Eric and Chrissie have been reading "An Elegant Universe", which is talking about superstring theory in layman's terms, at least in as simple a way as is possible for something like physics. Chrissie still doesn't believe in time dilation. If nothing else, the book has led to some interesting conversations.
Eric also read the two most recent Terry Goodkind novels. They aren't as original as the earlier ones in the series unfortunately. Still worth reading, but hopefully the series will turn around in the next book. He gets a bit repetitive and preachy. He read Harry Potter and liked it, and a book called "Babel 17", which is a classic science fiction novel.
As mentioned before, Chrissie has become something of a library nut, so there is no way she can list all the books she read this year. So she'll just mention a few favorites. She was still doing the book club thing with Jennifer, and together they read "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister", the "Devil Wears Prada", "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas", and "How to Murder a Millionaire", among others. Confessions was Chrissie's choice, and she loved it. It's perfect for discussion, as it is just really well written and covers a lot of interesting topics like the value of art and the importance of beauty. How to Murder a Millionaire is just a fun series of murder mysteries set among rich people. Devil Wears Prada pretty much wasn't worth it. Too much swearing not enough plot. Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas was a real tear-jerker. It was well written but it really disturbed Chrissie.
Chrissie got into a few Nora Roberts books. In case you don't know, Nora Roberts is cheesy romance. But she loves them anyway =) The characters are good and the stories are happy. If you want to try any she recommends the Key trilogy, the Gallagher trilogy, and the Three Sisters trilogy. They have a little bit of a fantasy bent to them, and are very good stories.
Of course, she read a lot of fantasy. Top recommendations include the "Paladin of Lost Souls" by Louise McMaster Bujold, and "Crown of Stars" series by Kate Elliott, "Eragon" (which her nephew Kyle loaned her).
She was into reading Amy Tan for a while and read the Bonesetter's daughter and the Kitchen God's wife, both excellent. She read two thrillers, the Dante Club and the Da Vinci code. They were both good, especially the Dante Club. The mix of literary figures and a mystery and dante was irresistible. It was a bit gory, but very cleverly done.
If you want something to make you think, the Five People You Meet in Heaven is amazing. I love the way it made me think, plus it was a very touching story.
