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12 Nonfiction Titles I’m Looking Forward to Reading in 2012

Jan4

Some of these are new in 2012; others are Christmas gifts or library books that I plan to read soon:

Coming in 2012:
Why Jesus? Rediscovering His Truth in an Age of Mass Market Spirituality by Ravi Zacharias. Apologetics from one of the best Christian apologists who’s writing books to speak to the twenty-first century pagan. January 18, 2012.

Letters to Heaven: Reaching Beyond the Great Divide by Calvin Miller. Calvin Miller is sometimes hit or miss with me. I love his Singer series of fantasy books, and I asked for two of his books on Celtic prayer and spirituality for Christmas. However, others of his books have not lived up to the Singer trilogy’s high standard. The blurb for this nonfiction book sounds intriguing: “Reflecting on those who influenced him, his poignant epistles to C.S. Lewis, Todd Beamer, Oscar Wilde, and others encourage us to share with our loved ones now so we don’t leave this world with regrets.” January 23, 2012.

Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis by Lauren Winner. Oooh, I like Lauren Winner. If you’ve never read her conversion story, Girl Meets God, you really should hunt it down. January 20, 2012.

Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid’s Memoir That Inspired “Upstairs, Downstairs” and “Downton Abbey” by Margaret Powell. Not really new, first published in 1968, but to be re-issued in January in a new edition. I am so looking forward to the second season of Downton Abbey, and this book would be a perfect accompaniment.

When I Was a Child I Read Books: Essays by Marilynne Robinson. March 13, 2012.

The Fourth Fisherman: How Three Mexican Fishermen Who Came Back from the Dead Changed My Life and Saved My Marriage by Joe Kissack. March 13, 2012.

A Daughter’s Tale: The Memoir of Winston Churchill’s Youngest Child by Mary Soames. I’m interested in almost anything about Winston Churchill. April 24, 2012.

Christmas gifts:
Truman by David McCullough.

The Path of Celtic Prayer: An Ancient Way to Everyday Joy by Calvin Miller.

Library finds:
London 1945: Life in the Debris of War by Maureen Waller.

Sahara Unveiled: A Journey Across the Desert by William Langewiesche.

Angry Wind: Through Muslim Black Africa by Truck, Bus, Boat, and Camel by Jeffrey Tayler.

12 Best Children’s and Young Adult Novels I’ve Read in 2011

Jan3

Some of these were actually published in 2011; some were older but good-er.

The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton. Semicolon review here.

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr. Not reviewed yet.

The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow. Semicolon review here.

Lord of the Nutcracker Men by Iain Laurence. Semicolon review here.

For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Semicolon review here.

Divergent by Veronica Roth. Semicolon review at Breakpoint Youth Reads.

Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang. Semicolon review here.

Trash by Andy Mulligan.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. Semicolon review here.

With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo. Semicolon review here.

Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins.

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper. Semicolon review here.

For more great children’s and YA literature of 2011, check out the 2011 Cybils Finalists.

12 Children’s and YA Books of 2012 That I’m Looking Forward to Reading

Jan2

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. More dystopian fiction, but it sounds really good. “Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption.” January 3, 2012.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. “Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.” John Green can write, no doubt about that, and sometimes I really, really like his fiction, in spite of (because of?) its “irreverence.” January 10, 2012.

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. Sequel to Delirium. February 28, 2012.

Out of Sight, Out of Time, Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter. I like me some Gallagher Girls, and so do my daughters. March 13, 2012.

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict, A Mysterious Benedict Society prequel by Trenton Lee Stewart. “Before there was a Mysterious Benedict Society, there was simply a boy named Nicholas Benedict. Meet the boy who started it all….” This one could be a disaster, or it could be very, very good. April 10, 2012.

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker. From this Harper Collins publisher preview at Fuse #8. April 24, 2012.

The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi. A companion novel to Bacigalupi’s Ship Breaker. “Paolo Bacigalupi brilliantly captures a dark future America that has devolved into unending civil wars, driven by demagogues who recruit children to become soulless killing machines.” May 1, 2012.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth, the sequel to Divergent. May 1, 2012.

