BEA, Book Expo America 2014

I had a wonderful time at Book Expo this year.  To be fair, I always have a wonderful time, otherwise I wouldn't attend.  I go on my own dime, so to be fair, I need to have a good time.

The highlight for me is the books.  Sure, I like meeting authors, afterall they write books, one of my favorite things, but books really do it for me.

I shipped home 107 pounds of books; three boxes stuffed full.  That translates to 116 books.  These photos don't show all of them, some flew to new homes before I could get the rest organized for photos.  Here's a collage of the books that stayed here.

Ten hardcovers, but the rest were ARC's, Yay!  The kids books on the left and left center of the bottom row, will be donated to Bob's old station, where they have a Free Library for they children who end up at the police station.

What are you reading?

May 2014 Reads

38	Sweet Thunder	Ivan Doig
39	Cold In July	Joe R. Landsdale
40	Never Tell	Alafair Burke
41	Coop	Michael Perry
42	All He Saw Was The Girl	Peter Leonard
43	Moscow Sting	Alex Dryden
44	All The Pretty Horses	Cormac McCarthy
45	Family Life	Akhil Sharma
46	Driftless	David Rhodes
47	Cypress Grove	James Sallis
48	The Bat	Jo Nesbo
49	Until Proven Guilty	J. A. Nance
50	The Day The World Came To Town	Jim Defede
51	Mystic River	Dennis Lehane
52	The World I Never Made	James Lapore

While I was on my six week vacation I read  28 books, it was easy to do without the "every day" distractions.  All the reading was on my nook e-reader. It's impossible to carry so many books with me, unless I'm on a road trip, even then it'd be iffy.

I purposely downloaded three of my all time favorite reads, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, Driftless by David Rhodes and Mystic River by Dennis Lehane.  It had been at least five years since I'd read each of these and a long vacation was the perfect time to savor them.  There are so many new books, it's easy to not re-visit these favorites, but with each one I was swallowed into the great writing.

The two non-fiction from this list are outstanding. Coop by Michael Perry, is a memoir of growing up and living in rural Wisconsin.  This quote from Publisher's Weekly explains Coop's charm much better than I can:  "Perry (Population: 485) is that nowadays rare memoirist whose eccentric upbringing inspires him to humor and sympathetic insight instead of trauma mongering and self-pity. His latest essays chronicle a year on 37 acres of land with his wife, daughters and titular menagerie of livestock (who are fascinating, exasperating personalities in their own right). But these luminous pieces meander back to his childhood on the hardscrabble Wisconsin dairy farm where his parents, members of a tiny fundamentalist Christian sect, raised him and dozens of siblings and foster-siblings, many of them disabled. Perry's latter-day story is a lifestyle-farming comedy, as he juggles freelance writing assignments with the feedings, chores and construction projects that he hopes will lend him some mud-spattered authenticity."

The other non-fiction is The Day The World Came To Town by Jim Defede.  This was recommended to me by friends who live in Australia.  It's a great small book about 9/11 and its aftermath.  America has a lot of air traffic and when the towers fell, we closed our airspace.  This book tells the story of Gander, Newfoundland, a small town with a big airport and a big heart.  38 planes were routed to Gander, adding more than 6,000 passengers and crew to this remote town.  >Gander residents responded as if good deeds were the main business of their lives. They housed the stranded passengers in their homes, fed them, clothed them, even provided impromptu entertainment.  Defede did some great research; I loved this small 256 page account of Gander and didn't want it to end.

Here are some brief notes about other reads from May.

Brilliantly capturing an America roaring into a new age, Sweet Thunder is another great tale from a classic American novelist. I’ve read everything Ivan Doig has written, I don’t think he could write a bad book.

Cold In July by Joe R. Lansdale is a remarkable suspense novel, full of darkness, humor, passion, and truth; it is an odyssey into the dark recesses of the human psyche. Cold in July will soon be a movie.

Here’s a quote from Suspense Magazine
“Never Tell is a great read. Alafair Burke writes a riveting story with a strong female protagonist.” It’s great to read about a strong woman character.

Moscow Sting by Alex Dryden is a very engaging fast-paced thriller. A great read

I really loved Cypress Grove by James Sallis. A small town sheriff asks a retired detective for help on a case that’s way above his pay grade. Turner, the detective, also happens to be an ex-con. This well written tale makes for some great reading.

In The Bat by Jo Nesbø is the initial Harry Hole novel, but it wasn’t released in America, until this year. This is a great series about Hole, pronounced Ho-Ly, a quirky Norwegian detective. If you haven’t read the series, start with this one. You won’t be sorry.

The World I Never Made by James Lepore is an atmospheric novel of suspense with brilliantly drawn characters and back-stories as compelling as the plot itself. It is the kind of novel that resonates deeply and leaves its traces long after you turn the final page.

There you have it, the books I hope my readers will read and love.

What are you reading?

