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DONNA R'S 50 BOOKS READ IN 2016
JANUARY1.
by
Lidia Matticchio BastianichFinish date: January 1
Genre: Nonfiction/Cooking
Rating: A
Review: I am a fan of cookbooks and love to read them cover to cover. A few years back I had an opportunity to hear Lidia speak and was impressed with her down to earth approach to life and food. Her mantra is moderation, nutritional balance, freshness, and simplicity.
The book is nicely organized with over 150 recipes, colorful illustrations and some well-placed tips and instruction, such as cooking risotto step by step and selecting an eggplant. I've made several dishes so far and all have been easy and delicious, including "Meatball and Eggplant Tagliatelle," "Baked Rigatoni and Zucchini", and "Salmon with Mustard Sauce." Yum!
2.
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Elizabeth GeorgeFinish date: January 2
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Rating: B
Review: Lynley and Havers investigate the murder of a young boy in an elite private school in southern England. The investigation is complicated by the school's culture and its long-standing code of secrecy and silence, especially with regard to telling on each other. The author continues to highlight class differences in subtle and not so subtle ways. The pedestrian Havers is a perfect counterpoint to Lynley's aristocratic and privileged background, but sometimes the contrast seems a bit contrived. Overall, a solid entry in the series.
3.
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Melanie BenjaminFinish date: January 6
Genre: Fiction/Historical
Rating: C
Review: This was the monthly selection for my book discussion group and I liked it better than I thought I would. I generally shy away from books with title's like "Somebody's Wife, Dressmaker, Daughter, etc." but in this case the title is appropriate. Anne Morrow Lindbergh was the pretty and bright daughter of a prominent family, who was nonetheless shy and somewhat self-effacing. After marrying the idolized Charles Lindbergh she was virtually swallowed both by the crush of his phenomenal popularity and his dominating and non-emotive personality. To the world she was the aviator's wife and tragically, later on, the stolen baby's mother.
Drawing heavily on Anne's diaries and biographies for the book, the author states that she wanted to tell Anne's story, shedding light on her intelligence, resilience, and courage. Anne was, after all, a pioneering aviator in her own right and a best-selling author. The emotional life of Anne and the dynamics of the marriage, while plausible, are the author's creations, and I find this problematic. A quick and entertaining read but I would have preferred a nonfiction biography.
4.
by
Tana FrenchFinish date: January 7
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Rating: A+
Review: Wow! This was virtually a non-stop read for me. Detectives and best friends Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox of the Dublin Murder Squad find themselves investigating the murder of a child who was found near the woods next to a small suburban Dublin village. The case echos an unsolved case from twenty years back, which happens to be part of Ryan's secret past. The plot is intricate but there is so much more than plot here - most notably stellar prose and richly drawn characters. Some reviewers found the ending disappointing but I thought it rang true. I never felt manipulated by the author, only inextricably drawn in. Highly recommended, even for those who are not fans of the genre.
You are starting off with a bang, Donna!!!!
Yes, I got a head start waiting for the thread to post. :-)
Sorry we were a little late but you made good use of your time.
5.
by
Marta HillersFinish date: January 11
Genre: Nonfiction/Diary
Rating: B
Review: When it comes to history as a story of wars and conquests, my interests have always been in the human consequences rather than the military and tactical aspects. In this book, written during 8 weeks in 1945, a young Berliner describes her experiences when Berlin falls to the Russians. With clarity, dark humor, and a dash of sarcasm, she relates how she and the women around her coped with the lack of resources and almost routine rapes that occurred. Very tragic but, sadly, almost mild compared to what we hear in today's news about the atrocities inflicted upon innocents in war zones.
Jill wrote: "Sorry we were a little late but you made good use of your time."Thank you for taking it on. It's a huge job.
6.
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Solomon NorthupFinish date: January 14
Genre: Nonfiction/Slave narrative
Rating: B+
Review: This is the classic memoir of Solomon Northrup, a free Black man who was drugged, captured and sold into slavery in 1841. It's a compelling and powerful account that is, at the same time, a difficult emotional read. Should be required reading in American history courses, in my opinion.
Sigh. I didn't get through all the books on my TBR list last year, I won't this year and from this list of yours, I won't for 2017 either. Not the cookbook ( I try hard not to cook), I've read Into the Woods which I also loved but everything else looks like it's going on the TBR.
by
Tana French
Pamela.......lots of folks never get a chance to read 50 books in a year. It isn't a challenge, just fun and good way to find other books that people are reading that might appeal. Donna is a reading machine!!!BTW, when mentioning a book in your post, please use the citations, thusly:
by
Tana French
I didn't quite mean it that way, Jill. I know it's not the amount that matters but I have so many good ones on my list that I am wanting to read and it just keeps getting longer and longer because of everyone else's good picks.
