A Special Report for Book Lovers
There are lots of books to read about today! Of course, I am sharing my five favorite novels from the last several months. I usually include links to other books I have read by my featured authors, but this month, all of the authors are new to me. This is very cool, but makes this Newsletter too brief. Thus, I am borrowing a report from Ron Charles’ Book Club in the Washington Post. He listed the top ten books checked out at the New York Public Library in 2023 and he also gave a very comical list for the most popular children’s books at that library.
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My Five Favorite Books This Quarter:
Book Title: Fresh Water for Flowers
Author: Valerie Perrin
A very brief synopsis: The story of a cemetery caretaker, this book contains a life in bloom among the dead, not to mention two mysteries, one devastating heartbreak, and lots of love stories.
One more thing to share: This book was written in French by Valerie Perrin, and translated by Hildegarde Serle. The more I think about this book, the more I love this book.
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Book Title: West with Giraffes
Author: Lynda Rutledge
A very brief synopsis: Historical fiction about two giraffes traveling cross country to become the first giraffes at the San Diego Zoo in 1938. It’s a perilous journey!
One more thing to share: My favorite book of 2023 was The Four Winds, which told about the Dust Bowl. This book is set in the same era and continued my education on that topic. I loved learning more!
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Book Title: One Woman Show
Author: Christine Coulson
A very brief synopsis: A novel that is written almost entirely through museum wall labels that chronicle the life and times of Kitty Whitaker from 1906 through 1999.
One more thing to share: This is a unique book that may cause some to scratch their heads, but I loved it because it is a book that not just anyone could write. I truly admire what the author pulled off here. She tells so much with so few words.
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Book Title: Looking for Jane
Author: Heather Marshall
A very brief synopsis: Adoption, fertility issues, homes for unwed mothers, and the Jane Collective are all part of this story that takes place between 1961 and 2017.
One more thing to share: The Jane network was a clandestine group of women helping other women obtain safe abortions before they were legal. I first learned about the network in a 2022 film, Call Jane, starring Sigourney Weaver and Elizabeth Banks. I found it to be such an important part of history that I was eager to learn more.
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Book Title: The Sense of an Ending
Author: Julian Barnes
A very brief synopsis: You might want to read this Booker Prize winner twice to see how perfectly parts one and two fit together, and to see philosophy in action! Part one shows a group of boys in school together. Part two covers their adulthood.
One more thing to share: This is not a contemporary book. It was released in 2011. A movie of the story was released in 2017. One character in the book keeps telling another character that he just doesn’t get it. I didn’t either until I reached the end, started reading it again, and put all the pieces together.
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Here it is, a list of the top ten books checked out at the New York Public Library in 2023! (If I reviewed the book, there is a link for you to find what I had to say.)
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Gamus
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
- Spare by Prince Harry
- Book Lovers by Emily Henry
- Verity by Colleen Hoover
- Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
- Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
And here is what is so comical about the most popular books checked out by kids at this library: ALL TEN OF THEM are from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. Let me repeat that: ALL TEN OF THEM. Wow! What an accomplishment for the author!
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I read 39 books in 2023. All have reviews on my website. Many were featured in other Special Reports for Book Lovers in 2023. Here they are now in case you missed one. Click the image!
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Thank you!
Lorie
Some great book recommendations here, thanks!
Likewise, you just added I Could Live Here Forever to your Goodreads list and that one sounds good to me. So thanks to you too!! It’s so much fun to read!