Cassandra at Indie Reader Houston hosts 5 Best Books, a weekly meme that asks participants to list what they consider the 5 best books on a given topic.
This week’s topic is
5 Best Books … of 2011 (so far).
I’ve read 31 books through the first half of this year. These are my favorites (so far) and are books that I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone. Click on the cover for my review.
You Know When The Men Are Gone
by Siobhan Fallon
A beautifully written slender volume of short stories centering around the wives of deployed soldiers based at Ft. Hood, Texas. The stories are loosely related involving different families and different situations, but with a common thread running throughout. It’s a wonderful book, a compelling look into the personal relationships of the men and women in the military, and I highly recommend it.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
This superbly written work of narrative non-fiction is the story of the most famous cells in medical research and of the woman behind them. These cells were instrumental in allowing scientists to create the polio vaccine, cloning and eventually in mapping the human genome. The cells had become virtually immortal and indispensable in scientific research. This book was released in 2010 and most people have probably heard of it by now. If not, you don’t want to miss it. It’s that good. And no science background by the reader is needed.
Shanghai Girls
by Lisa See
This was released last year and I finally got around to reading it now that the sequel, Dreams of Joy, is available. This historical novel about sisters Pearl and May Chin is beautifully written. The sisters were born into a family of wealth and prosperity in 1930′s Shanghai and live a carefree, glamorous life until their father gambles away the family money and sells the sisters into marriages neither of them want. The wonderful descriptive prose made the story come alive as we follow the journey of the sisters to America and into their new lives.
Doc: A Novel
by Mary Doria Russell
I rarely read westerns but I loved this book. When people familiar with the American Old West hear the name John Henry “Doc” Holliday, it brings to mind the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral or Wyatt Earp and his brothers. The gunfight that made Doc famous lasted only 30 seconds but that is what most people remember about him. In her new novel, Doc, Mary Doria Russell gives us another view drawing on historical facts, legends, research and her imagination in a fictionalized account of one year in the life of Doc Holliday. The old west, Doc Holliday and all the supporting characters vividly come to life.
Map of Time
by Felix J. Palma
I just finished reading this and will have the review up soon. The story has several interrelated plots involving H.G. Wells, murder and incidents of time-travel. It’s not what thought it would be at all. I was expecting science fiction and it’s not. It’s historical fiction, mystery, romance, adventure and a little fantasy set in Victorian London. It’s original, unique and thoroughly enjoyable.
Link up your 5 best books at Indie Reader Houston. The meme runs through July 2nd.
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More Wordless Wednesday.
Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.
Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. This month’s host is Bluestocking at The Bluestocking Guide.
Busy week for me. I have three new books and one audiobook.
An autographed galley and a t-shirt from Crown Publishing Group:
Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
A teenager named Wade Watts escapes his bleak surrounds by logging into Oasis, a globally networked virtual utopia where users lead idyllic alternate lives. When the game’s eccentric billionaire creator dies, he offers up his fortune as the prize in an elaborate treasure hunt. Watts is pitted against powerful corporate foes and ruthless competitors who’ll do anything, in the Oasis and real world, to reach the treasure first.
An ARC for review through Amazon Vine:
The Language of Flowers
by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
In The Language of Flowers, Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s powerful first novel, a damaged young woman, Victoria Jones, who can only communicate through the Victorian language of flowers, goes from being homeless to a sought after wedding floral designer.
The Victorian language of flowers was used to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it has been more useful in conveying feelings like grief, mistrust and solitude.
From the author for review:
It Came From The 70’s
by Connie Corcoran Wilson
It Came From the ’70s is the book movie lovers old and new have been searching for. The 1970s represented a fertile decade that produced such films as: Alien, Dirty Harry, Apocalypse Now, The Exorcist, Chinatown, The French Connection, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Godfather (Parts I and II), Star Wars, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and many, many more. Featured in these pages are over 75 photos, major casts, a multitude of reviews, “Best of/Worst of” lists, and trivia for both the film buff and the uninitiated.
From HarperAudio for review:
State of Wonder
by Ann Patchett, narrated by Hope Davis
Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett returns with a provocative and assured novel of morality and miracles, science and sacrifice set in the Amazon rainforest. Patchett delivers an enthrallingly innovative tale of aspiration, exploration, and attachment in State of Wonder—a gripping adventure story and a profound look at the difficult choices we make in the name of discovery and love.
The House Sparrow can be found anywhere there are people. In fact, they prefer to nest among us humans rather than in the forests and woodlands. They are one of the most common birds.
This little guy along with three siblings had recently left the nest. They were fluttering around the yard barely able to fly. In this photo you can see the downy feathers and orange baby beak. In young birds the beak is still soft and flexible allowing the mouth to open wide to receive food. It will eventually harden and the color will darken.
The parents were still feeding these little guys. In this photo you can barely see the mom giving a seed to one of the youngsters who was hiding in the clematis.
House Sparrows aren’t related to other North American sparrows. They are chunkier, fuller in the chest, with a larger, rounded head, shorter tail, and stouter bill. They are native to Britain and were introduced into Brooklyn, New York, in 1851. By 1900 they had spread to the Rocky Mountains.