The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze. Also found at Fuse #8’s Little Brown publisher preview post. “The year is 2090. England is a barren land. Food is rationed. Oil has decimated the oceans. The people are restless. A ruthless revolutionary enacts a plan to destroy the royal family, and in a moment, the king is dead. His heiress, Princess Mary, and her brother, Jamie, have been abducted, and no one knows their fate. Princess Eliza Windsor barely escapes, and finds herself scared and lost in London’s dangerous streets.” May 8, 2012.

The Missing: Torn by Margaret Peterson Haddix. “Still reeling from their experiences in Roanoke in 1600, Jonah and Katherine arrive in 1611 only moments before a mutiny on Henry Hudson’s ship in the icy waters of James Bay. But things are messed up: They’ve lost the real John Hudson, and they find what seems to be the fabled Northwest Passage—even though they are pretty sure that route doesn’t actually exist. Will this new version of history replace everything they’ve ever known?” I actually haven’t read the third book in this series, called Sabotaged, yet. But I will. Torn comes out in June, 2012.

Lost Girls by Ann Kelley. Found at Fuse #8’s Little Brown publisher preview post. “What once seemed like a vacation in paradise has become a battle against the elements. Peppered with short, frantic entries from Bonnie’s journal, Lost Girls is a page-turning, heart-pounding adventure story about a group of teen girls fighting for their lives.” July 10, 2012.

Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown. Road trip book, yes! Also found at Fuse #8’s Little Brown publisher preview post. “Kendra has always felt overshadowed by her older brother, Grayson, whose OCD forces him to live a life of carefully coordinated routines. The only way Kendra can stand out next to Grayson is to be perfect, and she has perfection down to an art — until a cheating scandal threatens her flawless reputation. Behind the wheel of her car, with Grayson asleep beside her, Kendra decides to drive away from it all — with enough distance, maybe she’ll be able to figure everything out. But eventually, Kendra must stop running and come to terms with herself, her brother, and her past.” July 10, 2012.

Sunday Salon: Books Read in December 2011

Jan1

Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction:
Saraswati’s Way by Monika Schroder. Semicolon review here.
Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy. Semicolon review here.
With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo. Semicolon review here.
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. Semicolon review here.
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King. This YA novel got a lot of publicity, maybe an award or two last year, but it wasn’t one of my favorites. In fact, I found it strange and somewhat tedious.
For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Semicolon review here.
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Dead Bodies, Funerals, and Other Fatal Circumstances by Lenore Look. I didn’t think this one was as good as some of the other Alvin Ho adventures, but Alvin is still my hero—even if he is afraid of everything.
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami. Bollywood. Lots of suspension of disbelief. Did you know that Mumbai and Bombay are the same city, just different names? I am ashamed to say that that bit of geographical knowledge escaped my notices until I read this kind of silly, kind of fun little novel about Dini, her best friend Maddie, and their obsession with Dolly Singh, the filmi star in Bollywood. (Yes, filmi is the word. I don’t know why.) Reviewed by Melissa at Book Nut.

Adult Fiction:
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. My review at Chuck Colson’s Breakpoint.
When She Woke by Hilary Jordan. My review at Breakpoint.

Nonfiction:
The Egg and I by Betty Macdonald. Semicolon review here.
I Loved a Girl by Walter Trobisch. I picked up this book at the church library because I remembered reading it long, long ago when I was a teenager (back in the dark ages) and finding it helpful in the area of boy/girl relationships, dating, and s*x, which are some things we’re dealing with here in Semicolonland. This time through it was helpful, as I remembered, but the ending was abrupt. And it didn’t exactly speak to the particular issue we’re confronting.
My Father’s Secret War by Lucinda Franks. Review forthcoming soon. “I liked it, but . . .”

And that’s it for 2011. I’m reading Winston’s War: Churchill 1940-1945 by Max Hastings now, and it’s not a fast read. It may take me a while to finish, but I am learning a lot about England during the Second World War.

