I've read some really good books since the beginning of the year, and thought I would share my favorites with you. The books listed below were my absolute favorites.
I joined the Book of the Month Club in February, and have been enjoying it so much. These days, you pre-pay for your year's membership (they were having a special and I joined for $119–pretty good deal for 12 hardback books I thought). You can add additional books to your monthly order for only $9.99 per book, which I thought was terrific.
This was my first BOM selection. The Verdict by Nick Stone. It was a courtroom drama, but from a British point of view. They do things a bit different in England when it comes to legal procedures, which I found very interesting. The book is about a super rich man who is accused of murder, and ends up being defended by his childhood friend, whom he made an enemy of in the past. Did the accused commit the murder? Can/will his defender put the past behind him and get his client off the hook? Great read.
Oooh, this was a good one. All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage. A young college professor and family move into an abandoned farm house that may be haunted. The wife is violently murdered and we don't know who done it. Great characterization and writing in kind of a Gothic style. Is it a ghost story? Is it a murder mystery? You figure out who the murderer is pretty early on in the book, but it is fascinating reading to see into the mind of a sociopath. I highly recommend this book. This was my second BOM selection for March.
This was a gritty, film noir style of book. The Night Charter by Sam Hawken. The main character, Camaro Espinoza, a former combat medic, is one of the toughest female protagonists I have ever encountered. Leaving New York after a "bit of trouble", she moves to Florida to start a new life as the captain of a boat that takes folks out for deep sea fishing. Of course she manages to find some new trouble in her new location. About thirty years ago I became obsessed with John D. MacDonald crime fiction, and read about 40 of his books in one summer. This book put me in mind of his style of book.
Who doesn't love a Southern Coming of Age novel? Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Ed Tarkington fits the bill perfectly. Set in the late 70's, it is a book about murder, about love, about growing up. You will find yourself rooting for Rocky, the teenage protagonist. A very satisfying story that keep me turning the pages as fast as I could.
If you have loved Kate Morton's previous books (Forgotten Garden, Distant Hours, The House at Riverton), this latest offering will not disappoint you. A suspenseful, atmospheric, page turner of a mystery. Set in Cornwall, the story goes back and forth from 70 years ago to the present. Missing baby, secrets, secrets, secrets. If you think you have it figured out, guess what? You're wrong!
These books may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I LOVED them. A series of twleve books by Winston Graham, written from the 1950 through the 1980s. All feature a main character named Ross Poldark, a former army captain who lives in Cornwall in the late 1700s/early 1800s. The books feature his family, his neighbors, and his enemies. I was so engrossed in the twelve books that make up this series, that I read them all one after the other. It took a couple months! The PBS series called Poldark is based on the books and features the hunky actor pictured on the book jacket, Aiden Turner. He may have something to do with my infatuation.
Tomorrow I will share with you the books I enjoyed, but not quite as much as those mentioned here. I will also tell you the names of the books I am giving a thumbs down.
27 responses to “Book Reviews Winter”
Kate Morton is one of my favorite authors and I’m on the list at the library waiting for my turn with “The Lake House”. It could be a long wait since books are checked out for a month.
Thanks for the other reviews and titles!
I’m currently re-reading Margaret Truman’s murder mystery series.
Hugs!
Kate Morton is one of my favorite authors and I’m on the list at the library waiting for my turn with “The Lake House”. It could be a long wait since books are checked out for a month.
Thanks for the other reviews and titles!
I’m currently re-reading Margaret Truman’s murder mystery series.
Hugs!
Kate Morton is one of my favorite authors and I’m on the list at the library waiting for my turn with “The Lake House”. It could be a long wait since books are checked out for a month.
Thanks for the other reviews and titles!
I’m currently re-reading Margaret Truman’s murder mystery series.
Hugs!
Thanks for sharing your book selection. I’m always looking for new authors. Quilting and reading, nothing like it!
Thanks for sharing your book selection. I’m always looking for new authors. Quilting and reading, nothing like it!
Thanks for sharing your book selection. I’m always looking for new authors. Quilting and reading, nothing like it!
