Welcome to A Circle of Books.

This is a blog about the circle of books in my life and the people who write them. What books are you reading? I'd love to chat about books old and new. Please feel free to visit and comment often.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen - Review

I finished reading this book after the first of this year.  I really enjoyed this book.  GREAT storytelling, and a few adorable characters made the book one of my favorites in a long time.  I adored the book.  There are heartbreaking parts in the story, and I had a hard time as I grimaced through the animal abuse.  But it added a validity and realness to the story.    It was a beautiful story.

I give this book five stars.    And I have to note that I watched the movie within a week or so of finishing the book.  It was wonderful.  Almost as good as the book.  The circus essence of the story was not lost in the movie.  The book, however, had a special message about aging that was not presented in the movie.


Happy New Year to all.  

2012 is here!!!!  I am still reading, knitting, spinning and now learning to play the violin.  (so very exciting)

I have some books to  announce and I hope to host a few giveaways.   I am still out here, ever so quietly.


Cheers!!!
Toni

Monday, November 21, 2011

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

I bought this and read it on my IPad. I enjoyed this book tremendously. To talk out it in detail is to spoil. There are not many big reveal plots in the story, it is just life. The life of women in a family. Three generations, four different woman.

It is a great book club read or girlfriend, mother-sister read. Guys might like it too, I just don't know any that would so I hasten to recommend. But I do not feel this was "chick lit."

It filled my need to read and veg and "visit" another family and "get away."

Think it would be a good summer read. Enjoy!



- Posted from my iPad

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

I got this book on my doorstep the other day and I opened it up and absolutely could not wait to start reading it.  I just wanted to put everything down and go read.   I am over half way through and I am completely enticed and riveted with the story and the characters.  Food for thought? oh yes!!!
Thank you Algonquin Books for sending this Advanced Reader Copy to me.  This book comes out in stores October 4th. 



From the author whose international bestseller, Mudbound, so hauntingly re-created America’s past comes a stunning creation of America in the near future, where faith, love, and sexuality have fallen prey to politics.
Hannah Payne’s life has been devoted to church and family, but after her arrest, she awakens to a nightmare: she is lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, and cameras are broadcasting her every move to millions at home, for home observing new Chromescriminals whose skin color has been genetically altered to match the class of their crimeis a new and sinister form of entertainment. Hannah is a Red; her crime is murder. The victim, says the state of Texas, was her unborn child, and Hannah is determined to protect the identity of the fathera public figure with whom she’s shared a fierce and forbidden love.
When She Woke is a stunning story about a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of a not-too-distant future, where the line between church and state has been eradicated and convicted felons are released back into the population after being “chromed.” In seeking a path to safety in an alien and hostile world, Hannah unknowingly embarks on a path of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she has held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes the personal.

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Praise from Booksellers

“I can’t wait to put When She Woke into everybody’s hands. Bravo to Hilary Jordan. “ —Roberta Rubin, The Bookstall at Chestnut Court, Winnetka, IL

When She Woke is a masterpiece . . . It is powerful, compelling, sensitive, and poignant. I read it in one sitting.” —Bill Cusumano, Nicola’s Books, Ann Arbor, MI

“Be prepared to lose sleep over the too-close-to-reality aspects of this beautifully written novel. Hillary Jordan’s When She Woke delves and connects and exposes in profound ways.” —Dana Brigham, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA

“A novel that will inspire a provocative discussion among readers.” —Michele Filgate, McNally Jackson Books, New York, NY

When She Woke is a page turner. Just as Jordan so beautifully wrote about the injustice and tragedies of racism in America in her last novel, Mudbound, she now artfully exposes the injustices and heartbreak caused by religious extremism that, as she demonstrates in When She Woke, can arise from any rigid doctrine, even in heartland America.” —Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO

“Wow! What a read! When She Woke has everything good and delicious that one wants in a book: great characters, steady plotting, and a thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, compelling, and unsettling story.” —Melinda Powers, Capitola Book CafĂ©, Capitola, CA

“I’m gobsmacked! When She Woke is riveting from page one.” —Emily Crowe, The Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MA

“There’s no doubt that When She Woke is an intense book!” —Jenn Northington, Word, Brooklyn, NY

“Put this one on your book club list, because everyone is going to want to discuss it.” —Valerie Koehler, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX

When She Woke reads like a really good movie. It’s a transformational, awakening story disguised as a fast-paced thriller.” —Debra Linn, Books & Books, Bal Harbour, FL

“I found myself telling everyone I met about When She Woke—the story is that compelling.” —Christie Olson Day, Gallery Bookshop, Mendocino, CA

“Hillary Jordan is one of our most important political writers, and When She Woke is a very brave work.” —Lucy Kogler, Talking Leaves Books, Buffalo, NY

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A Stolen Life, By Jaycee Dugard

I read this book Yesterday.  I just wanted to say it was not as hard to read as I thought it would be.  I am glad I saw the special with Diane Sawyer first.  Even when that came on, I was tentative whether I could bear to stay in the room to watch.  But during that interview Jaycee put me at ease and told her story.  Diane Sawyer was awesome and allowed her to tell it without jumping all over her with the next question.

