent killers to death row. But as mayor of his hometown - Natchez, Mississippi - Penn will face his most dangerous threat. Urged by old friends to try to restore this fading jewel of the Old South, Penn has ridden into office on a tide of support for change. But in its quest for new jobs and fresh money, Natchez has turned to casino gambling and now five steamboats float on the river beside the old slave market, like props from Gone With the Wind. But one boat isn't like the others. Rumor has it that the Magnolia Queen has found a way to pull the big players from Las Vegas to its Mississippi backwater. And with them - on sleek private jets that slip in and out of town like whispers in the night - come pro football players, rap stars and international gamblers, all sharing an unquenchable taste for one thing: blood sport - and the dark vices that go with it. When a childhood friend of Penn's who brings him evidence of these crimes is brutally murdered, he begins a quest to find the men responsible. But the local authorities have been corrupted by the money and power of his hidden enemy and with his family's lives at stake, Penn realizes his only allies are those bound to him by blood or honor. Together they must defeat a killer who has an almost preternatural ability to anticipate - and counter - their every move. Ultimately, victory will depend on a bold stroke that will leave one of Penn's allies dead - and Natchez changed forever.
7. "DARK PRINCE" by Christine Feehan (Carpathians (Dark) #1) (A) They were masters of the darkness, searching through eternity for a mistress of the light. Prince of the Night - He came to her in the night, a predator - strength and power chiseled his features. The seduction was deep and elemental; he affected her soul. His need. His darkness. His terrible haunting loneliness. Her senses aroused, she craved the dangerous force of his body. Burned for him. And he had only touched her mind. Lady of the Light - She came to him at dawn, his bleakest hour. As the beast raged inside him, threatening to consume him, he vented his centuries-old despair in an anguished cry that filled the waning night. And she answered, a ray of light, piercing his darkness. A beautiful angel. Her compassion, courage and innocence awakened in him an exquisite longing and tenderness. He knew he must possess her, for only she could tame his savage side and lift the dark shadow from his soul. Apart they were desolate, bereft. Intertwined physically and spiritually, they could heal one another and experience an eternity of nights filled with love.
8. "TRIPWIRE" by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #3) (A+) Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is in Key West enjoying a lazy sort of anonymity when a stranger shows up looking for him. The man has a lot of questions - too many. Hours later, he's dead. And Reacher is forced to follow the man's cold trail back to New York to find the people who dispatched him in the first place: an alluring and intelligent woman from Reacher's own haunted past; a bewildered, elderly couple still mourning an all-American son lost in Vietnam; and at the center of the web, an opponent, more vicious than any he's ever faced.
9. "WICKED APPETITE" by Janet Evanovich (Diesel #1) (abridged Audio CD) (A) Seven stones of power. No one knows when they were created or by whom, each said to represent one of the seven deadly sins. For centuries, treasure hunters have been eager to possess the Stones, undeterred by their corrupting nature. The list is long - Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, to name a few. Now the Stones have found their way to Salem, Massachusetts and so has Gerwulf Grimoire, adding himself to this rogues' gallery of power seekers. He's an uncommonly dangerous man with a hunger for the forbidden and a set of abilities that are way beyond ordinary. Abilities that he feels entitle him to possess anything he may desire. That would include Elizabeth Tucker, the woman he needs to find the Stones. She's freshly transplanted from New York City to Boston's North Shore. With a new job as pastry chef at Dazzle's Bakery and an old house inherited from her Aunt Ophelia, her life is pretty much on track until it's suddenly derailed by a guy named Diesel, a rude monkey and a ninja cat. Lizzy can handle the monkey and the cat. She's not sure about Diesel. He's offering up his own set of unusual talents and promising to protect her from Grimoire, the kind of protection that Lizzy suspects might involve guarding her body day and night. The Seven Deadly Sins are pride, greed, lust, envy, wrath, sloth and gluttony. That pretty much covers everything that is wicked. Diesel thinks it also pretty much covers everything that's fun. And Lizzy thinks Diesel and the Seven Deadly Sins cover everything her mother warned her about.
10. "A MAN NAMED DAVE" by David Pelzer (A+) "All those years you tried your best to break me and I'm still here. One day you'll see, I'm going to make something of myself." These words were Dave Pelzer's declaration of independence to his mother and they represented the ultimate act of self-reliance. Dave's father never intervened as his mother abused him with shocking brutality. But even after he was rescued, his life remained haunted by memories of his years as the bruised, cowering "It" locked in his mother's basement. Desperately trying to make something of his life, Dave was determined to weather every setback and gain strength from adversity.
11. "KISS AND TELL" by Suzanne Brockmann (Sunrise Key #1) (A) When Leila Hunt is swept off her feet by a ninja at a New Year's Eve costume party, she has no idea who the marked man is but after he disappears into the night, she's determined to find him. When the clock truck twelve, what began as a friendly New Year's greeting quickly became the most unforgettable kiss Leila had ever experienced with anyone including her absent boyfriend. But of all the possible suspects, Leila hardly imagines that the ninja is the same man who's teased, tormented and secretly intrigued her since childhood. Marshall Devlin is finally ready to face the terrifying truth: he's in love with his best friend's sister and has been for years. There's just one complication: Leila didn't know he was her ninja. To win her, Marsh will have to woo her. But can he make leila forget their decades of verbal sparring in time to stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life?
