My annual list of the books I've read in the last year is now in a pdf. file so that you can easily read and print it. It also appears below. You may print it to take with you to your favorite book store or library to make selections for yourself or for holiday giving. If you wish to share it, please share the link to this post. I'll post what I think were the Best Books of the Year in each category separately throughout December.
Enjoy,
Trina
https://workspaces.acrobat.com/?d=lJaWniz2P3ed7HZDboDrVQ
Hungry for Good Books? Annual Book
List, November
©Copyright
November, 2012 by Trina Hayes
Letters after each selection
designate the book as G: Gourmet (exquisite writing, requires concentration),
GPR: Grandma’s Pot Roast (books that get your attention and stick with you),
GS: Grits (evocative of the American south), CC: Chinese Carryout (page-turners,
great for plane rides), PBJ: Peanut
Butter and Jelly (children’s and young adult books adults will like), S: Sushi
with Green Tea Sorbet (satire, irony, black humor, acquired taste), SF: Soul
Food (spirituality, theology, books for your soul), SN: Super Nutrition (lots
of information, yet tasty as fresh blueberries), T: Tapas (small bites
including short stories, essays and poetry), D: Desserts (chick-lit, delightful
indulgences), The letters BC denote books that would be good for book clubs. The fiction section is divided into three
categories: general fiction, mysteries and thrillers, and children’s and young
adult books. * Asterisks depict the most outstanding in each designation. The
number/hash sign (#) denotes books with full reviews on this blog.
General Fiction
*Adichie,
Chimamanda Ngoze, Half of a Yellow Sun explains the Biafran war for
independence and transports readers through the lives or two sisters and their
friends. A contemporary classic G, SN/BC
Alcott,
Kate, The Dressmaker tells of an ambitious maid who
wants to be a dressmaker and who leaves England on the Titanic. Historical
fiction fans will love the details that set this page-turner apart. CC, SN
*Alger,
Cristina, The Darlings takes the financial crisis to a
human level via Paul and Merrill’s fairy tale marriage. Merrill’s father is the
head of a hedge fund when a financial crisis threatens everything they have.
It’s fun with a reality check for life in the fast lane. The engaging characters make it soar. GPR, D
*Benaron,
Naomi, Running the Rift gives voice to the Rwandan genocide
and shows that love matters in this noble story of a Tutsi runner destined for
the Olympics and the perils he and his family face when their world falls
apart. This Belwether Prize winner will appeal to Khalid Hosseini fans. G,
SN/BC
*#Bohjalian,
Chris, The Sandcastle Girls is a historical fiction love story
that tells of the Armenian genocide and of a woman who searches for her
family’s story. Reading of Syria in the early 1900s helps us understand Syria
today. This novel comes from the heart and Bohjalian’s family story. GPR,
SN/BC
*#Brockmeier,
Kevin, The Illumination will keep you up at night as you
consider what it might mean if all our wounds, illnesses and internal injuries
were visible to the world. Brilliant writing, compelling characters and a
challenging premise will make you see yourself and others differently. G, SF, T/BC
*Cash,
Wiley, A Land More Kind Than Home begins as a preacher hands a
copperhead snake to an older woman. After the snake bites her, she’s whisked
off to the garden behind her house to die alone. An 81-year-old woman, a young
boy and a middle-aged sheriff expose evil in this Southern gothic thriller
packed with suspense and meaning. GS, SF/BC
Dermont,
Amber, The Starboard Sea explores
life in a boarding school that takes in kids tossed from good schools if they
have family money and influence. Using sailing as a metaphor for searching for
a guiding star, it explores father-son relationships. It’s reminiscent of Dead Poet’s Society. GPR, SN/BC
*Du Bois, Jennifer, A
Partial History of Lost Causes, in this exceptional novel, 30-year-old Irina who’s sure
that she’ll die of Huntington’s disease as her father did, finds an unanswered
letter he wrote to Alexandr Bezetov, the world chess champion, who is now
running for president against Vladimir Putin.
