I read a lot of books this summer.

Strange Fits of Passion, Anita Shreve. Disturbing. About a guy who abuses his wife, she leaves & sets up a new life but he finds her.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares. This one completely mucked me up. I cried & cried & CRIED. It touched on a lot of issues that I've dealt with & also it was read at the most stressful time of the summer.

The 2nd Summer of the Sisterhood, Ann Brashares. A good read but didn't hit home the way the 1st one did.

Girls in Pants - the 3rd Summer of the Sisterhood, Ann Brashares. My 14 y.o. niece says this was her favorite. My only comment was it doesn't work out as well as you'd think or hope. Not terribly realistic but a good read.

The Rapture of Canaan, Sheri Reynolds. Very interesting story about a girl in a Quakerish (?) community who gets pregnant. I wonder if it based on something real. Is fiction ever truly fiction?

To Be A Slave, Julius Lester. Fascinating. Actual stories from former slaves. I was expecting more gruesome stories .

Ellen Foster, Kaye Gibbons. An abused girl in the south...with an awesome ending.

4th of July, James Patterson. EASY FUN READ. Refreshingly simple & quick. Interesting, too, lol.

2nd Chance, James Patterson. Of course it was good.

Note: Patterson's 'Women's Murder Club' mysteries are 1st to Die, 2nd Chance, 3rd Degree & 4th of July and all feature Lt. Lindsay Boxer & her 3 close friends, one of whom is nicknamed Jilly Bean. ;)

I have several others that I have started with every intention of finishing:

The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln, C.A. Tripp. BAH, who cares if Lincoln was gay? I didn't read what the book was about when I bought it. I thought it was going to be more of a hostorical biography of his childhood, Laura Ingalls Wilder-ish, lol.

America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates & Heroines, Gail Collins. Fascinating but kind of long & slow. It's history, not a novel! But it's great & enjoyable reading.

Fortune's Rocks, Anita Shreve. My 2nd time through this which is why it's on the unfinished list. I love reading her books. Set at the turn of the century about a girl coming of age. Enjoyable.

The Case For Faith, Lee Strobel. A gift from my sister. It seems like it will answer many of my questions but I needed a break from religion so it got set aside for now.

Decoding DaVinci, Amy Welborn. I couldn't get into it. Don't care anymore. Gimme a NOVEL.

A Virtuous Woman, Kaye Gibbons. This is what I was reading when I left camp a full week ago. It's been a bit hard to get into; difficult to follow at times but I'm not done yet....

Whew. Then there's the books I never opened... no, I'm not listing those, lol!! Nite all!!