I can't believe I have not posted since the beginning of September! It has been a busy four months and I have been reading, but not as much as usual. this post will include all the books, but not all the reviews. The best books are at the top of the list. New Year's Resolution: revamp the blog and post more often. Let's see how I do with that!

1. Maisie Dobbs  by Jacqueline Winspear: Author recommended by Sheila, these are great books! Mysteries about a young nurse during World War I.

2. Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear

3. Run by Ann Patchett

4. Fierce angels by Sheri Parks: Non-fiction, one of the best books I read in 2012!

5. The importance of being seven by Alexander McCall Smith

6. A conspiracy of friends by Alexander McCall Smith

7. The dog who came in from the cold by Alexander McCall Smith

8. Corduroy mansion by Alexander McCall Smith

9. The Limpopo academy of private detection by Alexander McCall Smith If you haven’t read any Alexander McCall Smith, make that your new year’s resolution. These are great books and he has several series; a most prolific author!

10.         The red book by Deborah Copaken Kogan More by Kogan is on my list for 2013!

11.         The time in between by Maria Duenas

12.         The undomestic goddess by Sophie Kinsella

13.         I'd know you anywhere by Laura Lippman A stand-alone novel with a great concept for crime fiction.

14.         The devil in silver by Victor LaVelle A realistic fantasy about life in a mental hospital in 2012. Scary in a very deep sense.

15.         Gone girl by Gillian Flynn The book everyone is talking about. The big secret is easy to detect, but the ambiguous ending left me with something to think about.

16.         The black ice by Michael Connelly

17.         The concrete blonde by Michael Connelly Will read more Michael Connelly in 2013

18.         Chasing the skip by Janci Patterson (Young Adult) Contemporary fiction, realistic voice, new author

19.         The stolen one by Suzanne Crowley (Young Adult) Historical Fiction

20.         More than you know by Penny Vincenzi True love gone bad, nothing special here.

21.         The red tent by Anita Diamont

22.         Gold by Chris Cleave This was good, but not as good as Little Bee

23.         An impartial by Charles Todd

24.         A duty to the dead by Charles Todd witness

25.         A test of wills by Charles Todd

26.         A bitter truth by Charles Todd

27.         One day by David Nicholls

28.         The lost years by Mary Higgins Clark

29.         God don't like ugly by Mary Monroe

30.         A stranger's child by Allan Hollinghurst Highly touted literary novel, not my cup of tea, a little too full of itself.

31.         Merry ex-mas by Sheila Roberts

32.         A place of secrets by Rachel Hore

33.         The great escape by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

34.         Jason's why by Beth Goobie

35.         Now and Then by Robert G. Parker (audio book)

36.         Murder on bank street by Victoria Thompson (audio book)

37.         Landing by Emma Donoghue

Books-August 2012 fiction

I am trying something different this month and will post fiction separate from non-fiction. The fiction list is always longer, thought I'd give this a try.
Thanks to friends and family for great reading recommendations, keep sending those in!

Fiction: in order that I would recommend them.

1. Bury your dead by Louise Penny

2. Breakdown by Sara Paretsky

3. Epic fail by Claire LaZebnik

4. Just flirt by Laura Bowers (young adult)

5. Can you keep a secret? by Sophie Kinsella

6. Breathing room by Marsha Hayles (young adult)

7. Arranged by Catherine McKenzie

8. Night whispers by Judith McNaught

9. Before ever after by Samantha Sotto

10.         The Tiger's wife by Tea Obreht

1.  Louise Penny is a fantastic author and her stories of Armand Gamache, a chief inspector in the Canadian Police Force just get better and better. If you like mysteries and have not read Penny, start from the beginning and read them all. This is the sixth book in the series and within this, she intertwines two mysteries, or maybe even three. Well written and the characters are exquisitely developed.

2.  I love the V. I. Warchowski books. This is the latest in the series and Vic is growing old, but hardly slowing down. Just for fun!

3.  Another recommendation by my sister, Katie. This was a cool re-telling of Pride and Prejudice but for younger readers, set in a private LA high school. Well-done on its own, but if you know P and P, then it’s even better.

