Preview of 2011 Book Lists #5

Dec29

SATURDAY December 31st, will be a special edition of the Saturday Review of Books especially for booklists. You can link to a list of your favorite books read in 2011, a list of all the books you read in 2011, a list of the books you plan to read in 2012, or any other end of the year or beginning of the year list of books. Whatever your list, itâ€™s time for book lists. So come back on Saturday, New Year’s Eve, to link to yours, if I missed it and it’s not already here.

However, I’ve spent the past couple of weeks gathering up all the lists I could find and linking to them here. I’ll be posting each day this week leading up to Saturday a selection of end-of-the-year lists with my own comments. I’m also trying my hand at (unsolicited) book advisory by suggesting some possibilities for 2012 reading for each blogger whose list I link. If I didn’t get your list linked ahead of time and if you leave your list in the linky on Saturday, I’ll try to advise you, too, in a separate post.

Sheila at Book Journey: The Good, the Bad and the Ugh. Since Sheila enjoyed listening to Catch Me if You Can by Frank Abagnale, I’m suggesting the older book The Great Imposter by Robert Crichton (a book that was also turned into a movie, starring Tony Curtis). She might also like one of the books from this list about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, particularly Katherine Weber’s Triangle.

Hope Is the Word: Books I read in 2011: juvenile & YA fiction (plus top picks) Best Adult Fiction and Nonfiction of 2011. Amy would like The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd and The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon, both about people on the autism spectrum, one for children and the other for adults. And I wonder if she and her girls might enjoy reading aloud one of the Betsy books by Carolyn Haywood; B is for Betsy is the first one I believe. The books are hopelessly old-fashioned, very 1950’s, and therefore quite lovely.

Dolce Belleza: End of the Year Book Survey. Belleza is already planning to read Winds of War by Wouk for the Historical Fiction Challenge; she’ll want to follow that one with the sequel, War and Remembrance. She also has several books lined up for her own Venice in February reading challenge, but I’d like to suggest another by one of my favorite authors: The Venetian Affair by Helen MacInnes. As for children’s literature set in Japan, has Belleza read Katharine Paterson’s early novels, The Sign of the Chrysanthemum, Of Nightingales That Weep, and The Master Puppeteer? I read them quite a while ago, but I remember thinking they were quite well-written, just as her later Newbery award-winning novels were.

The Literary Stew: End of the Year Book Survey. Another kindred spirit, as must be anyone who is a fan of Dorothy Sayers’ mysteries featuring Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey. I recommend C.J. Sansom’s stand-alone novel about the Spanish Civil War, Winter in Madrid. Also, Mrs. B should check out P.D. James—the detective novels, of course– but I’m thinking of her futuristic novel, Children of Men, which reminded me of Never Let Me Go (or maybe Ishiguro’s novel reminded me of the one by James).

Mental Multivitamin: Ten Memorable Books from 2011. It is with fear and trembling that I recommend any books to Melissa at Mental Multivitamin. She reads James Joyce and Joyce Carol Oates, and likes both, whereas I can’t . . quite . . . get it. Nevertheless, we do share some affinities: Both of us listed Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson as one of our favorites reads of 2011. Alan Jacobs is a favorite voice of mine from the academic world, although I haven’t read the book Melissa includes in her favorites yet. We both enjoy many genres and media: children’s literature, young adult, literary fiction, movies, TV, at, poetry. And, of course, there’s the Bardolatry that we share. So, without further ado, I suggest that Madame MM-V might like The Hawk and the Dove by Penelope Wilcock (and its sequels), Men to Match My Mountains by Irving Stone, and Exposure by Mal Peet.

Oversight of Souls:Best Reads of 2011. Best Reads With my Kids in 2011. I repeat myself, but to paraphrase the poet, “I contain multitudes.” Mr. Van Neste should read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxis.

My Friend Amy: 2011–The Year in Books. I see on Amy’s blog that she was looking forward to reading Amy Inspired by Bethany Pierce, but I don’t see that she ever reviewed it. If she hasn’t read that one yet, it’s an excellent piece of “Christian fiction” that I think Amy would appreciate. I also suggest that Amy seek out and read any of the following books with the theme of community that she hasn’t already read: The Hardest Thing To Do by Penelope Wilcock, In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden, A Severed Wasp by Madeleine L’Engle, No Graven Image by Elizabeth Elliot.

Book Hooked Blog: Best Adult Fiction of 2011. Julie likes a lot of different kinds of books, so I’m suggesting that she try the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness or some of the others in my dystopian fiction post of a few weeks ago and perhaps Unplanned by Abby Johnson.

