Books Recommended and Great Reads of 2016

[Michelle (MichelleBookAddict)]

There are those books that people recommend to others. Sometimes they work. Other times they don't. Lets hear about those books. And feel free to rant away about expectations for the books.

And lets hear about your great 4 and 5 star reads.

[Karin]

This year I've had two 4.5 star reads; the first I rounded down, the other up. I don't know how to link to my reviews as some do.

Morning Glory

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

[Paige]

I have read 3 books thus far that I would highly recommend:

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

[Connie]

Karin wrote: "This year I've had two 4.5 star reads; the first I rounded down, the other up. I don't know how to link to my reviews as some do.

Morning Glory

[book:Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|..."

Karin, it looks like you've sent it to your reviews despite yourself!

[Karin]

Connie wrote: "Karin wrote: "This year I've had two 4.5 star reads; the first I rounded down, the other up. I don't know how to link to my reviews as some do.

Morning Glory

[book:Major Pettigrew..."
Interesting. I've seen some people actually say "Here's my review" and the word review has been made into a link there.

[Book Concierge]

If you click on the (some html is ok) just above the comment box you'll get a menu of html code. The one for creating a link is called LINK

I usually do this in a word document and then copy/paste my info in various posts.
It helps to have two tabs open ... in one you have your review
Copy the url address (begins https:// and paste it into the html code after that first = sign.
At the end of the html code you type a closing bracket >
And immediately type the text that you want to appear as your link.. for example My review here ... then you'll type the closing html code for the whole thing.

Obviously, I cannot use the html code here because it would just create the link and not show the code.

If you email me at tessa.bookconcierge@gmail.com I'll send you directions in a word document.

[Book Concierge]

Oh, any time you link to a book and click on it your OWN review (if you've written one) will appear first, followed by reviews by your friends.

When I click on Major Pettigrew's Last Stand in your post #2 above, Karin ... MY review is first, and your review is second (i.e. the first review among my friends).

When I click on Morning Glory, however I see YOUR review first (because I have not read the book)

[Connie]

Thanks for explaining that, Book Concierge. I was wondering too.

[Karin]

Book Concierge wrote: "Oh, any time you link to a book and click on it your OWN review (if you've written one) will appear first, followed by reviews by your friends.

When I click on [book:Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|6..."

Okay, that makes a lot of sense.

Here are the reviews:

Morning Glory by Sarah Jio
★★★★.5

Penny is a newlywed in the 1950s, married to the famous artist Dexter Wentworth living in a houseboat in Washington State; Ada is a young widow grieving her husband and daughter about 50 years later who moves from New York City to that same houseboat to help move on with her life away from the pitiful, caring looks of those she knew. As she begins to find that life can still hold some happiness for her, Ada finds an old chest of Penny’s, and learns that there are secrets kept by the longtime residents of Boat Street.

Both Penny and Ada were characters I cared about and hoped the best for. The writing is strong and the two tales are woven together well and with good pacing. The book kept me up past my bedtime. While these are all strong signs, I didn’t love it so much that it was a five star read.


Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson started ☊ finished in print
★★★★.5

Major Pettigrew, sixty-eight and a widower, has just learned that his younger brother has died of a heart attack when Mrs. Ali, a Pakistani widow and shop owner, rings the doorbell because he has forgotten to leave the newspaper money for the paper boy. When he becomes rather faint, she holds him up, comes in to make him some tea and thus begins a friendship between the two as they find they have common interests, such as literature. His relationship to his sister-in-law is somewhat strained, and questions arise as to the intentions of his late brother over an antique rifle that was supposed to be given to Major Pettigrew. But over all of this, the developing friendship, and the possibility that it just might end up being more, envelopes the loneliness of Pettigrew

What makes this story a 4.5 rounded up to a 5 is the writing, the pacing, the endearing qualities of Major Pettigrew and the fact that the secondary characters are developed, albeit interpreted through the Major’s eyes. At once we can see what he thinks of his son but also get a glimpse of how is son probably thinks even if, naturally, we can’t really know any more than we can really know what anyone else thinks. Simonson, who hails from England, captures the area and the attitudes of people in towns such as Pettigrew’s, well.