4.  A relatively new author out of Maryland, Bowers writes about the difficulties of real life (dads who dies, dads who leave, mothers who embarrass the hell out of you) as well as the difficulties of finding your own place in high school. I loved all her characters, even the despicable ones. Excellent job!

5.  Sophie Kinsella is my new hero! Her writing is funny and her characters say and do things that we all say and do, but don’t usually end up in the pages of a book. Keep writing, Sophie and I will keep reading!

6.  This is the second young adult book this year about a young woman in the 30s with TB who has to go to a sanatorium. The writing is well-done, but this one

7.  At the end of the month, if I have to look a book up on the internet to see what it was about because I can’t remember, then I know the book should not be too high on the list. An interesting premise, a modern-day arranged marriage. But, the telling is just so-so.

8.  Another one I had to look up. This was a book club read, but I did not get to go to the meeting. Pretty much your standard mystery with a love-story. The reader knows the ending by about page 10.

9.  I was not sure I liked the premise of this story, but read it anyway. I would say that this is one I slogged through without really enjoying it. Not sure what made such a big disconnect, but it was not one I would recommend.

10.         Weirdly enough, this book had many similar elements to #9: immortal beings, death of a close loved-one, story within a story. Again, I did not enjoy the telling of this story. Maybe it is the fantasy elements that are not my cup of tea. This one was a National Book Award Finalist, so I gave it the best shot I could, but just did not enjoy!

Books July 2012

Just realized that I forgot to post the list from July. Some really good reads this month, but I think my favorite was A Beginner's Good-Bye by Anne Tyler.
Happy Reading!

Books- July 2012

1. A beginner's good-bye by Anne Tyler

2. Little gale gumbo by Erika Marks

3. Nightlife by Thomas Perry

4. Bakers towers by Jennifer Haigh

5. The Meryl Streep movie club by Mia March

6. A confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

7. Jane Austen made me do it edited by Laurel Ann Nattress

8. The invisible bridge by Julie Oringer (audio book)

9. Girls in white dresses by Jennifer Close

10.         Remember me? By Sophie Kinsella

11.         Beach girls by Luanne Rice

12.         The sense of an ending by Julian Barnes

13.         My name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira (audio book)

14.         Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children by  Ransom Riggs

1.     Anne Tyler is simply superb! The story of Aaron’s first year after losing his wife Dorothy to a freak accident (a large branch fell on their house during a storm), this is so simple, yet so very complex. Told in Aaron’s voice, the level of grief is palpable as Aaron negotiates both old and new relationships. I would read anything Anne Tyler writes.

2.     This was a quick read about a family of women who move from New Orleans to Maine to escape an abusive husband/father. But, it was also a story of A loves B, B loves C, C loves D, etc. Why do they all have to be living with unrequited love?

3.     We read this for book club. It was fast paced, with tons of characters. It took me a little while to figure out who was the main good guy (actually good woman!). While I liked this, I would not go out of my way to read Thomas Perry again.

4.     Bakers Towers is set in Western Pennsylvania in a mining community that thrives in the early part of the 20^th century and then slides into oblivion in the middle of the century. Following the siblings in one family, Haigh manages to make all of them somewhat unlikable, even the ones who are upstanding. While the historical references were well-done, this was not a pleasant book to read.

5.     Four women come back together when one is dying of cancer. Every Friday night they watch another Meryl Streep movie and there are endless good ones from which to choose. I loved the premise of the book and then reading how the author thought about the themes of the movies and worked to blend these with the lives of the women. Nicely done!

6.     Recommended by my brother who read this in a book club, I enjoyed this book full of nonsense. As Kip described it, the main character (Ignatius Reilly) is a fat slob with few redeeming characteristics. Many story lines run somewhat separately, but all come together in the end and Ignatius ends the book as self-deluded as he began it. Hilarious!

7.     Short stories all based on either Jane Austen herself, or one of her books. While it is always fun to read about Austen, this was not very well done.

