New Year List

Here is the list of my favorite books of 2011. You may have seen some of them posted and you may not have. They are in the order I read them-that's it.It was a slow year; only 62 books read. I had one year where I read 150 books. I wasn't working full time then. And I was reading more of those smaller pieces of brain candy than I have time for now. *Sigh*.

It was a great year for book. My TBR (to be read) pile is bigger than ever but my husband tells me retirement is just around the corner. I'll believe that when the financial planner explains how it's all going to work. And I keep piling up knitting books and patterns also soooooo time will still be an issue. There could be worse problems.

Happy New Year! Happy Reading!

Graceling Kristin Cashore (YA) Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . .

The Oracle of Stamboul Michael David Lukas Ushered into the world late in the summer of 1877 in the town of Constanta on the Black Sea, Eleonora Cohen proves herself an extraordinarily gifted child—a prodigy—at a very young age. When she is eight years old, she stows away aboard a ship, to the imperial capital of Stamboul where a new life awaits her. But it is only when she charms the eccentric Sultan Abdulhamid II—beleaguered by friend and foe as his unwieldy realm crumbles—that Eleonora will change the course of an empire.

A Discovery of Witches Debra Harkness Diana Bishop, a young scholar and the descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott Kelly O’Connor McNees In the summer of 1855, when vivacious Louisa May Alcott is twenty-two and bursting to free herself from family and societal constraints and do what she loves most, she meets Joseph Singer, and as she opens her heart, Louisa finds herself torn between a love that takes her by surprise and her dream of independence as a writer in Boston. The choice she must make comes with a steep price that she will pay for the rest of her life.

The End of Everything Megan Abbott Thirteen-year-old Lizzie Hood and her next-door neighbor, Evie Verver, are inseparable, best friends between whom -- presumably -- there are no secrets. Then one afternoon, Evie disappears and everyone turns to Lizzie for answers. Was Evie unhappy, troubled, or upset? Had she mentioned being followed? Compelled by curiosity, Lizzie takes up her own furtive pursuit of the truth. Haunted by dreams of her lost friend and titillated by her own new power as the center of the disappearance, Lizzie uncovers secret after secret and begins to wonder if she knew anything at all about her best friend.

A Good High Place L.E.Kimball Set during the years prior to World War I in Elk Rapids, Michigan, A Good High Place addresses familial struggles and those of a nation moving inexorably toward the age of the automobile. The sometimes painful adaptations of a faster-paced age are embodied, in part, in the struggles of Luella’s father who, already troubled by the death of his wife, wrestles with the realization that his livelihood as a steamboat captain is becoming obsolete.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand Helen Simonson The Major epitomizes the Englishman with the "stiff upper lip," who clings to traditional values and has tried (in vain) to pass these along to his yuppie son, Roger. The story centers around Pettigrew's fight to keep his greedy relatives (including his son) from selling a valuable family heirloom--a pair of hunting rifles that symbolizes much of what he stands for, or at least what he thinks he does. The embattled hero discovers an unexpected ally and source of consolation in his neighbor, the Pakistani shopkeeper Jasmina Ali.

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin (943.086) Erik Larson In 1933, President Roosevelt personally selected William E. Dodd to be the United States ambassador to Nazi Germany. Dodd took his family with him, including his daughter Martha. Initially enamored with the Nazi party and its passion, Martha supported the Third Reich. However, when Hitler's violent policies became apparent, Martha changed her opinion and watched in horror. Here, author Erik Larson offers a chilling first-person account of Germany's transformation under Hitler's rule.

Something Old Something New: A Blessings Novel Beverly Jenkins The citizens of Henry Adams are starting to take bets—will Lily Fontaine and Trent July finally tie the knot? All they want is a nice, simple wedding, but their well-meaning neighbors are turning the no-fuss affair into the event of the decade. Bernadine, the town's fairy godmother, wants Lily to have a storybook wedding fit for a princess, and Lily's nine-year-old foster son is campaigning to be town preacher so he can officiate at the ceremony. Trouble multiplies when Trent is called on to help a new family move to town, not to mention Lily and Trent's task of blending their families together.

The Waiting Place:Learning to Appreciate Life’s Little Delays (248.4) Eileen Button We all spend precious time just waiting. We wait in traffic, grocery store lines, and carpool circles. We wait to grow up, for true love, and for our children to be born. We even wait to die. But amazing things can happen if we open our eyes in The Waiting Place and peer into its dusty corners. Sometimes relationships are built, faith is discovered, dreams are (slowly) realized, and our hearts are expanded. With humor and heart-breaking candor, Eileen Button breathes life into stagnant and, at times, difficult spaces. Throughout this collection of essays she contends that The Waiting Place can be a most miraculous place-a place where beauty can be experienced, the sacred can be realized, and God can be found working in the midst of it all.

The Waiting Place

I won a copy of "The Waiting Place: Learning to Appreciate Life's Little Delays" by Eileen Button. It was a wonderful book. I read it in less than a week, which is very unusual for me these days-It seems I am so busy, I no longer take time to read. (I am knitting a great deal, so I get my relaxation time in, not to worry).

"With humor and heart-breaking candor, Eileen Button breathes life into stagnant and, at times, difficult spaces. Throughout this collection of essays she contends that The Waiting Place can be a most miraculous place-a place where beauty can be experienced, the sacred can be realized, and God can be found working in the midst of it all." From Amazon.com

The book was about what we do when we are waiting for life to happen. Good times, bad times, and all the in between life happens times. Eileen conveys all the emotions we experience and really hits notes that resonate . She uses her life experience as examples and I am sure they are not what everyone experiences,but there is something in this book for everyone.