12. "THE LONG ROAD HOME" by Danielle Steel (A++) From her secret perch at the top of the stairs, Gabriella Harrison watches as the guests arrive at her parents' lavish Manhattan town house. At seven, she knows she is an intruder in her parents' life. Later, hiding in a closet, the click, click, click of her mother's high heels will strike terror in her heart. Gabriella believes, as she is told, that she is to blame for her mother's rage and her father's failure to protect her. Her world is a confusing blend of terror, betrayal and pain. Her parents' aristocratic world is no safeguard against the abuse that knows no boundaries, respects no person, no economic lines. Gabriella knows that, try as she might, there is no safe place for her to hide.  Even as a child, her only escape is through the stories she writes. Only writing can dull the pain of her lonely world. And when her parents' marriage collapses, Gabriella is given her first reprieve, as her father disappears and her mother abandons her to a convent. There, Gabriella's battered body and soul begin to mend. Amid the quiet safety and hushed rituals of the nuns, Gabriella grows into womanhood in a safe, peaceful world. Then a young priest comes into her life. Father Joe Connors never questioned his vocation until Gabriella entered the confessional and shared her soul. Confession leads to friendship. And friendship grows dangerously into love. Like Gabriella, Joe is haunted by the pain of his childhood, consumed by guilt over a family tragedy, for which he blames himself. With Gabriella, Joe takes the first steps toward healing. But their relationship leads to disaster as Joe must choose between the priesthood and Gabriella and life in the real world where he fears he does not belong and cannot cope. Exiled and disgraced and nearly destroyed, Gabriella struggles to survive on her own in New York. There she seeks healing and escape through her writing again, this time as an adult and her life as a writer begins. But just when she thinks she is beyond hurt, Gabriella is once again betrayed by someone she trusts. Brought to the edge of despair, physically attacked beyond recognition and belief, haunted by abuse in her present and her past, she nonetheless manages to find hope again and the courage to face the past. On a pilgrimage destined to bring her face-to-face with those who sought to destroy her in her early life, she finds forgiveness, freedom from guilt and healing from abuse. When Gabriella faces what was done to her and why, she herself is free at last.
13. "MIND GAMES" by Christine Feehan (Ghostwalkers #2) (A) Possessed of an extraordinary telekinetic gift, Dahlia Le Blanc has spent her life isolated from other people. And just when she thinks she's finally achieved some semblance of peace, her well-orchestrated world comes crashing down. For a reason she cannot guess, she has become the target of deadly assassins. Suddenly no place is safe - not even the secret safe refuge she'd established long ago. Now she must rely on Nicolas Trevane - a dangerous warrior sent to track her down and protect her. Together they generate a scorching heat Dahlia never imagined was possible. But can she trust this man with her secrets - especially when some people would kill to get their hands on them?
14. "THE CHRISTMAS PEARL" by Dorothea Benton Frank (A Lowcountry Tale) (unabridged Audio CD) (A) Theodora is the matriarch of a family that has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. While she's finally gotten them all together in South Carolina to celebrate, this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey holidays of her childhood. What happened to the days when Christmas meant tables groaning with home cooked goodies, over-the-top decorations and long chats in front of the fire with Pearl, her grandmother's beloved housekeeper and closest confidant? Luckily a special someone hearing Theodora's plea for help arrives, pockets full of enough Gullah magic and common sense to make Theodora's Christmas the love-filled miracle it's meant to be.
15. "RANDI" by Lisa Jackson (The McCaffertys #4) (A) Was hiding the identity of her child's father worth risking her life? Randi McCafferty seemed to believe so and investigator Kurt Striker was hell-bent on changing her mind. Hired by her well-meaning but overbearing brothers to keep Randi and her son safe, Kurt knew the only way to eliminate the danger was to reveal Randi's darkest secret...any way he could. But in uncovering her guarded past, Kurt was forced to confront his own well-hidden desires: he wanted the very woman he'd been entrusted to protect. Yet Kurt feared having Randi in his bed would leave them both vulnerable to a force neither had ever imagined.
16. "PROMISE CANYON" by Robyn Carr (Virgin River #11) (A+++) There's an old saying: Whenever one door closes, another opens. That's truer of Virgin River than almost anywhere else on earth. After years spent on ranches around Los Angeles, Clay Tahoma is delighted to be Virgin River's new veterinary assistant. The secluded community's wild beauty tugs at his Navajo roots and he's been welcomed with open arms by everyone in town - everyone except Lilly Yazhi. Lilly has encountered her share of strong, silent, traditional men within her own aboriginal community and she's not interested in coming back for more. In her eyes, Clay's earthy, sexy appeal is just an act used to charm wealthy women like his ex-wife. She can't deny his gift for genting horses, but she's not about to let him control her. There's just one small problem - she can't control her attraction to Clay. But in Virgin River, faith in new beginnings and the power of love has doors opening everywhere.
17. "THE OUTLAW BRIDE" by Maggie Shayne (Texas Brand #7) (A-) Esmeralda Montoya would never understand the strange magic that had saved her from certain death in the Old West. All she knew was that she had been swept through time, into a world unlike any she had ever imagined and into the arms of a man unlike any she had ever known. But she could not surrender to the wildfire passion that raced through her whenever this man from the future touched her. For Elliot Brand was her sworn enemy and she must keep all the secrets of her heart from him - even the knowledge that she was carrying his child.