She drops everything and travels to Russia to ask Bezetov how one
proceeds in a lost cause. G, SN/BC
*#Erdrich, Louise, The
Round House
is a rip-roaring good story told by Joe, a 13-year-old Native American boy, who
tries to make sense of a terrible attack on his mother. Humor makes the story accessible. Great writing makes it universal. It won the
National Book Award. G, GPR, SN/BC
Foenkinos,
David, Delicacy portrays Natalie, a Frenchwoman,
who’s grieving her husband’s death when she falls in love with a shy, introvert. This romantic, droll novel is a subtle
character study that’s very, very French. The movie features Audrey Tatoo in
the lead. D, S, SF/BC
*Foer,
Jonathan Safran, Extremely Loud and
Incredibly Close is an imaginative look at the
aftermath of 911 through the eyes of a boy who’s lost his father. The pictures and the flip book at the end
alone would make for the perfect book discussion if readers will stretch, think
and consider. G, S/BC
Ford,
Richard, Canada, 15-year-old Dell’s parents, who’ve
never done anything illegal before, rob a bank and when they go to prison, he
ends up in Canada. Ford’s detailed prose and nuance make this a study in
skilled writing yet it’s almost a page-turner. G/BC
*#Geye,
Peter, The Lighthouse Road is historical fiction at its best.
Thea, a Norwegian immigrant working in a lumber camp, gives birth to Odd Einar
in 1896. After her death, their boundary
water area town raises Odd. Incredible
characters, good and evil, a setting that won’t let you go, and exceptional
writing make this a winner. A book for everyone (and read his Safe from the Sea as well). G/BC
*George,
Alex, A Good American, Frederick and Jette leave Germany
and end up in a small Missouri town in 1904 as Jette delivers her first child.
Frederick later enlists to fight for his adopted country in WWI and his
grandson James, tells the story of their lives and struggles. George, an
English immigrant living in Missouri, weaves a family saga that details
American history and explores loyalty, identity and the power of music. Historical fiction fans and music lovers will
adore this novel. GPR, SN/BC
Goodman,
Daisy, The American Heiress, Cora Cash, is from one of the
richest families in 1890s America and her mother wants her to marry into
royalty in this charming, plot-driven page turner. Downton Abbey viewers and
historical fiction fans will eat this up with silver spoons. D, CC
Grisham,
John, Calico Joe is a kind novel about family
and forgiveness as seen through the eyes of the son of a blackguard pitcher in
1973 and today. It isn’t just for baseball fans but will appeal to readers
looking for a heartwarming story.
Perfect for reluctant readers especially teenage boys GPR
*Gutcheon,
Beth, Gossip , Lovie French’s NYC shop outfits
Manhattan’s elite. Lovie knows everyone’s secrets and this novel shows that the
way we talk to and about each other is important. This novel is very entertaining but its message
about the evils our tongues can cause is its real magic. G/BC
Hanauer,
Cathi, Gone captures marriage, boredom and
eventually the importance of loving and changing. Eve is the perfect wife and
mother whose husband drives the sitter home one night and doesn’t return. Even
Eve’s usual ability to make everything work, can’t solve things overnight. GPR/BC
Hepinstall,
Kathy, Blue Asylum, Iris is convicted of lunacy and sent
away to an asylum on Sanibel Island, FL during the Civil War to be “cured” into
becoming a good wife. The minor
characters are engaging and the language is plaintive and descriptive as the
novel makes its way to resolution. GPR,
SN
Hoffman,
Alice, The Dovekeepers is a repetitive historical view of
the siege of Masada. Half of my book club loved this but I’m with the half that
found it melodramatic and much too long. SN/BC
Hruska,
Bronwen, Accelerated wryly illustrates the competitive
world of NYC private schools where every child must be the best. Sean, a newly single father, worries when the
school insists his son, Toby, must be tested and Toby’s best friend’s death
isn’t what it seems. Romance and entertainment abound. CC/BC
*Itani,
Frances, Requiem is a quiet book both because it’s a
peaceful, gentle opus and because of the forced quiet that comes when one can’t
talk about something bad. Bin and his family were removed from their Canadian
Pacific coast fishing village and put in an internment camp during WWII. Bin ended up with a new father and an
estranged relationship with his birth family.
