Best Books of 2019

I always find it interesting to look back over the books that I rated "Best Of" for the year. I read over 70 books in 2019 but it still surprised me that I had 14 books that made my "Best Of" list - I thought it would be less as I felt like I had a lot of duds. When I went back and reviewed the list, I found myself not only nodding my head at the amazing memories that each of the books evoked but, I was surprised by the variety of genres.

It also reminded me that I want to read more by these authors and writing this post prompted me to check out several other ebooks by these authors from my library. I have decided that when I get old, I am going back to all of my "Best Of' lists from previous years (links to Best Of lists are on the right hand side of this blog) and reread them - something to look forward to!

What were some of your 'Best Of' books from this past year?

Bookmarks Magazine Nov/Dec 2016

When I came home from work last night, I knew I had to work...a LOT!  I checked my mailbox and lo and behold there was my new Bookmarks Magazine - woohoo! I told myself that when I finished work, it would be my reward to be able to look through the magazine. I didn't finish work till late but I still stayed up perusing the magazine.  This is my all time favorite magazine and this month was loaded with some great picks. Thanks Bookmarks for motivating me and being my reward!

       
       
    

I already had To The Bright Edge of the World on hold at the library as Eowyn's first book The Snow Child was one of my absolute favorites.

I thought this edition of Bookmarks was loaded with great picks that I can't wait to read.  Let me know what your picks were or, if you don't get Bookmarks, what books are in your queue that you can't wait to read?

Bookmarks Magazine Sept/Oct 2016

Nothing compares to the thrill of opening my mailbox and finding the latest edition of Bookmarks Magazine.Here are the books that I am adding to my queue.  This is my quick first pass as it is a school night and I need to get to bed but, I wanted to share the ones that jumped out at me.

Let me know if you are enjoying any good books or have any books in your queue you are anxious to start.

         

    

Bookmarks Magazine July/August 2016

I had a wonderful day working at home, going in the pool with Ozzy Poozer at lunch and finishing up early. After work, I did my nails and decided to brave our 120+ heat to check the mail box....and am I glad I did as there was my Bookmarks! What a fabulous start to the week. Here are the books that I have put in my queue. Let me know what you are reading or want to read so I can have it on my radar.


      

      


     

My library didn't have these ones in but I still want to read them. Maybe once I get through my queue, they will have them in.

   

Bookmarks Magazine May/June

After a very long day at work, I had already decided I was going to indulge in an out of the ordinary weeknight glass of wine.  Imagine my delight when I found my latest Bookmarks Magazine in my mailbox. After curling up enjoying my wine and the bookmarks together (perfect pairing!) here are the reads that are jumping out at me that I have put the the ebook version on hold at my library.  

What a great edition!  Let me know what books are on your radar as my queue always has room for more.

      

My Bookmark Picks Jan/Feb Edition

I just got my latest Bookmarks Magazine - I always get so excited! Here are the reads that are jumping out at me that I am going to put in my queue: Let me know what books you have in your queue (whether from Bookmarks or some other source) (all book covers are clickable and take you to Amazon....but I found all the books at my online library)

       

      

I haven't had good luck with David Mitchell novels in the past so am cautiously adding this one to my queue:

These are the reads that jump out at me at first glance. I will be taking it with us this weekend on the plane and browsing further. Let me know your picks or any good books that you are reading.

Bookmarks Magazine for Nov/Dec 2015

I just got my latest Bookmarks Magazine - WOOHOO! Here are the reads that are jumping out at me that I am going to put in my queue: Let me know what books you have in your queue (whether from Bookmarks or some other source)

        
       


I am almost finished reading this book for my book club and agree with their fabulous reviews:

I already have this on my kindle and iPod so I need to prioritize it.

This month's Bookmarks featured the 4th Ferrante novel.  It reminded me that I want to read this series and I have My Brilliant Friend, the first in this series on my kindle.

To get 11 Book recommendations at only first glance - I love this magazine! :-) BTW, my library had all of the above books available on kindle/overdrive...gotta love the library. Maybe that should be in my favorites next month!

I don't typically like short stories but there were a few in there that I may consider. This was definitely a great month. I would love to hear any books that are on your radar. 

My Future Reads from Bookmarks Magazine for Sept/Oct

I just got my latest Bookmarks Magazine - WOOHOO!  If you aren't familiar with Bookmarks, I consider it a "must have" magazine for any reader (and I don't like magazines).  If you are interested, I did a video on it:

This is perfect timing as I will take the magazine with me to the beach in Maui and comb through it some more but, right now, here are the reads that really jump out at me:

        

I already have these on my kindle:
   

These are only the books at first glance....now you see why I love Bookmarks!  What books are on your radar?  Also, let me know if you want me to do these posts when I get my bi-monhtly Bookmarks magazine.

Single or multiple books?

Do you read single or multiple books at once?  If multiple books, how do you keep them straight?

