My Favorite Books of 2012

I had a wonderful year in reading, and while my numbers are small by many comparisons, it's not a competition or contest and I have read more consistently and enjoyed more this year.  I added many more audiobooks to my book count, and have listed separately, in no particular order my favorite reads and listens of 2012.  I got it down to an even dozen without really trying. 

Books I read:

The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy  
Not your typical World War II story, this is so much more, and yet so scarily historically correct.

These Girls by Sarah Pekkanen
Three NYC roommates learn so much about themselves and maturing.

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
I knew very little about the genocide of the Armenian people, this book gripped me and held me from page one.  I thank the author so much for teaching me, and entertaining me. 

Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio
I can depend on Sarah taking me away in her books,and this did not disappoint,sad and yet full of love and hope, one mother's love is felt decades later. 

Hemingway's Girl by Erika Robuck
I was never a fan of Hemingway, and yet this story has me entertaining re-reading some of this works.  I'm looking for more great works from this debut novelist.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (review to come)
I had to read this one, so much talk, so many sales as I work, and yes YA is not just for teens.  This book is so honest and so as a young person thinks, and I loved it.  Read with a box of tissues.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (review to come)
Eleanor Brown, author of The Weird Sisters, is the kind of woman that can influence others.  She has exceptional taste in books, and when she said read this one...I found a way to do that.  The two main characters are people one would never expect to meet and become friends.  Louisa and Will become much more, and they show each other how life can be.  I laughed and cried, and learned to we should each live well. 




Books I listened to:

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarity
A story of two women, one very young and impetuous, one more mature but not without dreams.  I think I love the 1920's now. 

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
A dubut novel, a story of a small town, a small church and many secrets.  Wonderful words, brilliant audio production. 

Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
Her first book, narrated by someone not the author but so well done.  I have fallen in love with the southern language that Joshilyn writes so well. 

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
An 18 year old Victoria ages out of the child welfare system, she had been fostered in more than one home, and one that stayed in her heart.  A beautiful story of a woman trying to find herself.

A Grown Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson
I had a paper copy of this book, but after meeting Joshilyn I knew I would rather listen to this book.  I loved the story of three women in one family and the mission to keep Mosey innocent past the age of 15.  Trust me, listening to a Joshilyn Jackson book is like a lovely day day on a porch, rocking away, sipping sweet tea, and the South is a place of great tales.

I read/listened to a total of 54 books this year, my goal was 50. My total for 2011 was 30 books, so a nice increase.  18 of those read were audio books.  I had hoped to read 10 books from my ever growing shelves of books owned before 2012.  I only managed 2...yes two.  While some books were from previous years I hadn't owned them.  Still much work to do on this front. Of my favorite books 7 of 12 are from authors I hadn't read before. I discovered I really do enjoy Historical Fiction more than I thought. In one year I listened to all but one of Joshilyn Jackson's books on audio.  I think I'll cry when I finish that one, so I hope she's got something else coming soon! 

Thinking about new goals, and many wonderful books coming out in 2013!!

What's in a Name 5----My Results

 I was so excited for this challenge, it's like no other I've attempted.  I liked the ability to be creative in searching for my titles, and I laughed when I thought of a way to do this!!  If you check out Beth Fish Reads you can see many more entries.  So without further ado here is my list!! 



Between January 1 and December 31, 2012, read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: My book:  The River Witch by Kimberly Brock
2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: My book: The Fault of Our Stars by John Green.  Sorry haven't written the 5 star review yet!!
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title: My book: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James
4. A book with a type of house in the title: My book: The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian.
5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: My book: The Book Lover by Maryann McFadden 
6. A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: My book: Man in the Blue Moon by Michael Morris

Book Review: Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot

Written by: Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Published by: MacMillan Audio/Henry Holt and Co.  October 2012

Length: 8 hours and 25 minutes/ 336 pages

Narrated by: Bill O'Reilly

Source: Publisher



From the Publisher:
More than a million listeners have thrilled to Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln, the can't-stop-listening work of nonfiction about the shocking assassination that changed the course of American history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts in gripping detail the brutal murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy—and how a sequence of gunshots on a Dallas afternoon not only killed a beloved president but also sent the nation into the cataclysmic division of the Vietnam War and its culture-changing aftermath.