Challies: My Top Books of 2011. Tim Challies is a Canadian pastor with a hugely popular Christian blog. He reads mostly nonfiction. I suggest that he check out Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber and/or The Shooting Salvationist (aka Apparent Danger) by David Stokes.

Cindy at Ordo Amoris: 2011 Top 10 Fiction Reads. 2011 Top Ten Nonfiction Reads. Cindy says, “A year without (C.S.) Lewis is not a good year.” Yes. She plans to re-read Till We Have Faces, a plan I support, but has she read The Narnia Code by Michael Ward? (Don’t worry, good book, not all Davinci Code-ish, probably named by the publishers.) Also for Cindy, I suggest some older, now neglected novels, if she hasn’t read them: The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovanni Guareschi, The Singer by Calvin Miller, and Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset.

Dani at A Work in Progress: Favorite Reads of 2011 & Other Miscellanea. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton is on Dani’s American Authors TBR list; I think she’d really enjoy that novel. I also see that she has a Helen Macinnes book, Decision at Delphi, “on the nightstand”–I love Helen MacInnes’s novels, and I highly recommend all of them.

Kimbofo at Reading Matters: My Favorite Novels of 2011. Kimbofo says she’s a sucker for an Irish novel, but I find no mention of Stephen Lawhead on her blog. Patrick by Lawhead is not his very best (Byzantium is my favorite), but it is his most Irish of novels. Kimbofo is also hosting an Australian Literature Month in January 2012, and although she says she already has a stack of Australian books to read, I can recommend On the Beach by Nevill Shute, A Town Like Alice by Nevill Shute, and Stolen by Lucy Christopher.

Preview of 2011 Book Lists #4

Dec29

Melissa at Mental Multivitamin left a link to a list by Trevor at a blog called The Mookse and the Gripes: My Twelve Favorite Reads of 2011. I must admit that, despite the fact that we share an affinity for making lists of twelve rather than five or ten, Trevor is beyond me. I’ve heard of a couple of the authors on his list and of none of the books. He writes, “If this list has a consistent theme it could be quasi-fictional biographies on eccentric personalities.” I am consulting my European correspondent and expert on all things literary and strange. In the meantime, I’ll venture to suggest that Trevor try out Wendell Berry or perhaps Philip Caputo.

Noel DeVries: Reading Resolutions: Realized! 2011. Reading Resolutions 2012. Noel is more of a kindred spirit, of the race that knows Joseph. (Not that I’m dissing Mr. Trevor of the Mookse; it takes all kinds of readers to make a world.) I see that she’s been reading Edith Schaeffer; I agree that What Is a Family? is good, but my favorite book by Mrs. Schaeffer is The Hidden Art of Homemaking. And it doesn’t look as if Miss Noel has read The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton yet. She should.

Chicken Spaghetti: Norman’s Best Books of 2011. Susan of Chicken Spaghetti, who usually focuses on children’s literature, has asked her husband Norman to share his favorite reads of 2011. Mr. Chicken Spaghetti might like The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow; it’s classified as YA, but suitable for adults, I think. Atonement by Ian McEwen, if he’s not read it already (probably has), would seem to fit Mr. CS’s reading tastes, too.

Good Books and Good Wine: Top Ten Books of 2011. April has a page called Project Fill in the Gaps with a list of books she wants to read, so I choose to recommend from that list: Katherine by Anya Seton and Hood by Stephen Lawhead because both of those books are great reads and they seem to fit in with what she enjoyed this past year.

A Literary Odyssey: 2011 End of the Year Book survey. Allie has a very long and fascinating list, written in response to this meme at Perpetual Page Turner. Allie is already planning to read Vanity Fair by Thackeray, a book that I love like I love Dickens’ novels, which is a lot. And she’s going to be reading Anna Karenina, which I was going to suggest in light of her Tolstoy discovery this past year. My favorite classic that’s on her TBR list: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I predict that Allie will devour it whenever she gets to it.
A Literary Odyssey: Favorites of 2011.

The Blue Bookcase: Christina’s Favorite Books of 2011. Christina enjoyed Geraldine Brooks’ novel Caleb’s Crossing in 2011, and I’m recommending that she read Year of Wonders by the same author. I also wonder if she might like a modern classic, The Chosen by Chaim Potok, if she hasn’t already read it. It gives a wonderful picture of growing up in an Orthodox Jewish culture.