After his wife dies, Bin and his dog drive across Canada to rediscover
his past. This poetic, descriptive book
is powerful. G, SN/BC
*Ivey,
Eowyn, The Snow Child asks what if a fairy tale really
came true and a child made of snow came to life in the remote Alaskan
wilderness. This is for the child in all of us. GPR/BC
Johnson,
Adam, The Orphan Master’s Son takes place in North Korea where
everything is based on lies whether in an orphanage, on a fishing boat, when
listening to radio propaganda or when Kim Jong Il’s omnipresence makes just
staying alive the only game in town. This book defies description. G, S, SN/BC
Johnson,
A G S,The Sausage Maker’s Daughter , Kip is arrested for the murder of
her ex-lover and brother-in-law and the DA has it in for her family. Her
recalled memories reveal the mystery and the dysfunctional family at its heart
in this 1960s era page turner. CC
*Jordan,
Hillary, When She Woke is
reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale and
is a retelling of The Scarlet Letter
set in the not-so-distant future.
Chromes, criminals whose skin color is altered to fit their crimes, are
outcasts. Abortion is classified as
murder so Hannah Payne who won’t reveal the father of the child she aborted or
the abortionist, must serve time in prison and then years as a “red.” G/BC
Jordan,
River, Saints in Limbo features elderly Velma True, a
wonderful character, and her mysterious gift in this gothic, mystical novel that
makes too many confusing turns to hold its center. GS, GPR, SF
*Joyce,
Rachel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold
Fry is an eye-opening picture of a man
who quit life until forced to confront the mortality of an old friend. When Harold learns that his former co-worker
Queenie is dying, he impulsively starts walking across England to save her.
Charming without being cloying, this droll British tale will make you laugh
then think about living life to the fullest. GPR/BC
*Kaplan,
Mitchell James, By Fire, By Water brings history to life through Luis
de Santangel, the Spanish chancellor during the Inquisition. It shows how the conversos, Jews who had
converted to Christianity, were treated.
1478 – 1492 comes alive in a beautifully written, cinematic novel. GPR, SN/BC
*Kuhn,
William, Mrs. Queen Takes the Train will delight anglophiles and anyone
looking for a charming story. The Queen
of England takes an unscheduled train ride and learns about life. GPR, D
*#Kingsolver, Barbara, Flight Behavior
is the story of Dellarobia, a young mother, who discovers millions of monarch
butterflies wintering in the Appalachian mountain forest that her father-in-law
wants to log. This novel of climate change presciently came out the week after Hurricane
Sandy - just when Americans might be ready for a novel about climate change.
Kingsolver’s characters deliver. GPR, SN/BC
*Kogan,
Deborah Copaken, The Red Book is a
compulsive page-turner based on Harvard’s famed, every-five-year, red book of essays
about graduates’ personal and career details.
The class of ’89 is arriving in Cambridge for their 20th reunion and all
is not exactly as the Red Book says. While
at first a witty, seemingly carefree novel about beautiful people who have it
all, it soon percolates with secrets, betrayals, romantic rendezvous, forgiveness
and all that gives life meaning. CC, GPR/BC
Livsey,
Margot, The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a 1950-60s retelling of Jane Eyre. Gemma, orphaned in Iceland at
age three, moves to Scotland to live with a kind uncle. When he dies, his
family treats her like Cinderella so she leaves and ends up on Mr. Sinclair’s
remote Orkney Island estate as an au pair.
GPR
*Mc
Lain, Paula, The Paris Wife follows Ernest Hemingway and Hadley
Richardson’s courtship and marriage in Paris. With minor characters including
James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, this novel evokes
the era and a marriage that went off like a firecracker. Hadley was some woman and this novel made me
know her well. G, SN/BC
Mc
Laughlin, Emma and Kraus, Nicola, Between
You and Me is a page-turner about a
20-something, Lady Gaga-type sensation whose troubled past makes her reach out
to an estranged cousin. CC
*Morgenstern,
Erin, The Night Circus is a mystical, ethereal fantasy of a
book. A circus open only at night appears out of nowhere with a black and white
theme and a magical clock. Behind the
scenes is a do-or-die competition between two magicians. Escape to this enchanted world you’ll swear
is real. GPR/BC
*#Morton,
Kate, The Secret Keeper, 16-year-old Laurel watches a man
die at a 1960s picnic then years later on her mother’s 90th
birthday, she searches for clues in her mother’s past in London during the
blitz and in the English countryside. No one mixes history, mystery and Brits
better. GPR, SN/BC
*#Netzer,
Lydia, Shine, Shine, Shine is a love story of a genius
astronaut who’s in space as his wife copes with an autistic son, her
soon-to-be-born baby and her dying mother while she confidently pretends that
all’s right in the world. This novel
will NOT let me go. It’s as if Vonnegut
had written The Velveteen Rabbit as
it continues to make me wonder about what it means to be real. S/BC
*Powers,
Kevin, The Yellow Birds is one of the toughest books I’ve
ever read and it’s sure to be a classic. Powers, himself an Iraq veteran, shows
the horror of war through the details of the war in Iraq as seen by young
soldiers. He then depicts one soldier’s
return to civilian life where he doesn’t fit.
