Reading in the Garden

Annette's 2014 Book Winners Below are the books I have read in 2014. You can read reviews on almost all of them. I’ve noted the ones that stood out as my favorites.  Favorites is a hard game to play, and I wanted to mark so many more that stood out, but in the end I bit the bullet and only chose the top two or three in a category.  As a side note, just because I didn’t write a review on the book, doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. Click on the titles to read the reviews. Fiction: Bab ayaga by Toby Barlow  Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter The Chili Queen by Sandra Dallas The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon Dog On It by Spencer Quinn Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok  A Guide to the Birds of East Africa   by Nicholas Drayson This charming book rocketed up to win my “favorite book of the year award. ”   Heartburn by Nora Ephron The Hundred-FootJourney by Richard C. Morais The J.M. Barrie L

Honeymoon from Hell Death on the Nile   by Agatha Christie is a fun whodunit set on a steamer cruise ship in Egypt. While gliding down the Nile on a luxury seven-day trip, a young, wealthy, beautiful bride on her honeymoon is found dead.  As luck would have it, mustachioed Belgian detective, Hercule Poroit, happens to be vacationing on the same boat and with the help of acquaintance, Colonel Race, they set out to solve the sordid crime.  Some facts, ergo motives, were already all too crystal clear.  Linnet Ridgeway is a woman of means, and means to get whatever she wants.  She’s got the looks and money to spin the world her way.  What she wants is her friend Jacqueline’s fiancé, Simon Doyle.  And although Simon and Jacqueline were madly in love, Linnet manages to peel him away from the defenseless woman.  They marry and head off to exotic Egypt for their honeymoon.  Jacqueline, however, is a woman scorned. As you know, hell hath no fury like that type of female, and Jackie

The Spinster and the Madam The Chili Queen   by Sandra Dallas . Emma is a thirty-something spinster who sets out to marry a man she’s only corresponded with, but never met.  Her brother thinks she’s a twit and minces no words about his opinions of her when he helps Emma board a train to Nalgitas, New Mexico in the late 1800s.  He makes sure she sits next to a respectable woman during the train ride to keep his naïve sister safe.  That woman, however, ain’t no lady. She’s Addie French, a madam at a brothel called The Chili Queen.  When Emma reaches Nalgitas, instead of her dream man waiting for her, she discovers a note calling the whole thing off.  Poor Emma can’t return to her brother with the bad attitude. She does the only thing she can think of and sets off to find Addie at The Chili Queen, which she thinks is a boarding house. Addie agrees to take Emma in and together they develop a plan that involves secrets, deceptions, greed, and justice.  While I liked The Chili Quee

Happy Birthday to Notable Authors born in December! Click on the links to read reviews. December 7, 1873               Willa Cather American author born in Nebraska who wrote stories of the struggles of pioneer life, including O’Pioneers and My Antonia (both are quick reads which I have enjoyed) . She won the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours. December 12, 1821             Gustave Flaubert French novelist and playwright, famous for Madame Bovary , his first published novel which was originally printed in a series of articles. Due to the shockingly naughty and immoral theme of adultery, Flaubert was brought to trial along with the printer and the manager of the series. All were acquitted and naturally the sensationalism boosted sales of the book. December 15, 1896             Betty Smith American author born in Brooklyn, NY, known for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, about a poor Irish-American family struggling to make ends meet during the ea

A Stepmother's Reign of Terror and Oppression Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah is the heart-breaking true story of an “unwanted Chinese” daughter.  Adeline’s birth mother died from complications shortly after Adeline was born and soon a new stepmother entered the lives of the Yen family. The new mother called “Niang” gave birth to a girl and a boy, bringing the total brood to seven children.  Right from the beginning her own children were favored as the stepchildren suffered under her rule. Niang was a vindictive, conniving, tyrant who manipulated her husband, kids, and other family members’ lives in a “reign of terror and oppression.”  In an effort to divide and conquer, Niang encouraged strife and betrayal amongst the siblings.  Everyone was affected by her endless emotional abuse, but it was Adeline who was singled out.  Her own father, however, was not innocent, as he always sided with Niang, no matter how unjust, even dispensing own variations of mistreatment. This poig

