<h3>wily wiley reads.</h3>

1. the girl who played with fire by stieg larsson - once you have read the first book of this series, the girl with the dragon tattoo, you are done for.  each book previews about twenty pages of the next book at the end, so you are pulled into the story before you even crack the next book open.  i found the second book to be even more exciting than the first and finished it in about three days.  larsson is an incredible story teller and does an awesome job of weaving multiple story lines together.  lisbeth salander is such an unexpected heroine and despite the fact that i find little in common with her character, i cannot help but root for her the whole way through.

2. eat, pray, love by elizabeth gilbert - this was my second round with this book and i have to say, the second time was so much better.  i initially read it when it first came out about four years ago and loved it, but didn't find quite the connection i did this time around.  gilbert is such a truthful and self-deprecating writer that you immediately feel like you are reading the words of a close friend.  split into three sections, italy, india and indonesia, my favorite were the middle stories about her time at an ashram in india.  i felt such a sense of peace reading about her experiences there and it pushed me to take a renewed interest in my yoga practice.  the book has recently been turned into a film and i have to admit, i fear it won't do the book the justice it deserves.

3. promises to keep by jane green - total beach read and guilty pleasure.  jane green has been my guilty pleasure writer for the last ten years.  my childhood bestfriend and i started reading her novels in high school and i just have not stopped.  they are always cheesy and lighthearted, but quick and fun reads.  this one took a totally new direction, as it was neither cheesy nor lighthearted.  it was sad.  green has a great perspective on relationships of all kinds and i always love the way she analyzes each of her characters.  pick this one up if you have a box of tissues and are headed to a very private beach.  (i found myself crying on the subway. never good.)

4. the girl who kicked the hornet's nest by stieg larsson - shortly after i finished the second book of this series i was forced to go out and purchase a hardback copy of the last one.  i just could not wait!  this one lived up to all my expectations and was a great finale to the series.  i was really sad to finish and tried to extend the last fifty pages for a few days so that i could look forward to reading those last few pages.  i don't want to say too much about these books, because once you read the first almost any mention of the book can give something away. but if you haven't read these yet, please go out and buy them all.  you won't regret it.

so now it's your turn.  what have you read recently?  what do i need to read? 
i am expecting imperial ballrooms by bret easton ellis (top-five favorite writer) in the mail shortly and have a few others, but am always looking to add to my bedside pile.