Tina’s Book Reviews: Faves of 2011, The Books. I think Tina would like Chains and Forge, both by Laurie Halse Anderson. I would also recommend to Tina, Connie Willis’s Doomsday Book, based on her love for Waterfall by Lisa Bergren.

Estella’s Revenge: Andi’s 2011 Favoritest Books Throwdown. Andi has The Professor and the Housekeeper by Yoko Ogawa on her list of “The Lustworthy Stacks.” I gave a copy of that book to Engineer Husband for Christmas because I think he will love all the philosophical mathematical subtexts. Ooooh, read it next, Andi. Also, I think Andi would fall for Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.

Bibliosue: My Favorites of 2011. Suzanne liked Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, so I wonder if she might enjoy another novel set in Africa, Acts of Faith by Philip Caputo. She’s also participating in the Southern Literature Challenge for which I highly recommend: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg, Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns, and All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren.

Books in the Burbs: My Best Reads of 2011. Oh, wow, Lisa lives somewhere near me, and she reads neat books, and she has a book club! OK, I fear that I begin to repeat myself, but City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell was one of the the best fiction books I read this past year. I commend it to Lisa. And for nonfiction, how about Little Princes by Connor Grennan?

Evolving Economics: Best books I read in 2011. This list is again not exactly in my area of expertise, but I’m going to take a stab and suggest two books for Jason, the evolutionary economist: People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck and Fewer: How the New Demography of Depopulation Will Shape Our Future by Ben J. Wattenburg. He might find them of interest if only as a counter opinion to be refuted or engaged.

Carrie at Reading to Know: Top 10 Favorite Books of 2011. For Carrie, I’m going to suggest Between Heaven and Hell by Peter Kreeft because I know she’s a C.S. Lewis fan. It’s an imaginary dialog between John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley, and Lewis, three famous men with very differing philosophies of life who died on the same day. I also think Carrie would like My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay, a book I very much appreciated when I read it in 2010.

Preview of 2011 Book Lists #3

Dec28

Brandon at The Thin Veil: My Favorite 15 Books of 2011. This list is also very Catholic-centered. For Catholic writers, I’m wondering if Mr. Vogt has read any of G.K. Chesterton’s fiction, particularly The Man Who Was Thursday and the Father Brown detective stories. I also strongly believe that all engineers should read poetry, and you can’t get better than John Donne and George Herbert.

Ripple Effects: All the Year’s Best. Arti includes movies and books on her list of the year’s best, both lists of selections are quite literary and contemplative. I think Arti would like more Madeleine L’Engle, including my two favorite fiction books by Ms. L’Engle, A Severed Wasp and The Love Letters and also the memoirs, A Circle of Quiet, The Summer of the Great-Grandmother and The Irrational Season.

Happy Catholic: My 2012 Reading Challenge Lists. I don’t know if it’s fair for me to try to add anything to what is already an ambitious set of reading lists for Julie for 2012, but that’s never stopped me before. So hey, Julie, have you read any Peter Kreeft? Brandon (see above) reminded me that I still need to finish Christianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal’s Pensees by Kreeft, and I wouldn’t mind reading some of his other books. For “happy Catholicism”, he’s a must-read.

Book Chase: Best of 2011. Blogger Sam Sattler reads and reviews a lot of books, and at least a couple of his besties need to go on my TBR list (Doc by Mary Doria Russell and Grant’s Final Victory by Charles Bracelen). For Sam, my picks are River of Doubt by Candice Millard and Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. (Yes, Unbroken is my favorite read of 2011, and I’m recommending it to more than one person.)

Linus’s Blanket: Best of 2011. Nicole reads supernatural fiction, historical fiction, nonfiction and contemporary fiction, and she lists favorites from 2011 in each category. I wonder if Nicole might enjoy Connie Willis’s To Say Nothing of the Dog or perhaps the YA verse novel A Girl Named Mister by Nikki Grimes?

The Fourth Musketeer: Raindrops on Roses, My Top 10 Favorite Books from 2011. Margo needs to read Mitali Perkins’ Bamboo People and/or the one I just finished from 2011, With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo—and then tell me what she thinks of them!

Devourer of Books: 2011–Best Books. Judging from the number of her favorites that I added to my TBR list, Devourer and I must have similar tastes in books. So, I’m fairly confident that she would like The Queen’s Daughter by Susan Coventry or maybe Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang.