I really appreciate when someone can write so well that I love it or hate it - a book that makes one sit up and take notice. Ms. Button does all this and more-she touches the heart. It's a book you'll have to look for but one worth searching for.

And Eileen is a really nice (no, I mean cool, I mean I need a word that conveys all that without making her sound like white bread or something that will pass with the next fad-like amazing ) person . Who doesn't love a writer that loves libraries?

So go out and BUY THIS BOOK-it's really good.

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

This was a delightful book. The story of what might have happened to Louisa May one summer when her family lived in New Hampshire. It also suggests that the character of "Laurie" in Little Women was a real live love of Louisa's. This has been a topic of conjecture for some time.

I liked how the author brought all the characters to life and made an appealing story. I always liked the book Little Women (and several of her stories after as well). Learning that Louisa May was so fierce and intense was delightful and explains some of her later writings that were not like LW.

The book reminded me a little of Miss Spitfire:Reaching Helen Keller by Sara Miller. Both take real people who we have heard about and tell their stories from another perspective. All fictional but with solid research to support the story and add the septh that enriches the narrative.

Perfect for summer reading.

The Oracle Of Stamboul

A first novel by Michael David Lukas.
The novel is set in late 19th century Romania and Turkey. It is about a girl, Eleonora Cohen, who is told she is destined for great things.
Her story unfolds quickly-her mother dies right after giving birth to her. Her father, Yacob , tries to raise her as best he can, with the help of his sister-in-law (He marries her to keep it all respectable). Eleonora's aunt is not a very sympathetic character and I did not miss her when she faded from the story.
When Eleonora is 8 her life changes drastically. She stows away in her father's luggage to go to Stamboul with him. There we meet Moncef Bey, her father's associate. All goes well until her father dies in a boating accident. Moncef takes her in as his own and this is where, after a series of other events, she meets the Sultan and becomes The Oracle of Stamboul.

I've tried to outline the story without giving away any of the plot endings. There's lots more to the story but I guess you'll have to pick it up to find out.

I liked the book. There were parts that were very lyrical. Eleonora was interesting -I really liked how thoughtful she became. A good lesson for all of us. Moncef Bey remained rather elusive. I would have liked some of the characters a little more developed, perhaps.

The ending was great and the final line was the best:
"For stones in the river of history look different depending on where you stand."

Planting Dandelions

No, not me, I live in Michigan where dandelions are illegal in most subdivisions. I'm referring to the book "Planting Dandelions: Field notes from a semi-domesticated life" by Kyran Pittman. This is a hysterical book about life. I was thinking about where but the truth is, it could be about any of us, anywhere. Especially if you're a woman. And/or a woman who has children. Kyran really nails the experiences so many of us share and in such a way that you are laughing along with the stories. She has been writing about her life in Good Housekeeping magazine and has taken the stories and put together a great book. I really identified with so many of the chapters and I'm not even as young or cute as she is. I was sent an Advanced Reading Copy by the publisher, Riverhead books so was not paid to say how much fun this book is and how YOU SHOULD RUN OUT AND BUY YOUR OWN COPY. Kyran will thank you - she has 3 boys to feed. I can't wait until she goes through the teen years with them-the stories will only get better. Check out her website: http://www.kyranpittman.com/ the book's site http://www.plantingdandelions.com/

Sing You Home

I was sent an advanced reader's copy of Jodi Picoult's newest book "Sing You Home" by Simon and Schuster. I have finally finished it and surprisingly enough, I liked it.
I had sworn I would never read another Jodi Picoult book after "My Sister's Keeper". That one just wrung me out, emotionally. I really respect a writer who can make you feel something-whether you love it or hate it-when you read a book.
"Sing You Home" does not have quite the same emotional roller coaster that Sister's did. I don't know if it was the multiple voices the book had or the enormity of the topic covered in the book. The book deals with 3 families who, over a ten year span or so, deal with marriage, divorce, cancer, religious rights, alcoholism, homosexuality, fertility legalities, and a bit of teen troubles. Max and Zoe are married and due to fertility issues in both parties, resort to IVF (In vitro fertilization-or test tube babies) treatments. After the latest treatment results in a still birth, Max can no longer live in the marriage. He goes to live with his brother and his wife-who have their own problems- and Zoe crashes. Zoe eventually bounces back and deals with cancer and finds a friend in Vanessa, a school counselor at a high school where Zoe does music therapy. Zoe and Vanessa's friendship evolves into love and they become partners.
Zoe remembers there are 3 embryos frozen at the clinic she and Max used and has to get Max to sign off on them. Max has since become born-again into a church that leans toward the religious right. He thinks the embryos should go to Reid and Liddy- his brother and his wife (who Max has fallen in love with by this time). A legal battle ensues.
I won't tell you how it ends but I was satisfied with the ending. And will be recommending the book to readers. There are alot of plot lines running around in this book but Ms. Picoult manages to weave them into a timely and well-balanced story. And there is a music disc included with the book so you can hear Zoe's voice along with the story. I have to admit I did not listen to the disc-I like to form my own opinions but I am sure you can find additional reviews elsewhere.
Just one last plug- Buy this book from an independent bookseller like one of my two favorites- The Books Connection of Shelby or Aunt Agatha's in Ann Arbor Michigan. Both have great websites as well.

Boiling Point

Karen Dionne's latest eco-thriller is out and getting great reviews. We hosted her at the Romeo District Library in January and had a great time.

Her latest book follows the explosion of a volcano in Chile: modeled after a real volcano that wiped out a whole town on the coast of Chile.

Here is a great review (Why re-create the wheel?) that I couldn't have said better myself:
http://www.sciencethrillers.com/2011/latest-book-review-boiling-point-karen-dionne/#more-1842

And here is Karen's website if you'd like to know more:
http://www.karen-dionne.com/