 | Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $0.01 I alternately loved the writing and feared its truth. Anyone who would read this novel probably sees more of him/herself in Frank and April Wheeler than feels comfortable. (2 January)
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 | Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) by Stephenie Meyer
Buy new: $13.44 / Used from: $6.99 It's finally over and I'm happy for my little vampire family. Although, I'm even more squarely a fan of Team Jacob. (14 January)
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 | American Wife: A Novel (New York Times Notable Books) by Curtis Sittenfeld
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $0.85 How much more I could like Laura Bush if any of this novel was true! Since "Prep," I look forward to another Sittenfeld novel. Though for the life of me, I can't recall a single thing about "The Man of My Dreams." (20 March)
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 | Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen
Buy new: $10.04 / Used from: $0.17 How does a 330-page novel fly by so quickly? It could have been much longer and equally satisfying. Gruen shapes characters that will stay with me for a long time, especially the charming Rosie. I have a newfound appreciation for the circus. (26 March)
"Within minutes, I am a Jell-O-eating sheep." (69)
"'He's a paragon schnitzophonic.'" (265)
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 | The Patron Saint of Liars: A Novel (P.S.) by Ann Patchett
Buy new: $10.04 / Used from: $1.98 I loved this novel until the very end. The conclusion feels unfinished. The character of Rose, however, should have tipped me off to this dissatisfaction. (24 May)
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 | The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett
Buy new: $10.08 / Used from: $0.01 I'm on an Ann Patchett downward trajectory. This novel was so disappointing! While I love LA, the Southern California hype was over-the-top as was the ending that tied up ends a little too neatly. (14 June)
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 | The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $2.34 Absolutely horrible. Why didn't I just put it down? Sometimes, you just have to quit. (July 15)
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 | The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Buy new: $9.00 / Used from: $7.69 I'm not ready to comment on this book yet, except it's exceptionally beautiful! The characters of Renee and Paloma will stay with me for a long time. (30 July)
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 | Olive Kitteridge: Fiction by Elizabeth Strout
Buy new: $8.40 / Used from: $5.40 Oh, I love Olive for all her perfect humanity. (15 August)
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 | Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Buy used from: $4.14 After my fourth reading of "Middlesex," I am even more convinced that it is the American Novel of the twentieth century. (29 September)
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 | Amy and Isabelle: A novel by Elizabeth Strout
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $0.01 Not nearly as polished or fulfilling as "Olive Kitteridge" and the ending just ... tacky! (12 October 2009)
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