Author: Ann

Ann’s 2018 Favorites

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My reading gravitates to mysteries and suspense and this year to the British Isles, particularly Ireland.

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan. Debut novel that draws you into the dark heart of Ireland.

Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear. Debut procedural featuring Cat Kinsella as a young London policewoman whose investigation takes her to her own family secrets back in Ireland.

The Witch Elm by Tana French. The talented French is back with a non-series title about a happy-go-lucky young man whose fortune takes a terrible turn.

The Child by Fiona Barton. The skeleton of a baby found on a building site sends reporter Kate Waters scurrying over London to unravel the mystery of the child.

These novels are all set in the U.S. and while not strictly mysteries, each one has twists and turns and some mysterious goings-on.

Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker. Three years earlier the Tanner sisters disappeared. Now one is back, but where is Emma, the other sister?

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl become entangled in the lives of the Richardson Family. Set in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown. Billy Flanagan disappeared on a hiking trip a year ago and is presumed dead. But now her daughter is having waking dreams that her mother is still alive.

A year is not complete without a couple of scifi/fantasy titles.

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd. In a dangerous future world, where people lose their shadows and their memories, a group of survivors search for answers. Those who loved Station Eleven and The Passage will love this as well.

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers. “From the ground we stand. From our ship, we live. By the stars, we hope.” This is the code of the Exodans, the decendants of those last humans who left Earth and reside in The Fleet, stationary ships in space. Third in the Wayfarer series.

And last, but not least, a picture book for cat lovers.

Niblet & Ralph by Zachariah O’Hara. Two look-alike cats mistakenly switch places in this in this sweet and delightful book for all ages.

 

                                                                                                                                                        ~Ann

Ann’s Top Ten 2017

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Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light. –Vera Nazarian

10. NUMMER ZEHN        THE DRY– Jane Harper

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9. NUMÉRO NEUF           I LET YOU GO– Clare Mackintosh

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8. NUMERO OCHO          THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL ANGRY PLANET– Becky Chambers

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7. 數字七                              A CLOSED AND COMMON ORBIT– Becky Chambers

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6. NUMER SZEŚĆ             I FOUND YOU– Lisa Jewell

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5. NUMERO CINQUE      TWO IF BY SEA– Jacqueline Mitchard

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4. ÀIREAMH CEITHIR     THE LATE SHOW– Michael Connelly

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3. NUMBER ਤੀਹ                HUM IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE WORDS– Biance Marais

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2. NUMMER TO                THE CHILD FINDER– Rene Denfeld

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1. INOMBOLO YOKUQALA   THE KIND WORTH KILLING– Peter Swanson

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                                                                                                                                                      ~Ann >^.^<

 

MENU

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MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2016

Tasty Appetizers

Descent by Tim Johnston

Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm

Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon

Cruel, Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt

Hearty Entrees

The Widow by Fiona Barton

Breaking Wild by Diane Les Becquets

Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin

The Poison Artist by Jonathan Moore

To Cleanse the Palate

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Dessert (the best for last!)

The Trespasser by Tana French

*With your Christmas Eve Hot Chocolate

Oliver, the Cat Who Saved Christmas by Sheila Norton    >’.'<

 

            ~Enjoy! Ann

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2015: It’s a Mystery

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“Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.”                        MICKEY SPILLANE

My 2015 list this year includes Mystery, Suspense, and Thrillers!

Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn. Chet the Dog is so famous he has his own website- http://www.chetthedog.com/

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. The “good girl” runs into a bundle of trouble.

Last Words by Michael Koryta. He didn’t know it at the time, but they were the last words he spoke to her.

Little Black Lies by Sandra Block. Black lies are definitely worse than white lies.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. No doubt this will be on many best lists!

The Night Ferry by Michael Robotham. This ferry will take you on a wild ride.

Orient by Christopher Bollen. Strange things are occuring in the town of Orient on Long Island.

The Wild Inside by Christine Carbo. Some parts of this book are “unbearably grizzly”!

One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis. A twisty, psychological thriller debut novel.

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain. Another winner from author Chamberlain.

~Ann

Latest Additions

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The frost is not yet on the pumpkin and the days are still glorious. The librarians here have enjoyed the weather of the past week and reading these books.

Aquarium by David Vann

AquariumView in the Reading Room

Early One Morning by Virginia Baily

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All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani

all the starsView in the Reading Room

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

mistbornView in the Reading Room

The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens

mountain storyView in the Reading Room

And don’t forget about the books coming Tomorrow, November 10th!

The Promise by Robert Crais

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom

Destiny and Power : the American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham

Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

 

~Ann

NEW NOVELS!

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Racing the Rain by John L. Parker, Jr.

The story of a world-class athlete coming of age in the 1950s and 60s on Florida’s Gold Coast. A prequel to the author’s bestselling Once a Runner.

Racing the Rain
Racing the Rain

The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth

The heart-breaking romance between Wilhelm Grimm and the young woman who told him many of his most famous stories.

The Wild Girl
The Wild Girl

The Last Pilot by Benjamin Johncock

While America becomes swept up in the fervor of the Space Race, test pilot Jim Harrison turns his attention home, passing up the chance to become an astronaut to welcome his daughter, Florence, into the world.  But when his family is faced with a sudden and inexplicable tragedy, Harrison’s instincts as a father and a pilot are put to test.

The Last Pilot
The Last Pilot

~Ann

New Travel Book

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“I am lighthouse rather than lifeboat. I do not rescue, but instead help others to find their own way to shore, guiding them by my example.” – Modern Affirmation

Who doesn’t love a lighthouse? Especially if it’s in Maine. Each year thousands of tourists visit Maine’s lighthouses. Sixty-four lighthouses dot Maine’s rugged coast. The Islandport Guide to Lighthouses in Maine is written by Ted Panayotoff who is a lighthouse historian. It’s a comprehensive and useful guidebook with pages of photographs and vintage postcards of the lighthouses. Maine lighthouses have interesting names such as Burnt Island Light, Owls Head Light, and Whaleback Light. Each lighthouse is profiled with descriptions, contact information, and direction. Plus there is a special section on lighthouses that features overnight accommodations.

~Ann

British Suspense- One Step Too Far

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one step Emily Coleman leaves her Manchester home, husband, and family and disappears to London where she takes a new name. She finds a room in a dilapidated rooming house and a job as a receptionist. All the while she’s sick about leaving her husband and thinks back on “what happened.” The trouble is the reader doesn’t know “what happened.”

Tension builds as we try and figure out why Emily would leave a loving husband, child, and her job as an attorney to take up another life in London. This is a twisty psychological thriller that reminded me of a mash up of Girl on a Train and some of Ruth Rendell’s books. A debut novel.

~Ann