Pamela wrote: "I didn't quite mean it that way, Jill. I know it's not the amount that matters but I have so many good ones on my list that I am wanting to read and it just keeps getting longer and longer because ..."every bookworm's worst problem :)
Too many books, too little time!!!! We all have that problem......and then I see one more book to add, and then another, ad infinitum!!!
FEBRUARY7.
by
Sarah VowellFinish date: February 21
Genre: Nonfiction/history
Rating: B+
Review: A funny, entertaining and informative romp through the American revolutionary war. While much familiar ground is covered, this version emphasizes, as the title suggests, the role of Lafayette and the complicated relationships with and among the French in their role as allies. I highly recommend the audio book version, which features Sarah's own quirky voice and a handful of actors reading the parts of various key figures.
It looks like an interesting book! Added to my tbr list, thanks.
Mod
MARCH8.
by
Lily KingFinish date: March 24
Genre: Fiction/Historical
Rating: B
Review: Based loosely on the experiences of Margaret Mead, this book is an intense, emotionally raw story of three anthropologists in 1930s New Guinea and their struggle to make sense of tribal life and culture. Nell is the star - an American who has already achieved a good deal of fame and notoriety for her publications. Fen is her husband - talented and driven but also volatile and jealous of his wife's fame. Andrew is a lonely young Englishman who is inextricably drawn to both of them. The author does an excellent job weaving in the debates about the nature of what was then a very young field of study. Well done book that can be read in a few sittings.
APRIL9.
by
Anne RiceFinish date: April 14
Genre: Fiction/Historical
Rating: A+
A wonderful and often disturbing story about the world of the Italian castrati in the 18th century. It follows the story of Venetian noble Tonio Treschi who is at the center of a family power struggle and whose life path is tragically altered when he is kidnapped and forcibly castrated at the age of 15. The arc of Tonio's character - his character development and inner struggles for self and sexual identity along with a driving need for revenge - contains some of the most powerful writing I've encountered in a novel. The backdrop is his tutelage by fellow castrato Guido, making Tonio one of the most revered singers of the time, and the lush descriptions of Italian landscapes and cityscapes. Be forewarned, there are graphic sexual scenes throughout. I loved this book!
This sounds like a good one, Donna. Ms Rice is an excellent writer and has a sensual desciptive style that I liked. I'm not much of a fan of vampire fiction so I've only read one of hers but this one sounds like one I would enjoy.
The March entry sounds good too. Margaret Mead was a great role model for me growing up. Used to read all of her books.
Like you, Pamela, I am not a vampire fan but I did read this book a couple of years ago and it is as Donna described. Very powerful.
10.
by
Russell ShortoFinish date: April 19
Genre: Nonfiction/History
Rating: A
Review: A wonderful book tracing the history of a most unique and fascinating city. Shorto's premise is that Amsterdam from it's inception has been a forerunner for the standard of liberalism (read, individualism) that has greatly influenced social and political thought in the western world. At the same time, this strong commitment to the individual has been tethered to an underlying spirit of collaboration, which began when the original Amsterdammers worked in cooperation to pull a city out of a swamp and claimed individual ownership of the land - something almost unheard of in medieval times. Highly recommend this one!
11.
by
Mary Roberts RinehartFinish date: April 21
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Rating: B
Review: Mary Roberts Rinehart has been called the American Agatha Christie, although her first book, The Circular Staircase, was published in 1908, fourteen years before Christie's first publication. She lived with her physician husband and three children in the Pittsburgh region and achieved great popularity as a writer in the mystery genre. According to a Wikipedia entry, she is credited for introducing the "had I but known" literary device and also for the term "the butler did it."
In The Circular Staircase, a middle-aged, plucky spinster rents a summer estate with her adult niece and nephew whom she has raised. A tightly plotted murder mystery ensues, complete with multiple dead bodies, missing bank notes, and things that go bump in the night. It is dated for sure, but very entertaining, and there is surprising wit and humor from the voice of the main character, Miss Rachel Innes. Set aside your 21st century sensibilities and enjoy!
12.
by
Kerry GreenwoodFinish date: April 23
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Rating: C
Review: The first in a 19-book series by Austrailian writer Greenwood that is also a Netflix series. Phrynne Fisher is a fashionable and wealthy 20- something in 1920s London who is clever and good at solving mysteries. In this book she is hired to go to Australia and check on the daughter of acquaintances who they suspect is being poisoned by her husband. The book introduces a full complement of characters that I assume will continue to play roles in future books. A relatively light read with some interesting period detail.