Amelia V emailed me the first question and I thought it would make a great discussion.  I added the second part of the question as I want to know.  :-)

I read two books at once - one on my kindle and one on my iPod (for in the car).  I think if I read more than that, I would get the plot lines confused.  I do feel like I am in 'book limbo' when I finish a book on either device and don't enjoy the lull while I start a new book, only to find it doesn't grab me, and then try another.  I also try to have different plot lines on each device (i.e., I don't read two books on WWII at the same time) so I don't confuse the books/characters and it usually isn't a problem

Book Limbo

I call ‘book limbo’ anytime I finish a book (usually a really good book) and I just can’t find another book that grabs me.  I read a couple of chapters of one before starting another book and it can take 3 or 4 books before something grabs me.  I realized that I waste a lot of time in book limbo.  

Do you suffer from book limbo?  Do you have any suggestions for me of how to minimize the time I spend in book limbo? 

Books with Almost Identical Covers

I thought that this was an interesting article in the Huffington Post on books that have almost identical covers:

Mystery Book Recommendations

In my recent YouTube post about my beloved Bookmarks magazine, a lot of you wanted mystery book recommendations.  I contacted my mystery book friends and here is what they came up with for you.

• The Shadow Woman by Ake Edwardson
• Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason
• Broken by Karin Fossum
• Broken Harbor by Tana French
• All of the Steig Larsson books
• Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
• Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
• Devil In White City by Erik Larson
• Every Last one

Please comment below with any good mystery books you would recommend so others can benefit.  Thanks!

When & Where Do You Read?

I rarely sit down for long periods of time to read.  A 'long time' for me would be 30 minutes.  I typically sit down for 10 minutes and then get up and do dishes or some other task, then sit and read again for a few more minutes before I am off doing something else.  This may come from the fact that, as a child, most of my reading was done while I walked home from school - I would take a few steps, stop and read, take a few more steps.  My mother always wondered why it took me so long to walk home those couple of blocks!

At night, I do enjoy curling up with my book in bed and reading for 10 or 20 minutes before I fall asleep.  I also get in a lot of reading on planes.  Recently, a girlfriend shared that she used to read ALL day from when she got up until she went to bed.  How decadent!  It is rare that I sit and read for much more than 10 or 15 minutes at one time.  How about you?  Comment below and let me know where you like to read and for how long.

Books.....

I loved this.

Best Books of 2012

Last year, I made a resolution to toast books sooner.  If you are wondering how that worked out for me, I think my "Best of" numbers speak for themselves:

2010      17
2011      15
2012      21

Trust me, I have not gotten more generous in my rating system in my old age.  It is definitely that I am not wasting my time on bad books and therefore, I am reading more good books.  I will definitely be continuing this resolution going forward.

The reads that really stood out for 2012 were:

• The Dog Stars
• Sense of An Ending
• The Snow Child

If you haven't read any of the above, move them to the top of your queue immediately!  Happy reading.

Casual Vacancy Character List

There are only 7 families and, once you have them straight, they are easy to follow.  Hopefully my list below helps you to enjoy the book.  The bold characters are the main characters.

The Fairbrothers
Barry Fairbrother	Banker	Died. Member of the Pagford Parish Council
Mary Fairbrother	Wife	Widow
Fergus	Oldest Son
Niamh & Siobhan	Twin daughters
Declan	Youngest Son
The Mollisons
Howard Mollison	Bakery owner	Bakery partner is Maureen. Member of the Pagford Parish Council
Shirley Mollison	Wife	Member of the Pagford Parish Council and administrator of the website
Patricia Mollison	Daughter	Lives in London
Miles Mollison	Lawyer.	Son of Howard & Shirley
Samantha Mollison	Wife of Miles. Owns a lingerie shop in Yarvil
Lexie & Libby	Daughters of Miles & Sam
The Prices
Simon Price	Printworks
Ruth Price	Nurse	Friends with Shirley Mollison
Andrew (Arf)	Older Son	Has a crush on Gaia
Paul	Younger son
The Bawdens
Kay Bawden	Social Worker	Relocated to Pagford from London to pursue her relationship with Gavin
Gaia Bawden	Daughter	Resentful of her mother
Gavin Hughes	Lawyer	Close friend and squash partner of Barry. Dating Kay
The Weedons
Terri Weedon	Unemployed	Mother, heroin addict in the Fields addiction clinic. Has had children taken away from her before
Krystal Weedon	Daughter	Troubled teen from the Fields. Bussed in to attend school at Winterdown. Was close to Barry, her rowing coach. Gets counseling from Tessa
Robbie Weedon	Son	3 yo half brother to Krystal who cares for him so he doesn't go to foster care
Catherine Weedon (Nan Cath)	Krystal's Great-Grandmother and occasional guardian
Anne-Marie	Krystal's half-sister	Older, taken from the home when she was younger. Krystal has fantasies of her swooping in and rescuing her and they would be close
The Walls
Colin (Cubby) Wall	Deputy Headmaster at Winterdown.	Close friends with the Fairbrothers
Tessa Wall	Guidance Counselor at Winterdown
Stuart (Fats) Wall	Son	Best friends with Andrew Price
The Jawandas
Vikram Jawanda	Thoracic surgeon	Very good looking
Parminder Jawanda	Doctor	Member of the Pagford Parish Council. Close friends with the Fairbrothers.
Jaswant	Oldest Daughter
Suthvinder	Middle Daughter	Unpopular but friends with Gaia. Was on the rowing team.
Rajpal	Youngest son