Post 301: a general update

So...some of you may have noticed I didn't blog about The Eden Hunter by Skip Horack.  Yeah, um, there wasn't a whole lot for me to say about it.  I mean, I could have come up with something to talk about, but it all would have been very incidental and I just couldn't work myself up to.  I did manage to write a review about it, so here's the link to that.  I also think Kirkus Reviews did a fabulous write-up of it, but then they usually do.
PS: Dear Kirkus, I have a literary crush on you, please ask me to write for you.  Pleasepleasepleaseplease.

Anyway, here's what I have planned for the next batch.  Let me know if you've read any of these before, and maybe linky to your reviews?  If I end up agreeing with or liking them they'll get linked in my post (and also I won't have to write reviews for non-galleys and can just focus on the Reflections instead).  Also, I'm still looking to add guest bloggers, contact me if interested, I may even be interested in adding a Regular guest blogger, so...  Yeah.  Um, let's see, I'm still working through my stack of ALA 2010 books and Forgotten Bookmark wins.  We'll say that it's a New Year's resolution to finish that stack (there's about 50 or so books in total).  I'll be mixing them up with Netgalley stuff, library eBooks, regular library books, galleys from Goodreads, and whatever else I find.  This will probably be another year in which I spend less than $20 on books for myself (not counting the $25.00 B&N gift card I received for Christmas... hmm...).

Abrupt Transition!

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield.
An ALA 2010 grab.  This one is signed because I actually met the author at the Sisters in Crime booth.  Many of you know I am not a huge fan of mystery novels, but I think it's a really cool idea to have a group of women mystery writers.  I passed along the very nice lapel pin to my mother-in-law who is a female mystery writer and aficionado.  She will probably get this lovely hardback when I'm done.  This novel involves a lot of heavy material such as sexual abuse, cutting, possible lesbian relationships (the blurb hints), parental "I don't see any problem"-ness, and what sounds like some post traumatic stress.  You're likely to see some equally heavy-toned posts on that one.

One More Theory About Happiness by Paul Guest.
Another ALA 2010 grab, but this one I was actually really excited to get a hold of because I believe I'd heard of it on NPR already.  I liked the cover, with nothing but the title slapped onto it, a bit askew, the author's name at the bottom and barely hanging on.  What can I say, I like cover art.  I'm also a sucker for memoirs about people who have been damaged (physically or psychologically) and have learned to look at life with humor and/or grace.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein.
This one is from NetGalley.  Orenstein is terrified when her daughter begins to pick up princesses and pink and wonders what it's doing to her daughter's psyche and future development.  I don't plan on having kids, but this kind of thing fascinates me, particularly in terms of "pink" and "princesses".  Plus the title is awesome.  I like to pretend that good titles are indicative of good writing.  I'm not always right.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sausages by Tom Holt.
NetGalley again.  Holt is apparently an absurdist.  I love absurdity in writing.  I love Pratchett and Douglas and I even liked the absurdness in Smallworld.  And once again, folks, the title.  Who doesn't wish to pursue sausage like happiness?  There's not a whole lot of summary about this one, so I have almost no idea what I'm getting myself into.  Whee!  Adventures!

The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore.
I saw this on the Colbert Report and so was extra pleased to see I managed to snag the copy offered up in a Goodreads giveaway.  As someone who has many, many, many dopple-namers I think this will be an interesting read for me.


What are you reading, oh favorite Readerdom of mine?  Anything you think I should add to my list?