#18

Title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Author: J.K. Rowling

Year: 2005

Wow; that's all.

#17

Title: On the Road

Author: Jack Kerouac

Year: 1957

I found this book to be tedious and at times frustrating, though there were several poignant passages that I enjoyed; my favorite line was: "Holy flowers floating in the air, were all these tired faces in the dawn of Jazz America" (it reminds me of an Ezra Pound poem; can you guess which?).

#16

Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Author: J. K. Rowling

Year: 2003

With a 100-page climax, this book is one of the most intense and gripping that I've read yet this year; two more in the series to go!

#15

Title: Shopaholic Ties the Knot (Series Book 3)

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Year: 2003

This is probably the last I'll read of the series; it was funny and entertaining at parts but just way over the top to the point where I wanted to scream at Becky and say "what is wrong with you???"

#14

Title: Northanger Abbey

Author: Jane Austen

Year: 1818 (posthumous)

This short and witty story follows the "heroine," Catherine, through adventures in friendship and love during a visit to Bath; her subsequent follies and misfortunes are entertaining, and the conclusion is satisfying; overall, I enjoyed this book, but to me it doesn't rival Pride and Prejudice as Austen's best work.