Read in September

1. Suite Scarlett, by Maureen Johnson
A fun YA read. Setting the story in a family-owned hotel in Manhattan and throwing in lots of acting-world details made it for me. Also, the character of Mrs. Amberson.

2. Braless in Wonderland, by Debbie Reed Fischer
Tries to give a feminist spin to the plain-Jane-gone-fashion-model story. It didn't work for me at all. I did finish it, though.

3. Shooting Back, by Jim Hubbard
If you know the documentary Born Into Brothels, this book is the result of a similar project. It's a collection of photographs taken by homeless and similarly at-risk children in Washington, D.C., and it blew me away.

4. The Center of Winter, by Marya Hornbacher
The story of a family tragedy in the northern Midwest, told in turn by each member. Pretty good. Hornbacher has a wonderful prose style, but I got hung up on a bit on her dialogue and scene-making in this. It's her first work of fiction, and it felt like it.

5. Everything Is Illuminated, by Jonathan Safran Foer
Strange and poignant. It's about modern-day eastern Europe and old eastern Europe and people whose family members survived the Holocaust. Though it is by no means all serious or all sad, it kind of broke my heart. Content-wise, I would recommend it for older teens and up.

6. Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw
You know this story; it's the play that the musical My Fair Lady is based on. Short and witty, with great characterization and interesting social commentary.