Winter Book Picks


Okay friends....I have had so many people come up to me lately saying they have finished all the books on my summer list and need new books. So here they are, enjoy!

Happy Reading,

Alison

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

In this mysterious novel renowned author Vida Winter finally decides to share her biography with the world. She chooses Margaret Lea, a London book-seller's daughter to write her biography. Vida has always in the past either been obscure or just plain lied about her life; the world has always wondered what her true past might entail. This book honestly takes awhile to get into, but once you do it is elegant and enchanting. It is the mystery of a life that enfolds with twists and turns and sometimes more questions than answers. I adore this book and always recommend it to people to read in the winter. It requires a crackling fire and a hot cup of coffee.




The First Family by David Baldacci

The first lady hires two former Secret Service agents when her niece is kidnapped following her birthday party at Camp David. Nothing in this book is exactly what it seems. I don't usually go for political intrigue books but this one was especially fun. This is one of the only books I have ever read that I could not see any further into the story than what page I was on. Meaning, I could not figure this one out which made it so interesting. I finally had to just stay up really late one night and finish it. It was driving me crazy not knowing what would happen next and how it all tied together. Fun for something really different.




Cane River by Lalita Tademy

This is is a generational novel about four women born into slavery on a plantation in Louisiana. These women fight for their lives by any means necessary. One way in which they try to provide a better life for their families is though the systematic "bleaching" of their race. Life on the plantation is constantly changing as war is breaking out and the plight of a slave is evolving. This book though sometimes difficult to swallow, is profoundly fascinating. I recommend this book to people all the time and I have yet to hear of anyone not loving it.






The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons

Okay for something really different and fun... in an upscale suburban Atlanta neighborhood an ambitious young architect builds a decidedly modern house in a traditional neighborhood. The real story unfolds when the house is finished and the family moves in. Tragedy befalls anyone who moves into the amazing house leaving next door neighbors to wonder if there is an energy to this house that is evil. Basically this is a haunted house story and it is so enjoyable. For those who scare easy have no fear I don't think this will give you nightmares. Just fun fun fun.





Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

This is an absolute page-turner. I enjoyed this book so much even though I don't think you can even call it historical fiction since so little is really known about Queen Nefertiti. Nefertiti's younger sister narrates this most interesting story about a young girl's rise to the thrown, an impressionable young king, and a nation in religious turmoil. I know this is incredibly girly of me, but I thoroughly appreciated the clothes, make-up and wigs of the day. Just an all around great read.






The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Okay this truly one of the best books I have ever read. And you people know how much I read so that is really saying something. It is the elaborate story of the building of a 12th-century English cathedral. I know it doesn't sound all that appealing, especially when you consider that it is about 1,200 pages long of very small print, but it is an almost magical book. It is so incredibly well-written and elegant, but also just plain interesting. I never tired of this book even though it took me almost (brace yourself) a month to read it. I truly loved every minute of it. It is the perfect book to read during the winter because so much of it takes place in the freezing cold English winters. I would recommend picking this book up at Half Price books instead of your local library though. It does just take a while to finish. So worth it.

Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch by Haywood Smith

This is such a fun book. After Linwood Breedlove Scott's husband drains her bank account and runs off with a stripper, her only recourse is to return to her small-town southern home. It is a book dripping with gossip, fun, and a heroine you can really get behind. A summer read that keeps you coming back for more. Read it with a glass of iced tea on the back porch.

The Other Woman by Jane Green

We have so many newlywed friends right now I just had to add this book to the list. Even if you have a great relationship with your mother-in-law, you need to read this book. You will appreciate her more. I love my mother-in-law and still had an absolutely delightful time reading this book.

The story revolves around Ellie who has just fallen in love with Mr. Right. Having lost her mother at the age of 13 she is loving having Dan's mother be so involved in his life, but things soon change. Ellie is getting upwards of 3 calls a day at work from her soon-to-be mother-in-law. She begins making wedding changes without Ellie's consent, and quickly things go from bad to worse.

I stayed up one night until 4 in the morning finishing this book. A total must-read for all daughter-in-laws, mother-in-laws or single girls too.

1,000 Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hoesseini

If you haven't read The Kite Runner, well you need to read that too, but of the two books, this one is my favorite. The story takes place in Afghanistan before Taliban rule in 1996 and ends with full Taliban rule. It is the story of Mariam who is the bastard child of her wealthy father and his housekeeper. She lives in a shack with her mother and "lives for Thursdays" when her father comes to see her. When the situation changes for Mariam she thinks her father will take her in. Instead he marries her off, she is 14, to a much older man who takes her away. When she becomes a mother her focus changes. She has someone else to live for and take care of. I am leaving out a lot of important facts, but I want you to have the audible gasp in shock that I did time after time. This is a book that is not only amazing, it educates. I felt I could be a part of the dialogue of the Iraqi/Afghan situation. Total must read.

