Finally Friday! Time for the Friday Fifteen, in which I review fifteen books in fifteen words or less.

1. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Captivating historical fiction with character struggles set against the backdrop of a real murder case.

2. The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 1 by Lee Gutkind
One of my favorite collections. Excellent essays from the people behind the journal Creative Nonfiction.

3. Let’s Go Amsterdam 3rd Edition by Let’s Go Inc.
Helped guide me through Amsterdam; lent it to another study abroader who didn’t return it.

4. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
My first Shakespeare (7th grade). Have read it a couple times since, still really fun.

5. Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
My dream as a kid. Minus the end.

6. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
Gorgeously written, like any Faulkner novel. Plus it has an exclamation point.

7. The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Eerie YA novel about a girl in Antarctica with her unhinged uncle.

8. I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg
Surprisingly cute. Good as a gift for someone you like/love.

9. The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, & Issa ed. Robert Hass
Solid introduction to haiku, with good translations of major haiku poets.

10. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Victorian social hilarity and Wilde’s witty wordplay. Try not to laugh.

11. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
More a series of linked short stories. Tan handles the mothers’ voices and stories best.

12. Choosing Sides (Sweet Valley High Twins #4) by Francine Pascal
What happens when your awkward friend wants to be a cheerleader? Elizabeth finds out.

13. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Anderson deftly handles Tyler’s voice and high school social complexities. Nice depiction of desperation.

14. Wedding Etiquette Hell: The Bride’s Bible to Avoiding Everlasting Damnation by Jeanne Hamilton
Sensible advice for crazy wedding situations. Made me feel a lot more sane.

15. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Adorable story about a gentle bull. Lovely art, too.