#31 Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin

This is my final read for 2008 finished at 9:41pm on the 31st!

I picked up this book because I have read two others by her and really enjoyed them. In this story Ellen has moved on from a long-term relationship with Leo to marry her best friends brother Andy. All things are going well and Leo is the past until one day years later their paths cross in a New York City intersection. Ellen is faced with the decision to choose between the two and she picked wisely (at least I think so). I really enjoyed the storyline although there were some dry patches along the way. I think that this is one others can definitely relate to about the "one that got away." 4/5

#30 The Starter Wife by Gigi Levangie Grazer

So I started to watch this series on USA without even knowing that there was a book behind it. I loved this book from the first page. It is delightful to read about how shallow those in Hollywood are. I am so glad that Gracie did not let her life fall into complete shambles after being told that her husband wanted a divorce. This was a page turner that was intriguing and left me wanting more. I thoroughly enjoyed it, definitely a 5/5.

#29 New Year's Eve Murder by Leslie Meier

This is book #12 in the Tinker's Cove series and my first read. I loved my first visit to Tinker's Cove although it was brief as the majority of the story takes place in New York. The glamour of a mother-daughter makeover turned deadly when one of the editor's turned up dead. Lucy had to do her detective work to get to the bottom of it all. 4.75/5

#28 Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

This being the 3rd and almost final installment of what has become known as the "Twilight Saga" was a good read. I think that it was better than the 2nd but the 1st is still my favorite. 4/5

#27 New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

This book is of course the 2nd in the Twilight Saga. I did not find it as addictive as the first book though. It also did not leave me wanting to pick up the third one right away either. I did enjoy parts of it but I think that the storyline went in a direction that I did not think it needed to go. Bella meets Jacob in this one and he seems to get her out of her Edward funk but not for long. I personally think that Jacob did not need to come into the picture and complicate things. I think that Bella is perfectly made for Edward. 4.5/5

#26 Dying in Style by Elaine Viets

This is the first in the Josie Marcus mystery shopper series and I absolutely loved it. Josie is a mystery shopper, a woman after my own heart, and she finds herself in the middle of a fashion designers corporate merger nightmare. This book is filled with twists and hints as to the beginnings of a possible romance for Josie. 5/5.

#25 Shop till You Drop by Elaine Viets

This is another new author to me and the first read of the Dead End Job series. I was delighted with the characters and plot of this story. The women that shop the store remind me of the Shopaholic series type with serious attitude. I will definitely be picking up more reads by this author. This gets a 5/5.

#24 The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews

This is a new author to me and this mystery was whimsical and funny. From the zoo animals being hauled in more and more each day to Meg's exasperation over the whole ordeal, this was a great read. I give it a 4.5/5

#23 Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

This book was awful, in a great way! The last 40 pages of the book were a waterfall for me. Towards the last 20 I started to get a grip but then the waterworks were on again. This story reminds me so much of a friendship I have with my closest girlfriend that I can't imagine getting older and one of us losing each other. I would recommend this book to anyone with heart. I look forward to reading others by this author. Definitely a 5/5.

#22 Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

This book was amazing. I have been told to read it by several people but due to the vampire theme I had resisted. Well I finally picked it up yesterday and finished it tonight. I didn't want to put it down last night but it was approaching midnight and the kids get up early so I had to. I definitely recommend this one even if you don't think you would get into it. I will be running out to pick up New Moon tomorrow. It definitely deserves a 5/5.

#21 Just Desserts by Mary Daheim

This book was a little difficult for me to get into and I think it was only because the print on the pages was very small and being a fast reader I had o adjust to be able to take it all in. It was a good read with a whodunnit throughout the book. The characters were enjoyable and likeable as well. I give it 3.75/5

# 20 Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison

This was a refreshing chick lit book that I finally got my hands on. The library hasn't had it in regular print and I couldn't break down and buy it so I ended up having to settle with the large print version but it was so worth it. I enjoyed the storyline about the "addicts" gtting together to help feed each others habit and finding friendship along the way. This gets a 4.5/5

#19 Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke

This was a quick and easy read. This book introduced me to the world of Hannah Swensen and her delicious sounding recipes. I look forward to picking up another tasty mystery by Fluke. I give it a 4/5.

#18 Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

This book was a monthly read for one of my bookclubs and I must say that it wasn't all that great. I haven't read any of her other books but after this one I may never get around to it. The book was very hard to get into and I wasn't inclined to finish it until I reached chapter 8. The last few chapters were the best and while the ending was nice it didn't leave you with wanting more. It gets a 3.5/5