Happy Birthday to Me . . .

Once you get past a certain age, somewhere between 12 and 22, birthdays start to lose their luster. Yesterday was a case in point. My darling youngest managed to scream for an entire hour from getting off the bus to our arrival at the restaurant. Dinner was actually pleasant, if somewhat subdued, but I consider any meal out a success if my offspring consume more than two bites.

But enough about the trials of motherhood. On to the presents! You remember the ditty, "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"? Well, all I want for birthday is a stack of books, a stack of books, yes, a stack of books. Here's some on my wish list:

1. Ken Follett's Winter of the World

The sequel to Fall of Giants is finally here! Okay, Fall of Giants wasn't as freakin' fantastic as Pillars of the Earth, but it does serve an important purpose. It teaches you about World War I, something I never learned in school because for some reason we had to rehash the Revolution and Civil War each and every year. Winter of the World will cover World War II and I'm ready to be both educated and entertained. I wonder what the third novel in this series will cover? Perhaps Vietnam.

2. Ann Brashares' 3 Willows

I just finished Sisterhood Everlasting and My Name is Memory. Both were excellent. It was fun to read them back to back and study the ways Brashares keeps her star-crossed couples separated until the very end.

3. J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy

The lady can spin a tale. Despite the absence of letter delivery by owls or invisibility cloaks, I'm pretty confident this will be good.

4. Justine Dell's Recaptured Dreams

I'm firing up my Nook as we speak! Yes, fellow blogger Justine Dell has her book on the Barnes and Noble Website! Awesome. I will be a host of her blog tour this Friday, so stop by.

What is on your book wish list these days?