Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel319 reviews Jonathan Safran Foer Mariner Books, 2006 Incredible + Good book for a book club discussion + Beautiful + A heartbreaking work of staggering genius + Flawed but still very good.             The World and Other Places: Stories16 reviews Jeanette Winterson Vintage, 2000 Beautiful collection of short stories! + Another Wow from Winterson + Each story could be a novel in itself + A beautiful way to end the year + Brilliant art             The Every Boy14 reviews Dana Adam Shapiro Mariner Books, 2007 WTF?! + dana adam shapiro, let's be friends + i love this book if you've never heard of the Jersey Devil or an irukandji or an apotemnophile, if you hated high school, believe in love, like whipits and David Lynch, and if you just want to read a book that makes you bust out a hi-liter, then here ya go.             Everything Is Illuminated: A Novel404 reviews Jonathan Safran Foer Harper Perennial, 2003 One of the best books ever written + everything you could wish and fear life to be This is my second favorite book. The imagination and narration is simply fantastic. I have never experienced imagination as beautiful as the telling of TrachimBrod. Every chapter about this city is glowing with incredible anecdotes and interesting characters. In fact, Brod is by far the best ...             The Butterfly House20 reviews Marcia Preston Mira, 2006 What an enthralling story! + Entertaining + Compelling Read + Loved it!             Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West1522 reviews Gregory Maguire Harper Paperbacks, 1996 Truly Bizarre But Impossible to Put Down I suppose that if I was going to take a famous children's story and make an adult novel out of it, I'm not sure I would have chosen something based on the Wizard of Oz. Maybe "Blueberries for Sally," where it turns out that the missing father from the story had been killed in a gangland slaying ...             Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit51 reviews Jeanette Winterson Grove Press, 1997 Meaningful novel + Coming of Age Story + Very different but very interesting and quite good I suppose one mistake that people make about this book is that it is meant to expose the evils of christianity. That may be true, but I don't think that it was the author intended. It seems to be more of a moral dilemma of humanity's inhumanity towards man. Or rather to ask the question of what ...             Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent75 reviews Anthony Rapp Simon & Schuster, 2006 surprised me + Audio book suggested! + Don't be without WITHOUT YOU + Fascinating insights into one of the cultural treasures of our generation. + Review             Angela's Ashes1832 reviews Frank McCourt Harper Perennial, 2005 Trust Me + ANGELA'S ASHES By Frank McCourt + Loved it, loved it, loved it. + Masterpiece             A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: Stories17 reviews Yiyun Li Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2006 Ten Perfect Jewels + Great, but nothing new + Engrossing Contemporary Chinese Literature + What we sacrifice makes life meaningful             Poems and Fragments2 reviews Sappho Hackett Publishing Company, 2002 Shimmering, iridiscent, deathless Aphrodite. + Beautiful Sappho In Antiquity decent women were supposed to work in the kitchen and to raise their children, nothing more, but there were exceptions. More or less 150 years after Homer's Iliad, Sappho lived on the island of Lesbos, west off the coast of what is Turkey today.. (She went in exile for a short period ...             The Glass Castle: A Memoir1136 reviews Jeannette Walls Scribner, 2006 Best Book all year + an amazing story of courage and perserverance. + Cant put it down!!!! + Read it against my better judgement ... and LOVED it! + One heckuva great book             Dry: A Memoir253 reviews Augusten Burroughs Picador, 2004 Excellent story telling + One of his best + Very nice + Astounding + Every emotion under the martini glass!             Empress: A Novel21 reviews Shana Sa Harper, 2006 I enjoyed it I disagree with other reviewers who found the first part of this book hard to get through. I thought the first half was the best. The language the author uses is very rich, very enjoyable. I wondered if she wrote it in english or if it is a translation. Either way, it is very poetic. I ...             Snakes and Earrings (Originally published in Japan as Hebi ni Piasu)22 reviews Hitomi Kanehara Dutton Adult, 2005 Excellent. I am still in awe. I picked this book up by accident and read it in one day. It's such a raw, sexy, quick read with such interesting characters. Give it a try             Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles (Myths, The)19 reviews Jeanette Winterson Canongate U.S., 2006 Fantastic Language, But Sometimes Difficult + A touching, unique read + Great read for the Winterson fan Jeanette Winterson retells the ancient story of Atlas and Heracles. Atlas, punished by the gods, is forced to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Heracles, needing Atlas' help to complete one of his labors, offers to hold the world until Atlas has finished helping. How will their ...             The Perks of Being a Wallflower1268 reviews Stephen Chbosky MTV, 1999 Freakin' Awesome + Thoughtful coming-of-age story + Pretty good. + Left wanting to know more...             Empress Orchid82 reviews Anchee Min Mariner Books, 2005 An excellent novel + loved it + Interesting Book Sets the Table for the Sequel This novel is good from a literary perspective. We follow the life of Yehenara/Yehonala/Orchid/the future dowager empress Cixi as she is taken as a concubine into the Forbidden City until shortly after her husband's death. Keep in mind that this is a novel, and while general historical facts are ...             Possible Side Effects100 reviews Augusten Burroughs St. Martin's Press, 2006 Possible Side Effects + Very good- + My first Burroughs + I LOVED this book! + Freaking Highlarious             Hairstyles of the Damned (Punk Planet Books)41 reviews Joe Meno Akashic Books, 2004 An incredibly honest look at what goes on inside the head of a teenager. + The Unwieldy Hammer of Thor!! + Thick 'n Thin + if you ever loved. if you ever hated. + Highly recommend it