It’s bleak but the writing is pure poetry in its evocation of war as
purgatory. It should be required reading for everyone in Congress and the
Pentagon. G, SN/BC
*#Schulman,
Audrey, Three Weeks in December, Jeremy oversees the building of a
railroad in remote East Africa in 1899. In 2000, botanist Max, who has
Asperger’s syndrome, goes to Rwanda in search of a vine eaten by gorillas that
might cure heart disease. Their personal journeys and the history, botany and
biology are insightful and colorful. I hope this becomes a movie as I can
already envision it. G, SN/BC
*Segal,
Francesca, The Innocents retells Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence set it in a North
London, upper class Jewish enclave. This is a page-turner with substance and a
great ending. G, GPR/BC
*Semple,
Maria, Where’d You Go, Bernadette uses emails, letters, FBI documents
and the thoughts of an 8th grader, her alienated genius mother and
her techie, workaholic father to create a laugh-out-loud, yet very real and
even tender page turner about family dysfunction and the absurdity of our
world. Microsoft culture meets
Antarctica adventure in a story that’s essentially about love and growth. S,
D/BC
Sendker,
Jan Phillipp, The Art of Hearing
Heartbeats, The Bridges of Madison County meets The Alchemist in a tale of a young lawyer who travels to Burma to
find her father, a successful man who disappeared four years previously. Most
readers ADORE this novel but I found it trite and tedious. SF
Tsyukiama,
Gail, A Hundred Flowers, Tao’s father is taken away for
reeducation in Mao’s 1957 China. Later,
six-year-old Tao falls from a tree and breaks his leg and his mother tries to
hold the family together. This has
Tsyukiama’s wonderful attention to detail and evocation of place and time but
it isn’t as good as Samurai’s Garden. Still, it allows the reader to see and feel
the time and place. GPR, SN/BC
Tyler,
Anne, Beginners Goodbye seems too light to be Tyler but in
the end she ties it all together and grief, fear and loneliness give way to
hope and joy. Aaron grieves after his
wife dies but her frequent appearances help him cope in a quirky, steady
picture of love and living. GPR
#Umrigar,
Thrity, The World We Found will transport you to Mumbai and
its changing culture while enveloping you in the lives of four women who’ve
changed but still need each other. GPR, SN/BC
Vincenzi,
Penny, More Than You Know is 589
pages that you might just read in a day or two.
If you enjoy fashion, British sagas and revisiting the 1960s and 70s
then you’ll adore this romp of a romantic comedy. Vincenzi’s Lytton family trilogy was hugely
successful and this tale of Eliza, an upper class fashion editor who falls for
a driven-to-succeed working-class mate, should appeal to the same readers. Add Summercourt, the family estate that may
be lost due to a downturn in the family resources, and you have the perfect
read for a long flight or for those awaiting more of Downton Abbey. CC
Walter,
Jess, Beautiful Ruins, a dying starlet is sent to a tiny
Italian resort in 1962 during the filming of Cleopatra. Sixty years later, an elderly Italian goes to
Hollywood to find the starlet and uncovers a bevy of secrets, misspent lives,
and unmet dreams. S
The
Financial Lives of Poets, only
Walter could pull off a character who quits his job to begin a website devoted
to poetry about finance and whose own financial miasma gets him into deep
trouble. S
Mysteries,
Suspense, and Thrillers
*Cash,
Wiley, A Land More Kind Than Home, see General Fiction for information
Child,
Lincoln, The Third Gate packs a lost tomb, a near-death
experience, Egyptology, unfathomable treasure, and things that go bump in the
night into a mystery that doesn’t quite make it. CC
*Flynn,
Gillian, Gone Girl is a deftly written psychological
thriller/mystery that seems like an upside-down cake laced with arsenic. Amy disappears on her fifth wedding
anniversary and husband Nick is accused of murder in this dark, passionate
drama. From beginning to end, it’s a work of disturbing art. G, CC/BC
Sharp
Objects, Flynn’s first novel, is disturbing
and dysfunctional yet completely addictive. Camille, a Chicago reporter
recovering from psychological issues, is dispatched to her home town to scoop
the story of one dead and one missing young girl. Camille’s creepy, bizarre family adds to the
suspense. Packed with twists and disturbing revelations this is like a
Hitchcock movie. CC
*Hamilton,
Steve, Misery Bay, when a former state trooper’s son is
found hanging from a tree in a remote western upper peninsula bay, Alex
McKnight is called to investigate and finds another trooper’s son has died in a
declared suicide that may be murder. Perfect for Dads CC
*Jay,
Gerald, The Paris Directive depicts Inspector Paul Mazarelle, a
droll, sly, unkempt, seemingly slow, cognac swigging, former Parisian star
inspector who now lives in a small Dordogne village where a grisly murder takes
place. The victim’s daughter and the
inspector track an international killer. It’s perfect. CC
Johnson,
A G S,The Sausage Maker’s Daughter ,see General Fiction for
information.