[Belles]

I recently finished Big Little Lies and gave it 5 stars. It was a great character development book, but with enough plot points to keep the story moving. Great ending. It has great reviews here and on Amazon, and it was recommended by Stephen King (though it's not a horror story).

[John]

My last favorite, five star, read for 2016 was The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton. The review I wrote for this book was as follows:

14-year-old Kevin became a man one summer in Appalachia Kentucky. After witnessing a younger brother tragically die, he and his almost catatonic mother are taken to his Pops or mother's father, a country veterinarian. Kevin, troubled, because his father blames him for the death of his brother. Through the wise and attentive counsel of his grandfather and the friendship of a recent acquaintance, Buzzy Fink, he begins to heal. When Buzzy discovers the severely battered body of long-term resident and closeted gay man who runs the local beauty salon, he seems to know more than he is reporting. When Buzzy turns up at Pops displaying bruises, Pops invites him to accompany he and Kevin on his annual hike to remote Lake Glaston where the three will live off the land for several days. Several times during the trek, the boys tell Pops that they believe that they are being followed.

Although this novel did not, in my opinion, received the necessary publicity, I believe that Christopher Scotton's prose is equal to other Southern writers such as the late Harper Lee and Pat Conroy. The three primary characters - Pops, Kevin and Buzzy - were down-to-earth and well developed. I especially like the relationship between Pops and Kevin who possessed all the characteristics that one would expect of a grandfather: patient, loving, attentive and wise. One of my early favorites for the year.

[Carol]

Five star Books for 2016
January
The Corners of the Globe
The Manual of Detection
Simon Said
Murder as a Fine Art
What Lies Behind - Favorite of the Month
Dead Man's Grip

February
The Ends of the Earth
Someone Else's Skin
The Doll's House - Favorite of the Month
A Dying Fall
Not Dead Yet

March
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's
Sorry
Far From True
No Second Chance - Favorite of the Month

April
The Witness
A Man Called Ove - Favorite of the Month

May
The Ice Twins
Sacred Stone
The Last Mile
Britt-Marie Was Here

[Connie]

Carol wrote: "Five star Books for 2016
January
The Corners of the Globe
The Manual of Detection
Simon Said
Murder as a Fine Art
[book:What Lies Behi..."

Nice list, Carol!

[Carol]

Connie wrote: "Carol wrote: "Five star Books for 2016
January
The Corners of the Globe
The Manual of Detection
Simon Said
Murder as a Fine Art
[book:..."

Thank you, Connie

[Karin]

More great reads:

☊ All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ★★★★★+❤❤❤
my review is here

Audiobook of The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, read by Derek Jacobi, 4.5 stars

my review is here

Audiobook of The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson 5 stars
my review is here

The Amish School Shooting, a Mother’s Love, and a Story of Remarkable Grace by Terri Roberts ★★★★★

October 2, 2006--the unthinkable happened. An armed man walked into an Amish school house, ordered the teacher and boys out, locked the door, asked the girls to pray for him, shot all but one gilr who managed to escape and then killed himself. Yet out of a crime that rocked the world came a most surprising thing; forgiveness. Not because there was a lack of pain, devastation or grief, but because of the firm conviction the Amish have about this, and this family was known to them. On that very day, an Amish man went to the home of the parents of the shooter, told them it wasn't their fault, and that he forgave their son.

This book, written by this mother along with a professional writer, might not read like breathtaking literature, but it is her story. It also has bits of writing from others. In the remarkable journey that followed all of the grieving families and community, both of the victims and the perpetrator, there grew a deep and abiding friendship There were grief counsellors brought in, of course, and they also formed long lasting friendships. The Amish don't appear on film or do public speaking, so they turn to Terri Roberts, the mother of the shooter, to speak for them, and usually some Amish go with her for support and to share testimonies.

If you are not at all religious, perhaps you won't want to read such a Christian oriented book, but if not, then at least read about this from secular sources. Regardless of your personal beliefs, I think a close examination of how this was handled and helped with healing and moving forward with a new normal that includes a lifetime of hurt somewhere in there can still be useful.