Currently Reading -

1. "Kiss of the Bees" by J.A. Jance (Brandon Walker #2)
2. "Until I Find you" by John Irving

Currently Listening To -

1. "White Lies" by Jayne Ann Krentz (Arcane Society #2) (abridged Audio CD)

To Be Read - Alphabetically by Author not reading order 

1. "Undertow" by Cherry Adair (Cutter Cay #1)
2. "Little Bitty Lies" by Mary Kay Andrews (abridged Audio CD)
3. "Nowhere to Run Not Without Risk/A Man to Die For" by Suzanne Brockmann
4. "Otherwise Engaged" by Suzanne Brockmann (Sunrise Key #3)
5. "The Kissing Game" by Suzanne Brockmann (Sunrise Key #2)
6. "Body Work" by Fiona Brand
7. "First Come Twins" by Helen Brenna
8. "Tempting Evil" by Allison Brennan (Prison Break #2)
9. "Texas! Chase" by Sandra Brown (Texas! #2)
10. "Texas! Lucky" by Sandra Brown (Texas! #1)
11. "Queen of Babble" by Meg Cabot
12. "Comanche Trail" by Will Camp (Tony Hillerman's Frontier #7)
13. "Sarah - Women of Genesis" by Orson Scott Card
14. "Blue Skies" by Robin Carr
15. "Midnight Kiss" by Robyn Carr, Jean Brashear, Victoria Dahl
16. "Wild Man Creek" by Robyn Carr
17. "The Good, the Bad and the Sexy" by Emily Carmichael
18. "Running Blind" by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #4)
19. "Forever" by Jude Deveraux (Forever Trilogy #1)
20. "Lavender Morning" by Jude Deveraux (Edilean #1)
21. "Mystic Horseman" by Kathleen Eagle
22. "Battle Cry" by Ken Englade (Tony Hillerman's Frontier - People of the Plains saga #4)
23. "Full Speed" by Janet Evanovich & Charlotte Hughes (Max Holt #3)
24. "Hero at Large" by Janet Evanovich
25. "Wife for Hire" by Janet Evanovich
26. "Desert Hearts" by Marjorie Farrell
27. "Lowcountry Summer" by Dorothea Benton Frank (Lowcountry Tale) (unabridged Audible)
28. "A Week From Sunday" by Dorothy Garlock
29. "A Girl Named Summer" by Julie Garwood
30. "Over the Line" by Cindy Gerard (Bodyguards #4)
31. "Risk No Secrets" by Cindy Gerard (Black Ops #5)
32. "Ghost Night" by Heather Graham (Bone Island #2)
33. "The Seance" by Heather Graham
34. "The Summons" by John Grisham (unabridged Audio CD)
35. "Sarah" by Marek Halter (The Cannan Trilogy #1) (abridged Audio CD)
36. "Between Sisters" by Kristin Hannah
37. "Heart of Gold" by Tami Hoag (Rainbow Chasers #1)
38. "Loving Frank" Nancy Horan
39. "24 Hours" by Greg Iles (abridged Audio Cassette)
40. "Shiver" by Lisa Jackson (unabridged Audio CD)
41. "Fire and Ice" by J.A. Jance (Joanna Brady #13 & J.P. Beaumont #19)
42. "Without Due Process" by J.A. Jance (J.P. Beaumont #10)
43. "A Stranger's Game" by Joan Johnston (unabridged Audio CD)
44. "Home to Holly Springs" by Jan Karon (Father Tim #1)
45. "A Thousand Tomorrows" by Karen Kingsbury
46. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"  by Stieg Larrson (Millennium #1) (Audio MP3)
47. "XXX Marks the Spot" by Kathleen Lawless
48. "Dream Mender" by Alison Leigh, Sherryl Woods
49. "Wild Card" by Lora Leigh (Elite Ops #1)