*Landay,
William, Defending Jacob is a fast-paced courtroom
drama and story of the son of a district attorney who’s accused of killing his
classmate. As the father tries to save
his son, he has to ask if a tendency to violence is an inheritable trait and
then to explore his own past. The courtroom
scenes are crisp and realistic as the author is a former district
attorney. The book will keep readers on
edge until the very clever ending.
CC, SN/BC
*Locke,
Attica, Black Water Rising tells the story of Jay Porter, an
African-American lawyer in Houston in 1981.
He lives in fear because one juror is all that stands between him and a
felony conviction. But he still can’t ignore a mystery involving politics, oil
and corruption. This debut has won many deserved awards and will make you think
as well as entertain you with its twists.
CC, GPR, SN/BC
*#Morton,
Kate, The Secret Keeper, see General Fiction for
information.
Penney,
Stef, The Invisible Ones involves the families of a Romany
gypsy caravan in 1980s England trying to find a woman who’s been missing for
seven years. Detective Ray Lovell,
himself half gypsy, narrates most of the story from his hospital bed after an
accident. JJ, a 14-year-old, provides insight into the lives of real gypsies
but the ending doesn’t ring true. CC
*#Penny,
Louise, #6Bury Your Dead was my favorite mystery last year
and it made me read the entire Inspector Gamache series. These novels provide
insights into good and evil while making the darkest winter days fly by. Gamache
of the Surêté du Quebec (a special investigation team) and his crew are
wonderful characters and the small town they often visit is a place you’ll long
visit. Bury Your Dead tells of Champlain and early Quebec. SN, CC/BC
If you’re new to these, start at the
beginning:
#1 Still Life introduces
Gamache and his team who travel to Three Pines, a small village, where a
retired schoolteacher is found dead in a deer hunting area. Sinister secrets are revealed. CC
#2 A Fatal Grace returns to Three Pines where a woman no one
likes is electrocuted on a frozen lake in plain sight of the entire town during
a curling tournament. Gamache exposes
more secrets. CC
#3 The Cruelest Month, Gamache
has to confront his own ghosts and clear his name when he returns to Three
Pines to investigate a séance gone wrong. CC
#4 A Rule Against Murder finds Gamache and his wife on vacation at a
remote Quebec resort where a murder takes place and no one knows how it
happened. CC
#5 A Brutal Telling, the
body of an old man shows up in the bistro in Three Pines and Gamache finds
clues leading to the bistro’s owner. CC
#7 A Trick of the Light finds
Lillian dead in her friend Clara’s garden in Three Pines and clues lie in
Clara’s art exhibition in Montreal. CC
#8 The Beautiful Mystery
takes Gamache and Beauvoir to a remote monastery where a monk has been killed
inexplicably. The order’s singing of
Gregorian chants adds to the story. SN,
CC
Quirk,
Matthew, The 500 is a
debut thriller set in the powerful world of Washington lobbyists with
unchallenged power. Mike Ford, a recent
Harvard Law School grad with a past, is riding high until he discovers secrets
that turn his world into something resembling The Firm. CC
Robertson,
Peter, Permafrost takes a dissatisfied man from his home in
Chicago to the resort area near Traverse City, Michigan to find out what
happened to a childhood friend from his native Scotland who’s disappeared. The former Publishers Weekly mystery reviewer
makes the settings real. CC
Stander,
Aaron, Shelf Ice, when an artist is killed in her
remote home in an apparent home invasion, Sheriff Elkins’ investigation leads
him to a new mega church pastor and a frightened young mother. Stander captures the atmosphere of the previous
books in this series but the ending was too strange. CC
Upson,
Nicola, An Expert in Murder: A Josephine
Tey Mystery weaves the life of a famous mystery