In January 1961, as the Cold War escalates, John F. Kennedy struggles to contain the growth of Communism while he learns the hardships, solitude, and temptations of what it means to be president of the United States. Along the way he acquires a number of formidable enemies, among them Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and Alan Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency.  In addition, powerful elements of organized crime have begun to talk about targeting the president and his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

In the midst of a 1963 campaign trip to Texas, Kennedy is gunned down by an erratic young drifter named Lee Harvey Oswald. The former Marine Corps sharpshooter escapes the scene, only to be caught and shot dead while in police custody.

The events leading up to the most notorious crime of the twentieth century are almost as shocking as the assassination itself. Killing Kennedy chronicles both the heroism and deceit of Camelot, bringing history to life in ways that will profoundly move the listener.  This may well be the most talked about book of the year.

My thoughts: 
I have a long love affair with most things Kennedy. I've read many biographies of John F. Kennedy, his family, his brothers and more.  My parents were active in the 1960 campaign and we lived in a suburb of Dallas TX.  This account of Jack Kennedy's life was very thorough.  I enjoyed the recounting of Jack's role in WWII as the captain of PT 109, the details were well told.  While many of us know the major details of Kennedy's life and presidency and assassination there are lesser known facts that O' Reilly delves into in this book.  Some of these facts include the less desirable and stellar facts of JFK's life, including his connections to the mafia and Hollywood.  John Kennedy was a handsome, engaging man.  He was talented as a writer, and I do believe he had positive and hopeful visions of what our country could be. 

The audio production of this was very good. Bill O'Reilly is clearly comfortable in front of a microphone, and his inflections and  pace helped keep the audio interesting.  I liked that he shared his personal connection to the time of Camelot.  

While I did enjoy this book and audio production I didn't really learn much new about Kennedy and his life.  There was little about alternate theories of his assassination.  I've given this book a 3 out of 5 stars, and I really did like it.  I think if other people were less familiar with the details they would enjoy the book more.  Still a very good book about a man and era of our history that was cut way too short. 

For My Lost Sister

You might be wondering how I lost my sister, and sadly she was lost to most of my family before she was 25.

My second sister,Bonita was born eleven years before me, and just eleven months after our sister Ouida.  My sisters were very close growing up, almost the same age, size, just one year apart in school.  From December 4-January 9 they were the same age and loved giggling as they told adults their ages and no they weren't twins.  The pictures of the two of them are amazing and precious, my mother made most of their dresses, Ouida a redhead, Bonita a brunette, and both of them with a Toni Perm! 

My sisters were also very different, Bonita somehow feeling less perfect than our very A type overachieving sister. Ouida and I have talked about it many times, how none of this had to be an issue. Bonita was bright, capable. It's another mystery.  Bonita began to act out and rebel against very basic rules my parents had, and then tragically my sister began to have seizures.  Bonita was 13 or 14 when diagnosed with Epilepsy.  While then archaically termed Grand Mal seizures she was very dramatically impacted by her seizures.  Finding just the right meds was an up and down process.  This was about 1964, and I must say my parents did not manage their reactions and behavior to this new reality.  My sister was dealing with neurologists and also psychiatrists, and my folks sometimes acted ashamed and embarrassed by all this.  It was as if Epilepsy was like a communicable disease and should be hidden and lied about.  Bonita's attention getting mode of operation was to skip her meds, having a seizure and while garnering attention, setting back her progress and clear understanding of how balance would be such an important piece of the puzzle.

My sister went through much physical and mental anguish when she was a teen and young adult.  The meds she was on were so damaging to other parts of her body.  Thankfully better medications have been developed for those diagnosed with Epilepsy today. My sister left home about age 20, and then she ran off to California and was gone for nearly a year.  Leaving my parents to worry and be completely in the dark.  Over the years my sister had many crises.   Bonita had two failed marriages, raised a daughter who also had behavioral problems, who also had two children with no father in their lives.