50. "Where the Heart Is" by Billie Letts
51. "The Prodigal" by Beverly Lewis (Abram's daughters #4)
52. "The Sacrifice" by Beverly Lewis (Abram's daughters #3)
53. "The Official Nora Roberts Companion" by Denise Little and Laura Hayden
54. "Granite Man" by Elizabeth Lowell (MacKenzie-Blackthorn #4)
55. "Only You" by Elizabeth Lowell (Only #3)
56. "Christmas in Cedar Cove" by Debbie Macomber (Cedar Cove #11)
57. "Accidentally Yours" by Susan Mallery
58. "The Best of Friends" by Susan Mallery (unabridged Audio CD)
59. "Hot on Her Heels" by Susan Mallery (Lone Star Sisters #4)
60. "Lip Service" by Susan Mallery (Lone Star Sisters #2)
61. "Sweet Spot" by Susan Mallery (Keyes Sisters #2)
62. "Sweet Talk" by Susan Mallery (Keyes Sisters #3)
63. "Body Check" by Deirdre Martin
64. "Mother Warriors: Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds" by Jenny McCarthy
65. "Everyone Dies" by Michael McGarrity (Kevin Kerney #8)
66. "Next to Die" by Marliss Melton (Navy SEAL's #4)
67. "Part of the Bargain/To Wed and Protect" by Linda Lael Miller and Carla Cassidy
68. "Taming Charlotte" by Linda Lael Miller (Quade #2)
69. "Reckless" by Selena Montgomery
70. "365 Nights: A Memoir of Intimacy" by Charla Muller with Betsy Thorpe
71. "White Heat" by Brenda Novak (Hired Guns #1)
72. "Will of Steel/Reluctant Father" by Diana Palmer
73. "Second Glance" Jodi Picoult
74. "Dog On It" by Spencer Quinn (A Chet and Bernie Mystery)
75. "Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana" by Anne Rice (Christ the Lord #2)
76. "Merrick" by Anne Rice (Vampire Chronicles #7)
77. "Pandora"  by Anne Rice  (the new Vampire Chronicles)
78. "Glory in Death" by J.D. Robb (In Death Series #2) (unabridged Audio CD)
79. "Possession in Death" by J.D. Robb (In Death Series) (unabridged Audio CD)
80. "Happy Every After" by Nora Roberts (The Bride Quartet #4)
81. "Night Tales: Night Shift/Night Shadow" by Nora Roberts (Night Tales #1)
82. "Seeing Red" by Jill Shalvis
83. "Lover's Bite" by Maggie Shayne (Wings in the Night #14)
84. "Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff
85. "Sweetwater Creek" by Anne Rivers Siddon (unabridged Audio CD)
86. "Home Again" by Mariah Stewart (Chesapeake Diaries #2)
87. "Hot Flash Club Holidays" by Nancy Thayer (Hot Flash Club #3)
88. "Hot Flash Club Strikes Again" by Nancy Thayer (Hot Flash Club #2)
89. "Somewhere Along the Way" by Jodi Thomas (Harmony, Texas)
90. "Hold on Tight" by Stephanie Tyler (Hard to Hold Trilogy #3)
91. "Too Hot to Hold" by Stephanie Tyler (Hard to Hold Trilogy #2)
92. "The Brother Returns" by Jeannie Watt (Home on the Ranch)
93. "The First Love Cookie Club" by Lori Wilde (Twilight Texas #3)
94. "Marrying Daisy Bellamy" by Susan Wiggs (Lakeshore Chronicles #8)
95. "A Chesapeake Shores Christmas" by Sherryl Woods (Chesapeake Shores #4)
96. "Stealing Home" by Sherryl Woods (Sweet Magnolias #1)