novelist into the investigation of a murder on a London-bound train along with
lots of red herrings found among the cast of a London play. History imbues this
new series. CC/SN
Peanut Butter and Jelly: Books for
Children and Young Adults
*Aesop,
retold and illustrated by Helen Ward, The
Town Mouse and the City Mouse features
sumptuous water color illustrations that will appeal to everyone. Ages 4 -7 plus art loving adults PBJ
Barnett,
Marc, Klassen, Jon, illustrator, Extra Yarn depicts Annabelle whose knitting
transposes a tired, dark town into a warm and sunny place by using special yarn
from her magical yarn box. When an evil
archduke enters, she turns the tables on him. A happy, kind, ethereal tale for
ages 5 - 7 PBJ
*#Bemonster,
Ludworst (aka Walton, Rick), Hale, Nathan, illustrator, Frankenstein
is a wry take on the beloved Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans that should
make everyone laugh out loud. “In a
creepy old castle all covered with spines, lived twelve ugly monsters in two
crooked lines.” Ages four and up PBJ
*Erskine,
Kathryn, Mockingbird shows how Caitlin copes with
Asperger’s with her brother Devon’s help.
When tragedy strikes and Devon is killed in a middle school shooting,
Caitlin must learn to handle bullying and grief in a book that will make adults
and kids ages nine and up cheer. GPR, SN, PBJ/BC
Hannigan,
Katherine, True (. . .sort of) tells of Delly who’s always in
trouble when a “mysteriosity” in the form of Ferris Boyd, who doesn’t speak,
moves to town. Ages 8 and up but I’d read it with anyone under 10 because the
issue of abuse might be troubling to younger kids. PBJ
Hiasson,
Carl, Chomp will especially appeal to boys ages
10 and up. It spoofs reality shows when
one films at the Everglades home/ranch of a wild animal wrangler. His son,
Wahoo, saves the day along with a funny damsel in distress named Tuna. Kids
should love the wacky humor and inept adults.
PBJ
*Palacio, R.J., Wonder is THE best. It’s a gem that will
make adults and kids ages eight and up whoop with joy. Ten-year-old August has a facial deformity
and all his operations have kept him out of school till this year. He wants to be accepted but kids at his new
school can’t get past his face. His deformity also affects his family and the
beauty of this book is hearing the story from his sister’s and classmates’
point of view. Choose this for your
adult or parent-child book club. It’s an endearing tear-jerker. GPR, PBJ/BC
*Klassen,
Jon, This is Not My Hat
has amazing drawings that with a
blink of an eye literally tell the darkly hilarious story of a little fish who
thinks he can steal a big fish’s hat. Children aged three and up will “read”
the story as even the bubbles carry the plot.
As ingenious as his earlier I Want
My Hat Back. PBJ
*Lai,
Thanhha, Inside Out & Back Again, NBA winner, Newbury Honor, HÃ tells
the story of her family’s move from Viet Nam to Alabama. Told in verse, her
story packs a wallop. It provides a history lesson as well as a lesson about
bullying - all beautifully told. Ages 9
-13 SN, PBJ
*Levine,
Gail Carson, Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It
is a collection of “mean” poems
mimicking William Carlos Willams. Kids will love creating their own satirical poetry
after reading it. Ages 8 and up PBJ
*Levithan,
David, Every Day
the book’s main character, “A,” wakes up in a different body – male,
female, different races so when “A” falls in love the question of whether you
can love someone regardless of what they look like on the outside becomes
paramount. Absolutely beautiful ending Ages 13 and up PBJ/BC
Oliver,
Lauren, Leisel and Po is packed with magic to delight 8 –
12-year-olds. Leisel’s wicked stepmother
keeps her locked and hungry in an attic until ghost Po helps her and Will, the
alchemist’s assistant, mixes up an order. Good triumphs over evil and the way
you view things can make a difference.