I knew I wanted to read the book.  I am glad I read the book.  I am usually too sensitive to read this and I would never read a fictional Story about something of this nature.  But for me the story was one that needed telling, and I am thankful for Jaycee Dugard's bravery to tell it. 

I am not going to review the book or give details.  I just want to say that this is a horror story with a happy ending so far and I wish her the best life possible. Not near enough praise can be uttered, or written for  Officers Allison (Ally) Jacobs and Lisa Campbell, true heroes and good citizens doing their jobs by caring for other humans on the earth enough to speak up and make a world of difference.

I am inspired by bravery and courage as I reflect on this book.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Books and Books and Books oh My!

I have received some wonderful books lately.  I would love to take a moment to say thank you and post about them. I have not been reading lately but I am all set to end the reading drought that is for sure.   I was about to put this blog on hiatus, but I came here twice to do it and could not.  Too many good times.  I just have some figuring out to do.

In the meantime.. on to the books that I have received...they all seem a little bit perfect!!

The Watery Part of the World,  By Michael Parker (author's website)

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, I Am My Mother After All! by  Susan Kane-Ronning, Ph.D.

 
Mrs Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger by Lee Smith (author's web-site)


The Frozen Rabbi, by Steve Stern
About Steve Stern:
Steve Stern, winner of the National Jewish Book Award, is the author of several previous novels and novellas. He teaches at Skidmore College in upstate New York.

 Thank you Algonquin and Atlas Books!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Summer Reading Plans!!!!

Hello there.. Did I really say summer?  I do look forward to summer reading.  Some new options have arrived that I'd like to share.  They all look amazing!
(Thank you Random House and Penguin)
To Be Queen.  A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine.
by Christy English.
The author of The Queen's Pawn delves into the early life of the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine in her new historical novel.

After her father's sudden death, fifteen-year-old Eleanor is quickly crowned Duchess of Aquitaine and betrothed to King Louis VII. When her new husband cannot pronounce her given name, Alienor becomes Eleanor, Queen of France.

Although Louis is enamored of his bride, the newly crowned king is easily manipulated by the church and a God that Eleanor doesn't believe in. Now, if she can find the strength to fight for what she wants, Eleanor may finally find the passion she has longed for, and the means to fulfill her legacy as Queen. 
Christy English has a bachelor's degree in history from Duke University. She lives in New York City.

My Fair Lady.  A memoir.
By Jen Lancaster


It's a JENaissance! The New York Times bestselling author of Pretty in Plaid gets her culture on.
Readers have followed Jen Lancaster through job loss, sucky city living, weight loss attempts, and 1980s nostalgia. Now Jen chronicles her efforts to achieve cultural enlightenment, with some hilarious missteps and genuine moments of inspiration along the way. And she does so by any means necessary: reading canonical literature, viewing classic films, attending the opera, researching artisan cheeses, and even enrolling in etiquette classes to improve her social graces. 
In Jen's corner is a crack team of experts, including Page Six socialites, gourmet chefs, an opera aficionado, and a master sommelier. She may discover that well-regarded, high-priced stinky cheese tastes exactly as bad as it smells, and that her love for Kraft American Singles is forever. But one thing's for certain: Eliza Doolittle's got nothing on Jen Lancaster-and failure is an option.

Half a Life. A memoir, by Darin Strauss

about this book (from Random House)
Winner, National Book Critics Circle Award (Autobiography)

In this powerful, unforgettable memoir, acclaimed novelist Darin Strauss recounts a tragedy and its aftermath. In the last month of his high school career, just after turning eighteen, Strauss is behind the wheel of his father’s Oldsmobile, driving with friends, having “thoughts of mini-golf, another thought of maybe just going to the beach.” Then out of the blue: a collision that results in the death of a bicycling classmate and that shadows the rest of his life. In haunting, penetrating prose, Darin Strauss explores loss and guilt, maturity and accountability, hope and acceptance. The result is a staggering, uplifting tour de force.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A Murderous Procession, Ariana Franklin

First Time in Paperback - trade edition
Tess Garritsen calls this one “my favorite book of the year!”
 
In 1176, King Henry II sends his daughter Joanna to Palermo to marry his cousin, the king of Sicily. Henry chooses Adelia Aguilar to travel with the princess and safeguard her health. But when people in the wedding procession are murdered, Adelia and Rowley must discover the killer’s identity, and whether he is stalking the princess or Adelia herself.

Thank you Berkley Books.