Favorite Books of the Year 2013

Rounding out the year, I took a leading from one of my favorite bloggers, Kathy of Bermudaonion , and thought I would let you know what my favorite books in several categories were.  I'm just going to give a quick list with a couple of pictures to jog your memories.  You can search for the full reviews if you take a notion, by checking out the "search" tool to the left of the page.  :]

MOST UNUSUAL
The Returned by Jason Mott
The Sleeping Dictionary by Sujata Massey
The Offering by Angela Hunt

FAVORITES IN FICTION
Cartwheel by Jennifer du Bois
Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Guests on Earth by Lee Smith
The Passage by Justin Cronin
Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck
The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates
Funeral Dress by Susan Gregg

HISTORICAL FICTION
The Orphanmaster by Jean Zimmerman
Cascade by Maryanne O'Hara
Blood Between Queens by Barbara Kyle
Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd

THRILLER/SUSPENSE
Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie
Jeffrey Deaver's new story collection!

YA FICTION
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Beta by Rachel Cohn

NON-FICTION
Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman !!!
Saturday Night Widows by Becky Aikman
Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage...The Titanic's First Class Passengers...by Hugh Brewster

AUDIOBOOKS
Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Good House by Ann Leary
The Mothers by Jennifer Gilmore

WEIRD, WISE AND RECOMMENDED, TOO
The Uninvited by Liz Jensen
Tampa by Alissa Nutting


Hope you find some good ones here!  It was a great year for books, and obviously I couldn't name all the ones I loved reading.  Let me know if there are any  you particularly thought were great this year or that I left out...     Deborah

"Dream When You're Feeling Blue" by Elizabeth Berg~Young Women in Chicago WWII

SUMMARY:

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Berg takes us to Chicago at the time of World War II in this wonderful story about three sisters, their lively Irish family, and the men they love.

As the novel opens, Kitty and Louise Heaney say good-bye to their boyfriends Julian and Michael, who are going to fight overseas. On the domestic front, meat is rationed, children participate in metal drives, and Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller play songs that offer hope and lift spirits. And now the Heaney sisters sit at their kitchen table every evening to write letters–Louise to her fiancé, Kitty to the man she wishes fervently would propose, and Tish to an ever-changing group of men she meets at USO dances. In the letters the sisters send and receive are intimate glimpses of life both on the battlefront and at home. For Kitty, a confident, headstrong young woman, the departure of her boyfriend and the lessons she learns about love, resilience, and war will bring a surprise and a secret, and will lead her to a radical action for those she loves. The lifelong consequences of the choices the Heaney sisters make are at the heart of this superb novel about the power of love and the enduring strength of family.


AUDIO BOOK/PARTICULARS:

Produced by:  Random House
Discs:  8
Hours:  10
Cost:  $44
Author:  Elizabeth Berg
Also comes in novel format
Can be purchased:  Amazon


ABOUT MS BERG:

 

Elizabeth Berg won the NEBA Award for fiction for her body of work, and was a finalist for the ABBY for Talk Before Steep. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, and the New York Times Magazine. She has also taught a writing workshop at Radcliffe College. She lives near Boston, Massachusetts.

 

 

BOOK TRAILER:

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THE DAME'S REVIEW:

Captivating story read by author Elizabeth Berg!  As most of you know, I love stories set in WWII.  This one was no exception.  The "voice" given by the writer of the book made it all the more real, and lifted the spirit of her book into my heart.  This is an audio book well worthwhile.

Characters here are so alive.  Kitty and Louise, the older sisters just break your heart in their strength of spirit and love for their sweethearts. And little sister Tish is a scream with her "just over" teen-aged shenanigans so typical of girls her age in any era.   Their interactions with young soldiers typify the times, and they also bring into mind our times with young men separated from their families and loved ones.  This is a book that really touched me at the core.

Other characters such as the girls' little brothers and parents also became personal to me.  Especially the little brother who felt the war so desperately in his own spirit.  They struggled in other ways than the girls, but the whole family was affected by the war.  The storyline is moving and it's the characters who clutch you as you read.

Elizabeth Berg has been writing best selling books for years.  I have to say that I haven't been reading them.  Sometimes I drag my feet when too many people are reading a book, especially best sellers.  I'm one who likes to pick out a book that isn't getting a lot of hype...find a hidden gem, I guess.  I'm glad I found this one.  And, I intend to go back and find Berg's other books. I'm sorry I missed her on the first go-round.

If you like women's history set in fiction and from the perspective of WWII, you can't miss this one.
I listened to it on a round trip to pick my mother up 5 hours away.  She also enjoyed the last bit.  It's a book for women about women left home when their men are far away and in danger.  Women who love and support them, though their hearts are slightly broken...women who "dream when they're feeling blue."

