Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J.K. Rowling

A lot of people told me this was their favorite in the series which may explain why I had such a difficult time finding a copy in our hostel library. Having seen the movie first (again), I'm not sure I agree. Because I already knew Hermione's secret, the mystery of her conflicting course load was lost on me. However, the story did pick up in the last three chapters making the entire book worth reading.

The Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver

This book has received rave reviews from volunteers so I figured it must be worth reading. They weren't exactly wrong, but it's no Kiterunner. It's a story about a Baptist missionary who moves his wife and four young daughters to the Congo. It's told through the eyes of the children and mother about the good times and the bad as they strive to survive physically and emotionally in the jungle among an unknown culture. At 600+ pages it was a bit long. At least for me I could relate to some of their experiences, but I'm not sure it would have been as good reading it from the comforts of America. See for yourself. It made Oprah's book club anyway.