Reading Ahead: August 2013, part 2

This summer of the thriller is continuing with gusto, and shows no signs of slowing, either in heat or in the absolute deluge of new suspense/thriller titles being published.  I hope you've got some time in your schedule to slow down and enjoy some goose-bump inspiring fiction!

Justice for Sara, by Erica Spindler

The Mistress, by James Patterson & David Ellis

It Happens in the Dark, by Carol O’Connell

Bones of the Lost, by Kathy Reichs

Tell No Lies, by Gregg Hurwitz

Compound Fractures, by Stephen White

I'll be back next week with the rest (I know!) of the thrillers coming out next month.  In the meantime, stay cool and happy reading!

Reading Ahead: August 2013, part 1

How do I make these lists?  I'm sure there's someplace that would list everything for me, and then I could just copy and paste it here.  However, that's not how the lists come to be.  Instead, I keep a running list for each month while I'm ordering titles for the library.  In some cases, the titles I add are by well-known best-selling authors and fans of these authors know well in advance of new publications anyway.  However, in other cases, I put an asterisk or "star" next to the title because, for one reason or another, the title is particularly noteworthy.  It might be gaining lots of critical praise, or be the start to a new series, or something from a smaller publisher that is getting lots of accolades from early reviews.  In any case, August has quite a few of these on the list, so here they all are!  Now, let me tell you why...

The Daughters of Mars, by Thomas Keneally.  Does the author's name mean anything to you?  It should--this is the same man who wrote Schindler's List back in 1982.  Here, Keneally tells the story of two sisters who are changed forever, and in so many ways, by the First World War.  Reviewers are calling this "vast", "epic", "unforgettable" and "remarkable." 

The Husband’s Secret, by Liane Moriarty.  I loved Australian author Moriarty's last novel, The Hypnotist's Love Story.  In her new novel, Cecilia Fitzpatrick has found a letter from her husband, to be opened in the event of his death.  It contains a deep, dark secret that will change her life forever.  The only problem?  Cecilia's husband is still very much alive when she discovers the letter.  This sounds intense--I can hardly wait.

Red Horse, by Alex Adams.  Second in a post-apocalyptic series from Adams, following first novel White Horse, which I reviewed here.  Following a different thread out of the chaos described in the first book, we find Emma Frane trying to manage in the tenuous new dystopian society.  When she loses the last thing she had to hold on to, she flees City One and travels to find her remaining family...and some answers.  Adams set a gripping pace with her first in the series--I definitely expect her to do the same here.

Night Film, by Marisha Pessl.  Pessl, also the author of the critically acclaimed debut Special Topics in Calamity Physics, returns with a tale of suspense that sounds compelling and wildly creepy.  Beautiful, young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan, and though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative reporter Scott McGrath suspects otherwise.  Ashley was the daughter of reclusive cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova, who seems to have a family curse following him.  But McGrath and Cordova have a long history, and McGrath might not be able to escape unscathed this time.  I might save this for a little October reading!

Approaching the Speed of Light, by Victoria Lustbader.  I loved Lustbader's Stone Creek, and after a long hiatus, she's back.  Jody seems to have a lot going for him--a good job, friends, family, women.  But a secret past he has spent years burying will not stay buried, affecting everything he touches, until encounters with three women change his course forever.  Lustbader has a talent for the subtleties of human emotion--this should be powerful, though-provoking stuff.

I'll be back Thursday with more titles to look forward to in August.  In the meantime, happy reading!

What I was reading: June 2013

I had a week's vacation in June, and oddly, I didn't get nearly as much reading done as I'd anticipated.  That said, the deck has been stained and the blueberry jam I made and put up is delicious, so it wasn't a complete loss!  I did, however, make up for it the rest of the month, and got what I think might be a record amount (for me) of reading accomplished overall. 