You'll love this one on audio!

5 stars                 Deborah/TheBookishDame

"The Good House" by Ann Leary~ Fabulous Audiobook!

SUMMARY:

Now a New York Times Bestseller!

How can you prove you're not an alcoholic?

You can’t.

It's like trying to prove you're not a witch.  

Hildy Good is a townie. A lifelong resident of an historic community on the rocky coast of Boston’s North Shore, she knows pretty much everything about everyone. Hildy is a descendant of one of the witches hung in nearby Salem, and is believed, by some, to have inherited psychic gifts. Not true, of course; she’s just good at reading people. Hildy is good at lots of things.  A successful real-estate broker, mother and grandmother, her days are full. But her nights have become lonely ever since her daughters, convinced their mother was drinking too much, staged an intervention and sent her off to rehab.  Now she’s in recovery—more or less.

Alone and feeling unjustly persecuted, Hildy needs a friend. She finds one in Rebecca McCallister, a beautiful young mother and one of the town’s wealthy newcomers. Rebecca feels out-of-step in her new surroundings and is grateful for the friendship. And Hildy feels like a person of the world again, as she and Rebecca escape their worries with some harmless gossip, and a bottle of wine by the fire—just one of their secrets. 

But not everyone takes to Rebecca, who is herself the subject of town gossip. When Frank Getchell, an eccentric local who shares a complicated history with Hildy, tries to warn her away from Rebecca, Hildy attempts to protect her friend from a potential scandal. Soon, however, Hildy is busy trying to cover her own tracks and protect her reputation.  When a cluster of secrets become dangerously entwined, the reckless behavior of one threatens to expose the other, and this darkly comic novel takes a chilling turn.

THE GOOD HOUSE, by Ann Leary is funny, poignant, and terrifying. A classic New England tale that lays bare the secrets of one little town, this spirited novel will stay with you long after the story has ended.

 

PARTICULARS OF THIS AUDIOBOOK:

Published by:  Macmillian Audio from St. Martin's
Unabridged
8 CDs
Narrated by Mary Beth Hurt
Author:  Ann Leary
Cost:  $39.99 on Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/The-Good-House-A-Novel/dp/1427228884/ref=tmm_abk_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1363614705&sr=1-1

Amazon Exclusive: Lee Woodruff Interviews Ann Leary

A note from Lee Woodruff on Ann Leary: I became an Ann Leary fan with her memoir An Innocent, A Broad. And like any fan, by the time I finally met her, I was mewling like a bucktoothed school girl at her first spin the bottle sleepover. She didn't disappoint. I loved Ann's first two books. I mean, the woman can write. She can really write, dammit. And in her second novel, The Good House, she weaves a tale that is engrossing, fresh and very, very real. These could be the people in your town, warts and all. I was eager to interview Ann and hear how this book had come together. And I'm happy to share some of these insights with you here.
Lee Woodruff: What was your biggest challenge in writing this book?
Ann Leary: My narrator was a bit of a handful. The Good House is told from the point of view of Hildy Good, who may or may not be an alcoholic. Her daughters think she is, but she is quite confident that she is not. So my biggest challenge was to make Hildy reliable enough to have the reader on her side and actually rooting for her, yet at the same time, question whether she's being completely honest.
LW: Is it fun or arduous to choose character names? And how do you?
AL: I love choosing names for my characters. This novel is set in the fictitious town of Wendover, Massachusetts, which is on Boston's North Shore, near Salem, Essex, and Ipswich. There are still people in that area who have ancestors who were involved in the famous Salem witch trials, so I chose to make my main character a descendent of a real witch, whose name was Sarah Good. I liked the name Hildy because it sounds like a witch's name. Frank Getchell, a fellow townie with whom Hildy shares a complicated past, was just always Frank, in my mind. I've never met a Frank I didn't like. Rebecca McAllister is the beautiful newcomer. I thought her name sounded lyrical with all the syllables, and there is a sort of flowing grace about Rebecca, at least Hildy believes there is when she first meets her. Then it was fun coming up with some of the nicknames "Sleepy Haskell" etc. Names people got when they were kids and that have stuck with them all their lives.
LW: OK--let's get past it–-the dreaded fiction author question--how much of you is in Hildy?
AL: I've written another novel and a memoir and have learned that when you write non-fiction, people always want to know what you made up. And when you write fiction, people always want to know how much of it is true. But the great thing about writing fiction is you can write about things that you wish were true and that's what I did when I wrote Hildy's character.
There is quite a bit of Hildy in me, as I have had my own personal struggles with alcoholism. But we are also very different. Hildy is in her sixties, and a real New England Yankee--wry, opinionated somewhat strident and I've always admired her type. I'd like to be a tough old bird. I'd like to not always be trying to please everybody.
LW: Whether or not we want to admit it, we all have our individual and sometimes weird writing rituals. Will you divulge yours?
AL: I try to write every day and I always write in the morning. We have a lot of animals–-dogs, cats, horses–-and I get up between 5 and 6 everyday to tend to them and then I return to my bed-desk and write. I write on my bed with my four dogs and there are papers and snacks and cold cups of coffee all around me. Really, it's disgusting. Think Grey Gardens. But that's how I write best, in a semi-prone position surrounded by snoring dogs.

