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"I&amp;amp;#8217;m a book club drop out. I love reading but I have so many things to watch and read for work that having another deadline, even for a something fun and social, didn&amp;amp;#8217;t work for me. So I&amp;amp;#8217;m lucky to have a bookaholic friend, Dorothy Sasso, who reads, reviews and recommends the best stuff out there. I&amp;#x27;m always stalking her Facebook page to see what she&amp;#x27;s reading and what she thinks of it. A sampling of books on my nightstand.You may remember Dorothy from my embarrassing Julia Roberts story. I actually babysat for her when I was growing up and she always had her nose in a book. In fact, one time her dad brought her to my basketball game and, after scoring, I looked up in the stands to see if I impressed my young charge, but, while her dad was cheering wildly, Dorothy was reading! Now a teacher in NYC (after a stint as a magazine editor), she read 79 books in 2011 alone--that was up from 54 in 2010 because &amp;amp;#8220;the Kindle makes me read MUCH faster,&amp;amp;#8221; she says. Because she&amp;amp;#8217;s my personal book expert--and she has excellent taste in tomes--I asked her to work up a list of her favorite reads from 2011 that she thinks Glamour readers should tackle in 2012. Here it is... The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins: A lot of women out there are obsessed with Twilight, which I find to be badly written and terribly anti-feminist. The Hunger Games trilogy features a bad-ass heroine, who takes matters into her own hands to protect her family and to survive. Yes, there&amp;amp;#8217;s a love story (a triangle in fact), but more importantly, Katniss Everdeen is resourceful and independent. She&amp;amp;#8217;s a real role model for young girls and adult women everywhere. The movie, which looks awesome, is coming out in March, so this is the perfect time to read the books. Then Came You, by Jennifer Weiner: Weiner is known for writing &amp;amp;#8220;smart chick lit,&amp;amp;#8221; although she isn&amp;amp;#8217;t crazy about that label. However, her books feature real, interesting and relatable women. Her last couple novels weren&amp;amp;#8217;t my favorite, but Then Came You follows the intersecting lives of a woman trying to get pregnant, a young egg donor and the surrogate, who gets involved to make money. The story moves fast, but has depth and meaning to it beyond the usual &amp;amp;#8220;chick lit&amp;amp;#8221; genre. The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern: This was my absolute favorite book of 2011. A mysterious circus forms the backdrop for a magical battle between two young people, who find themselves to be very attracted to each other. The writing is dreamy and lyrical and I literally cried when I finished it because I loved it so much. Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro: This is an older book that was recently made into a (apparently pretty bad) movie. The book takes place in a British boarding school where three friends start to realize that their lives serve a greater (and scarier) purpose. I don&amp;amp;#8217;t want to give more away, but the author introduces questions about what it means to be human that are fascinating and unsettling at the same time. Her Royal Spyness series, by Rhys Bowen: I discovered Rhys Bowen in January. She writes three series of breezy historical fiction, including Her Royal Spyness (the title of the first of five books currently written). Set during the 1930s in England, the main character is Georgie, 34th in line to the British throne (cousin of the future king that Colin Firth played in The King&amp;amp;#8217;s Speech). She&amp;amp;#8217;s rather poor, clumsy and has a penchant for stumbling over dead bodies and mysteries. The series is so cute and great for a vacation read. Georgie is a darling character and there are appearances by real people like Coco Chanel and Wallis Simpson. The Passage, by Justin Cronin: Don&amp;amp;#8217;t be alarmed by the size of the book (it&amp;amp;#8217;s definitely worth reading on an e-reader if you have one). If you like post-apocalyptic, dystopian novels (or vampires), this one is excellent. It was my favorite book from 2010 and is now out in paperback. Cronin was inspired to write the book when his daughter asked him to tell her a story about a little girl who saved the world, which led to the creation of Amy, who becomes the center of drama involving a government plot to create super soldiers, which leads to a world-wide infection. The first third takes place in &amp;amp;#8220;present&amp;amp;#8221; time, while the rest of the book picks up around 200 years after disaster strikes. There&amp;amp;#8217;s a pretty big cliffhanger, but the second book is due out sometime this year, so it&amp;amp;#8217;s definitely worth reading! The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise, by Julia Stuart: This quirky, charming little book follows the adventures of a guard living in the Tower of London, who is dealing with a personal tragedy, a troubled marriage and a zoo in the tower. This book is an easy, enjoyable, funny read, even as it deals with some heavy issues. The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton: Morton is an Australian writer, whose most recent novel, The Distant Hours, came out in 2011. I read all of her books last year and loved them, but The Forgotten Garden was my favorite. If you love gothic stories (like Wuthering Heights) or were obsessed with Downton Abbey, you will love Morton&amp;amp;#8217;s blend of historical fiction, mystery and romance. I cannot recommend her enough. Keep an eye out for her newest novel, due out sometime this year. A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin: If you&amp;amp;#8217;re a fan of the HBO series (editor&amp;#x27;s note: I did!--sb), you might think it&amp;amp;#8217;s better to just watch the show, but seriously, you&amp;amp;#8217;re missing so much. The books are definitely long, but even better than the show. The plot is fast paced and filled with action. Almost none of the characters are clearly good or bad (a fault of most fantasy epics), so it&amp;amp;#8217;s fascinating to find that you suddenly love a character who you found despicable in a previous book. (Jamie Lannister is a perfect example). If you did watch the show, you know that Martin isn&amp;amp;#8217;t afraid to kill off major characters, so really, no one is safe, but the plot is so engaging that you have to keep reading. His female characters are particularly awesome. HBO does a great job, but no show can ever do the book justice. The Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles: Set in the 1930s in New York City, this novel follows the story of a wealthy man and two young women who meet by chance in a jazz club. It feels like reading an F. Scott Fitzgerald book, as you follow one character&amp;amp;#8217;s rise from a Wall Street secretary to a member of the wealthier New York society. It&amp;amp;#8217;s a moving portrait of New York City at the end of the Depression. Pilgrim of the Sky, by Natania Barron: This is a personal plug. This novel is written by my dear friend, Natania, who first drafted the story as part of National November Writer&amp;amp;#8217;s Month. It&amp;amp;#8217;s her first published novel, which explores multiple universes, religion and love. The plot is original, beautifully written and features a strong heroine. I promise I&amp;amp;#8217;m not recommending this only because my name is in the acknowledgements. Natania is a true talent and is only going to get better as she continues to write. Dorothy just started a new book blog--An Unexpected Book Blog--where she&amp;amp;#8217;s going to review each of her new reads of 2012. So bookmark it and check back to see which books she&amp;#x27;s enjoying--and if she beats her personal best of 79 books per year. (I&amp;#x27;m 100% sure she will.) Which of these books do you think you&amp;amp;#8217;ll read first? Have you read any already? Do you have any personal favorites you can add to Dorothy&amp;amp;#8217;s list? Let&amp;#x27;s talk books below! More on Hunger Games... *This Hunger Games Trailer Proves That LEGO Versions of Katniss and Peeta Are Bad Ass! *Need a Quick Adrenaline Rush? This Hunger Games Poster Has Our Hearts Pounding *The Battle is On! Hunger Games vs Twilight--Which Will Rule in 2012? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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