Faithless, by Karin Slaughter.  Yes, I'm reading these out of order.  The nice thing is that they do hold up as stand-alone novels quite well.  Here, county coroner Sara Linton and her husband Jeffrey Tolliver stumble over a grave of a woman who was buried alive.  Now they're tracking down what might have happened to her, the case leading to a commune, a cult, and dangerous circumstances for both Sara and Jeffrey.  Slaughter really writes a great, tense narrative.  390 pages

And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini.  You can read my review here.  404 pages

The Egg & I, by Betty MacDonald.  After reading MacDonald's The Plague & I, I had to pick up her other work for adults.  At age twenty, MacDonald married a marine and moved to a chicken farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.  At the time (1927), this part of the country was essentially considered wild American frontier, and our heroine was not exactly prepared for the rigors of life with no running water or electricity, miles from her nearest neighbor.  And yet, she related her experiences with a singular humor that is hugely entertaining.  288 pages

Family Pictures, by Jane Green.  Okay, I loved some of Green's earlier work.  Jemima J. was very entertaining, as was Bookends.  The Beach House had some really sweet moments and great characters.  But for me, Family Pictures fell short.  A young widow with a toddler, Sylvie meets Mark by chance and allows herself to fall in love again.  Fast forward eleven years of marriage and a life built together in California, and now Mark has disappeared, the first of several family crises that bring Sylvie's happy life crashing down.  Then we find that Mark has a second family, or rather, Sylvie and her daughter are Mark's second family.  His other family, living in Connecticut, is also in for the same shock--Mark has left them, too.  Perhaps it was the reader of the audio version, but I was really put off by the transition and the second set of characters who I found immediately unlikeable from the beginning.  I just didn't find it believable, and thought the dialog was very clunky in places.  Not one I can recommend, I'm afraid.  352 pages

Dad is Fat, by Jim Gaffigan.  I'm a fan of Jim Gaffigan's standup comedy ("Hot Pockeeeeeets!").  I thought his book, a collection of essays about being a father of five in today's world, would be funny, too, regardless of not being a parent myself and therefore not being part of the target demographic.  I found some of it amusing, and a lot of it terrifying.  He's got some great insight on modern parenting, but it wasn't as entertaining as I 'd hoped it would be.  That could just be me, though.  274 pages

Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline.  Foster-kid Molly is having a rough time.  Her foster parents don't understand her at all, her boyfriend's mom doesn't like her, and she has community service hours to complete in order to stay out of juvie.  She finds an opportunity to complete her service hours helping an elderly woman, Vivian, sort through an attic-full of boxes...and the memories that go with them, all the way back to Vivian's childhood in Ireland.  As Molly and Vivian spend more time together, they become the unlikeliest of friends, and the answer to one another's problems.  This was such a great read--my only disappointment was that the last fifty pages or so felt rushed.  I look forward to more from Kline, though.  278 pages

Fallen, by Karin Slaughter.  I know, I know.  But I'm not even remotely bored with her work, and they're such fast reads, I can usually knock one out in a couple of evenings.  Faith Mitchell owes a lot to her mother, but if blood is thicker than water, Faith is going to find out just how far she'll go for family.  She returns from a training session to find her mother missing and a hostage situation in progress in her mother's home.  Unwilling to wait for backup, Faith takes out the immediate danger, only to find that she'll have to cross the thin blue line and bring up buried secrets from the past in order to save her mother.  Very, very well done.  387 pages

The World's Strongest Librarian, by Josh Hanagarne.  If you're keeping track, this makes three (THREE!) non-fiction titles in a single month.  Crazy-talk.  Hanagarne is officially my hero.  He's a librarian at the Salt Lake City Public Library.  He's a power-lifter.  He's a dad.  He also grew up Mormon and happens to have Tourette Syndrome.  He has overcome circumstances that would make lesser humans give up and go back to bed.  Told with wit, candor, and a down-to-earth sweetness, Hanagarne's story is hugely inspiring.  Highly recommended.  291 pages

