Bookworm

Reading was pretty much my job during med school, which meant I pretty much did anything but when given the choice. My childhood love of reading went by the wayside for far too long, but I have rediscovered books and reading for fun in the last several months. So demand is up, which leaves the issue of supply. I trotted down to the local public library like a good citizen only to find my local branch a little, well, atrophic if you will. The first floor of my house is larger than the whole building. And don't tell me to go to the main branch. Too much investment in Google maps, gas, time, etc. And I lament the lack of Half-Price Bookstores in Tennessee, but we'll soon remedy that with the move back to H-town.
I've been trying a nice blend of classics, modern best-sellers, book club lists, and guilty-pleasure chick lit. I had a noble goal of reading six books while on vacation last month, but I only made it through four. (There was just too much other fun to be had.) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is currently on deck. Here are my most recent reads.

Books I loved and think you should read, too, if you haven't already:
The Poisonwood Bible
The Count of Monte Cristo
I Know This Much is True (caveat - hard to get into at first, but an impressively realistic portrayal of mental illness and its impact on family and society)
The Help
Patron Saint of Liars

Books I liked and wouldn't be embarrassed if you told someone I recommended to you:
Home
The Nanny Diaries
A Wrinkle in Time
One Day
Gilead
Life of Pi
The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Eh, ok. Read if someone gives it to you for free:
Water for Elephants
House of Sand and Fog
Bel Canto

Books I didn't like, so consider yourself forewarned:
March
The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Dirty Girls Social Club
The Red Tent
The Fifth Mountain
The Alchemist

Book I couldn't bring myself to finish:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Any suggestions from your shelves? I'm open, with the exception of the following.

Books I will never, ever read:
Harry Potter series
Twilight series