The Devil You Know, by Louise Bagshawe

This is one of my favorite chick-lit books. It is a page-turner until the very end. I was a very bad mother one morning; I put the t.v. on for the kids and read all morning til I was done. There is so much going on in this book it is a little hard to condense here, but in a very small nutshell, it is the story of triplet sisters who are separated at birth. It switches between each of the sister's stories as they navigate through single hood, work, and love. There is an over-arching story, that of bringing the sisters back together and righting the wrong of their separation. I am sure there is an element of cheese to the characters in this book, but to be honest, I just didn't feel it. I enjoyed it too much. GREAT beach or pool read.

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

This is an amazing book. The book jacket synopsis is a tad confusing which is why it took me a while to actually read it, but trust me, go for it. It is the story of a girl who is attacked on her bicycle by two men. She works in a homeless shelter and when a man dies, she finds a collection of photographs in his possession. One of which is of her the day she was attacked. She begins a search to find out how these two events are connected.

I can tell you this because I knew this reading it too. There is a MAJOR twist at the end of the story. I could not figure it out either. You will love the ending. When you finish it, you will want a friend to read it so you can discuss it. Great choice for book clubs.

The Queen's Fool by Phillipa Gregory

This is a historical novel following both the lives of Princess Elizabeth and Queen Mary. It begins in England, 1553. King Henry VIII is dead and now begins the story of young Hannah Green, a Jew. She is gifted with visions and is used by Lord Robert Dudley to spend time with the two royal women and report back to him. It is a fascinating tale of the struggle of Queen Mary to return England back to a Catholic nation. This is where the term "Bloody Mary" comes in. Protestantism becomes illegal and the nation is caught in a religious war between the two daughters of the King.

A fascinating read, this book is a page-turner til the very end. If you have never read a historical fiction novel before, trust me, this is the place to start.

Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West

This is a wonderful beachy read. Very much in the vein of The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. It is the story Renata DeChavannes, who has a lot going on: a tabloid ran a story about her film director boyfriend's possible on-set fling with an actress; her mother and step-father died in a plane crash five months ago; her father is about to marry his fourth wife; and she's just found a letter written by her mother instructing her to seek out her mother's past. So Renata heads to her Gulf Coast Alabama hometown, where her very rich grandmother Honora DeChavannes; former nanny Gladys Boudreax; and Honora's longtime friend and former actress, Isabella D'Agostina McGeehee, live. It is played out in flashbacks, with grand parties, dashing men, and lots of heartbreak. Very well written and a joy to the end.

Escape by Carolyn Jessop

This is a book I could not put down. I think I read it in about 3 days at the beach last summer. It is a memoir of Carolyn Jessop's life in the polygamist sect now currently known as the Yearning for Zion Ranch. She is married off to Merril Jessop at the age of 18 and ends up being one of his 7 wives. After years of oppression, abuse, and fear for her children, she escapes with her 8 (I think) children into a world she knows nothing about. Read it when you don't have much to do because the house will fall down around your ears while you sit and read and read and read.

A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers

I saved the best for last. Let me just say that I usually do not like Christian fiction. I find much of it cheesy and poorly written. That however is not the case with Francine Rivers. Her books are amazing and this one takes the cake. It is the first in a series of three called The Mark of the Lion series. A note, make sure you have book two before you finish book one. You will know what I mean when you get there.

This is the story of Haddassah a Messianic Jew about 50 years after the Crucifixion of Christ. It takes place in both Rome and Ephesus. Rivers deals quite frankly with the culture of the time. And I can certainly say, it is true, there is nothing new under the sun. These books are my all time favorite books. Every time I recommend them to someone I get sad that I have already read them and can't experience the newness and joy of them again.

We that's it friends. At least for now. Keep checking back and I will have new recommendations for you. From one reader to another....

Happy Reading

A Summer Reading List

My friends and family are always asking me to create a summer reading list for them. So this year I decided to do one for everyone. I am a self-proclaimed BOOK JUNKIE. I read on average about 7 books a month. So below are books that I hope you will enjoy. You may not love all of the them, but I am sure that you will like a great deal of them. As I do not buy books, all the books listed will be in your library for FREE!

Happy Reading,
Alison