The Dark Burden of Love The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman is about a lighthouse keeper and his wife on an isolated island in Western Australia in 1926 who save a baby from a ship wrecked on their shores and bury the dead man who was with her.  This baby seems to be a gift from God to Isabel, the lighthouse keeper's wife, who's had several miscarriages.  With a heavy and reluctant heart, her husband, Tom, gives in to her pleas to keep "Lucy."  This sets the stage for an emotional journey of love, guilt, betrayal, and justice.  It's no secret right from the get-go that this book is designed to pull at your heart strings, and it did a good job of it.  In fact, it pulled on my heart like a taffy machine, yanking all my maternal instincts back and forth and back and forth again until it finally managed to coax out a couple tears, which are not always that forthcoming from me (see Firefly Lane ).   I really did like the book, tears, anguish, and all.  It

Crime and Drama in California Do you believe in love at first sight?  Frank and Cora did. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain is about a couple who instantly fall in love, tainted with a hearty dose of brutal lust.  He’s a drifter and she’s married to the owner of a roadside diner. They start a passionate and violent affair where bitings and beatings are all part of the fun. It isn’t long before they plan to take out Cora’s husband and then the fun really gets rolling.  Their quest brings them down a windy road with twists and turns around every corner.  This crime novel was first published in 1934.  It is narrated in a “hard-boiled” roman noir voice where there’s some cheesy fast talk, punctuated with vintage exclamations like “swell, by golly, and grand.”  When it was first written, the violence and sexual heat caused quite a stir.  Offended Bostonians banned the book. But despite, or more likely because of the notoriety, this book has been popular for eight

The Courageous Incident of a Boy on a Mission The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is about a 15-year-old boy with autism who discovers a neighbor dog has been killed with a pitchfork. Christopher makes it his quest to find the killer, all the while writing a book about the mystery.  Christopher does not like to be touched and has difficulties with social interactions, but he does have a gift for math and logic.  With great determination, he uses his logical reasoning to track the killer and soon finds himself in an unexpected journey of discovery, betrayal, and complicated relationships.  I enjoyed this book because it was so different from anything I’ve read.  I liked “getting into Christopher’s head” and learning his fears and methodology for coping with them. Not only did I like Christopher, but I also had sympathy for those who loved and cared for him. This novel made me feel as though I might have a tiny bit better understanding of autism.  It

All About Edgar Edgar Allan Poe is an American icon in literature. He’s known as the “America’s Shakespeare” or “The Master of Macabre” for his genius in poetry and spinning tales of suspense and horror. Most notably recognizable works include “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and the poem “The Raven” among others. Poe was born on January 19, 1809, the second of three children.  Sadly, within three years of his birth, both of his parents died, and Poe was sent to live with a tobacco merchant while his older brother and younger sister were sent to live with other family members.  The Allans took Edgar in as one of their own.  They even sent him to college, sort of.  Poe attended the University of Virginia with less than one-third of the funds he needed.  Soon he was hitting the gambling tables in an attempt to pay his debts—just like Justin Timberlake in the movie Runner, Runner.  Unlike Justin, he didn’t turn to the drug trade to support his education

Ghostcapades The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde is an amusing short story about a brash American family that knowingly moves into a haunted English house.  They’re not afraid, no siree.  The ghost, Sir Simon de Canterville, wastes no time in starting his tricks the moment the family of six settles in. But, this time, he’s the one in for a shock, as this American family proves more difficult to scare.  In fact, his tenured position as head horrorfier is no match as the Otis gang has their own tricks up their sleeves. Instead of fainting at a blood stain that continuously returns on a rug, the elder son quickly pulls out Pinkerton’s Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent to clean it. When the rattling chains prove to interrupt Mr. Otis’s sleep, he opens the door and insists the apparition uses Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator on his manacles.  Even the mother is tough as nails.  The ghost is getting frustrated and demonstrates his most demonic laugh, only to have Mrs. Otis offe