Semicolon’s Twelve Best Adult Novels Read in 2011

Dec20

Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford. I didn’t review this book right after I read it, and so now it’s hard to go back and write about it in detail. However, it has gotten stuck in my mind. Here’s a review at Shelf Love, and another at Pudgy Penguin Perusals.

The Belfry by May Sinclair. Reviewed at A library is a hospital for the mind. I didn’t get around to reviewing this novel, first published in 1916 and available free in a Kindle edition, but I did enjoy it.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. Semicolon review here.

Anna’s Book by Barbara Vine. Semicolon review here.

The Hardest Thing To Do by Penelope Wilock. Semicolon review here.

Amy Inspired by Bethany Pierce.

City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell. Semicolon review here

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Semicolon review here.

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. Semicolon review here.

Blackout by Connie Willis. Semicolon review and recommendation here.

All Clear by Connie Willis.

The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith. Semicolon review here.

The first two novels on my list would be excellent choices for the War Through the Generations challenge this year which focuses on the World War I years. My favorites for the year were Connie Willis’s two parter Blackout and All Clear, set during World War II.

Semicolon’s Twelve Best Adult Nonfiction Books Read in 2011

Dec14

This post is the first in my annual, end of the year series of “Twelve Best” posts. If you want to use this list or any other links on this blog to shop at Amazon for your Christmas gifts, I will appreciate the support. And I think you will appreciate and enjoy the following books that I read this year.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. Semicolon review here.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. Semicolon review here.

Unplanned: The dramatic true story of a former Planned Parenthood leader’s eye-opening journey across the life line by Abby Johnson with Cindy Lambert. Semicolon review here.

For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb and the Murder that Shocked Chicago by Simon Baatz. Semicolon review here.

To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 by Adam Hochschild. Semicolon review here.

The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe by Peter Godwin. Semicolon review here.

Jesus, My Father, the CIA and Me: A Memoir . . . of Sorts by Ian Cron. Semicolon review here.

Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff. Semicolon review here.

Praying for Strangers by River Jordan. Semicolon thoughts here.

Little Princes by Conor Grennan. Semicolon review here.

Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef. Semicolon review here.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Prophet, Martyr, Spy by Eric Metaxis. Semicolon thoughts on Bonhoeffer and the Cost of Discipleship here.

I read a lot of nonfiction this past year: history, biography, and memoir. If you are interested in any of the subjects covered by the above books, or if someone on your gift list is interested, I recommend all of these.

Semicolon’s Eight Best Nonfiction Books Read in 2010.

Giving Books: Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

Dec10

A seventeen year old friend of Brown Bear Daughter asked for some book suggestions. She just finished The Hunger Games trilogy (Semicolon review here), and she’s asking for “more dystopian fiction like The Hunger Games, with a little romance thrown in.”

First of all, The Classics:
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
On the Beach by Nevil Shute. Published in 1957, this novel has the requisite romance, but it’s very, very, very sad. Nuclear holocaust slowly and inexorably moves over the whole earth, and one of the last habitable places is in Australia, near Melbourne. The last surviving humans must decide how to end their lives honorably.
Semicolon review here.
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. This one is a bit dated, but it must have scared some people silly when it was first published back in 1959 at the beginning of the Nuclear Age. In the story, a massive nuclear strike by the Russians destroys most of the large to medium-sized cities in the United States, including Tampa, Miami, Tallahassee, and Orlando. The survivors must decide what to do about nuclear fallout, government, and survival in general.
Reviewed at Upside Down B.
Semicolon review here.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. This book grew out of a short story by the same author. The short story was published in 1977, and the book was published in 1985. It’s more of a boy’s book, and there’s some crude soldierly language. Nevertheless, it’s tremendously compelling and exciting. Ender is a boy genius, chosen by the Powers That Be to train to save the world from an alien species that is coming to attack from outer space. No romance that I remember.
Reviewed by Girl Detective.
Bonnie at Dwell in Possibility hated it.
Semicolon review here.
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. A deadly microorganism from space is released on Earth, and a team of scientist must find a way to combat and eradicate the disease before everyone is killed or driven insane.

