Last month’s nightstand post was a little different than usual. Instead of just telling you what I’d read recently and what I planned to read soon, I gave you a little Top 5 list of the books I read in 2010 and some of the worst, too.

Well, it’s a new year, a new month and time for the next What’s On Your Nightstand carnival hosted by 5 Minutes for Books. I’m going to get back into the normal swing of things and recap some of the books I’ve been reading and fill you in on my reading future a bit.

So far this year I’ve read:

1. The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard (January Book Club Pick) – Finished January 5, 2011 – I thought this book had a lot of really high points but a couple of low points. I thought the mystery around this story was very well written, using varying points of view to gradually unlayer the truth of the story. I liked being able to see how differently each of the characters looked at what was going on and I have to admit, I didn’t guess the outcome of the book until the author wanted me to, though I think I came close a few times. On the other hand, I thought some of the descriptions in this book were far too graphic for my liking and it made me uncomfortable enough that a few times I almost wanted to stop reading. It was thanks to the otherwise well written story that I kept coming back for more and I have to admit I’m glad I did. – full review –
2. Anne of Avonlea (kindle) by L.M. Montgomery (Classics Challenge & L.M. Montgomery Challenge) – Finished January 17, 2010 – I still can’t believe I waited so long to read this series which is such a well known classic. I really loved this second book in Montgomery’s Anne series. I am by now smitten with her descriptive prose and loved all of the stories of Anne’s two years spent teaching in Avonlea. I liked all of the various love stories that Anne becomes privy to and how they all sort of shape her knowledge of what love really looks like and what it doesn’t look like and the entire theme of preconceptions that runs throughout the book. – full review –
3. Anne of the Island (kindle) by L.M. Montgomery (Classics Challenge & L.M. Montgomery Challenge) – Finished January 23, 2010 – After a comment from bloggy pal Jean that the 2nd Anne of Green Gables movie combines books 2 and 3, I had to put off Deep Down True by Juliette Fay just long enough to plow through the third book – and I really did plow through it in less than a week. Rather than reading my normal 5-10% a night, I was reading about 20% a night, could not put it down. It helped that Anne of the Island is a bit shorter than Anne of Avonlea of course, but really this book was so deliciously addictive, that I would have read it at this pace regardless. Now I can watch the 2nd movie with no spoilers. Anne of the Island deals with Anne’s years at Redmond as a college girl and I really loved that timeless look at college life and readjusting to life at home in between – very true to life and told in a very classic Anne kind of way. And of course anybody who loves the Love Story of Anne, will love book 3 I think as it finally really comes to a head in this book – with lots of heart ache and twists and turns of course. – full review –

Right now I’m reading Deep Down True by Juliette Fay which I’ll be reviewing here and at my review blog, well, as soon as I finish reading it. Coincidentally, Deep Down True actually comes out in paperback today (January 25th) for anyone who tends to wait for the paperback copy before getting around to checking out a book, now’s the time!

And what’s next after that? Here are some of the other books taking up valuable space on my crowded nightstand:

• Saltwater Taffy by Eric DelaBarre is another review copy book I’m planning to read soon, it’s a new YA book which “follows the lives of five friends as they uncover a treasure map that once belonged to the ruthless New Orleans pirate, Jean Lafitte.”
• Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen has been sitting pretty on my nightstand since Christmas and I know I’ll only be able to put it off a little longer. I adored Godbersen’s Luxe series and I am anxious to read this first in a new series.
• Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire is the next pick for my book club, so of course I’ll need to read this before the end of February (I hope).
• I’m also hoping to start another classic novel for my challenge in the coming month – something non-Green Gables I suppose, but I’m still not sure what I’ll read next from the large collection of classic novels and e-novels that I own.
  

Any suggestions? What’s on your nightstand right now?