Thank you for sharing! I’ve copied your list and can’t wait for some new reads. I’m halfway through the Lake House right now!
Thank you for sharing! I’ve copied your list and can’t wait for some new reads. I’m halfway through the Lake House right now!
Thank you for sharing! I’ve copied your list and can’t wait for some new reads. I’m halfway through the Lake House right now!
Thanks for sharing! I’m always on the hunt for a good book! Happy Easter!
Thanks for sharing! I’m always on the hunt for a good book! Happy Easter!
Thanks for sharing! I’m always on the hunt for a good book! Happy Easter!
I am excited to know there is still a Book of the Month club!! I was a member for years…who knew they were still around! I’m sensing that you got to choose the genre that you wanted? I will be looking into this club…and checking for your favorites at my library. Thanks, Nicole!
I am excited to know there is still a Book of the Month club!! I was a member for years…who knew they were still around! I’m sensing that you got to choose the genre that you wanted? I will be looking into this club…and checking for your favorites at my library. Thanks, Nicole!
I am excited to know there is still a Book of the Month club!! I was a member for years…who knew they were still around! I’m sensing that you got to choose the genre that you wanted? I will be looking into this club…and checking for your favorites at my library. Thanks, Nicole!
you must read at bed time…during the day you are way too busy. i can’t read at night anymore. i drift right off to sleep. ;p
you must read at bed time…during the day you are way too busy. i can’t read at night anymore. i drift right off to sleep. ;p
you must read at bed time…during the day you are way too busy. i can’t read at night anymore. i drift right off to sleep. ;p
I read the Poldark series years ago, when the original production was on PBS. I read The Lake House late last year and liked it. I’m adding a couple of your recommendations to Mount To Be Read (my name for the pile of books on my nightstand).
I read the Poldark series years ago, when the original production was on PBS. I read The Lake House late last year and liked it. I’m adding a couple of your recommendations to Mount To Be Read (my name for the pile of books on my nightstand).
I read the Poldark series years ago, when the original production was on PBS. I read The Lake House late last year and liked it. I’m adding a couple of your recommendations to Mount To Be Read (my name for the pile of books on my nightstand).
I loved reading Goodnight, Mr. Wodehouse by Faith Sullivan. P.G. Wodehouse is one of my favorite authors and the heroine in this novel eventually finds him, too. It’s set in the years around the turn of the last century and WWI and tells the stories of a number of interesting personalities in a small town.
Karen
I loved reading Goodnight, Mr. Wodehouse by Faith Sullivan. P.G. Wodehouse is one of my favorite authors and the heroine in this novel eventually finds him, too. It’s set in the years around the turn of the last century and WWI and tells the stories of a number of interesting personalities in a small town.
Karen
I loved reading Goodnight, Mr. Wodehouse by Faith Sullivan. P.G. Wodehouse is one of my favorite authors and the heroine in this novel eventually finds him, too. It’s set in the years around the turn of the last century and WWI and tells the stories of a number of interesting personalities in a small town.
Karen
I recently read The Paris Apartment. I loved it! I just finished Gone Girl… because I am slow at picking these things up when they are hot off the press… but it was a book I really enjoyed. The Girl Wit The Dragon Tattoo… just finishing it now. I give a thumbs up to them all. Circling the Sun was fabulous too. Of course I loved Out of Africa… if I could only time travel!
I recently read The Paris Apartment. I loved it! I just finished Gone Girl… because I am slow at picking these things up when they are hot off the press… but it was a book I really enjoyed. The Girl Wit The Dragon Tattoo… just finishing it now. I give a thumbs up to them all. Circling the Sun was fabulous too. Of course I loved Out of Africa… if I could only time travel!
I recently read The Paris Apartment. I loved it! I just finished Gone Girl… because I am slow at picking these things up when they are hot off the press… but it was a book I really enjoyed. The Girl Wit The Dragon Tattoo… just finishing it now. I give a thumbs up to them all. Circling the Sun was fabulous too. Of course I loved Out of Africa… if I could only time travel!