O.K. so those classics are probably not exactly what my daughter’s friend is looking for. She’s looking for a Hunger Games read-alike.

Published pre-Hunger Games:
The Giver by Lois Lowry. Classic Newbery award winning dystopian fiction. Companion novels are Gathering Blue and Messenger.
Reviewed by Zee at Notes from the North.
Semicolon review here.
Reviewed by Marie at Fireside Musings.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman. This dystopian stand-alone novel is one of Karate Kid’s favorites.
Reviewed by TeacherGirl.
Semicolon review here.
The Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This series might be more appropriate for younger teens (ages 12-15), but I enjoyed it. In the series, it is illegal to have more than two children, and the illegal “thirds” are on the run from the law.
Semicolon review here.
The Declaration by Gemma Malley. “If the chance to live forever came with a price, would you opt in or out?” Sequels are The Resistance and The Legacy.
Semicolon review here.
Uglies by Scott Westerfield. Sequels are Pretties and Specials. What if you were ugly as a child (like everyone else), but on your sixteenth birthday you could undergo a procedure to turn pretty? In Westerfield’s dystopia, Tally can’t wait to have her surgery and become a Pretty. But maybe being pretty isn’t the most desirable goal in life.
Epitaph Road by David Patneaude. What if most of the men in the world were killed by a virus that only affected males, and as a consequence women ruled the world?
Semicolon review here.

Published post-Hunger Games (or at about the same time):
Divergent by Veronica Roth. This one is the book I would suggest first for reader who is “hungry” for a follow-up to Hunger Games.
Semicolon review of Divergent at The Point: Youth Reads.
Matched by Ally Condie. There’s not so much action and adventure in this book, but more romance and thoughtful commentary on the pros and cons of a “safe” society bought with the price of complete obedience to an authoritarian government. The second book in the series is Crossed.
Review of Matched by Megan at Leafing Through Life.
Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Lena lives in a managed society where everyone gets an operation when they turn eighteen that cures them of delirium, the passion and pain of falling in love. Sequels will be Pandemonium (2012) and Requiem (2013).
Delirium reviewed at A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust.
Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness: The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men. In Prentisstown everyone can hear the thoughts of all the men in town, a situation that makes for a lot of Noise and not much privacy. These books should be read together, if at all. They’re all one story, and they should have a violence warning attached.
The Knife of Never Letting Go reviewed at Becky’s Book Reviews.

1943: Books and Literature

Dec5

French pilot and author Antoine de St. Exupery publishes The Little Prince, the story of a pilot who crashes and meets a little boy from outer space.

Quotes from The Little Prince:
Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
“Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Les hommes ont oublié cette vérité, dit le renard. Mais tu ne dois pas l’oublier. Tu deviens responsable pour toujours de ce que tu as apprivoisé.
“Men have forgotten this truth,” said the fox. “But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”

“You risk tears if you let yourself be tamed.”

Also in 1943, Oxford scholar C. S. Lewis makes a series of radio broadcasts that will be adapted as a book, Mere Christianity.

Quotes from Mere Christianity:
“God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself.”

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

Also published in 1943:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis.
The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis.
Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre.

Popular in 1943:
The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas. One of my favorites. Marcellus is a proud Roman citizen and soldier until he encounters Jesus in Palestine and is forever changed.
Guadalcanal Diary by Richard Tregaskis. In the summer and fall of 1942, American Marines landed on the South Pacific island of Guadalcanal and fought their way across the island. Tregaskis, a journalist, tells the story of Guadalcanal in a primary source account.
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough. Two American college age women tell the tale of their 1920 tour of Europe.