PBJ
Raschka,
Chris, A Ball for Daisy won the Caldecott showing the joy
and sadness having or losing a favorite toy can bring. Dog lovers will adore
it. Ages 3 and up will love the way
pictures tell the story.
*Ray,
Mary Lyn, Frazee, Marla, illustrator,
Stars introduces the idea of stars and
night
with gorgeous illustrations.
It’s the perfect bedtime book for kids 3 to 9 “Every night, everywhere.”
SN, PBJ
*Rosenthal,
Amy Krouse, Duck! Rabbit! asks the question “is it a duck or
is it a rabbit?” and it all depends on your point of view. It’s a great way to
talk about arguing and what “right” means.
Ages 5 -7 PBJ
This
Plus That: Life’s Little Equations demonstrates
math for real life. “Birds + buds = spring.” “Blaming + eye rolling ≠ sincere
apology. I’m sorry + hug = sincere apology.” Ages 3 and up PBJ
Underwood,
Deborah, The Christmas Quiet Book builds toward Christmas Eve while
entertaining young children as they try to be patient. From “searching for
presents quiet, getting caught quiet” and “listening for sleigh bells quiet” to
snow angels, cocoa and blown fuses, this will delight all. Ages 4 and up PBJ
*Woodward,
Caroline with illustrations by Julie Morstad, Singing Away the Dark
is about a six-year-old girl walking a mile alone in the dark to the school bus
and is one of the most beautiful books ever. This will empower kids to overcome
fears. Ages 4 to 8 and adults. PBJ
Nonfiction
Abbott,
Jim and Brown, Tim, Imperfect, Born
without a right hand, Jim Abbott was an implausible candidate to pitch a big
league no-hitter, yet he did. The way
his parents used his supposed handicap as an opportunity is an inspiration for
everyone. Abbott’s honesty and humor
enlighten his journey and Brown’s skillful inning-by-inning rendition of
Abbott’s no-hitter in Yankee Stadium will entertain readers. GPR, SN, SF
Ackerman,
Diane, The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story is jubilant in its rendering of what
could have been a sad story of the German occupation of Warsaw during WWII.
Instead, Ackerman’s use of the zookeeper and his wife’s remembrances to tell of
their turning the Warsaw zoo into a haven for Jews sings because of the elegant
language and word pictures painted to make it come alive. G, SN/BC
Barger,
Rick, A New and Right Spirit: Creating an
Authentic Church in a Consumer Culture is wordy and preachy but it’s extremely thought provoking
and church leaders need to read it. SF
*Becker,
Amy Julia, A Good and Perfect Gift:
Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny tells of the birth of Amy Julia’s
first child, Penny, who was born with Down syndrome and who brought fear, joy
and infinite growth to her family. SF, GPR/BC
Bonney,
Grace, Design Sponge at Home is packed with pictures, ideas, and
inspiration from the writer of the design sponge blog that will spark interest
in making your house a home. SN
*#Boo,
Katherine, Behind the Beautiful Forevers :
Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbia Undercity is a heart wrenching yet compelling
glimpse into the lives of the real people who live in extraordinary poverty in
Mumbai. If you only read one book this
year, read this and allow it to seep into your soul. To understand India you
must read it. It won the National Book Award for nonfiction. G, SN/BC
*Braestrup,
Kate, Beginner’s Grace: Bringing Prayer
into Your Life is filled with anecdotes that make
learning to start, improve or simply complement your prayer life enjoyable and
challenging. SF/BC
*Cain,
Susan, Quiet, The Power of Introverts in
a World that Can’t Stop Talking
will make you think about why people talk, what shyness means and why
introverts are important. EVERYONE
should read this. SN/BC
Cosgrove,
Michael, Imperfect Passage: A Sailing
Story of Vision, Terror and Redemption is a book for sailors.
Cosgrove’s account of his quixotic journey from California to Australia
is inspiring. GPR
Dubus,
III, Andre, Townie is a dark, brooding, testosterone-filled
memoir of the author of House of Sand and
Fog. His famous father abandoned the family and Dubus coped with his
fists. The violence, drugs, and
concussions made it really difficult for me.