April 2014 Reads

25	The Last Winter of Dani Lancing	P.D. Viner
26	A Drink Before the War	Dennis Lehane
27	Darkness, Take My Hand	Dennis Lehane
28	Sacred	Dennis Lehane
29	Gone, Baby, Gone	Dennis Lehane
30	Prayers For Rain	Dennis Lehane
31	The Cold Song	Linn Ullmann
32	One Hard Man	Brad Thor
33	All The Birds, Singing	Evie Wyld
34	Switchblade	Michael Connelly
35	Local Souls	Allan Gurganus
36	Four Corners of the Sky	Michael Malone
37	7 Grams of Lead	Keith Thomson

Before I left on vacation I re-read the five book series featuring Kenzie and Gennaro by Dennis Lehane,  I read them in order, just as I read them when they were published.  Dennis Lehane is one of my favorite authors and I like to revisit every so often.  If you haven't read Lehane, I highly recommend him.

I think my favorite, "new to me" book on this list was Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone.  It's a road trip story, it's about family, it's funny, it's about family, forgiveness, and moving on.  I really like it.

This month I read some "action" books and loved each one.  These are great summer reads:  One Hard Man by Brad Thor, Switchblade by Michael Connelly, and 7 Grams of Lead by Keith Thomson.

What are you reading?

Book List

Six years ago, one of my Tai Chi students asked me to create a book list for her. She wanted a list of good books, fiction and non-fiction, so she could explore authors she wasn't familiar with. She specifically asked that the choices be more family oriented, rather than dark or profane. I've passed the list out to several others, so I thought I'd post it here, too. - I haven't updated this list because it's a good one; I hope you think so, too.

Yes, I've read all of these.

Book List

109 East Palace Jennet Conant
700 Sundays Billy Crystal
A Three Dog Life Abigail Thomas
A Useful Dog Donald McCaig
Alex & Me Irene Pepperberg
Augusta Locke William Haywood Henderson
Bastard Out of Carolina Dorothy Allison
Behind the Scenes at the Museum Kate Atkinson
Belong to Me Marisa de la Santos
Big Sid's Vincati Matthew Biberman
Blind Your Ponies Stanley Gordon West
Chronicler of the Winds Henning Mankell
Coal Run Tawni O'Dell
Dating Dead Men Harley Jane Kozak
Devil in the White City Erik Larson
Down Town Ferrol Sams
Dreams from my Father Barack Obama
Evidence of Things Unseen Marianne Wiggins
Forever Pete Hamill
Friday Night Lights H. G. Bissinger
Good Grief Lolly Winston
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Jamie Ford
In the Shadows of the Sun Alexander Parsons
Irreplaceable Stephen Lovely
Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
Little Bee Chris Cleave
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits Ayelet Waldman
Love Walked In Marisa de los Santos
Marley and Me John Grogan
My Antoinia Willa Cather
One Thousand White Women Jim Fergus
Outcast United Warren St. John
Peace Like a River Leif Enger
Same Sweet Girls Cassandra King
Sky Bridge Laura Pritchett
Sky Burial Xinran
Some Horses Thomas McGuane
Some of Tim's Stories S.E. Hinton
Stargirl Jerry Spinelli
The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein
The Color of Water James McBride
The Flying Troutmans Miriam Toews
The God of Animals Aryn Kyle
The Good Good Pig Sy Montgomery
The Guernsey Literary and Mary Ann Shaffer
Potato Peel Pie Society and Annie Barrows
The Longest Trip Home John Grogan
The Memory of Running Ron McLarty
The Mighty Queens of Freeville Amy Dickinson
The Opposite of Love Julie Buxbaum
The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd
The Tender Bar J.R. Moehringer
The Undomestic Goddess Sophie Kensella
The Well and the Mine Gin Phillips
The Whistling Season Ivan Doig
Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson
The Life and Time of the Bill Bryson
Thunderbolt Kid, A Memoir
Turtle Warrior Mary Relindes Ellis
Undiscovered Country Lin Enger
Water for Elephants Sara Gruen
We Bought a Zoo Benjamin Mee

What are you reading?

March 2014 Reads

18 The Flight of Gemma Hardy Margot Livesey 19 Everything I Never Told You Celeste Ng 20 The Rise and Fall of Great Powers Tom Rachman 21 Where Nobody Knows Your Name John Feinstein 22 I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You Courtney Maum 23 The Last Summer of the Camperdowns Elizabeth Kelly 24 To Rise Again At A Decent Hour Joshua Ferris

I read Tom Rachman's debut novel The Imperfectionist, in 2010, and loved it.  He did not disappoint with his next novel, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers.  Truthfully, the format of this story, jumping back and forth thru time, 2011, 1999, 2011, 1988, 1999, 2011, 1988, and it just keeps going, isn't my favorite way to read a novel; I'm glad I stuck with it, when I read the last page I told Bob, this was such a wonderful story.  The main character, Tooly, the American owner of a small Welsh bookstore believes she'll never understand the true story of her life.  She lived most of her formative years traveling the world in the company of non-relatives!  Hurry, read this book, it's really great.