--This text refers to hardcover only


About the Narrator:

Mary Beth Hurt began her Broadway career with "Crimes of the Heart."  She then went on to make her film debut in Woody Allen's "Interiors."  Other movie credits include "The World According to Garp," "The Age of Innocence," "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," and "Young Adult."  Hurt was also a recurring character in the television series "Law & Order" for thirteen years.


To hear an excerpt of this book see http://www.macmillianaudio.com  



The Bookish Dame Reviews :

This is the "must listen to" audio book of the season!  What a fantastic narrator Mary Beth Hurt is for a fabulous book.  A modern day "Goodie Good" of Salem, MA, fame couldn't be cast any better than Ann Leary has done, and if ever a book was made for the movies this would be the one.  Just a wonderful book to listen to, and I'm sure a great hardcover book, as well.

Ann Leary has taken her character, Hildy Good, and made her into one of the most endearing lushes I've ever known.  I'm not a fan of alcoholism, but Hildy makes her trips through the tulips with wine nearly a sacred passage of fun.  She's irrepressible!  And, although the town seems to know her business about having been off to a famous rehab.; and, of course she knows all their secrets, too...they make exceptions for each other.  Hildy pretends not to drink, and everyone including her daughters choose to think she doesn't.  It's a perfect conspiracy until things eventually get out of hand.

Hildy is also suspected of being a witch herself since her ancestor is the Goody Good of Salem witch trial fame.  She reads people once in a while as a dinner "trick" though she disavows any real validity to her powers.  That doesn't stop locals from believing her...  She's the epitome of the town's old family maven.  So lovable to the reader, and such a New England fixture to the town and its real estate market.  I found her irresistible.

This is a book on CD you will absolutely savor.  It has atmosphere, humor, a mystery and humanity.  What more could you ask for?  The North Shore of MA never looked more real or more enticing than when told through the eyes and life of Hildy Good.

Run to the nearest bookstore for this audiobook.  You'll love it!

5 stars

Deborah/TheBookishDame


 

Weekly Book Haul~Decidedly Eclectic Group!

 

This is a very strangely placed picture of my haul this week, which was a bit weak, I think.  Didn't get the ordinary heavy stack of books, but I'm not complaining since there's plenty of good stuff here for me to plough through.

 

 

 

 

And here's another view which was less satisfying to me, but which will give you a peek inside of the mess of some of the books I have stacked on my library table behind the sofa, and a corner of one of my bookcases.  Sigh....  My son and daughter-in-law (who are both sticklers for the no clutter policy are going to die!) are coming to visit with my grandchildren in a couple of weeks.  I'll never get this gaggle of books (clutter) cut down in size. 

 

When I was younger, I had this wish that someday I would have a  house with a living room that looked like a Dickens library or an absent-minded professor's office.  I wanted clutters of gorgeous books stacked upon books, beautiful and different papers and journals, lots of pens and pencils of exotic types to choose from.  An assortment of oddities and collectibles...

 

Now that I'm older, I've achieved it.  I'm shocked that I have, actually.  And, suddenly, I'm a little embarrassed because all of my neighbors and friends have these nicely decorated and stream-lined living spaces with very few of the things I have.  They aren't bookish, and they aren't artists and writers.  So, I feel odd.  I am odd, I suppose.  But, I really feel it. 

 

I often feel I need to make excuses about my house because of it, yet when I'm home, I love it.  When I'm away from home, I miss it and am happy to come back and sink into my chair that's surrounded by bookish things with a view of bookish things. 

 

I live with the guilt of this clutter because I'm so happy most of the time!!  Can you help me here????

 

Do you know much about me as a person?  I knit, quilt, paint and make jewelry as well...  And, I'm a grandmother of 7.  :]   I'm just learning to play a card game so I can get out with friends once a week, and I do Tai Chi every other day with friends.

 

 

So...on to the books in the box!!

