HISTORY BUFF ALERT (FEBRUARY 2016)

 

For those readers who enjoy politics and history, businessman, political pundit and blog reader,  Gary S. is my "go to" person for reviews. Recently he commented on Killing Reagon: The Violent Assault that Changed a Presidency by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. 

Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard are a well known team with many successful best sellers. Gary S. actually personally knows Dugard, an accomplished historian and political author. Dugard lives in California and allegedly is responsible for most of the writing....no surprise there....

Here's what Gary S. had to say.....

I finished Killing Reagan and would classify it as basically a biography of Reagan from his Hollywood days until he died. The assassination attempt played a small part in the book. There was no mention of his economic theories of 'trickle down' by cutting taxes for the rich. I thought it was really interesting but was definitely leaning towards the conservative narrative, that he was a great leader. The book focused very heavily on his dementia while in office and after he retired......

Definitely a good read.

Order now directly from this blog. Click on the Amazon Search Box in the Sidebar.

THE POISON ARTIST (FEBRUARY 2016)

If Stephen King recommends this thriller it must be good...Right?!? Actually it sounds like a welcome departure from a lot of the disappointing books I've been reading. Critics called The Poison Artist by Jonathan Moore "a unique and fast paced psychological thriller that keeps the reader guessing right up to the end."  At the very least, it belongs on my super long TBR LIST.......

Here's what Bookish.com said....

The Poison Artist

Stephen King called this thriller by Jonathan Moore“terrifying,” so consider yourself warned. Toxicologist Caleb Maddox is not having a good night. His girlfriend threw a glass tumbler at his head during a fight that effectively ended their relationship. He’s nursing his wounds (literally and figuratively) at a bar when he catches sight of a mysterious woman named Emmeline. They talk in hushed and seductive tones, but she leaves before he can find out more about her. But when he goes to search for her the next day, he gets caught up in the hunt for a murderer who is using poison to kill. As he hunts for both the serial killer and the seductress, Caleb’s world begins to unravel.

WHAT'S TRENDING (JANUARY 2016)

It's not coming out until May and if you're a Louise Erdich fan, it's worth the wait!  What an interesting premise....another compelling read by this prize winning author..By the way, I've never liked her books...but may try this one...Keep tuned....

La Rose by Louise Erdrich

Paul Emmell

 

Louise Erdrich’s stunning new novel LaRose opens with an unforgivable tragedy: In the summer of 1999, a North Dakota man accidentally shoots and kills his neighbor’s youngest son — a boy who is also his own son’s best friend. In penance, he gives up his son LaRose to the grief-stricken neighbor’s family. Luminous and deeply affecting, LaRose examines the fragile bond between two heartbroken families and the complexities of justice, loss, healing, and redemption.(Buzzfeed.com)

On January 12th, THE LIGHTKEEPERS, a debut  novel by Abby Geni was released. It's without a doubt a page turning mystery and critics were impressed with the superb writing style and original format. 

THE LIGHTKEEPERS By Abby Geni

Abby Geni’s debut novel The Lightkeepers is as wild as the landscape it describes: A nature photographer embarks on a one-year residency in an isolated, dangerous archipelago of islands off the Californian coast, only to encounter violence and a set of companions she cannot trust. Mysterious, vivid, and original, The Lightkeepers will quickly ensnare readers in its cruelly beautiful world.(Buzzfeed.com)

AN EMAIL FROM LIZ...(JANUARY 2016)

Look who sent me a letter..my BFF Elizabeth!  What a coincidence!  Just started her new book.....

Dear Joyce, My Name Is Lucy Barton was a different kind of book for me, and writing it surprised me. While I hope for all my books to provide the reader with a kind of intimate experience this one seems particularly available for that, I think.

My Name is Lucy Barton To re-invent the self has always been a terribly American idea, and I was interested in this, and I was also interested in class lines in this country. And so Lucy begins her life in real poverty, as an outcast, and moves through life until she is arguably an upper-middle class woman living in New York City. How much, or how little, she has really been able to escape, is a question for the reader to think about. It came to me recently that I always write for a reader who “needs” the book at whatever time in their life it arrives. And readers will always—and should—bring their own story to the story they are reading, and so it becomes, essentially, a different book for every reader. I hope you enjoy My Name is Lucy Barton, that it gives you a momentary vision of life perhaps larger than what you had before. Elizabeth Strout

WSJ NEWS (JANUARY 2016)

According to the Wall Street Journal, winter is a relatively quiet season for book publishers, a time when they can introduce gems that might otherwise be lost in fall’s crush of literary heavyweights. The buzziest titles this season range from family dramas to ghost stories and most are included on this blog.