Finished

1. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
2. The Wrong End of Time by John Brunner
3. So Cold the River by Michael Koryta
4. The Surrogates by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele
5. Kraken by China Mieville
6. The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris
7. Plunder by Ron Goulart
8. The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan

Reading

1. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
2. Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne
3. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
4. Fellowship Fantastic (Anthology)

I'm reading Learning to Fly by Sam Keen.  His memoir about taking up the trapeze at age 62, conquering his fears and overcoming the limitations of his body.  Subtitled Reflections on Fear, Trust and the Joy of Letting Go.  A very interesting and uplifting book and a nice way to open the New Year.

Duplicate post!  Sorry!

Currently reading The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Listening to The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Here's my TBR list for January...in no particular order, but as the mood hits. If we get as much snow in January as we did in December, I'll make a sizable dent in this pile!!

Together Alone by Barbara Delinsky --- A wonderful book about family relationships, the good, the bad and the ugly. 3 women learning to deal with marriage, divorce, children and taking control of their lives.

The Perfect Summer by Luanne Rice -- The perfect read for a snowy day. Romance, a little mystery, likable characters and a well-developed plot.

Everything to Gain by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Sweetgrass by Mary Alice Monroe --- waiting in the wings

The Lottery Winner by Mary Higgins Clark ---a quick, fun read, a series of short stories involving Alvirah and Willy Meehan who won 40 million dollars in the lottery and Alvirah is always involved in helping solve various murders. A cute, cozy mystery.

Gone for Good by Harlan Coben --- Excellent book, like all of Coben's. Lots of plot twists and turns, keeps the reader guessing until the very end...and what an ending it is!! I never saw this one coming.

The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy

Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy -- reading now

Dead Certain by Mariah Stewart --- I love Mariah Stewart! This is the second in the "Dead.." series. A real page-turner. It helps to have read "Dead Wrong" first but not absolutely necessary.

Time Bomb by Jonathan Kellerman --- As always Kellerman's books are not a fast read for me. They are so involved I have to really take my time to keep everyone and all the twists and turns in focus.  But, again, well worth the time, he's an excellent author.

The Simple Truth by David Baldacci  --- after that

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie by Suzann Ledbetter --- This is the first book I've read by Ledbetter and I really enjoyed it. A well-developed plot with enough twists to keep the reader guessing. I especially liked the relationship between the male and female protaganists, very clever. I'll be looking for more books by this author.

A Time to Die by Beverly Barton

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen --- Oh, my, what a book! I had put off reading this for months because of some of the reviews pertaining to animal cruelty, and while there are some instances of that that are disturbing, they aren't overwhelming and are an integal part of the story. This is a well-written book about life in the circus during the Depression years. Very well researched and, while fiction, has some true stories that have been adapted into the storyline. Well worth the time to read, highly recommended.

Witche's Bane by Susan Wittig Albert -- A fun little cozy mystery, 2nd in the series about ex-lawyer turned herbalist and store owner, China Bayles, who always seems to be searching for clues to a murder.

Dark Waters by Sharon Sala

The Man Who Cast Two Shadows by Carol O'Connell --- The 2nd in the Kathy Mallory series, a page-turner with a very tightly woven plot. Mallory is not a very likable person, but the reader can't help but admire her, even when some of her police tactics aren't exactly kosher.