  

 

 

 

A petite snippet:

 

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

 

 

Oh, yes, a view of Dr. Moreau from his poor daughter's perspective?  I was all over this book.  Had to have it and ordered it myself.  Can't wait to start this one...   If you haven't read it "The Island of Dr. Moreau" is a good, classical read to preview this one.

  

 

 

 

Small synopsis

 

The setting is Tonkin (northern Vietnam) at the turn of the 20th century. A boy, Tai, witnesses the beheading of his father, a notorious bandit, and sets out to recover his head and then to find the man who betrayed his father to the authorities. On this quest, Tai's entire world will shift. FLESH takes the reader into dark and delightful places in the human condition, places where allies are not always your friends, true love hurts, and your worst enemy may bring you the most comfort.

 

When I was approached to read this one, I had to stand back a minute.  It's nothing like I'm used to reading, but it drew me in because of the Vietnam element.  Having been a child of the '60's and the Vietnam situation, I've always wanted to read more about it from a cultural but personalized perspective.  A fictitious account seemed a perfect opportunity. 

 I'm curious about this one for many reasons.  We'll have to see... 

 I've started it, and the author is quite good!

  

 

 

 

A Summary of Sorts:

 

A NOVEL OF MYSTERY, VIDEOGAMES, AND THE PEOPLE WHO CREATE THEM, BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SOON I WILL BE INVINCIBLE.

When Russell joins Black Arts games, brainchild of two visionary designers who were once his closest friends, he reunites with an eccentric crew of nerds hacking the frontiers of both technology and entertainment.

This has got to be my wackiest Weekly Haul in a long time!  I love this strange little book!  Not my usual fare, but I read a bit of it and it's so well written and just snagged me into wanting to continue reading.  It's a sort of mystery, as well.  Love it!  I'll be reviewing it soon.  From my great friends at Mulholland Books.  Thanks, Mulholland!

 

 

Snapshot summary:

 

Raised in Chicago's Latino working class community during the Sixties, Alicia Barron uncovers her mother's Caucasian roots when she inherits a time-worn mansion, the remnant of the estate of a Chicago industrialist who, she discovers, is her grandfather. Her search of the house takes her into the lives of past generations of women whose love carried them across forbidden boundaries, and into the conflict of class, nationality, and race that is the history of the city itself.

 

Interesting to read about this segment of Chicago's history.  I'm very unfamiliar.  It sounds like a good story, and it's about women and their history which hits two of my favorite subjects.  Looking forward to finding out more about this one.  Thanks to Judith for the book!

 

 

 

 

Summary:

 

In 1972, professional dancer Joan Wulfsohn underwent a double mastectomy. And her soon-to-be-ex-husband abducted their three children and spirited them away to a foreign country. “I should have died,” Joan writes. But she didn’t. Stalking Carlos Castaneda chronicles her journey back to life by way of lessons learned from stunning transvestites and music hall dancers, teen porn stars, a brain damaged boy, Eastern holy men, Western supermodels and a certain aging sorcerer. It is the story of how one woman learned to live a magical life—bound not by spells and hexes but rather filled with wonder and transcendence.

 

Seriously, can you resist this book!??  I couldn't.  Sorry for the Amazon cover image, I couldn't find a better close up of it.  It's gotten 5 stars on Amazon.  Robert Duvall gave a foreword on the book that was stellar.  This one is a real reach for me, but I'm trying to work outside my comfort zone...  :]

We'll see what  happens!

Many thanks to Water Street Press Books for this opportunity!

 

 

now on to my fabulous Macmillian Audio Books!!  Yay!!

 

 

 

 

Such a small bit of a summary!

 

How can you prove you're not an alcoholic?

You can’t.

It's like trying to prove you're not a witch.

Hildy Good is a townie. A lifelong resident of an historic community on the rocky coast of Boston’s North Shore, she knows pretty much everything about everyone. Hildy is a descendant of one of the witches hung in nearby Salem, and is believed, by some, to have inherited psychic gifts. Not true, of course; she’s just good at reading people. Hildy is good at lots of things...

Love love love!!!  I've already started this one and it's so hilarious I can't wait to write a review for you on it.  Hildy is the perfect snooty, smart New England character.  I love her!

 

 

Summary:

 

From the award-winning novelist and writer of Upstairs Downstairs, the launch of a brilliant new trilogy about what life was really like for masters and servants before the world of Downton Abbey

As the Season of 1899 comes to an end, the world is poised on the brink of profound, irrevocable change. The Earl of Dilberne is facing serious financial concerns. The ripple effects spread to everyone in the household: Lord Robert, who has gambled unwisely on the stock market and seeks a place in the Cabinet; his unmarried children, Arthur, who keeps a courtesan, and Rosina, who keeps a parrot in her bedroom; Lord Robert’s wife Isobel, who orders the affairs of the household in Belgrave Square; and Grace, the lady’s maid who orders the life of her mistress.