I was 9 years old when my sister first left.  From the age of 18-unitil now I saw my sister a total of 4 times.  I am 52 years old.  Her health was awful, damage from nearly 50 years of medications, complications from being a smoker, and who knows what damage from illicit drug use.  When she developed COPD a few years ago, no one was surprised.  Last year at the age of 62 my sister Bonita lost her battle with life.  She had been hospitalized and as much as we know her lungs just could not help her any more.  December 4 is her birthday, somehow even when we lose people it's always their birthday...and even with the disjointed and elusive relationship I had with my sister I still think of her, and I miss her.

I miss that she was a brilliant pianist and could play most anything.  I miss that she introduced me to Elvis and The Beatles and that when I was 15 and she was 26 and living with a hippy in California I thought she was so cool!  I miss that as adults we were never friends, and that we had little in common.  I'm sad that my parents lost a child, and I'm sad that Bonita was misunderstood and likely never treated appropriately for the mental health issues she had.   I'm blessed to have another sister and brother that help care for and balance decisions for my aging parents.  Admittedly my sister Bonita was not good at this, and fell apart with each downward aging step my dad too.  She was very close to daddy.  I'm sad she won't see her grandchildren grow up. 

So today, for my sister Bonita, I want to say I love you Bony....my nickname for her, and that it's foolish to wish one's life away, but oh how I wish it could have been different. 

Book Review: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Written by:  Tom Franklin

Published by:  William Morrow (Imprint of Harper Collins) October 2010

Pages: 274 pages

Source:  Purchased for Nook




Larry Ott has lived his entire life in the same house, in the same small town in Mississippi.  A quiet, introspective, studious young man, he doesn't have any real friends.  He is not exactly the son his father had hoped for.  Carl Ott was more of what people might call a man's man, he liked guns and hunting, and he ran an auto repair shop, aptly name Ottomotive Repair.  Larry lives alone with his parents, an only child.  While in high school a neighbor and friend of Larry's, Cindy Walker, goes missing.  Last seen leaving for a drive in movie date with Larry he is blamed for her disappearance.  When he tells his story, no one believes him...they never do.  Larry basically drops out of sight, finishing high school at home, joining the military and trying to do all he can to not be "Scary Larry", the nickname he hates.  Twenty fives years later another young girl goes missing.....and the focus is on Larry again.

Silas Jones is the local constable, or police officer in Chabot Mississipppi.  Everyone calls him 32, his baseball number.  Once a star who also went to college to play ball he is local legend.  Silas was once new in his small town.  He lived in an old hunting cabin with his mother, living on her meager wages and knowing no one.  He and Larry Ott became friends, an odd and unexpected, and short lived friendship.  Larry white, and Silas black, in a still racially divided south, an unlikely friendship indeed.  Now twenty fives years later Silas is trying to uncover what has happened to Larry in all these years.  Is he involved in the missing girl case?  What Silas discovers is so much deeper than just this case, he learns much more about Larry than he ever expected. 

This book has been on my radar and my "To Be Read" list for a long time, since it's 2010 publication I'm guessing.  I'm thankful I got around to reading it!!  This book has so much, the story of friendship, coming of age, mystery, southern literature and characters I loved.  Based on my synopsis it may be hard to see but I loved both Larry and Silas, flawed and sensitive they were both hurting in many ways. 

The mob mentality of claiming a person guilty on circumstantial evidence, was all over the place in Chabot.  Small towns tend to do this.  I read that the characters in Franklin's book were compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, and certainly the unknown, misunderstood Larry bore resemblance to Boo Radley.  Real evil and fear is often not in the places we imagine.   There were characters of poverty and hard drinking in the book too. 

I really enjoyed this book, giving it a 4 out of 5 stars.  I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a story of suspicion and complicated families and friends.  This is the first book I've read by Tom Franklin, but I intend to check out his back list.