I got Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister for Christmas. Does that count?

Not that I've read it. I zoomed through Freakonomics and am now taking my leisurely time with The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved.

I picked up this book at lunchtime for JZ: An Evening Of Long Goodbyes by Paul Murray.

If Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster were plopped into the 21st century, his adventures might resemble those of Charles Hythloday, the buffoonish hero of Murray's insouciant romp, shortlisted for the Whitbread. For three years, ever since his father died, 20-something Charles has been pottering around the family's crumbling seaside estate near Dublin, mixing himself gimlets and watching old movies. He sees himself as attempting to perfect sprezzatura, "the contemplative life of the country gentleman, in harmony with his status and history"; his formidable sister, Bel, and everyone else, however, view him as a shiftless drunkard, and Charles's own narration leaves little doubt whose judgment is more accurate. The reappearance of Charles's mother, who's been away at a clinic for alcoholics and is now determined to reform the rest of the family, means that his allowance is promptly cut off and he's required to get a job. It looks fun. Anybody read it?

How about this serial killer thriller with a rave staff review at Alexander Books? Birdman by Mo Hayder?

That Murray book looked so much fun that I went over to my public library's website and requested it!

Has anyone here read Fire and Hemlockby Diana Wynne Jones? If so, could anyone tell me what the heck happened?

:grumble, grumble. Stupid oblique references:

Sheryl, it's one of those much-debated mysteries. The best I can do is that since they can only be together No Where, that means they must be together Some Where, so it's a happy ending. No, this makes NO SENSE AT ALL. It's one of those books that is so great up to the last page that you forgive it anyway.

Betsy,

Well, that's only part of what i didn't get. What exactly was the awful thing Polly did that caused Tom to be forgotten? I know that Tom and the grandmother had a discussion, but that doesn't explain why Polly keeps talking about What I Did.(Capital letters implied)

Ok, even though I have never read the books, I read the white font. And I have a question. Are the names Polly and Tom a coincidence, or is it some weird homage to Louisa May Alcott's The Old Fashioned GIrl?

I read Son of a Witch right after it came out, and I had to make myself finish it. I hated it. More specifically, I hated Liir. There were some characters I liked, but they just sort of drifted in and out of the story. This makes sense because it seemed that Liir just drifted from plot point to plot point. I would have prefered a less passive character. For a character who managed to accomplish things, he seemed to have a remarkable lack of agency that I found infuriating. I wish I could remember specifics, but I tried to push it out of my mind as I read other things.

I like Wicked overall, but there are things that I found distracting. I loved Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I don't think it's Maguire's style that I objected to, just the story he chose to tell. Also, to be fair, I am extremely attached to the original Oz books, so maybe I am instinctually reacting to his interpretations of my 'verse.

How 'bout now? Have you all read it now???

Hee. No, not yet. I changing from one book to another. Right now I am reading Wicked, American Gods, and Anyone But You.

I didn't care much for the book Wicked (although I want to see the musical), but it was the kind of "didn't care much" that translates to "I might like this if I read it at a later date and knew it was going to trash my childhood vision of Oz."

Next up in my TBR pile are "Julie and Julia," "Anansi Boys," and a couple of Madhur Jaffrey's cookbooks.