The State of the Bookcase | April ’09
April turned out to be memoir month. Out of the 13 books I made my way through 6 were memoirs with some historical fiction and police procedurals thrown in for a change of pace. More in-depth thoughts for most of these books can be found in my Pondering the pages posts.
Title: A Silent Ocean Away
Author/website: DeVa Gantt
416 pages
Publisher: Avon
Publication date: October ’08
Genre: Historical fiction (romance)
I enjoyed this book which is the 1st in a trilogy. I’m looking forward to reading #2 – Decision and Destiny. Be forewarned that this book ends with lots of unanswered questions. You’ll definitely need to read the next book.
Title: The Hong Kong Connection, A Susanna Sloane Novel
Author/website: S.G. Kiner
264 pages
Publisher: Strategic Book Publishing
Publication date: November ’08
Genre: Suspense/thriller
I’m more thumbs down on this book than thumbs up. I really didn’t like any of the characters. I found them to very off-putting.
Title: On the Grind: A Shane Scully Novel
Author/website: Stephen J. Cannell
320 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: January ’09
Genre: Police procedural
A quick, fast-paced, thrilling ride through police corruption.
Title: Illegal
Author/website: Paul Levine
384 pages
Publisher: Bantam
Publication date: March ’09
Genre: Suspense/thriller
A new-to-me author I would definitely read again. Loved it from start to finish.
Title: The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times
Author/website: Jennifer Worth
352 pages
Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: April ’09
Genre: Memoir
Loved it! A very interesting look at London’s East end in the 1950s thru the eyes of a midwife.
Title: How I Got to Be Whoever It Is I Am
Author/website: Charles Grodin
272 pages
Publisher: Springboard Press
Publication date: April ’09
Genre: Memoir
I DNF’d this book after 98 pages. One word: boring
Title: The Cellist of Sarajevo
Author/website: Steven Galloway
256 pages
Publisher: Riverhead
Publication date: May ’08
Genre: Fiction
Loved it! This book is a very moving look at the average person struggling to survive living in a war torn city.
Title: The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University
Author/website: Kevin Roose
336 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication date: March ’09
Genre: Memoir
Loved it! A very intriguing look into the heart of the largest Christian fundamentalist university in the United States.
Title: Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival
Author/website: Ollestad
288 pages
Publisher: Ecco
Publication date: June ’09
Genre: Memoir
I really enjoyed the chapters that dealt with his mountain ordeal. I didn’t enjoy as much the chapters pertaining to his childhood but they are essential to the story.
Title: Jantsen’s Gift: A True Story of Grief, Rescue, and Grace
Author/website: Pam Cope ~ Touch A Life Foundation
320 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication date: April ’09
Genre: Memoir
Loved it! A family, especially a mother’s, incredible journey through grief to bring hope and life to children and families around the world through her’s son legacy.
Title: Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption
Author(s)/website: Jennifer Thompson-Cannino, Ronald Cotton, and Erin Torneo
304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: March ’09
Genre: Memoir
Loved it! A true story of forgiveness – forgiving others and forgiving yourself.
Title: The Wish Maker
Author/website: Ali Sethi
432 pages
Publisher: Riverhead
Publication date: June ’09
Genre: Fiction
I DNF’d this one after reading 44 pages. It never captured my interest.
Title: A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy
Author/website: Thomas Buergenthal
256 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication date: April ’09
Loved it! While it’s tough subject matter to read about the author does a good job of relating his childhood years in death camps surviving unimangible atrocities.
Title: Royal Blood
Author/website: Rona Sharon
352 pages
Publisher: Kensington
Publication date: April ’09
Genre: Historical fiction
I DNF’d this book after reading 94 pages. I found it very tedious going.
Title: Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town
Author/website: Outcasts United
320 pages
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Publication date: April ’09
Genre: Memoir
Loved it! A heart warming memoir about displaced families starting over here in the States, the small town community that struggles to cope with the refugees and the game that brings them together.
Title: For the Love of Pete
Author/website: Julia Harper
400 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publication date: January ’09
Genre: Romance/chick lit
A fun beach or poolside read.
***
Favorite book: Just about any of the memoirs (I can’t pick just one)
Least favorite book: Any of the DNFs
***
Genres:
Historical fiction – 2
Suspense/action/thriller – 2
Police procedural – 1
Memoir – 8
Fiction – 2
Romance/chick lit – 1
Total pages – 4,146
Challenges
eBook – 1
New author – 15
ARCs/Review copies – 14
’09 Pub – 10
***
2009 progress
Total pages: 15,469
Books read: 46
DNFs: 8
Challenges
eBook – 9/10
New author – 39/65
ARCs/Review copies – 39
’09 Pub – 23/9 (Done!)
Posted in The State of The Bookcase
6 Responses to “The State of the Bookcase | April ’09”
- File M for Murder (Cat in the Stacks, #3) by Miranda James February 7, 2012
- Mozart’s Last Aria by Matt Rees February 7, 2012
- Restless in the Grave (Kate Shugak, #19) by Dana Stabenow February 7, 2012
- A Dark Anatomy (Cragg & Fidelis, #1) by Robin Blake February 7, 2012
- Wish list | February ’12 selections February 1, 2012
- Blog update June 30, 2011
- No Rest for the Wiccan (Bewitching Mysteries, #4) by Madelyn Alt June 28, 2011
- On the Way to the Wedding (Bridgertons, #8) by Julia Quinn June 28, 2011
- The Witch Is Dead (Ophelia & Abby, #5) by Shirley Damsgaard June 28, 2011
- When He Was Wicked (Bridgertons, #6) by Julia Quinn June 22, 2011
- HF Giveaway | The Turning of Anne Merrick by Christine Blevins February 5, 2012
- Mailbox Monday | February ’12 (January’s books) February 5, 2012
- February happenings the Mailbox Monday blog January 31, 2012
- Server issues for January’s MM host At Home with Books January 11, 2012
- Mailbox Monday | January ’12 (December’s books) January 8, 2012
Darn, there are so many great books out there waiting for me to read them! I wish I could spend more time with my books.
I really enjoyed Unlikely Disciple, THANK YOU!!!!
This is really an informative site. Thank you. I’m a romance writer and haven’t strayed from that genre. I’m going to take some down time to catch up on my reading. But before I leave your site, let me tell you a little something about my new book, “Beth:Love Along The Way…by B.G.Sanford,” and just released by Eloquent Books. It’s the amazing and entertaining story of one woman who overcomes all odds and obstacles, to find real Love…….Along The Way. For the reader so inclined, they can purchase my book on line or have their local bookstore order it for them. Either way, the reader is in for a real treat!
Good reading my friends,
B.G.Sanford
http://www.eloquentbooks.com/BethLoveAlongTheWay.html
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Most of these books are on my TBR list. I am glad to see you had a positive response to them! Those that top the list are A Lucky Child, Outcasts United, and A Silent Ocean Away, which I just added thanks to your post!
Well, I just put that Paul Levine book (don’t think I’ve ever heard of him) on my “look for” list. I had not heard of many of these, so thanks for the suggestions. If you’re in a memoir frame of mind, I have a fun one for you: Cornfield Heiress, following the author, Errollynne Peters, on a wild ride from growing up in the ’60s on. She parties, has fun, lives corporate life, very NOT corporate life, struggles with eating issues and body image, loves unavailable or married men, has lots of fun. Then there’s the cancer part and even with that, you get her never-say-die spirit. (take your cancer meds with champagne! I love champange so I applaud that attitude.)