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If you enjoy birds check out my previous Weekend Birding posts.
I link up my bird photos on Saturday Snapshot hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
I’m participating in the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop hosted by Judith at Leeswame’s Blog. Over 70 blogs are taking part and the event will run through Wednesday, June 29th. Each blog will be offering a book or bookish items of a literary nature.
I’m giving away a new hardcover copy of Doc by Mary Doria Russell. This is her latest book and she has written a fictionalized account of a year in the life of American Old West legend John Henry “Doc” Holliday who was made famous by his participation in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
My review is here and as you can see I just loved this book.
Giveaway Information
- Contest is open to anyone with an address to which the book depository can deliver.
- You do not have to be a follower but if you aren’t and you like my blog I hope you’ll subscribe and visit again.
- To enter fill out the Entry Form below.
- The deadline for entry is midnight, June 29th. I will draw one winner who will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address.
[Contest Now Closed]
Winner is Col of Col Reads.
Read more…
Doc: A Novel
by Mary Doria Russell
Read by: Mark Bramhall
Genre: Historical Fiction, Western
Publisher: Random House Audio
Publish Date: May 2011
Format: Audio CD | 16 Hours and 38 min
Rating: 5 of 5
When people familiar with the American Old West hear the name John Henry “Doc” Holliday, it brings to mind the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral or Wyatt Earp and his brothers. The gunfight that made Doc famous lasted only 30 seconds but that is what most people remember about him. In her new novel, Doc, Mary Doria Russell gives us another view drawing on historical facts, legends, research and her imagination in a fictionalized account of one year in the life of Doc Holliday. Most of the novel takes place during the time he lived in Dodge City, before he moved to Tombstone, Arizona where he played a part in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
The first few chapters of the book provide some background on the early life of John Holliday. He was born in Georgia to a wealthy family, was well educated and studied the sciences, literature, history and languages and graduated dental school at the age of 20. Shortly after he began his dental practice he contracted tuberculosis, a disease that was not curable and would torment him his entire life. He began one of several moves west in search of a drier, warmer climate which would be better for his health, first to Texas, where he met his girlfriend, Mary Katherine Horony, and then to Dodge City where he met the Earp brothers.
I rarely read westerns but I loved this book. I chose to read (listen) to it for several reasons: The author’s reputation and the main character, Doc Holliday, which I knew and liked from the movie Tombstone with Val Kilmer. The book is beautifully written. The old west and Doc Holliday vividly come to life as do all of the characters. I feel like I know Doc, I understand him, the writing is that powerful. One of the more interesting side characters was Doc’s girlfriend, who was also known as Katie Elder and who’s profession was a prostitute. She was a fascinating individual in her own right and had a complex relationship with Doc who considered her his intellectual equal.
Knowing little about the old west, I was captivated by this account of life in a frontier town. I could feel the lawlessness of the era in the saloon brawls, gambling, drinking and even a murder, which is eventually solved. The author even touches on the politics of the era as the prohibitionists attempted to get a hold on public office in an attempt to clean up the town. For a time Doc made his living as a professional gambler because he couldn’t make much money from his dental practice; most people couldn’t afford to pay for treatment. We also get some insight on dentistry in the late 1800’s which should make us all glad the field has advanced so much.
Yes, I was fascinated and couldn’t take the earbuds out. I was listening while gardening, cooking, shopping; for several days I was listening non-stop. The book was read by Mark Bramhall who did a nice job of performing the different accents with a voice that was easy to listen to. I always knew when I was hearing Doc with his southern drawl and he even made the Earp brothers sound different from each other.
Even if you’ve never heard of Doc Holliday or you’re not fond of westerns, I stlll suggest reading this book. It’s not a cowboy, gunslinger tale. It’s a wonderfully written portrait of John Henry Holliday with the old west and the people who lived there as a backdrop. Highly recommended.
Author
I had the pleasure of attending an event last weekend where Mary Doria Russell was the keynote speaker. She spoke about her new book, Doc, and some of her earlier works. When asked about her inspiration to write Doc she admitted her love of the character and said she has watched Tombstone and My Darling Clementine many times and thought Val Kilmer made a better Doc Holliday than Victor Mature. That brought up the question of why didn’t she include the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Her answer was twofold. First, not including it left her room for a sequel, which received much laughter from the crowd, and second, she felt that part of John Henry Holliday’s life had already been written about many times and she wanted to explore an earlier, happier, period of his life.
She talked about her research for this novel and I was amazed to find out how much of it was based on fact. Mary is a wonderfully entertaining speaker; the hour flew past. If you ever have the opportunity to hear her speak, don’t pass it up.
Giveaway
I am giving away a new copy of this book to one of my readers as part of the Literary Blog Hop Giveaway beginning June 25 through 29th. The giveaway is open internationally to any country where The Book Depository will deliver.
This unusual butterfly landed on my patio table.
According to the Butterfly Guide it is a Question Mark Butterfly
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More Wordless Wednesday.
Under My Apple Tree 