The Hypnotist, by Lars Kepler.  This was a re-read for me, but I must say, I definitely prefer this one in print--the audio version is not a particularly strong one, in my humble opinion.  In any case, the sole survivor of a gruesome attack on a family says, under hypnosis, that he's the one who committed the crime.  Until after the hypnosis session, when he begins blaming the hypnotist for planting the thought in his mind.  So what really happened?  I love Joona Linna--he reminds me, for some reason, a bit of Harry Hole in the Jo Nesbo novels.  503 pages

Always Watching, by Chevy Stevens.  Psychiatrist Nadine Lavoie considers it her life's work to help others manage their demons, even though her own demons often seem quite unmanageable.  When a distraught young woman, Heather Simeon, is brought into the lockdown ward after a suicide attempt, she becomes Nadine's patient, only to find that their stories had a number of similarities.  Even as she digs deeper, Nadine must confront long-suppressed memories and dangers she never thought would follow her into her present.  Gripping--Stevens is one I always look forward too.  340 pages

Atonement, by Ian McEwan.  This is my book club's selection for our July meeting, and I was sort of surprised I'd never read it.  It is sort of perfect for this time of year, as the beginning of the tale takes place on a sweltering day in July of 1935.  Thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment's flirtation between her older sister Cecilia and Robbie Turner, a servant of the estate and Cecilia's childhood friend.  Lacking the grasp of adult motives in this tableau, Briony reacts in a way that will echo for decades within the family.  McEwan writes beautifully and evokes scenes with such luxurious clarity, his work is a pleasure to read.  351 pages


June Totals:
11 titles
3,858 pages

Year-to-date Totals:
 46/75 titles= 61%
17,402/35,000 pages = 50%

Looks like I'm right on target, as I'm half-way through the challenge.  Hope I can keep it up!

Everyone, enjoy your Independence Days safely and I'll be back next week with fiction titles of note being published in August.  Happy Reading!

In Memoriam: Vince Flynn

It pains me to share with my fellow readers that on June 19, 2013, Vince Flynn, author of numerous best-selling novels, passed away at age 46 after a three-year long battle with prostate cancer.  He was an extremely talented writer and a staff favorite here at the library.  He, and his work, will be very much missed.



Regular blogging schedule will resume next week.

Ten on Tuesday: Weekend getaways

If you're not taking a looooong vacation this weekend, maybe you've got a long weekend by the beach or lakeside planned?  If so, you might be considering bringing a book with you (hey, you might want to be prepared in case of rain, plan ahead!), and there are few things as satisfying to this reader than finishing a book a.  Combine all of these things and you get today's Ten on Tuesday--a list of fast, entertaining reads to bring along for your long-weekend getaway.  (Note, these are not specifically "beach reads", which tend to be lighter and fluffier, but rather short-er fiction with great entertainment value.)


1) The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  The recent movie remake has caused a great surge in popularity for this classic title.  Love, wealth, deceit and decadence.

2) The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak.  There's plenty of cross-over between the young adult and adult collections these days (Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, etc.), and this is a great choice--historical fiction set in WWII.

3) Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn.  While this looks a little longer than other titles on this list, it's deeply engrossing and is a fast read.  This was one of last summer's "must read" titles, so if you missed it, it's time to catch up!

4) Visitation Street, by Ivy Pochoda.  Publishers Weekly has been talking this one up, a gritty mystery set in Red Hook, Brooklyn, new from the author of The Art of Disappearing.

5) Red Sparrow, by Jason Matthews.  Again, a little on the longer-side (save it for a 4-day weekend, perhaps), but you can't go wrong with seduction and spies in Russia, can you?

6) The Buddha in the Attic, by Julie Otsuka.  An award-winning novel in eight parts, following the journeys of eight Japanese "picture brides" to their new homes and husbands in America nearly a century ago.  A story of loyalty, identity and culture.

7) The Round House, by Louise Erdrich.   A huge reader favorite this past spring.  When a woman is attacked and falls into a depression, her teenage son and three of his friends set out to find answers...and seek revenge.  Both a coming-of-age tale and a tale of suspense.

8) Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver.  I know, I still can't stop talking about this.  Read my original review here.  Then go read the book.

