I finished "Knit One, Kill Two" this week. It was an ok 'cozy mystery' with a pretty predictable plot. There are others in the series, right now I'm not going to get any of them.

What to read? So many choices. . . . .

"The Kommandant's Girl" by Pam Jenoff. WWII historical fiction. Although I usually enjoy stories of this time period, this one was much too predictable. The writing was simple and the ending was filled with coincidences that were too unbelievable. Glad I didn't pay for this one!

"The question hung there like a beautiful chord, ringing in the air." One example of the expressive language in "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet". Great book! I knew about the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, this book brought a small part of that story to life. Good character development and storyline.

"The Kindness of Strangers" by Katrina Kittle I could hardly put this book down! It was a painful story, but it felt very genuine and real. The characters became alive; I could picture them in my mind. It wouldn't be a book that everyone would enjoy, but it is worth the time.

"The Glass Castle" --Jeannette Walls-- One of my goals for the year is to read at least one memoir a month. This was a great way to start! The author told her sad story, very matter-of-factly, without self pity. There were times that the tale seemed too sad to be true, but as yet I have not found a reason to doubt what I read. This was a book that made me feel incredibly grateful for the life and the family I've had.

"The Associate"-Grisham. I probably won't go out of my way to read another Grisham novel. This was predictable and actually boring in some places. The characters really had no personalities. I found myself not caring what would happen to them.

"The Piano Teacher"--I enjoyed the book even though I expected something different from it when I put it on my TBR pile. I like stories of other cultures, thought this one would be more about the culture in Hong Kong, especially during WWII years. It wasn't, it was more a relationship story. Would recommend, but not read again.

I've decided that I am going to keep track of and briefly blog all of the books that I read in 2010. Even though I've kept 'been read by me' lists for a while now, I want to put down my first impressions of the book after I finish it. As of today (1/15) in 2010 I've finished "The Piano Teacher" by Janice Lee, "The Associate" by John Grisham, "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls and "The Kindness of Strangers" by Katrina Kittle.