I guess it’s time for me to wrap up the What’s in a Name reading challenge. There’s still a bit of time left but I don’t think I’ll be able to read the rest of the books I was supposed to. Ah well, I enjoyed participating and knocking off a few books from my TBR stacks. And, hey, there’s always next year’s challenge. I’ll get to that in a minute but first let me tell you more about the last book I finished.

“Berlin, a word that chimes in your chest like a bell. Berlin, a place so bright it pulls down the stars and wears them around its neck. Berlin, a city built on the scattered sand of circuses and the scuffed floorboards of theater spectaculars.”

Doesn’t that just make the city sound exciting? I am sure that part of my enjoyment of The Glimmer Palace by Beatrice Colin came from reading about one of my favorite cities but that’s not all. The story, grand in scope, is about an orphan girl who becomes of Germany’s most celebrated film stars.

Each part of the novel starts with a vignette about Germany’s film history and I just found it captivating to read about a young girl who manages to thrive amidst all the turmoil. You can read more of my review here and if you are a fan of German films check out the website of the Deutsche Kinemathek, the fantastic museum of film history in Berlin. I happened to go to the museum by pure chance on one of my trips to Germany and just really enjoyed it.

Now it’s time to show you what books have made it onto my list for next year’s What’s in a Name reading challenge. First, a big thank you to Debi for hosting this and coming up with such great categories.

The object is to read six books that fit the given categories from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009. I’ve gone through my stacks and have come up with my choices but I reserve the right to make changes as I go along because you just know I’ll do that. Here’s my list:

• A book with a profession in its title: The Servants by Michael Marshall Smith
• A book with the time of day in its title: Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
• A book with a relative in its title: The Senator’s Wife by Sue Miller
• A book with a body part in its title: A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters
• A book with a building in its title: Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn
• A book with a medical condition in its title: Let it Bleed by Ian Rankin

I can’t wait to dig into all of these books. Good luck to everyone that’s doing this one.

If you’ve had Matrimony on your radar here’s a chance to enter my giveaway for a signed copy of the New York Times Notable book. Joshua Henkin has kindly offered to send a copy to one lucky winner anywhere in the world.
To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. I’ll announce the winner on Friday, January 19th.

Now, if you want to read a little bit more about the book you can visit other book bloggers and see some of Josh’s guest posts:

Books on the Brain
Planet Books
Musings of a Bookish Kitty

And, for some reviews on Matrimony check out what fellow book bloggers are saying:
The Literate Housewife
The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness
She is Too Fond of Books
Age 30 – A Year of Books
Books and Cooks
Reading Room
Bookfoolery and Babble
A Reader’s Journal
B&B Ex Libris
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’?
Shelf Life
The Boston Bibliophile
Trish’s Reading Nook
Musings of a Bookish Kitty

You know you want a copy of this book. So, go ahead and enter and good luck!

P.S. You can also visit Josh’s site to read his blog, get a reading group guide and find out all the scoop.