Leave it to a library to make reading fun and sexy again! I can't stop swooning over all the new books I got at the book sale today. I did my best to find the ones you recommended, but things were a little discombobulated. Should I look for Christmas Crime Scenes in with the Christmas books or the mystery books? (Answer: I found it in the mystery section. No, I did not purchase it. I'm seriously contemplating going back to find it tomorrow, though.)

Here's the complete list of tomes I picked up for myself:

• A Million Little Pieces, by James Frey (recommended years ago)
• The Secret Agent, by Francine Mathews (had catchy cover)
• 1984, by George Orwell (recommended by Michael and Jace of Fuse!)
• The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner (picked up because Faulkner is mentioned in Orange County, one of my favorite movies)
• Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville (picked up as a classic and also because Rory mentions it to Dean in Season One of Gilmore Girls)
• The New Home Book of Best Loved Poems, compiled by Richard Charlton MacKenzie (sounded like a good buy)
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares (loved the movie, which starred Alexis / Rory and therefore made this purchase twice as fitting)
• A Pocket History of the United States, Ninth Edition, by Allan Nevins and Henry Steele Commager with Jeffry Morris (sounded useful; plus, I love history)
• Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (recommended by Gilligan)
• Second Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (also recommended by Gilligan)
• White Oleander, by Janet Fitch (recommended by Thursday's Child and MajalisBlooms)
• The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan (sounded like an interesting read)
• Ideas and Opinions, by Albert Einstein (his hair told me to buy the book)
• The Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss (don't remember buying this, honestly... surprise!)
• Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell (want to read the book before seeing the movie)
• Schindler's List, by Thomas Keneally (want to read the book before seeing the movie)
• For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway (picked up as a classic and also because Rory mentions Hemingway to Jess in Season Two of Gilmore Girls)
• Foundation's Edge, by Isaac Asimov (recommended by Gilligan)
• The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper (sounds like something I should have read by now)
• Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding (because I need something to read at the beach)
• Brdiget Jones: The Edge of Reason, by Helen Fielding (another beach book)
• The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (another book I should have read by now)
• Message in a Bottle, by Nicholas Sparks (recommended many moons ago)
• The Bourne Legacy, by Eric Van Lustbader (my dad owns the Bourne trilogy, and I thought this might be a fun addition to the collection)
• Lord of the Flies, by William Golding (because I feel like starting a "Lord of the ___" collection)
• A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks (recommended many moons ago)
• The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended by Joel; my dad owns pretty much every Sherlock Holmes story ever written, but I thought it'd be worthwhile to have my own copy)

Once I get through reading all these, I'll write up a list of the remaining recommendations for my brother. He works at a bookstore and can get me sweet deals. Feel free to keep adding to the list as you think of more titles!

While we're on the topic, I'll go ahead and plug two of my favorite book-related sites—dailylit.com and goodreads.com. DailyLit is a website that emails you the book(s) of your choosing in manageable snippets at whatever time of day you choose. I, for example, usually have something fun (like Alice in Wonderland) scheduled to arrive at 7 a.m. and something more serious (like Crime in Punishment) scheduled to arrive at 5 p.m. Reading two books at once isn't always ideal, but I do like that I always have something to look forward to when I wake up and when I get off of work. Plus, with the books online, I have less things to forget at home or at the office or in the car or wherever.

GoodReads, meanwhile, is a great place to keep track of all the books you have read, are currently reading, or plan to read. You and your friends can rate, review, and recommend books with a few simple clicks, which is a lot more streamlined than my "leave a comment!" method of asking for suggestions.

If, however, you do have any further suggestions of books or book-related websites, please let me know! I'll be busy alphabetizing my new purchases and trying to figure out how much stuff I can pile on my shelving unit before it explodes. Wish me luck!