Sunday Salon: Books Read in November, 2011

Dec4

Easy Readers for Cybils:
Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
No. 1 Car Spotter by Atinuke. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
Tugg and Teeny: Jungle Surprises by J. Patrick Lewis. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
Almost Zero: A Dyamonde Daniel Book by Nikki Grimes. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books. Semicolon review here.
Daisy Dawson at the Beach by Steve Voake. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
The Greatest Sheep in History by Frances Watts. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books. Semicolon review here.
Zapato Power: Freddie Ramos Zooms to the Rescue by Jacqueline Jules. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books. Semicolon review here.
Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
The Case of the Diamond Dog Collar by Martha Freeman. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
The Tricky Tooth by Fran Manushkin. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
Toys Come Home: Being the Early Experiences of an Intelligent Stingray, a Brave Buffalo, and a Brand-New Someone Called Plastic by Emily Jenkins. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
Scab for Treasurer? by Trudi Trueit. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
Marty McGuire by Kate Messner. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
The Snow Queen by Sara Lowes. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
Marvin Monster’s Monsterific Adventures by Tabatha Jean D’Agata. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
Sammy Squirrel and Rodney Raccoon To the Rescue by Duane Lawrence. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books. Semicolon review here.
Sophie the Zillionaire by Lara Bergen. Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books.
Splat the Cat: Good Night, Sleep Tight by Rob Scotton. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers.
Max Spaniel: Best in Show by Dana M. Rau. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers.
Butterflies by Nic Bishop. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers.
Dinosaurs Don’t, Dinosaurs Do by Steven Bjorkman. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers.
The Lion and the Mice by Ed and Rebecca Emberley. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers.
Katie Woo Has the Flu by Fran Manushkin. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers.
I Broke My Trunk by Mo Willems. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers.
Happy Pig Day by Mo Willems. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers.
Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers. Semicolon review for all three Mo Willems’ books here.
Silly Lilly in What Will I Be Today by Agnes Rosenstiehl. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers.
Patrick in a Teddy Bear’s Picnic and Other Stories by Geoffrey Hayes. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers.
A Green, Green Garden by Mercer Mayer. Cybils nominee: Easy Readers.

Children’s and Young Adult Fiction:
Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine. Semicolon review here.
The Night of the Burning: Devorah’s Story by Linda Press Wulf.
Choosing Up Sides by John Ritter.
The Storyteller’s Daughter by Jean Thesman.
Chief Sunrise, John McGraw, and Me by Timothy Tocher.
Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan. Cybils nominee: Middle Grade Fiction. Nominated by Rebecca Herman.Semicolon review here.
Losing Faith by Denise Jaden. Nominated and shortlisted for the INSPY Awards, Literature for Young People category.
Crosswire by Dotti Enderle.
Cry of the Giraffe by Judie Oron. Definitely for older YA.
Orchards by Holly Thompson.
How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr. Review coming soon.

Adult Fiction:
Pattern of Wounds by J. Mark Bertrand.
When She Woke by Hilary Jordan. My review at Breakpoint.
Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford.

Nonfiction:
Unplanned: The dramatic true story of a former Planned Parenthood leader’s eye-opening journey across the life line by Abby Johnson with Cindy Lambert. Semicolon review here.
The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma.
Tales of an African Vet by Dr. Roy Aronson. Review coming soon.

1940: Books and Literature

Nov27

Pulitzer Prize for the Novel:
John Steinbeck for The Grapes of Wrath.

Published in 1940:
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.
Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler.
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene.
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss.
Over my Dead Body and Where There’s a Will by Rex Stout.
Sad Cypress and One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie.
Native Son by Richard Wright.
The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis.

Set in 1940:
The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico. Semicolon review here.
Against the Wind by Brock and Bodie Thoene. Reviewed by Beth at Weavings.
Blackout by Connie Willis. Partially set in 1940. Semicolon review here.
While We Still Live by Helen MacInnes. Sheila Matthews, a young Englishwoman is visiting in Warsaw when the Nazis invade. She stays and joins the Polish underground to fight against the German occupation.
The Winds of War by Herman Wouk.
Atonement by Ian McEwen. Semicolon review here.