It’s time again for a monthly peek into my reading past, present and future with the What’s On Your Nightstand meme hosted by 5 Minutes For Books.

Last month’s predictions were remarkably spot on. Here’s what I read (or tried to read) in the last month:

1. Get Financially Naked by Sharon Kedar and Manisha Thakor – Finished January 29, 2010 – This is a great book for anyone struggling to talk finances with their spouse or loved one – or for anyone new to thinking about their money individually in a serious and organized way. The authors make figuring out your financial standing, goals and obstacles seem easy; tackling one small chunk at a time, you will quickly be able to see the whole picture of your finances and plan accordingly. I found, as I suspected, that my husband and I already have a very open dialogue when it comes to money but any concerns that I had about where we stood and where we were going have been eased. After reading this book I feel like I’ve picked up the reigns of my financial standing instead of letting it happen to me while I sit and wonder how we’re doing. – full review –
2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater – Finished February 12, 2010 – I’m still coming to terms with the ending of this book – I don’t really know how I felt about it and I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll leave it at that. On the whole I really enjoyed this book – it was a nice book to read on these cold winter days. But it also made me feel kind of old when I frequently found myself rolling my eyes at the seriousness which the main characters viewed their lives and their romance. I can remember being their age and feeling this way, but I also have grown up and look back on those days as pretty silly and naive. I think that made it hard for me to stay in the moment of the story – but I never really had that problem with other books with characters of a similar age, etc. So yes, in the end, I’m just not sure. I liked the book but I also had my reservations about it from start to … finish. – full review –
3. Little Children by Tom Perrotta – Abandoned February 3, 2010 (about 100 pages in) – This book is being discussed in an upcoming book club I’ve been thinking about joining and I have heard some good reviews about it but I just could not bring myself to care about the characters of this story of suburbia, apparently unhappy marriages, and a blatant dissatisfaction with the life of stay at home parenting. I can understand that these topics are a reality for millions and it’s not that I cannot read a book that I can’t relate to personally – I can and have. And frankly there were things I could relate to but I could not seem to care about any of the characters at all. It was like watching a handful of sad people trapped in boxes they’d knowingly climbed into – and being forced to sit inside those boxes with them. The best part of this book was putting it down and being greeted by my own life, which is kind of the opposite of falling into a good book. I feel like I’m trying to make excuses for not finishing this book, like I’ve done some horrible misdeed but at the end of the day I have to remind myself that I have better things to do with my time than read a book I’m not enjoying, whatever the reasons.

And right now I’m about 2/3 of the way through The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart. I love this series a lot and I’m almost dreading the moment I finish it and have to pick my next book. Which book will I choose? Definitely something from my growing stack of TBR books like…

• Easy on the Eyes by Jane Porter
• The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
• What the Dickens by Gregory Maguire

Normally I’d post pictures of said books, but my computer is being unbearably slow today so I’m going to call it a day and hit publish. But before I go…

What’s in your nightstand right now?