CarrieK at Books and Movies likes to make multiple list, as do I: Favorite historical fiction of 2011
Favorite contemporary fiction of 2011.
Favorite Mysteries of 2011.
Favorite Nonfiction of 2011.
Favorite Speculative Fiction of 2011.
Favorite YA Reads of 2011.
Carrie needs to read City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell, and she needs to read Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry next in her pursuit of all things Berry-ish. Jayber Crow is my favorite Wendell Berry novel.

A Fuse #8 Production: 100 Magnificent Children’s Books of 2011. Elizabeth Bird, children’s librarian extraordinaire, makes a lovely list, but of course I see some notable omissions. Ms. Bird needs to read and make room for on her list The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton, and where’s Mo Willems and his three Elephant and Piggie easy readers that were published this year?
Fuse #8: The Ten Middle Grade novels I’m Looking Forward to in 2012. Betsy Bird knows about everything kidlit before I do, so I can’t really suggest anything new to her. And she’s working on a book about the history of kidlit, I think, so I can’t really suggest anything old either. She really needs to check the Jennifer Trafton book, though.

The Ink Slinger: Books Reviewed in 2011. I already recommended that Mr. Ink Slinger, who regularly beats me in Words With Friends, read The Chosen by Chaim Potok, Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, and The Silver Sword by Ian Serrailer.

Preview of 2011 Book Lists #2

Dec27

Eric the Read: Top 10 Nonfiction Best Books of 2011. Eric’s tastes seem to run toward economics and history. My favorite book in the area of economics is an oldie, but still applicable in today’s economy: The Tragedy of American Compassion by Marvin Olasky. For something more recent, I also think he might like Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Prophet, Martyr, Spy by Eric Metaxis.

Lonestar Librarian at Speed of Light: Favorite Books, 2011. This one was hard because Ms. Lonestar Librarian seems to have read about as many books as I have. But in a quick search of her blog, I don’t see any reference to my favorite book of 2011, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Perhaps she would enjoy that one.

Farm Lane books: My Favorite Books of 2011. The books on this list are all books published in 2011. She plans to make lists of the most important books published in 2011 and of her favorite books released in previous years. Jackie reads and blogs from Surrey, England. Based on this list and on my poking around her blog a little, I think Jackie would like Lionel Shriver’s So Much for That (even though it’s a polemic on the American health care system) or perhaps the Pulitzer prize-winning novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder.

A Common Reader: 2011 Round-up including Best Books. Tom Cunliffe, of East Sussex, England, lists several books that I’ve never heard of, mostly European in setting or authorship or both. I think he might like Anna’s Book by Barbara Vine (maybe called Asta’s Book in the UK), a discovery of mine this year or perhaps something by Spanish author Arturo Perez-Reverte. The Fencing Master or Captain Alatriste?

John Self at Asylum: Twelve from the Shelves: My Books of 2011. I’m not sure I’m literary or intellectual enough to advise Mr. Self, but I’ll make a stab at it anyway. I was going to suggest Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, but I see that he’s already read it. So perhaps Home by the same author? Or for short and quirky and death-filled, The End of the Alphabet by C.S. Richardson could be a good bet for Mr. Self’s reading list.

Quieted Waters: My 10 Favorite Books of 2011. This young law student blogger read and recommended the same Eric Metaxis biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer that I chose as a favorite this year, so I’m recommending back to him that he read Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship, if he hasn’t already done so. He also mentions a recent or impending marriage, for which I prescribe a dose of The Peacemaker by Ken Sande, not that it’s a marriage manual. It is, however, one of the best relationship books I’ve read lately.

Read. Breathe. Relax. Best Books of 2011. I’m wondering if this fantasy/sci-fi/romance reader has read all the books on this list. In particular, I recommend Unwind by Neal Shusterman, Epitaph Road by David Pateneaude, and The Declaration by Gemma Malley. Divergent by Veronica Roth was one of my favorites this year, too.

Reading is my cup of tea: Top 5 Best authors and Best books of 2011. For fifteen year old Molly, the Brit who blogs and drinks tea, I advise the same list as the one I had for Read. Breathe. Relax. above, since Delirium and Matched are already in her towering TBR stack. Divergent lovers of the world unite!

Thoughts of a Sojourner: Top books reviewed in 2011. Athol Dickson’s River Rising and My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa Mckay are the two thrillers with Christian themes that I would put at the top of Sojourner’s reading list.

Word Sharpeners: Favorite Books I’ve Read in 2011. For Tamera at Word Sharpeners, I propose Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr and The Cure by Athol Dickson.

Sommer Reading: My Favorite Books of 2011. Suggestions for Shelley: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr (YA), The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton (MGF), and The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (Adult fiction).

