Pop Fiction: anything that makes the NY Times best seller list. I hardly ever read them. Too many books I’ve haven’t read yet that are so much better.

Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
A note on Dan Brown: he’s not a good writer. I think one ends up liking the first book you read by him, and then realizing that he’s a bad writer and can’t even tell a decent story. I liked this one because I read it before DiVinci Code. It’s a decent thriller, but not a good book.

Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
An interesting tale of a Geisha in post-WWII Japan. Been too long since I’ve read it to really remember much, though I do remember liking the book.

A Painted House, John Grisham
A pretty accurate telling of the life of a cotton farmer in Arkansas. I read this because it takes place where we live right now. The only real complaint is that his 7-year-old narrator doesn’t act like a 7-year-old (he acts like he’s 11 or 12). But other than that, it’s a good story decently told.

The Nanny Diaries, Emma MacLauglan and Nora Kraus
Not an especially good book, but a guilty pleasure. Made me feel superior to all those snobby rich New York people because I, at least, am a good mom.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire
A good premise: the Wizard of Oz from the Wicked Witch’s point of view. Turns out the Wizard and the Witch of the East were the “wicked” ones because both abused their power. Anyway, it kind of gave out to the end
when he had to fit the story to the original.