8.     This was quite long and I found the story to be a little contrived. The story of the three Levi brothers from Budapest, starting in the late 1930s. It follows these men and their love interests through work camps and the war. Great details of history.

9.     When I started reading this book, I was not too interested. But, as I got into it, the book grew on me. This is a series of stand alone short stories with interconnected characters; young women fresh out of college, living in large cities and negotiating work and relationships. Very well done!

10. Another Sophie Kinsella. I liked this better than Confessions of a Shopaholic, but not as much as I’ve Got Your Number. The situations Kinsella’s characters get into are so real, but ones that you do not often see in books. If you read this, you will laugh out loud!

11. I like Luanne Rice as a good chick lit writer and she did not disappoint here. This was a perfect read during vacation!

12. Trying to up my reading list a little bit, I checked out this book, the winner of the Man Booker Prize. The reviews suggest that while it is short, it is something that you might need to read more than one time. I agree and may choose to read this again in the next few months. Though-provoking and well-written.

13. Another historical novel, based on a woman who wants to become a doctor during the Civil War. Mary Sutter leaves her home in Albany to go to Washington DC and doctor the myriad of wounded. Listening to this was difficult as the injuries and treatments (primarily amputations) were recounted with gory and unstinting detail. Mary was a great character and was rendered as a woman with a multi-faceted personality.

14. A young adult novel that is quite sophisticated in its telling and in the content. As I generally do not like fantasy, this was not a good choice for me, but I thought it was well-done. It also seemed to be set up to have at least one sequel. It seems to have caught the eye of many readers, wonder if we will be hearing about a movie soon?

More August Picture Books, My favorites

Horsefly and Honeybee by Randy Cecil

Another hit! When Horsefly and Honeybee have a fight over who can take a nap in a flower, they both lose a wing. Ultimately, they figure out they can still fly by holding on to each other and using the two wings they have left. Good for teaching cooperation and survival skills. Illustrations are wonderful! 

A Home for Bird by Philip C. Stead

Vernon is a frog who finds a wooden bird. No matter what Vernon says or does, Bird will not speak. Finally, Vernon finds a broken cuckoo clock and puts Bird inside. A few repairs and Bird is happily springing out saying, “Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo!” A delightful story with many points of interest to engage young readers in discussion. What a great friend Vernon is!

Plant a Little Seed by Bonnie Christensen

I loved this book, although it took me a while since it is written in a very rhythmic fashion, without the rhyming endings. It tells the story of a garden from seed to eating and illustrations show a white girl and a black boy working happily together in this garden. The end notes give some fun facts, including why some plants we eat are called fruits and why some are vegetables. If you don’t know why tomatoes and zucchinis are fruits and not vegetables, you should read this book!

The Hero of Little Street by Gregory Rogers

A small boy is running, ever running, away from bigger boys, away from the dog-catcher, away from a woman after he breaks the dishes she was carrying. His companion is a small dog who has jumped out of an imitation of Vermeer’s Piano Player. Told all in pictures, this is an excellent wordless picture book with a touch of fantasy. Maybe I have to read it again, as I could not tell how the child in the book was a hero.

I read 12 picture books today, these are the best of the lot. I was looking at gender today, because I began noticing that many of these had a boy main character. The final count: 9 main character male, 1 main character female, and 2 have both male and female main characters. To be fair, yesterday, there were 2 with main character female, only one with a male and three that were mixed. Overall, the percentages are: male: 55%, female: 17% and both male and female: 28%. The authors are evenly split, male and female, so now we have to encourage women to write about girls.

Picture Books for August

Picture books for August

Summer Days and Nights by Wong Herbert Yee

A sweet rhyming story that tells all the things a young child can do on a summer day. The characters are of Asian descent.

Red, White and Boom! By Lee Wardlaw, illustrated by Huy Voun Lee

A saucy, brightly colored picture book that tells the story of July 4^th with short , spiky rhymes: “Oohs and Ahhs/Cheers, applause/Shoulder sighs/Drowsy eyes.” Plenty of diversity in age, race and gender. Very well done!