I don't think there's a better sport writer than John Feinstein.  I'd read his books even if I didn't like sports.  His latest, Where Nobody Knows Your Name, is outstanding.  I'm a huge baseball fan and I even go to our local single A baseball games.  This book is about the players, coaches and umpires who toil in Triple A baseball, trying to get to Major League Baseball.  Prior to reading this, I'd never really thought about the huge impact of going up, then going down, sometimes many times, has on players, coaches and umpires.   Where Nobody Knows Your Name gives readers an intimate look at a baseball world not normally seen by the fans. John Feinstein gets to the heart of the human stories in a uniquely compelling way, crafting a masterful book that stands alongside his very best works.

What are you reading?

February 2014 Reads

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8	Fangirl	Rainbow Rowell
9	Never Come Back	David Bell
10	Lies You Wanted to Hear	James Whitfield Thomson
11	Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy	Karen Foxlee
12	Fourth Day	Zoe Sharp
13	Fifth Victim	Zoe Sharp
14	The Counterfeit Agent	Alex Berenson
15	Ruby	Cynthia Bond
16	The Scar Boys	Len Vlahos
17	Try the Morgue	Eva Maria Staal

Lies You Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson is an excellent debut novel.  One of my favorite authors reviewed it and I'm going to quote his review, because I can't say it better.  "The searing tale of a wife and mother, a husband and father, both of whom are - like the rest of us - flawed, their animosity for one another only outweighed by their deep and abiding love for their children. No spouse or parent who picks up this book will be able to put it down. Nor will anyone else." - Andre Dubus III, NYT bestselling author of Townie and House of Sand and Fog.  Read the book!

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee is a grade school book for 8-12 year olds.  It will be read and loved by youngsters who've grown up on fairy tales, and appreciate gorgeous writing and complex storytelling. In this story of friendship and bravery, Ophelia shines as one of the first true heroines of  fabulous middle-grade novels."

This month I read the 4th and 5th installments of the great Charlie Fox books by Zoë Sharp.  This is a great series I recommend starting with the first book, First Drop.

The Counterfeit Agent is Berenson's ninth John Wells story.  I've read all of them.  John Wells is who you want to know when everything around you goes upside down.  He's my favorite hero.  Berenson apparently does a lot of meticulous research regarding both locations and spycraft; all this, plus his great story adds up to a well-crafted spy novel.

Scar Boys by Len Vlahos, is a debut novel for high schoolers. It's a coming-of-age, rock-and-roll novel mashup written in the form of a college admissions essay (one that blows past the 250-word limit).  Set in the early 1980s, the narrative flows easily and rings true.  Scar Boys is not just for high schoolers!

Try the Morgue by Eva Maria Staal, is an unusual debut.  Again, I'm going to quote someone else, "Staal, a former arms dealer, fictionalizes the dilemma of a young woman caught between the thrill of international gunrunning and the security of family and home.  Try the Morgue deftly marries an edgy thriller to a sensitive literary story.” ~ Bruce Jacobs - Shelf Awareness

What are you reading?

January 2014 Reads

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1	The Raven's Gift	Don Rearden
2	Saturday Night Widows	Becky Aikman
3	The Redeemer	Jo Nesbo
4	A Well-Tempered Heart	Jan-Phillipp Sendker
5	Deep Winter	Samuel W. Gailey
6	The Judge	Steve Martini
7	Counting by 7s	Holly Goldberg Sloan

The Raven's Gift by Don Rearden was a very good read.  It really had everything, a great plot, a deadly epidemic, the windswept Alaskan tundra, relationships, danger, adventure and mysticism.  Something for everyone; this debut novel is well worth the read.

I almost didn't read Saturday Night Widows by Becky Aikman.  It's a memoir and I was thinking, wrongly it turned out, that I didn't want to indulge in anything maudlin.  Aikman was widowed young and when she turned to a support group she was actually picked on for being desirable!  She went on to form her own support group of young widows.  This memoir is engaging and entertaining but not maudlin, Aikman shows a side of life that many readers probably don't think about. A compassionate narrative about how one group of friends helped each other thrive after the deaths of their spouses.  I learned a lot and highly recommend Saturday Night Widows.

Deep Winter by Samuel W. Gailey is a debut novel, and if you know me you know I love reading an author's first book.  Gailey did not disappoint with his beautifully written mystery.

A friend gave me an old copy of The Judge by Steve Martini.  I haven't read Martini previously, but I knew he was popular from how many of his books I'd shelved when I worked at Barnes and Noble.  The Judge is courtroom drama, at it's best.  If you love John Grisham's writing, you'll also really enjoy Martini.

Counting by 7's by Holly Goldberg Sloan is a YA or middle school read.  Unlike many books in this category it doesn't deal with wizards or other fantasy.  When I finished, I immediately messaged one of my librarian friends to be sure she'd ordered it, and she had.   Willow is a quirky young genius who is suddenly orphaned.  County by 7's deals with her gaining a new family and what family really means.  I loved this book.

What are you reading?