Books So I'm "doing" this thing called Book-Itz with Maliavale and Maryann. From what I understand, the person read 50 books wins. I know I'm not going to win and that's fine. Really. I don't mind. There are certainly many many many faster readers than me. So we keep a list of all the books we've read and we're supposed to talk about each one when we're done. I haven't even done that. See? I'm terrible at contests. At first I get that shaky, jittery "I HAVE to win" rush. And then as soon as someone nudges ahead, I get a case of the "whatever"s. Anyway, here are the books I've read so far this year and what I thought of them. 1. "Love Walked In" by Marisa de los Santos A great book. Obviously a love story, but with an unexpected twist. 2. Arthur Frommer's Oahu, Honolulu, Waikiki Thanks to Maliavale for this one. I read it cover to cover; now it's all dog-eared and written in and well traveled. If you're going to Oahu, this is the book to read (and take with you). Hawaii was never really high on my list of travel destinations -- just because I'm not a big beach person. But now I've changed my mind. It's totally gorgeous and I hope we go back someday. 3. "Can You Keep a Secret?" by Sophie Kinsella I bought this to read on the beach in Waikiki and after I plopped down in the beach chair and opened to the first page, I realized I'd already read it. Sigh. I hate it when that happens. But it's the only thing I had, so I read it again. It's an OK read. Easy. I wouldn't really recommend it unless you're big on fluff, which I am sometimes. 4. "84, Charing Cross Road" by Helene Hanff A great book and a quick read. Nonfiction. It's a series of letters written from a woman in NYC to a bookseller in London, looking for all kinds of used books. They develop a pen-pal friendship. Highly recommended. It was made into a movie, but I haven't seen it (yet). 5. "The Undomestic Goddess" by Sophie Kinsella Yeah, yeah. I know. I said the other one wasn't that great. But this one is actually pretty good. I enjoyed it. I think it speaks to a lot of people in our generation who have careers they're not exactly thrilled with. Whew! All caught up. Only 45 more to read. I won't win, but I'll get there.