The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

The Hobbit really is one of the best books ever.  I mean it.  I read it for the first time in 5th grade (and participated in an adorable re-enactment of sorts...wonder if that is on video anywhere?) and then again in high school or college.  This time I listened to it in my car.  It was even better than I remembered.

Bilbo, a home-loving hobbit, takes off on an adventure to the Lonely Mountain with thirteen dwarves to recover treasure from a dragon named Smaug.  Along the way over the Misty Mountains, the road twists and turns as the adventurers encounter some interesting characters, including creepy-creepster Gollum.  The story is well-balanced with suspense and humor.  

If you've never read it or if you haven't read it lately, do yourself a favor and pick up The Hobbit before the movie, which looks ah-maze-ing, comes out in December!  

Read: August - September 2012 (via CD from the library)

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

I really liked this book! To me, it was a cross between Sophie Kinsella and Emily Giffin - a chick lit novel with substance. The plot is pretty basic. Alice bumps her head at the gym and loses 10 years of her memory. She wakes up thinking she is a 29 year old newlywed about to have her first baby, but in reality she is 39 and her life has not turned out as expected. As Alice learns about what her life has become and tries to remember what has happened, she has to make decisions about what really matters. I highly recommend this one - a well-written story that draws you in from the beginning.

Read: October 2012 (via the library)

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

I am enjoying my quest to read all of Jane Austen's novels before I turn 30. Sense and Sensibility was no exception. I didn't know much about the story and so I appreciated all of Jane's characteristic twists and turns as the Dashwood sisters experience love and heartbreak. Of course all ends well - even if it does take nearly 400 pages to get there! Now I just have Persuasion and a re-read of Pride and Prejudice to complete my goal by March!

Read: August-September 2012