Can't wait to listen to this one.  I'm getting lots of knitting done while I listen to these new audio books, which I must say are exceptional from Macmillian.  They choose exemplary narrators.  I think that makes all the difference.  More on this later...


                                             And, that's all from me today
with what came in the mail or that I purchased for my library this week.  What did you get?  

Are you particularly interested in anything new in audio???

Send me a note via comments, I'd love to hear what you're thinking.

Deb/TheBookishDame

Books In the Mail This Week!

There's nothing more exciting than getting books in the mail every week, and purchasing them, too.  I'm just too happy when they come to my door, and I try to read them all as they come, though I can't review them all for you.

Here are the latest finds!

This one's about two women who are waiting for an answer about having a baby...  New from St. Martin's.           Find out more information and how to get a copy here:  Amazon

"Lydia was never the most upstanding of the Bennet sisters, but who ever said that moral rectitude was fun?"  Synopsis quote from Amazon  where you can find more and order your copy!  I'll be reviewing this one during my Jane Austen Christmas Week on Sunday, Dec. 23rd.  Come see!  :]

"From Brittany’s misty shores to the decadent splendor of Paris’s royal court, one woman must fulfill her destiny–while facing the treacherous designs of Catherine de Medici, the dark queen..."
Found here on Amazon      I purchased this one!!  and the sequel below:

"Queen Catherine de Medici is dead, and for Meg Wolfe—successor in a line of legendary healers and mystics known as “daughters of the earth”—it is a time of new beginnings."   Also found on Amazon from Ballantine Books

This is a fascinating book about the Cherokee Nation and young boy who is adopted by the legendary warrior/leader of the People.  A forgotten history.  I was most interested in this one when the author contacted me because of my family's Cherokee link to the original North Carolina tribe.
You can get a copy, too, or find out more here:  Amazon

"Harper only wanted a safe, normal life. But when her younger sister Gemma runs off with a dangerous clique of beautiful girls, Penn, Thea, and Lexi, everything changes. Vowing to get her sister back no matter what the cost, Harper must face dangers unlike any she's ever experienced. Fortunately, she has Daniel by her side, a gorgeous guy who's devoted to helping her find her sister—and who's immune to the girls' dark powers."

This is in audio CDs that came from Macmillan Audio Books!!  I love hearing this publishing company's books...great quality.  Find a copy here:  Amazon


A very happy week's worth of books for me.

What were your favorite books this week?  Did you buy any good ones for Christmas?  Please share...

Deb/TheBookishDame

"Matched" by Ally Condie~AudioBook by Penguin

SUMMARY:
 

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

INFORMATION ON THE AUDIO BOOK:

Published by:  Penguin/Audio
Format:  MP3
Unabridged
Number 1 of 3
Read by:  Kate Simses
Genre:  YA Fiction/Dystopian

Meet the Author:

Ally Condie is a former high school English teacher who lives with her husband and three sons outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves reading, running, eating, and listening to her husband play guitar.


The Bookish Dame Reviews:

As you may have now surmised I've begun to review audio books as a new feature of A Bookish Libraria.  This is the second one in the series.

I found this YA book to be directly in keeping with a young adult audience.  It's not a book I would necessarily recommend for a crossover audience to adult listeners because the reader has a strictly child-like voice. I felt she was younger that the age of the protagonist Cassie.  I felt she was miscast as the reader in this one.  Although her reading and "acting" abilities were good, she sounded a bit too young for the part of a 16 year old and it was distracting on whole.

However, the story Ms Condie writes is engaging and smart.  I enjoyed the book itself very much.  As in most dystopian novels there's a new world order that's meant to solve the problems of society and sharply misses doing that!  This is a society that makes the audio book absorbing.

Characters are well drawn and interesting.  Cassie, herself, is memorable.  She's a girl with the ability to think on her own in a society that discourages that sort of thing.  She's a girl who also has the courage to walk out of step in a world marching strictly to one cadence, and I appreciated that role-model for young adults.   I also was won over by the problem of her two loves!

So, a mixed bag here, but well worth the listen for young adults and adults who may not mind the voice. 

Penguin has also come out with audiobooks on the two follow up books in this series:  "Crossed" and "Reached."

With a better narrator, I would be tempted to listen to them!


3.5 stars for an interesting novel...                            Deborah/TheBookishDame