Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan

Intrigue, insanity, and danger make this a thrilling adventure novel with a Christian twist. Sam Hopkins is a preacher's kid who is tired of everyone feeling like they have to be perfect around him and when circumstances put him together with a bully, who wants to be his friend because he stands up to him, Sam decides to fall in with the wrong crowd. Jennifer, whose older brother Mark is a track star, is insane. When Sam stands up to his bullying friends to protect her, he becomes her hero and her "magic friend". This story is believable with unexpected plot twists that keep you reading to find out what is next. To be honest, I thought the disappearance of the angel statue was a bit too much and it tipped this book into the land of corny Christian fiction. I think it would have been just as good if the statue really did exist and the old man remained as a mysterious figure. However, for the most part, this novel really was fantastic and I totally enjoyed it.

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

Totally awesome and fantastic book!  In this third book in the Kane Chronicles, Sadie and Carter once again save the world from destruction of course.  Their adventures are thrilling and funny and this is another book that you won't want to put down.  I did find the fact that Sadie was in a love triangle that included the God of the Dead a bit Shades of Twilight remnicient, but, that seems to be the popular theme nowdays, so I can see how it managed to wind up in this book too.  I think the book is really funny and I totally enjoyed the humor in it.  Here is one of my favorite parts: Neith is an ancient Egyptian warrior goddess and a hunter - here is something she says: "The end of the world? I've seen that coming for eons....I'm prepared. I've got an underground bunker stockpiled with food, clean water and enough weapons and ammunition to hold off a zombie army." That part of the book and many others are totally hilarious.  This book had me laughing out loud many times.  Good story, well written, and wickedly funny.  What more can you ask for?  Huge thumbs up to Rick Riordan!

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

I totally enjoyed this book and I think that Riordan's writing has improved since he began his Percy Jackson series. In this, the second book of the Kane Chronicles, Sadie, who celebrates her 13th birthday in an unusual and unexpected way, and her brother Carter, who are descendents of the pharoahs and therefore can host the Egyptian gods and goddesses, have recruited other kids who can also do ancient Egyptian magic. With help from their friends and some friendly Egyptian gods, they battle their enemies in order to find Ra and restore him to his throne. Filled with adventure, magic, humor and a little romance, this book is a really fun read!        

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

This is totally the most awesome book ever!  It is so well researched and well written!  The imagery is fantastic and the characters are totally real and believable.  The entire book takes place in a time period of about two days, I think.  At the beginning, Robert Langdon, a teacher and writer about ancient religious artifacts is awoken by the police and taken to the scene of a murder - of a man who he was supposed to have met with earlier that evening and who did not show up for their meeting.  A woman named Sophie shows up, tells him that he is the prime suspect for the murder, helps him escape from the museum, and their flee from the police and attempt to solve the mystery of the Holy Grail ensues.  Full of mystery, intrigue, and plot twists, the story is just totally fantastic!  I can see why it was a best seller.  Just amazing!  I highly recommend this book!

Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror by Nonie Darwish

They say that there are two sides to every story. When it comes to terrorism, there are many more than two sides. Nonie Darwish's father was a Muslim Shahid who was the head of Egyptian military intelligence in Gaza when he was killed in 1956. She grew up in Gaza and then Egypt and was educated in British and American schools there and moved to the US at age 30. She shares about the extreme poverty in Egypt and the many problems caused by the government, the Muslim religion and the culture of the Arabs. She calls for a change in the way Arabs conduct themselves and how they react to the terrorism that arises out of their culture. This book is very revealing and enlightening and I highly recommend it.

Between a Rock and a Hot Place: Why Fifty Is Not the New Thirty by Tracey Jackson

In this book, Tracey gives a humerous look at what it is like to be fifty years old today.  She explains the pitfalls of menopause and the benefits of hormone replacement therapy, and it's effect on everything from your body, to moods, to sex life.  She talks about face lifts and botox and her experiences with those.  She discusses the problem that fifty-somethings now have in the job market, discusses what dating is like at fifty - including her experiment with an online dating service a bit remincient of AJ Jacobs' and the fact that when you are fifty, lots more people your age die than when you are thirty.
I like her viewpoint that if you are fifty and your husband leaves you for another woman it is not your fault because he is obviously looking for something that you cannot provide and he is most likely a jerk.
This is a fun read and I highly recommend it.

The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts

Nine year old Katie has always been different.  And it is not just her silver eyes.  She can move things with her mind.  She tries not to do it when people can see her, but still, many people avoid her because they know that strange things happen when she is around.
After her grandmother dies, Katie goes to live with her mother and overhears that her mother had worked for a pharmacutical company when she got pregnant and that there were 3 other women who worked there with her mother who were pregnant at the same time. Could the discontinued drug that they were working on have caused Katie's telekenesis and silver eyes?  When a strange man starts asking too many questions about her, Katie decides to try to find the other children and see what they are like.
This is an interesting book for kids age 8-12.  My 10 year old daughter really enjoyed it and I did too.