For those of you who have lives filled with romance and adventure and unlike this narrator, don't have piles of time laying around in which to read 13 books a month, I have conveniently highlighted in red the title of the one book that you must absolutely read this month. The others are essential, too.
The Last Child by John Hart is a quality suspense story about a teenager who is determined to solve his sister's mysterious disappearance on his own. This story is multi-layered, with well-developed subplots, dynamic, complex characters, and a plot that steers away from police-procedural formula.


The Neighbors are Watching by Debra Ginsberg is another fantastic suspense story, this time set in Del Mar, California, a bedroom community of San Diego, during a giant wildfire. A pregnant teen has run away to live with the father she's never met, and her sudden appearance (and subsequent disappearance) wreak havoc on a small, tidy neighborhood which, it turns out, is full of seemingly upstanding citizens who are harboring a few nasty secrets of their own.


The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich is the basis for The Social Network, and is apparently, only ONE side of the contentious relationship between Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard classmates who co-conceived of (depending on who you ask) Facebook. It's a quick read, and worth a few hours just so you get the background for the movie. I'm on the look-out for a more well-rounded version of events.


Racing for Recovery is the one book I read this month that didn't really excite me. I'm training for triathlons, so I'm looking for narratives and memoirs about other triathletes--there aren't many out there--and this is one I found. A drug addict cleans up his life and becomes an ironman. The story's inspiring, the writing isn't.
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman is amazingly smart without being pretentious or difficult to read. Interrelated stories of characters affected by their employment or readership of an English-language, old-school newspaper in Rome tell the story of the paper's rise and fall, which sounds really dry, but it's not. Each story is a tiny, detailed, absorbing world rich with weird characters and unexpected plot twists.

Annabel by Kathleen Winter tells the story of a baby born with both male and fema
le genitalia to a family in rural Nova Scotia. His parents decide to raise him as a boy named Wayne and keep the truth about his anatomy secret--even from him. But secrets--their keeping and their discovery--are what make stories worth reading, and this one is no exception. But it isn't the secrecy that makes the novel so phenomenal, it's the characters and the unexpected way they respond to Wayne and the challenges that accompany his growing up. NOT a "problem novel," this is a rich portrait of isolated people attempting to deal with an unimaginable anomaly in an otherwise remote and ordinary place. Gorgeous writing, likeable characters, an unusual premise--a must-read.

Matched by Allie
Condie is the only young adult book I read this month, but it was awesome. The story will remind some people of The Giver by Lois Lowry, as it takes places in the future, in a society where government manipulation allows everyone to be equal, and regulations manage everything to when and what is eaten to your job, life partner, and clothing. Cassia, at 16, is about to be "matched," or assigned her life partner. A special ceremony will reveal the mate selected for her by the government agency that studies and selects the best fit. When she attends her Match ceremony, Cassia is thrilled discover that her best friend, Xander, has been chosen as her mate. But when she reviews the data card later, she sees, for a brief instant, another image--of another boy. Curious, she begins investigating, and discovers that a technical glitch has allowed her to see something no one else has ever been allowed to see--an alternative. Cassia's exploration in options is dangerous for her and for her society, but once the possibility becomes available, it's impossible to resist. Part love story, part warning, Matched is a terrific read--and not just for teens.
One Day by David Nicholls
revisits Emma and Dexter yearly on the day they originally met in college and had a one-night stand. Following their lives and intersections for twenty years, we watch as their friendship grows and changes as each pursues career goals and love interests. The affection they share is what makes the story so likeable, and I found myself pleading with them to get together once and for all through the whole book. More than just a rom-com, this story delves a little deeper into the characters' lives, motivations, mistakes, and disappointments. A younger Hugh Grant might have been cast as Dexter, but in this one (due out July 8, 2011) it's going to be Jim Sturgess alongside Anne Hathaway. I expect it to rock.

One Day by David Nicholls



And now it is February. Stay tuned.
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