Weekly Book Recap #87

It's November!!??!!  I'm not going to focus on how close it is to the end of the year.  I prefer to think about my last two weeks, which have been chock-full of bookish events.

The highlight of the recent past was the Association of American Publishers (AAP) Adult Tri-State Book Buzz on October 22nd.  This all-day event brought librarians and representatives from publishing houses together for a presentation of recently published and forthcoming titles.

Jane Green was one of the featured speakers, and she entertained us with anecdotes about interviews she has done with actors Hugh Grant and Harrison Ford for Parade, as well as talking about her next novel, Saving Grace, which will be published in December.  Green told us about the negative personal experience that gave her the idea for this forthcoming book, which sounds like it will be a resounding bestseller.

There are a ton of great new books coming out at the end of 2014 and in early 2015.  In addition to Saving Grace, the titles I am most excited about are from favorite authors:  

• The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion (I came away with an ARC)
• West of Sunset by Stewart O'Nan 
• A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
• Funny Girl by Nick Hornby
• Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell
  
• A Dangerous Place (Maisie Dobbs #12) by Jacqueline Winspear
• The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer
• The Green Road by Anne Enright
• Manhattan Mayhem by Mary Higgins Clark (ed)

Another recent highlight was trading in my first edition Nook for a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook.  Barnes and Noble was offering a tempting trade-in rebate, which I combined with a membership discount to purchase the new device.  It's nice to have a brand new toy to add to my collection of gadgets.  While my iPad still holds most favorite status, I like having the option of a smaller tablet for those times when I want to travel lighter.

October ended with a delightfully bookish Halloween.  I had two book club meetings that day--one at lunchtime and one at dinnertime--which were nice treats.  November started with the annual library book sale.  All in all, a nice way to wrap up the previous month and kick off the new one.

On to the weekly recap and all the books acquired over the past two weeks . . . .

The past week's posts:
Tuesday:  First Chapter & Teaser
Wednesday:  Waiting on . . .
 Friday:  The Firday 56 & Book Beginning

Now for the rest of my week in books, which is being shared on these blogs:
 

 Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  

Showcase Sunday hosted by Vicky at  Books, Biscuits, and Tea
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey 

Finished reading three books . . .

                                     

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok and Night Road by Kristin Hannah are each coming-of-age stories about girls who struggle to fit in.  While the situations and story lines of these novels are quite different, each author weaves a captivating tale about the challenges of rising above life's circumstances.  Kimberly Chang in Girl in Translation is a young girl who emigrates to the U.S. from Hong Kong at age 6; Lexi Baill in Night Road is an adolescent ward of the state from the wrong side of the tracks.  Both protagonists are tenacious and determined, and I found myself lamenting their setbacks and cheering their successes. 

The Girl with a Clock for a Heart by Peter Swanson is a fast-paced thriller that revolves around a mysterious and ruthless young woman. Just exactly who is the woman George Foss knows as Liana Dector?  Does he really know her at all?

  

Each time readers think they have Liana figured out, the author throws another curve. This page turner will undoubtedly be compared to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.  

 

Currently reading . . .

   Going Nowhere Fast by Gar Anthony Haywood

From AAP's Adult Tri-State Book Buzz . . . 
with a multitude of thanks to Akashic Books, Algonquin Books, Ballantine Books, Grand Central Publishing, HarperCollins, Macmillan Library, William Morrow, Other Press, Quirk Books, Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks

                           
           

           

           

             

                          

                                         

First row: The Grown Ups by Robin Antalek, The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton, and The House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy  

Second row: A Dangerous Age by Ellen Gilchrist, The Daylight Marriage by Heidi Pitlor, and Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis

Third row: A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison, Whisper Hollow by Chris Cander, and Come Sweet Death by Wolf Haas 

Fourth row: A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley, Happy are the Happy by Yasmina Reza, and My Accidental Jihad by Krista Bremer

Fifth row: Helsinki Noir by James Thompson (ed), The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion, and The Sweetheart by Angelina Mirabella

Sixth row: The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman and Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

Seventh row: Whiskey & Charlie by Annabel Smith and Letter to a Future Lover:  Marginalia, Errata, Secrets, Inscriptions, and Other Ephemera Found in Libraries by Ander Monson

Downloaded . . .

            

Paradise Rot by Larry Weiner, Maid for Love by Marie Force, and Killing the Beasts by Chris Simms
 

From the library book sale . . .

             

                          

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht, One True Thing by Anna Quindlen, A Secret Affair by Barbara Taylor Bradford, Angels by Marian Keyes, Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson, and Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd

Reading next . . .

    Between Two Rivers by Nicholas Rinaldi

What did you read this week?  

. . . What did you add to your shelves or wish list?  

. . . . . . What are you reading next?

Enjoy life with books . . .

Catherine

Weekly Book Recap #87 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.