Books by Meg Cabot
I got to see Meg Cabot speak at my library in January 18, 2005. She was very entertaining speaker. Some fans flew in from New Jersey just to meet her and hear her speak. Over 250 people showed up for the event.

Every Boy's Got One... ~
A day-by-day travel journal intended as a first anniversary present for Jane Harris's best friend, Holly, turns into Jane's rollicking private diary account of the madcap events leading up to Holly and Mark's Italian countryside elopement. We see their travels via Jane's diary, Cal's PDA journal and the hilarious e-mails (aka Blueberries) that whiz through cyberspace between the main characters, their respective family members and one diehard Wonder Cat fan. We get to know Castelfidardo, a small Italian town in the region of Le Marche, which happens to be the accordion-making capital of the world and is replete with unpredictable electricity, dubious public restrooms and bureaucratic snafus that nearly derail the wedding plans. The jaded, bitterly divorced Cal makes a worthy opponent to Jane, whose notions of marriage are much more romantic than his. Cabot's personal epilogue about her own elopement in the Italian countryside—marked by much of the mayhem her main characters encounter—adds spice to this frothy concoction of love, friendship and true romance.

Boy Meets Girl ~ one of her adult novels set in NYC. Kate works for the Human Resources division of New York Journal. She and her best friend have nick named her boss "T.O.D. - Tyrannical Office Despot" as she is gunning for the top and nothing will get in her way of a promotion and marrying a high end lawyer. So when she asks Kate to fire the most popular employee for being disrespectful of certain unpopular employees Kate does what she is told. Now the fired employee is suing the New York Journal and Kate for wrong termination. But then Kate meets the man of her dreams who is the lawyer representing NYJ.

But well with many ups and downs as is typical of Cabot's novels. It always amazes me that her books take place in NYC but it seems like a small town as there everyone seems to know one another. Lots of email and im'ing messages and cute phone conversations. Fun read.

Teen idol ~ High school junior Jenny Greenley is good at solving problems ... so good she's the school newspaper's anonymous advice columnist. Even if solving other people's problems doesn't make her own -- like not having a boyfriend -- go away, it's still fun. But when nineteen-year-old screen sensation Luke Striker comes to Jenny's small town to research a role life suddenly gets complicated. When he persuades Jenny to use her considerable talents to try to change things at school for the better, he creates havoc that even levelheaded Jenny isn't sure she can repair. Now she has to find her own voice and stand up for what she believes in, not just be the person who tries to fix things after they've broken. I enjoyed this book. It reminds me of an older Princess Diaries but I think the characters were much more enjoyable.

All American Girl ~ Samantha Madison is just your average disenfranchised sophomore gal living in D.C. when, in an idle moment sandwiched between cookie-buying and CD-perusing, she puts a stop to an attempt on the life of the president. Before she can say “MTV2” she’s appointed Teen Ambassador to the U.N. and has caught the eye of the very cute First Son. Suddenly she is an overnight sensation. She can survive all the attention from press but can she survive the attention from her classmates and family. What she discovers is that you have to pay attention to really see what is happening around you and there is always more than meets the eye.