Among the most notable are the latest novel from Pulitzer Prize-winner Elizabeth Strout reviewed in an earlier post and The Expatriates by Janice Y.K.Lee, described below.

‘The Expatriates’ by Janice Y.K..Lee, Jan. 12

Janice Y.K.Lee's debut novel in 2009, “The Piano Teacher,” a tale of two love affairs in midcentury Hong Kong, was a runaway hit, selling more than 400,000 copies in the U.S., according to her publisher. Viking is hoping for a repeat performance with “The Expatriates.” The new work, set in present day Hong Kong, looks at three women whose lives cross paths in the city’s insular expat community.

LIFE AFTER PI (JANUARY 2016)

Goodreads.com let BuzzFeed Books know which books its users were most pumped about in 2016.  Below are two titles getting a lot of buzz, based on amount of people adding them to their “to-read” shelves.

The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel

Geoff Howe

 

Genre: Fiction
What it’s about: This is Martel’s first novel from the Life of Pi writer since 2010, and it takes the reader to Portugal for an epic story told over the course of almost 100 years: in 1904, when a young man discovers a journal that leads him on a trip to find an ancient artifact; to 1939, when a pathologist finds himself implicated in the result of that young man’s search; to 1989, when the quest comes to a surprising end in a northern village, where a Canadian senator is mourning his late wife.
When it comes out: February 2 (Pre-order from the Amazon Searchbox in the Sidebar)

America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

HarperCollins

stephaniedray.com

Renee Hollingshead

 

Genre: Historical fiction
What it’s about: Dray and Kamoie dive deep in this extensive, thoroughly-researched story of Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson — a woman who held the secrets of her father close to her, and had to make sacrifices of her own for the sake of his reputation and legacy.
When it comes out: March 1 (Pre-order from the Amazon Searchbox in the Sidebar)

STORIES I TELL MYSELF (JANUARY 2016)

We've heard the nightmarish tales of celebrity children. In this case, author Juan Thompson's life ended up nothing like that of his parents.  His father, famous author...or infamous as some would say, was Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

From the beginning, it's very clear this is an honest and heartfelt depiction of his addicted and dysfunctional parents....a touching memoir....definetly worth reading...

Here's a description from Bookish.com

Stories I Tell Myself

Have you ever wondered what it was like growing up with Hunter S. Thompson as a father? Wonder no longer. Here, his son Juan Thompson describes the growth of their relationship and how they reforged a strong father-son bond after a period of anger and silence. Juan’s childhood was far from normal and readers won’t find themselves bored with stories of LSD parties, motorcycle rides, and Hells Angels. But what is even more engaging is the story of a boy growing into a man and finding common ground with his father. There were moments of fear and loathing, but in the end there was also love.

ABNORMAL (JANUARY 2016)

 Get a jump on what's new in 2016....Read something that's not your norm, read more thoughtfully...try new genres...Read something you think you'll hate..

Here's some suggestions from Bookpage.com

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend By Katarina Bival DEBUT FICTION Already a bestseller in the author’s native Sweden, this is the kind of story most book lovers will find irresistible. After two years of corresponding with an elderly resident of tiny Broken Wheel, Iowa, Sara Lindqvist makes the trip from Sweden only to discover that her pen pal has died, leaving behind a large collection of books. Sara's efforts to put the books to good use—and connect with the townspeople of Broken Wheel—is a touching homage to small-town life and the power of reading. American Housewife By Helen Ellis SHORT STORIES Ellis serves up a perfectly seasoned story collection that reveals the darker side of domesticity. Told in a range of styles and voices, these stories include an unforgettable introduction to a book club—narrated in a manic monologue that recalls Dorothy Parker—and the pointedly hilarious “Southern Lady Code.” Readers will enjoy getting lost in this surreal, sensationally funny set of stories. The following book titled The Portable Veblen is something I typically wouldn't read, but giving it a try...stay tuned..... The Portable Veblen By Elizabeth McKenzie POPULAR FICTION A book that takes the name of its leading character from economist Thorstein Veblen, who created the concept of “conspicuous consumption,” might sound like a bit of a slog. But this quirky novel is anything but, as indicated by that perky squirrel on the cover. The squirrel takes up residence in the home of our heroine, Veblen, a free spirit who is newly engaged to an ambitious young doctor. When Veblen decides that the squirrel is trying to communicate with her, the story takes off into uncharted—and often hilarious—territory.