*these aren't always necessarily the same thing!
I loved this book, as I do most things that don't hedge meanings. Even if you've never read an Econ book, this is an easy page turner. Levitt and Dubner make a great writing team.
Class: A Guide through the American Status System, by Paul Fussell.
A sort of tongue-in-cheek look at the meaning of "class" in America. Although it was written in the 1980s, the validity of the separation of the classes is still applicable in the 21st century, like it or not. I would also highly recommend Fussell's Wartime. I can't imagine another book giving a more accurate picture of war.
Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding.
Every woman has to have some balance. After too many hours buried in textbooks, this was a nice escape.
Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture,
by John Shelby Spong
This is a book that I think everyone could benefit from reading. I grew up in the Christian Church and this book provided some deeper insight into a lot of scripture I hadn't previously explored.
Night, by Elie Wiesel
Not for the timid. A fictional account of life in the German concentration camps, based on the real experience of the author during WW2.
Anil's Ghost by Michael Oondatje
An excellent book by the author of The English Patient. This is a fictional account of the events in Sri Lanka during the 1970s and 1980s.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
A book that pulls you in from page one. It's told from the perspective of a 14 year old girl who has been murdered and is watching her friends and family cope with her death. It's a fascinating story at a compelling time; Sebold is a fantastic writer.
Letting the Body Lead, by Jenn Crowell
This is a ficitonal travel book with some depth to it. The main character is struggling with life and career decisions and runs off to Iceland in the middle of pursuing her Ph.D. Sounds like a good plan!
Notes From A Small Island, by Bill Bryson
Bryson is probably my favorite travel author because of his ability to make me laugh on just about every page. He's an American, but he lived in the U.K. for 20 years. Here he recounts his final farewell trip before returning to the U.S.
The Best American Traveling Writing, 2000. Edited by James Wilson and Bill Bryson.
This was one of my airplane books. I prefer short stories while traveling - it's easier to pick up or leave off for a while. This was a really good collection of travel essays.
The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield
This was a bestseller several years ago and I finally got around to reading it. It's an interesting story, even if you're not a big believer in fate.
I picked this up because it was written by one of my former professors. I enjoyed his teaching style and thought his book would be interesting. I've just started it and despite what you might think from the hefty title it's really interesting.
A People's History of the United States: 1492 - Present, by Howard Zinn
This has been on my short list of books to read for a long time. I've finally started it, and I have to say it has been a real eye opener.
The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman
As a newlywed, this book was recommended to me by a friend. Now if only my husband would read it...
The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger
I'm fascinated by natural phenomenon, so this seemed like a great diversion. A true account of a storm that hit the East Coast in the early 90s.
The Kingdom By The Sea, by Paul Theroux
Theroux was the first travel essayist I read after returning from four months abroad. This is a great light-hearted narrative about his travels around Great Britain in the early '80's.
The Museum at Purgatory, by Nick Bantock
The gist - after the death of the main character, the amnesiatic Non finds himself to be the curator in Hell's museum. While filing the artifacts of the recently deceased he begins to uncover the story of his own life.
Le Divorce, by Diane Johnson
I read this because I saw the movie preview and thought it looked interesting. It accents both the intriguing and slightly bizarre aspects of modern French culture. The book is a fun read, not too heavy, although it does have a somewhat surprising ending.
Floating Off The Page, by Ken Wells (Editor)
This is a great collection of short stories from the Wall Street Journal's middle column. Most are funny, lighthearted essays, with a few tearjerkers and frighteningly true tales mixed in.
Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris
I picked it up because the title intrigued me, but the description of the author's experiences in France were so fantastic. You can't miss his story about the Easter clock. Sedaris is great!