9) Astray, by Emma Donoghue.  I'm not the hugest fan of short stories, but Donoghue (also the author of Room, among others) is amazing no matter the format.  I particularly enjoyed The Widow's Cruse.

10) Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore, by Robin Sloan.  If you prefer your fiction a little on the quirky side, this is fantastic.  Humor, adventure, and young love--all set in a hole-in-the-wall San Francisco bookstore.


I'll be back Thursday to share what I've been reading this month, and I've been on vacation, so it's a LONG list!  Happy reading!

Three on Thursday: Get your summer reading started!

So, technically tomorrow is the first day of summer.  Given that the pool water is a brisk 52 degrees and we've gotten an epic amount of rain in the last few weeks, you may be wondering if I'm pulling your leg.  I assure you, summer is officially starting tomorrow, whatever the weather.  If you've got a little time off coming your way in the coming months, I've got a few recommendations.

If you're looking to read what everyone else is reading this summer:

Read And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini.  I know, I just reviewed it earlier this week.  But I can't say enough good things about it.  And I guarantee, this is going to be one of the big fiction titles that everyone will be talking about all summer. 


My prediction for this summer's sleeper hit:

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, by Anton DiSclafani.  I gave a preview of this title last month, and I'm sticking to my guns.  In fact, it's on my vacation reading list!  I'll be back next week with a full review.


If you prefer non-fiction:

Hitchhiking with Larry David, by Paul Samuel Dolman.  After a painful breakup, a man turns accidental tourist and hitchhikes around Martha's Vineyard, meeting many interesting characters in the process.  Among these chance encounters is actor Larry David, with whom the author forges a unique friendship.  Funny and moving, this should be a great escape for some summer reading.


I'll be back next week with more summer-centric reads, as well as catching up on what I've been reading.  In the meantime, happy reading!

Can't keep it to myself: And the Mountains Echoed

I mentioned a couple of months ago that I was looking forward to the release of Khaled Hosseini's (you may have heard of him--he wrote The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns--he's kind of a big deal) new book And the Mountains Echoed.  I am here today to tell you that he did not disappoint this reader, not even a little bit.

From the first page, I was captivated.  From meeting young Abdullah and his beloved little sister Pari in a tiny village in 1940s Afghanistan, readers follow family members and acquaintances through the years, showing how chance encounters create enduring impressions.  Many of the reviews I've read of the book center on family and relationships being at the core of the book, but I would say that it is more basic, more primal than that.  Simply, it is a book of choices and consequences, the impact of a split second decision, the guilt or grief that follows a person after making a grave mistake.  At the same time, it is of simple joys and bittersweet reunions, of loss and regret, of what motivates us to act as we do.  I cannot bear to give away any more about the book, because I cannot bear to spoil Hosseini's beautiful stories and lyrical language--I simply cannot do it justice in a blog post.  I can only say that this is a powerful book, full of fallible characters that you can't help but love even as they make you feel uncomfortable, rich with the textures of emotion and history. 

Highly, highly recommended. 

Reading Ahead: July 2013, part 4

As promised, here is the wrap-up for the July releases, with a little something for everyone.

There's humor...

Big Girl Panties, by Stephanie Evanovich.  No relation to the other famous Evanovich, but this debut is being billed as just as full of fun and humor.

Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger, by Beth Harbison.  Harbison, known for her wry take on love and relationships, is back with a novel about second chances.  Quinn Barton was supposed to marry her high school sweetheart, Burke, but those plans were derailed when she chose to run away with Burke's best man, and brother, Frank.  Only that didn't work out either, and Quinn has spent the ensuing years doing penance by working in her family's bridal shop.  When both brothers return to town for another wedding, the time has come for Quinn to face them and her past decisions, once and for all.


Love stories...

True Love, by Jude Deveraux

First Sight, by Danielle Steel

And a bit of historical fiction.

The White Princess, by Philippa Gregory

I'll be back next week with a great book I can't keep to myself!  In the meantime, as always, happy reading!