Such Devoted Sisters by Eileen Goudge

When the Storm Breaks by Heather Lowell --- A very good mystery, well-developed plot that kept the reader turning the pages. I like this author a lot and I'll look for more books by her.

Moonlight Becomes You by Mary Higgins Clark

Red, White and Blue by Susan Isaacs --- One of Isaacs' best. What makes Americans Americans? Is it their nationality, their ancestors, their beliefs? An undercover FBI agent and a New York reporter investigate a white supremist group in Wyoming. This book is not only a great read, but it makes the reader think about what makes this nation so great.

Eleventh Hour by Catherine Coulter

Lavender Morning by Jude Deveraux --- up next

Pay Dirt by Rita Mae Brown --- 4th in the Mrs. Murphy series, an easy cozy mystery read. As always Mrs. Murphy [cat], Tee Tucker [dog] and Pewter [cat] are way ahead of the humans when it comes to digging up clues.  I think this series is very engaging, love them.

Fat Tuesday by Sandra Brown

Dixie City Jam by James Lee Burke --- This was a very disturbing book for me. I had to put it down several times, wanted to quit reading it, but also wanted to find out how it ended, so kept plodding along. The author certainly does not paint a very appealing picture of New Orleans and its inhabitants. I'm not sure if I'll read any more of Burke's books.  

New authors this month:    James Lee Burke     Suzann Ledbetter      Heather Lowell    Sara Gruen    

Finished Between Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson this morning.  Not sure what's up next on the agenda.

Finished

• Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
• Up from the Blue by Susan Henderson

  Currently Reading 

• The Wake of Forgiveness by Bruce Machart
• The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

Listening to

• Serena by Ron Rash

Reading Fade Away by Harlan Coben and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself.

Listening to Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bojalian.

Finished in January:

1. A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell
2. The Last Place by Laura Lippman (audio)
3. Fart Proudly:Writings of Benjamin Franklin You Never Read in School by Carl Japiske

Current Reads:

• Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett
• The Track of Sand by Andrea Camilleri

Cheryl

1. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - Brilliantly conceived, but not as well-written as it could have been.  3.5/5 stars from me. 

I don't make lists of what I'm going to read; I'd rather go with what I feel like at the time.  This year though I want to try to read 1 non-fiction book for every 2 fiction books. So far I've read Alex Detail's Revolution and Full Dark, No Stars.  Right now I'm reading Late, Late at Night, Rick Springfield's autobiography. 

Just finished The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain - I love her!!  Not sure what's up next - reading GWTW but think I need something light too!!

2. The Wrong End of Time by John Brunner - a short SF novel from 1971...philosophical and more intelligent than most SF of that era, but a little cold-war-ish, and very dark in its vision of future America. 

Currenty reading Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina

Just started listening to The Surrendered by Chang-Rae Lee

I'm currently reading Seize the Night by Dean Koontz.  Hopefully will be finished with it Friday.

Up next:

"A" is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (#1 in Kinsey Millhone series)

Shallow Graves by Jeffrey Deaver (#1 in John Pellam series)

Along Came A Spider by James Patterson (#1 in Alex Cross series)

Next I will read a classic or two.

3. So Cold the River by Michael Koryta - The first book finished on my new Kindle!  It was pretty good, though I thought the plot was a little choppy in places.

Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers

Currently on the last book.

Currently reading:  Altar of Eden by James Rollins.

Finished:  Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund.  Should have been named Clueless for the 18th Century!

Finally finished Seize the Night by Dean Koontz and will be reading "A" is for Alibi by Sue Grafton next. 

I love reading about what everyone's reading....but I wish everyone would include a little snippet about what the book is about and whether you are liking it or not!   Just wishing.....

Almost done with An Unquiet Grave by P.J. Parrish.  I didn't realize it was part of a series of books involving a detective, Louis Kincaid, or I probably wouldn't have started it at all.  Glad I didn't know because I'm really enjoying the story and don't feel like I'm missing anything by not having read the previous books. 

4. The Surrogates by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele - a graphic novel I read for the SF challenge.  It was OK, but I've never been into comics and it will never be my preferred medium.  This is the series the Bruce Willis movie was based, if anyone's curious.

Just finished Paul Is Undead by Alan Goldsher.  Laugh out loud funny, if you are a Beatles fan and knowledgeable about Beatles history.  Still good for a giggle or two if you're only a casual fan, but you'll miss some of the in-jokes.