Creature Count: A Prehistoric Rhyme by Brenda Huante, illustrated by Vincent Nguyen

Prehistoric monsters are anthropomorphized and rendered quite cutely in this simple counting book. The rhyme is quite rhythmic and could be sung to the tune of “Over in the Meadow.”

Some Cat by Mary Casanova, illustrated by Ard Hoyt

Violet is an abused cat who needs a new home. When she is adopted by a couple with two dogs, Violet causes all kinds of trouble for Zippity and George. But, when a pack of stray dogs go after Violet, Zippity and George come to her rescue and then all is right with the world. Great illustrations. Maybe a little too simplistic in the plot line.

Flabbersmashed about You by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Yumi Heo

What happens when your best friend chooses another friend as a playground buddy? Katie Honors finds out and it does not feel good. While this story has a happy ending, and not all playground disasters end happily, this is a great book to use when kids need some help making and keeping friends. You might consider reading  You Can’t Say You Can’t Play by Vivian Paley, a book about how to keep kids from being mean to each other, even at a very young age.

Mom, It’s my First Day of Kindergarten! By Hyewon Yum

A five-year-old is more than ready for his first day of school, but is his mother? Very clever tale of the first day, with the illustrations portraying the mom as tiny, compared to her brave boy. Great story for the first day in Kindergarten, maybe even something that can be shared with parents. I love this one!

Just a weird thing to notice:

Of these six books, five have either an author or illustrator who is of Asian descent. Hyewon Yum is Korean American, Vincent Nguyen is Vietnamese American, and I am not sure of the heritage of Yumi Heo, Huy Voun Lee, or Herbert Lee. But, it is interesting to note. Three of the six books have Asian children represented within them. Go diversity!

Books June 2012

June has flown by, I have not read the pile of picture books on my den floor and need to get to those. Here's the list of adult books read in June. Mostly lighter reads than last month, but a few enlightening ones as well.

Lots of fun reads this month, so I decided to list them in rank order, hard to do, since they are such different genres. Will try to do better with postings in July!

1.     I've got you number by Sophie Kinsella

2. If I loved you, I would tell you this by Robin Black

3. Banishing Verona by Margot Levesey

4. The brutal telling by Louise Penny

5. Bel Canto by Anne Patchett

6. The handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood

7. Whatever you love by Louise Doughty

8. Confessions of a shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

9. Victims by Jonathan Kellermnan

10.         Gun games by Faye Kellerman

11.         Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen

12.         Yours, mine and ours by Maryjanice Davidson (did not finish)

1.     This is slapstick writing at its best. I loved this predictable romantic comedy because the comedy was anything but predictable! Read it, you will laugh outloud!

2.     Short stories that are so riveting, I wanted to know more about each of the characters. Black is comparable to Alice Munro, one of the greatest!

3.     An unusual love story told from the viewpoints of both star-crossed lovers, one of whom is a young man with autistic tendencies.

4.     The fifth Louise Penny mystery, good enough to eat! They may not be getting better, but they are certainly maintaining a high level of readability.

5.     I liked this book, read on the recommendation of my sister, but liked State of Wonder better; maybe Patchett’s books have that effect, the first one, whichever you read first, will always be the best.

6.     Never having read this before, I enjoyed it, although it is truly a scary look at one possible future for our country. All I can say is “Don’t let the bastards beat you down.”

7.     The story of a divorced woman who loses her daughter to an auto accident, her thoughts and actions for the first few months after her daugther’s death. This is well-written and extremely sad. Why do I read this stuff?

8.     Another Sophie Kinsella. I did not enjoy this nearly as much as I’ve Got Your Number, but it was still funny and a quick read.

9.     Psychological murder at its best. It may be that J. Kellerman is running out of stories to tell.

10. The wife tells tales, too. I do like the characters of Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. They grow old gracefully, but will Kellerman ever let Peter retire?

11. A tongue in cheek romp through aristocratic life in the early 1900s. Fun, but nothing to write home about.

12. I thought I might like this, but could not finish reading it. Too many problems and no one to like.