Mod
by Kerry GreenwoodFinish date: April 23
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Rating: C
Review: The first in a 19-book series b..."
I recently read this one also. I was struck by the amount of text taken up with descriptions of what Phryne is wearing. But I did like it. The TV series is pretty good.
I liked this one too and several of her others as well. Still have some on my TBR list. Nice, good quick reads.
13.
by
Amy Belding BrownFinish date: April 26
Genre: Fiction/Historical
Rating: B-
Review: A well written fictionalized version of Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan woman captured and held by Indians for several months in 1676 during the bloody English-Native conflict known as King Philip's War. Rowlandson's account of her captivity was one of the first such narratives published and was very widely read at the time.
There is factual accuracy regarding the real life historical figures in the book, the prevalent relationships among the English and the Natives, and life in a New England Puritan colony (they being all for religious freedom as long as it was their religion). However, the fictional inner life of Mary as it relates to her feelings about the Indians and her time in captivity wasn't always believable.
14.
by
Nancy BilyeauFinish date: April 30
Genre: Fiction/Historical Mystery
Rating: A
Review: This is the third and final installment in the Joanna Stafford series, following The Chalice and The Crown. Although there has been a glut of Tudor-era historical fiction in recent years, this series appealed to me because of its focus on the devastation that Henry XIIIs' policies toward the Catholic Church had on the day-to-day lives of the nuns, friars, and monks living in Tudor England.
Of course, Joanna Stafford is no ordinary ex-novice, being talented, strong, smart and connected to a prominent family. After the forced closing of her priory, she settles into the nearby village, determined to use her talent for weaving tapestries to earn her living. But, upon receiving an official summons to Whitehall Palace to serve the king, Joanna becomes entangled in the dangerous machinations and intrigues of the royal court. I enjoyed the strong plot and the historical setting that so vividly impart the political and religious turbulence of the times.
;
by
Nancy Bilyeau
MAY15.
by
Dominic SmithFinish date: May 2
Genre: Fiction
Rating: A+
Review: A beautifully conceived and constructed novel toggling back and forth among three time periods- 17th century Netherlands, 1950s Manhattan and the year 2000 in Sydney, Australia. The connection is a singular surviving painting by a Golden Age Dutch woman, Sara De Vos, who is a fictionalized composite of several actual women Dutch painters of the era.
I was just looking at that this morning. I'm glad to see you liked it. It's going on the list now! ;-)
Teri, the book has so much going for it; my review doesn't really give it justice.
16.
by
Anne LamottFinish date: May 4
Genre: Nonfiction/Religious
Rating: B
Review: In these essays, Lammott writes about discovering moments of grace and faith in the everyday struggles of life. She wraps it all in her signature humor. This book had some great moments but my all time favorite is her book on writing - "Bird by Bird."
by
Anne Lamott
17.
by
Jane MayerFinish date: May 22
Genre: Nonfiction/U.S. Government/Politics
Rating: A+
Review: This book was a major eye-opener for me and not in a good way. I really had no idea of how wide-spread and pernicious the actions of the Koch brothers have been on influencing American politics and manipulating the views of the American public. The "dark money" in the title refers to the practice of a small group of extremely wealthy people making tax exempt contributions to nonprofit, non-traditional political groups and being able to hide their identities while still using the money to influence elections and government policies. The amounts of money spent are staggering and have become more so since the Citizens United ruling. Mayer traces the origins of the establishment of this donor network from the John Birch society in the 1950s and includes all of the key movers and shakers in this impeccably researched, systematically laid out exposition. Probably the most disturbing revelation to me was the massive campaign to sway public opinion on climate change. I thought I would dip in and out of this book while reading other things, but found it so compelling that I couldn't put it down.
This is been on my list since I saw the first review. I figured it would be a good one. the first time I ever heard of them was when they tried to corner the silver market in '79.
I remember that but forgot it was them. I will never watch a political or policy ad in the same way after reading this.
18.
by
Colleen McCulloughFinish date: May 28
Genre: Fiction/historical
Rating: A
Review: McCullough's excellent rendition of the Trojan War, narrated alternately by the legendary participants and told with the author's characteristic wit, skill, and meticulous research. A real treat of a read.
You have an eclectic mix of books on this list. You know when you read any McCullough you are in for a treat. I also like your write up of Tara French. I devour mysteries and people keep recommending her to me. Sounds good.
