#87 "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" by Rebecca Wells

I was a little young when this book, and later the movie, peaked in popularity. Finding a copy in a B&B in Ireland I jumped at the opportunity to rediscover the story with an older perspective. I have to say, I love it, and I totally understand why it was such a long standing bestseller. It's not making it onto my favorites list, but if you haven't read it or have only seen the movie, the book is worth your time.

#86 "Pain, Parties, Work" by Elizabeth Winder

Another biography, this one focusing on one summer early in Sylvia Plath's life. The book was well written enough and intriguing. Certainly I feel more comfortable exploring Plath's work now, after she's been painted as a happier person, than under previous gloomy descriptions.

#85 "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave

I have to wonder, when men write female leads like this, what they're love life is like. This book is tragic and felt shockingly relevant with all the news about Nigeria these last few months. Worth the time.

#84 "The End" by Lemony Snicket

That was somewhat disappointing. How old is Sunny by the end of this series???

#83 "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" by Agatha Christie

So this is why everyone loves Agatha Christie.

#82 "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

This was my first Bryson book, even though A Short History has been sitting on my bedside bookshelf for the last two Christmases. Listening to it while hiking across Ireland was wonderful, Bryson is clearly a good author and his popularity is not undeserved. But I have to say I was astonished and enraged at Bryson's irresponsible, one-sided presentation of all public silviculture policy in the US. As someone who spent a reasonable amount of their undergrad reading and analyzing the scientific and political influences on US silviculture policy and practice, I know it's a mixed bag. The US has had to create most of these practices from theory and test them before the world can know what practices are successful and which aren't. And when you're talking about trial forestry practices you're talking about 40-100 year dedicated studies that run across entire states.

We still don't know how to foster forests the ideal way, and Bryson doesn't help the matter by informing the public of his single opinion, and suggesting that we all just do it his way. It's so socially irresponsible I could spit.

#81 "Fifth Avenue, 5am" by Sam Wasson

Wasson is so in love with Audrey Hepburn that this book was at times intolerable. But if you ignore the 10 to 20 times where he goes off on a rant about how Audrey is queen and we should all bow down to her, then there is still some good information about the transition of this novel into a motion picture. Middle of the road non-fiction.