Princess Diaries Series
1. Princess Diaries
2. Princess in the Spotlight
3. Princess in Love is the 3rd in the series. Mia has a boyfriend, Kenny, who she really doesn't like let alone kiss. Plus she is in love with her best friend's brother. It is counting down to her introduction to Genovia and she is overloaded with her grandmother's lessons, dress fittings, finals and how to break up with Kenny. As with the others in this series Mia's life is one big drama but oh, so fun to read. Teen anqst is always so enjoyable.
4. Princess in Waiting Mia's royal introduction to Genovia has mixed results: while her fashion sense is widely applauded, her position on the installation of public parking meters is met with resistance. But the politics of bureaucracy are nothing next to Mia's real troubles. Between canceled dates with her long-sought-after royal consort, a second semester of the dreaded Algebra, more princess lessons from Grandmare as a result of the Genovian parking-meter thing, and the inability to stop gnawing on her fingernails, isn't there anything Mia is good at besides inheriting an unwanted royal title? Always good to see how little Mia's sesteemteme has risen as she becomes fixated on thinking that Michael is going to dump her because she is so busy with her princess duties. More lists which are always fun, Buffy mentioned.
4.5 Project Princess ~ Mia & her friends volunteer to build houses for the less fortunate. It doesn't take Mia long to realize that helping others—while an unimpeachably noble pastime—is very hard work. Will her giving spirit prevail? Will the house collapse due to royally clumsy construction? And most importantly, will Michael stop working long enough to kiss her?
5. Princess in Pink ~ Now at the end of her Freshman year Mia tries to get her reluctant boyfriend to take her to the prom. She’s the newest staffer on the school paper, and her miraculous completion of freshman Algebra is just around the corner. Plus she’s about to get a new baby brother or sister. Could things possibly get any better? But as usual her friend Lilly has a mind of her own and stages a workers strike when a handsome bushboy is fired after pouring soup in Grandmare's lap. But with the usual finese things work out just fine for all.
6. Princess Present ~ Now, Princess Mia spends the holidays in Genovia with Grandmère. This year, she’s looking forward to the most perfect Christmas ever: her boyfriend, Michael, and her best friend, Lilly, are coming to Genovia, too. But even a princess’s plans can go awry. Lilly has a lot to learn about palace protocol, and with all the state holiday functions Mia must attend, there’s no time to linger under the mistletoe with Michael. Worst of all, Mia hasn’t been able to find him the perfect gift.
Perfect Princess ~ is kind of an off shoot part of the series. Mia and her Grandmere give advice on how to act and be a princess. Talks about various other princesses from around the world. Cute read for those who love the series.

Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert

After purchasing a farm in the Lake District of England, an animal lover attempts to befriend her fellow villagers, while her animal companions solve a baffling mystery, in a mystery tale inspired by the life of Beatrix Potter. In 1905, Beatrix bought a farm in England's beautiful Lake District. The books in this series (eight are planned) follow her adventures as she gradually moves away from her London life as a dutiful Victorian-age daughter, and into an independent life that offers new hopes, new love, and the possibility of self-determination. You will enjoy the authenticity of the historical setting and the details of Beatrix's life, smile at the antics of the animals, and warm to the strong feeling of place and community.

I so enjoy Albert's China Bayles novels so am looking forward to reading more of these novels but hope China will have more books as well.

Tale of Holly How : the cottage tales of Beatrix Potter

Fethering Mystery series by Simon Brett

I love Brett's Mrs. Pargeter's mysteries. So am glad to find another series of his to read.

Body on the Beach ~ Very little disturbs the ordered calm of Fethering, a pleasingly self-contained retirement settlement on England's less than sun-kissed southern coast. Which is precisely why Carole Seddon, who has outlived both her husband and her career at the Home Office, has chosen to reside there. Her peaceful life is turned upside down when she stumbles upon a corpse on the beach while walking her dog and joins forces with her bohemian neighbor, Jude, to find a killer.

Death on the Downs ~ While out exploring the South Downs of a wealthy town, a driving rain forces Carole to seek shelter in an abandoned barn, where she discovers a bag of human bones. The local police are informed, and rumors spread to the effect that the bones might have belonged to a missing young woman named Tamsin. Soon Carole and her somewhat mysterious and exotic friend Jude are busily involved in sussing out information on their own partly for adventure, and partly because Tamsin had once turned to Jude for help. But per usual nothing is as it seems and it becomes much more complicated as Carole discovers that childhood hurts still haunt several of these people. And it may mean the end for Carole.

Torso in the Town ~ A dinner party at a Fedborough mansion with some stuffy, not very close friends is not exactly Jude's cup of tea. But the practically mummified torso of a woman found in the cellar is much more up Jude's alley. So Jude and Carole decide to investigate on their own. Everyone in this town seems so friendly and willing to gossip but are they really what they seem? Everyone has their own secrets to keep.

Blankets by Craig Thompson

An autobiographical comic, intertwins the stories of his relationships with his younger brother, Phil (with whom he had to share blankets as a child), and with his first girlfriend, Raina (with whom he also shared a blanket). Raised by strict Catholic parents, Thompson struggles with his own faith, attracted to the message but repelled by the Church, and his black-and-white art makes use of Christian imagery.

This is one of the first graphic novels that I've ever read. It is over 500 pages which at first is rather daunting but since it is illustrated comic style it flows quickly. His is not a particularly happy life, full of many disappointments but it is interesting to see how his life evolves.