19.
by
Nathaniel PhilbrickFinish date: May 31
Genre: Nonfiction/history
Rating: A
Review: A very well written account of the American Revolutionary War from 1776-1780. Philbrick doesn't break new ground here but he writes with great precision and insight so that what is familiar takes on added depth and nuance. Don't expect details about the relationship between Washington and Arnold because there just wasn't much of a relationship there. What is clear is that while Washington admired Arnold's battlefield bravery and prowess and trusted him, we have little idea how he felt about Arnold personally. (I can't help but mourn, once again, that Martha burned the letters.) In his public correspondence and communication, Washington kept himself well above the fray of ambitious and back-biting generals and maintained a laser focus on emerging from the conflict with America both victorious and united. Philbrick does a nice job of laying out Arnold's personality traits and real and perceived slights that could have contributed to his fateful end-game decisions, without excusing them. Oh, and he provides one of the best blow-by-blow accounts of Arnold's botched rendezvous with Andre that I've read. Highly recommended.
JUNE20.
by
Andrew J. BacevichFinish date: June 6
Genre: Nonfiction/military history
Rating: A++
Review: An excellent book that provides a crisp, no-holds-barred review of American involvement in the Middle East from the 1980s Carter Doctrine to Obama’s Drone War. With the credibility of an Army veteran, the eruditeness of a scholar and the contextual nuance of an historian, Bacevich lays out what he believes has been a succession of military operations lacking any cohesive strategy and resulting in creating a less stable region without any observable, lasting benefits or any clear way out. Refreshingly nonpartisan, Bacevich is an equal opportunity critic who leaves no one in America’s leadership off the hook - “Republican and Democratic, conservative and liberal, calculating and naive...have persisted in the belief that the determined exercise of U.S. Military power will somehow put things right. None have seen their hopes fulfilled.” I will be recommending this book to all of my family and friends as an absolute must-read for an understanding of the reality behind decades of public hyperbole and bravado. However, I will be doing so with the caveat of another reviewer - read it and weep.
21.
by
Anne TylerFinish date: June 7
Genre: Fiction
Rating: C-
Review: I seldom choose to read contemporary fiction but picked up this latest book by Tyler in the audio version to listen to with my mom on a recent road trip. It seemed to fit the parameters of her 94-year-old sensibilities for language (minimal profanity) and content (no graphic sex or violence). We by no means finished the 13-hour recording on our trip but I kept it in the car and found myself becoming strangely addicted to the story as I made my daily short trips here and there. It’s sort of a voyeuristic look at the daily dramas of the Crookshank family, an everyman kind of family consisting of parents Red and Abby, their grown children and grandchildren, along with the intermingled back story of Red’s parents. Rather than arc, the story line seems to unwind like the spool of thread in the title. Although I don’t think the print version would have held my interest, it was easy to dip in and out of while maintaining appropriate attention to the road. I did take exception to the narrator, whose dramatic interpretations could frequently be cloying.
22.
by
Robert HarrisFinish date: June 8
Genre: Fiction/Historical thriller
Rating: A+
Review: Wow - what a page turner! In the author's words: "This book aims to use the techniques of a novel to retell the true story of the Dreyfus affair, perhaps the greatest political scandal and miscarriage of justice in history, which in the 1890s came to obsess France and ultimately the entire world. It occurred only twenty-five years after the Germans had crushed the French in the war of 1870 and occupied the territories of Alsace and Lorraine-the seismic shock to the European balance of power that was the precursor of the and First and Second World Wars." Harris succeeds magnificently in recreating this remarkable story of conspiracy, espionage, government corruption, hateful discrimination, and the power of the media to impact public opinion - "les plus de choses changent plus elles restent les mêmes." Highly recommended!
23.
by
Stuart NevilleFinish date: June 14
Genre: Crime Fiction/Noir
Rating: B
Review: A dark psychological thriller by another of what seems to be an endless supply of gifted Irish storytellers and writers. DCI Serena Flanagan doggedly pursues her theory that a recently released "schoolboy killer" had all along been covering up for his older brother. A nonstop thrill-ride of a read with a cast of characters who all are fragile, complex and, to varying degrees, psychology damaged.
Sounds like another for the tbr list. Groan!
I know Pamela, and I'm sure you noticed this is book #1 of a new series (sigh).
Ohhh, this sounds like a must add to the ever growing to-read pile. Thanks Donna!
The History Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
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Lilac Girls (other topics)
Leaving Time (other topics)
Regeneration (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Richard Paul Evans (other topics)Colson Whitehead (other topics)
Martha Hall Kelly (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Siegfried Sassoon (other topics)
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Our Required Format:
JANUARY
1.
Finish date: January 2016
Genre: (whatever genre the book happens to be)
Rating: A
Review: You can add text from a review you have written but no links to any review elsewhere even goodreads. And that is about it. Just make sure to number consecutively and just add the months.