We’ve collected the books debuting on Indiebound’s Indie Bestseller List for the week ending July 06, 2014–a sneak peek at the books everybody will be talking about next month.
(Debuted at #7 in Hardcover Fiction) One Plus One by Jojo Moyes: “Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied, and your math whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight in shining armor offers to rescue them.” (July 2014)
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As the month winds down, I have a few final reviews I wanted to share with you. These were all excellent reads -- I was blessed with a great reading month. Huge update on January reading tomorrow, so stay tuned.
Son by Lois LowryLove, love, love. This last book in The Giver Quartet definitely had the tears flowing, but it was such a perfect ending. The gorgeous writing of Lois Lowry never disappoints me and Claire was an excellent companion character to the other novels. The message of how to overcome evil is prominent and perfectly executed. Definitely add this one to your list if you enjoyed the others (even if you haven't read past The Giver).
(A big thank you to Houghton Mifflin for the review copy!)
The Art Forger by B.A. ShapiroHoly crow. I loved this book. Such a surprise! I hadn't heard much about it before borrowing a friend's copy, but it was an extreme page turner. An awesome intro into the world of art fiction with a complex main character and a thrilling plot. If you need something to jumpstart your February reading, buy/borrow this one!
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline WinspearIn love with Downton Abbey like me? I knew I wanted a new audio series set during that time period and after asking around on
Twitter, I ended up with this first of a series. I don't know how I've missed out for so long, but I absolutely loved every single thing about this book. The characters, the story, the setting, the emotions, the unique mystery -- everything.
This is the first in the series and I believe book 6 is I'm going to try to pace myself through the series and make it last longer. I kinda hate the cover though. Am I alone in that?
Where We Belong/Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
This is where I make a confession. Totally though Emily Giffin's novels were total chick-lit fluff. Like Danielle Steel minus all the sex (sorry to all DS fans). I'm definitely not a fan of the overly girly covers, because those are what gave me the fluff impression in the first place and I ended up being completely wrong!
Much meatier than I expected, I really got into
Where We Belong. The plot line wasn't entirely unique, but a spin was placed on it that was interesting and pulled me into the story and I wanted to know what would happen to each of the characters. Very important!
I didn't love, love Heart of the Matter, but Giffin's characters are just so darn likable! Even the ones that made poor decisions and essentially broke up families were still likable as characters and I think that's why Giffin is such a well-loved author. Her books are realistic and relatable. I'm picking up Baby Proof next.
Still not a huge fan of the covers, despite all that. I definitely judge by the cover and I would have picked up the books much sooner had they not looked so light and fluffy. I get that light and fluffy is a preferred "genre" for some though, so I should just be quiet.
Birds of a Feather Jacqueline Winspear
This is the second book in the Maisie Dobbs series. Maisie's new client is a very wealthy businessman. Having worked his way up from the bottom, he now owns a national chain of upscale supermarkets. His socialite daughter has gone missing. Charlotte has run away before, but Mr. Waite would like her brought home before the press gets ahold of it, which is why he contacted Maisie.
When Maisie starts digging, she finds very conflicting views of Charlotte. She also discovers that her school friends are turning up dead, and they shared a terrible secret. The case is no longer simple.
Along the way, Billy's up to something strange and Maisie must deal with a change in the relationship with her father.
Since we got Maisie's backstory in the first book, this one doesn't have the same flash-back dual narrative. Winspear instead adds several subplots, but none of these hold the same tension as Maisie's backstory and so it didn't flow in the same way and some parts dragged a bit.
That said, I did still really like it. I think it's a wonderful look at how long the scars of war (both visible and invisible) last. We so rarely see something that examines how a nation and society at large continues to be affected by something like WWI. And while these books aren't about the war, they really are about the effects of it. We also start to see how the worsening economy at the start of the Depression is playing out in London.
I also enjoyed the mystery itself. It quickly becomes apparent that something else is going on besides a petulant daughter running away but it takes several twists and turns before Maisie (or the reader) can figure out where it's going. Both Charlotte and her father are difficult characters to understand and decipher, which makes their actions (and therefore the mystery) more layered than they initially appear.
I'm very much looking forward to reading the next one in the series
Book Provided by... my local library
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We’ve collected the hardcover books debuting on Indiebound’s Indie Bestseller List for the week ending March 27, 2011–a sneak peek at the books everybody will be talking about next month.
(Debuted at #3) The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith: “As the countdown to Mma Makutsi’s wedding begins, all is not as it should be at the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. While investigating unpleasant occurrences on a southern cattle-post, Mma Ramotswe, always on the side of the weak against the strong, has reason to reflect on Rule No.3 of The Principles of Private Detection: never lie to the client.” (March 2011)
(Debuted at #4) A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear: “Maisie Dobbs’ first assignment for the British Secret Service takes her undercover to Cambridge as a professor—and leads to the investigation of a web of activities being conducted by the emerging Nazi Party … Posing as a junior lecturer, she is sent to a private college in Cambridge to monitor any activities “not in the interests of His Majesty’s government.”
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Today's guest blogger is Jacqueline Winspear, author of the Maisie Dobbs novels, including AN INCOMPLETE REVENGE. Here, she describes a very special tradition she shares with her friends each holiday season, and reminisces on the very first book she ever owned."We must teach our children to dream with their eyes open. " -- Harry EdwardsAs a book lover, whenever it's time to give a gift, I turn to
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I can read Son without reading past The Giver? A friend keeps pushing Son on me, and it's always on the shelf, but I never read the others.
I'm a huge fan of Emily Giffin. I also thought her books were really fluffy until I finally picked one up, since then I have read them all. The Art Forger was AWESOME! I really liked it too. And Maisie Dobbs is one I've been meaning to pick up for such a long time! Glad to hear you loved it.
Lisa, yes! As long as you've read The Giver, you'll be fine. Even that isn't totally necessary, but the story all kinda comes full circle.
I loved THE ART FORGER, too. Great book, but very underrated. Why do the really good ones always seem to go unnoticed??