beowulf (i listened to the audiobook of this - which i hadn't read since high school - and totally loved it. the narrator had an excellent voice, and i enjoyed the lyrical language and the easy-to-follow plot (i don't often do well listening to fiction, because my mind tends to wander a bit and then i get lost). but i guess i shouldn't be surprised to have enjoyed it so much - beowulf was written to be read or recited aloud! big thumbs up if you're into this sort of book.)
murder on the orient express, by agatha christie (i nerded out and read this along with a senior english class at my school, attending class once a week while they read it and participating in discussions (and taking reading quizzes!). i hadn't read any agatha christie before, and this is such a popular book in our canon that i wanted to have read it; it was an easy read and i was definitely entertained by it, but it hasn't turned me into a christie or poirot devotee. one agatha christie book might be enough for me!)
the little old lady who broke all the rules, by catharina ingelman-sundberg (this was my book club's pick for last month, and you can totally skip it. it claims to be in the genre of a man called ove, but i loved that one and didn't much care for this one. not sure if this one didn't stand up well in translation, or the swedish are into different things in their literature, or if i just didn't care for it. really fun premise, but the book dragged for me.)
