SEA BREEZES, TROPIC SPLENDORS..GONE!  BACK TO REALITY..VACATION READS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS POST ALONG WITH SOME BOOK GROUP SUGGESTIONS.
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO MY 2011 LIST OF OVERRATED
BOOKS.


  BOOK GROUP WORTHY BOOKS (12/28/11)

THE FOLLOWING BOOKS RECEIVED EXCELLENT REVIEWS.... 

BG OF WEST HARTFORD REPORTS THAT HER GROUP SELECTED 
THE GIFT OF RAIN BY TWAN ENG TAN

"A GORGEOUSLY WRITTEN EVOCATION OF TIME AND PLACE WHERE GREAT WARTIME SUFFERING TOOK PLACE AND THE WORLD LOOKED AWAY" BG SAID THERE WAS SO MUCH TO DISCUSS...A TRUE SAGA, EXOTIC AND DEEPLY MOVING.


BA FROM GOODREADS RECOMMENDS THE JEWISH HUSBAND BY LIA LEVI

IN FEWER THAN 200 PAGES "A TALE OF PREJUDICE, BIGOTRY, LOVE AND LOSS IS SHARED WITH THE READER" IT IS AN ACCOUNT OF A COUNTRY
AND A TIME ABOUT WHICH TOO LITTLE HAS BEEN WRITTEN.
BA DESCRIBED THIS BOOK AS A "QUIET, CONTROLLED, EPISTOLARY NOVEL"


SK'S  SYRACUSE BOOK GROUP'S ALL TIME FAVORITE IS LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN BY COLUM McCANN.

"SUMMARIZING THE BOOK DOES IT A DISSERVICE" SK SAYS.... 
THIS BOOK WAS RELEASED IN 2009 AND WAS LABELED A BLOCKBUSTER BY REVIEWERS.
I AGREE WITH SK ...THE CHARACTERS MAKE YOU CARE AND IN THE END IT IS A NOVEL ABOUT FAMILIES, NEW YORK, AND AN UNFORGETABLE MOMENT.

NN, A COLLEGE FRIEND BELONGS TO A BOOK GROUP ON THE CAPE.THEY RECENTLY READ IN THE GARDEN OF THE BEASTS BY ERIK LARSON. SHE
PERSONALLY PREFERRED HIS EARLIER BOOK, DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY.

NN'S OTHER RECOMMENDATION WAS THE POST OFFICE GIRL BY STEFAN ZWEIG. A NOVEL OF THE THIRTIES, WRITTEN BY A WELL KNOWN AUSTRIAN WRITER, THIS IS A POIGNANT, HEARTWRENCHING STUDY OF A GIRL'S NAIVETY DURING TROUBLED TIMES. THE MANUSCRIPT OF THE POST OFFICE GIRL WAS FOUND AMONG ZWEIG'S PAPERS AFTER HIS SUICIDE IN 1941. IT WAS TRANSLATED IN 2008 AND RECEIVED EXCELLENT REVIEWS.

THE MARTHA'S VINEYARD BOOK GROUP(AKA JUDY'S BOOK GROUP)
BOOK ALERT:  THE SEQUEL TO THE MAN BOOKER AWARD WINNING WOLF HALL BY HILARY MANTEL WILL BE RELEASED IN MAY 2012. THE TITLE IS
BRING UP THE BODIES AND ONCE AGAIN IT'S 600 PAGES. IT FOCUSES ON THE DESTRUCTION OF ANNE BOLEYN.