Writing finally saves him but it’s a hard read. G
Isaacs,
Susan E., Angry Conversations with God: a
Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir was a touch too flippant for me. Issacs’ idea of taking God
to couples counseling is intriguing but ultimately tedious. SF
Jordan,
River, Praying for Strangers tells of Jordan’s resolution to
pray for a complete stranger every single day for a year. Her prayers bring her closer to others and
allow her to grow. SF
#Kellis,
Jan Stafford, A Pocketful of Light will take you on a trip to Italy
with a typical American family. It might even help you decide if you’d like to
take the same trip with your teen. D, SN
Klink,
Angie, Kirby’s Way is Purdue University Press’s homage
to the building of a business by a larger-than-life man and his amazing
wife. Kirby and his wife, Carolyn, were
my next-door neighbors and Carolyn was one of my mother’s best friends so this
portrait is a picture of my hometown. SN
Kozel,
Jonathan, Fire in the Ashes: Twenty-five
Years Among the Poorest Children in America follows the children Kozel has
profiled in 25 years of reporting on poverty.
It’s devastating in its honesty.
SN
Lamott,
Anne, Some Assembly Required tells of the harried first year of
Lamott’s grandson and of the difficulties her son faced in having a child so
young. Lamott had to hold back some of
her usual wise and snarky insights since she wasn’t describing just her own
life. Her reticence shows. S, SF
Lemon,
Gayle Tzemack, The Dressmaker of Khair
Khana tells Kamila’s story of becoming an
entrepreneur when the Taliban took over Kabul and she and her sisters were
confined to their home but still needed to make money to survive. Lemon couldn’t reveal many details about all
the characters in order to protect them and the book’s flow is hampered by her
restraint. SN
*Quindlan,
Anna, Lot’s of Candles, Plenty of Cake is a witty, caring, kind, and
thought-provoking collection filled with spot-on observations. It reads as if Quindlen were the friend who
knows you better than yourself sitting across the table enjoying lunch while
talking about the rigors of aging, marriage, family and best of all
friendship. Quindlen, the queen of the
quotidian, hits a home run with this one. GPR, T/BC
*#Richard,
Mark, House of Prayer #2 is as gothic and southern as a
memoir can get. Read it for the staccato word pictures and compelling second
person narrative of a tough childhood. G, GS SF/BC
*Riess,
Jana, Flunking Sainthood: a Year of
Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray and Still Loving My Neighbor is a thorough introduction and a
delightful explanation of many spiritual practices but most importantly it’s
about what practicing faith really means in the end – that the practices will
make you more open to love. Humor and
scholarship make the practices accessible to everyone. SF, SN, S/BC
*Saldana, Stephanie, The Bread of Angels is a timely glimpse of Syria as seen by a Mexican-American Catholic on a pilgrimage via a Fulbright fellowship. This journey to love, faith and hope will appeal to Eat, Pray, Love fans. It’s a romance packed with insight and knowledge. SF, SN/BC
*Saldana, Stephanie, The Bread of Angels is a timely glimpse of Syria as seen by a Mexican-American Catholic on a pilgrimage via a Fulbright fellowship. This journey to love, faith and hope will appeal to Eat, Pray, Love fans. It’s a romance packed with insight and knowledge. SF, SN/BC
Schiff,
Stacy, Cleopatra tells the real history, not the
Elizabeth Taylor version. It’s packed
with word pictures and descriptions that make you “live” history. It’s very,
very long though. G/SN
*#Schwalbe,
Will, The End of Your Life Book Club, When Will Schwalbe’s mother was dying of pancreatic cancer,
he often sat with her during chemo and they talked about books. This tribute to
her and to carpe diem is an ebullient homage to the power of the written
word. It’s optimistic and enticing. GPR,
SN/BC
*Strayed,
Cheryl, Wild: From Lost to Found on the
Pacific Crest Trail is
exasperating and makes you want to shake Strayed but ultimately you’ll cheer
for the young woman who found herself by testing her mettle on an 1100 mile
hike. Strayed’s exceptional writing
elevate this above the usual. S, SN,
SF/BC
*#Winterston,
Jeannette, Why Be Happy When You Could Be
Normal is raw, honest, heart-wrenching, funny
and ultimately flat-out mesmerizing. Named book of the year in Britain by
almost every publication, this hard-hitting memoir by the adopted daughter of a
mentally ill, super-religious woman who couldn’t fathom that her daughter could
be a lesbian, features razor-sharp language and images. G/BC
