Fifty, With an Unfair Domination

To recap:

1. The Guy Not Taken, Jennifer Weiner
2. Sundays at Tiffany’s, James Patterson
3. Mirror, Mirror, Gregory Maguire
4. Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana, Ann Rice
5. The Centurion’s Wife, Davis Bunne & Janette Oke
6. The Lace Reader, Brunonia Barry
7. Gods Behaving Badly, Marie Phillips
8. The Last Queen, C.W. Gortner
9. Train to Trieste, Domnica Radulescu

10. Sideways, Rex Pickett – If you liked the movie, you really will like the book. Surprisingly, the movie doesn’t deviate too far from the book, and a lot of the happenings (that I can remember) follow pretty accurately. It makes me want to become a wine connoisseur, and after reading it, I can at least be one vicariously. There is no sense of overkill when it comes down to the drunken debauchery that wine, of all things, contributes to. After all, the book is about a week-long adult version of spring break. Alcohol? Check (granted, it’s Pinot Noir). Casual sex? Check – with a fantastic comedic slice. Drunk dialing? In the worst possible way. Throw in a little wart hog hunting, and you’ve got one fun read.

11-14. The Twilight Saga, Stephenie Meyer – (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, & Breaking Dawn) Sorry. I’m apologizing ahead of time. Just to make things clear, I don’t compare her writing to J.K. Rowling’s – JK is undeniably more talented. (Stephen King actually said that the only difference between Meyer & Rowling was that Rowling can actually write.) But the fan-demonium is the same between the two series. Meyer created a world that everyone wants to get lost in, and where every girl wants to find her Edward. Teen romance, absolutely, but still delicious to read. And another perk to the books is the movie’s soundtrack. Killer music…Muse, Mutemath, Debussy (I know, right?!), Iron & Wine, a new iPod addition quickly becoming a regular (scooch over, Bebo)…

Quick sidenote – for an introduction to the fabulously mellow Iron & Wine, check out “Passing Afternoon,” or the one found on the Twilight soundtrack, “Flightless Bird, American Mouth.” You won’t be disappointed. They have a very Nick Drake-type vibe, with much more depth musically-speaking. They make me want to drive with the windows down at midnight.