The Anchoress: Those Year-End Book Lists. THe Anchoress’s list is very, very Catholic, and so I’ll suggest some Catholic or at least Christian books: Saint Training by Elizabeth Fixmer, because I think Ms. Scalia would appreciate this children’s book about a girl who wants to become a saint, and how about Praying for Strangers by River Jordan, because I think The Anchoress would identify with this true story of a woman who decides to pray for one stranger each day.

Here’s a bonus book list that I contributed to at Breakpoint’s Youth Reads: Books to Buy Your Kids for Christmas. The list is good for after Christmas, too.

Preview of 2011 Booklists #1

Dec26

However I’ve spent the past couple of weeks gathering up all the lists I could find and linking to them here. I’ll be posting each day this week leading up to Saturday a selection of end-of-the-year lists with my own comments. I’m also trying my hand at (unsolicited) book advisory by suggesting some possibilities for 2012 reading for each blogger whose list I link. If I didn’t get your list linked ahead of time and if you leave your list in the linky on Saturday, I’ll try to advise you, too, in a separate post.

Semicolon’s 12 Best Adult Nonfiction Books Read in 2011.

2011 INSPY Award Winners. I was on the judging panel for the category, Literature for Young People, and I am proud of the book my panel chose. However, I’m especially pleased about the winner in the General Fiction category, City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell. This story of missionaries who feel as if they could be real people is a wonderful read. If any of my readers are interested in inspirational Christian fiction that deals with hard issues, I recommend City of Tranquil Light.

Dani Torres at A Work in Progress: Reading WWI: A Thursday 13. I include Dani’s list because it’s actually a list of the books she would ike to read in 2012, and it dovetails quite nicely with what the folks at War Through the Generations are planning for 2012, a focus on the literature of and about World War I.
My suggestion for Dani: a WWI novel I recently read, Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford.

A Year in Reading by Mark O’Connell at The Millions. Mr. O’Connell, who lives in Ireland, read and enjoyed a couple of my favorite novels in 2011, Anna Karenina and Gilead. The Millions has an entire series of posts by their staff writers, and by other selected authors and writers, entitled A Year in Reading.
My suggestion for Mr. O’Connell: War and Peace by Tolstoy is just as good as Anna Karenina, if not better.

Amanda at Dead White Guys has a post about what she hearted and hated in 2001. (Language warning) She, too, hearted Anna Karenina, but she hated Doctor Zhivago. Not all Russian novels are created equal.
Suggested Dead White Guys: I think Amanda might like some Trollope, maybe The Warden or Barchester Towers? I could be mistaken, but it’s worth a try.

Jared at The Thinklings: Top Ten Books I Read This Year.. Jared has been reading a little bit of everything from Tom Sawyer to F. Scott Fitzgerald to Douglas Wilson.
For Jared Wilson in 2012 I suggest more Jane Austen and N.D. Wilson’s kinda, sorta tribute to Tom Sawyer, Leepike Ridge.

Reading the Past: Five historical novels published in 2011 have made the shortlist for this year’s David J. Langum Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction. This list isn’t the work of Sarah Johnson who blogs at Reading the Past, and she only links to her reviews of two of of the five books that made the shortlist. I’d be interested to see what Ms. Johnson thinks are the best historical fiction novels of 2011.

Ten Best Books of 2011 by Brandon Schmidt at Youth Pastor Gear. Unbroken. Check. Son of Hamas. Check. Hunger Games. Check. You’re just NOW reading Lord of the Rings? What a treat–to read these wonderful books for the first time!
I suggest that Mr. Schmidt read The Hobbit, if he hasn’t already, and Divergent by Veronica Roth is a good follow-up to Hunger Games.

Books in Bloom: Kristin’s Top Ten of 2011. Kristin’s tastes seems to run to dystopian and horror-ish sort of YA fiction, not my cuppa. However, I can suggest that she pick up some of John Green’s earlier books, especially An Abundance of Katherines, and she might like Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

Erin Reads: 2011 Goals in Review. Erin launched a Classics Reclamation Project for 2011, and as a result she enjoyed Jane Eyre, I Capture the Castle, and The Woman in White, among others. I think Erin might like to read Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden and Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya, since she’s also interested in literature set in India.

Pastor Carl Gregg: Top 10 Best Books Read in 2011. Pastor Gregg says he spends most of his available reading time on religion and philosophy. I would suggest Teach Your Own by John Holt, for a homeschooling classic from a completely different, rather libertarian, point of view, and how about Love Your God With All Your Mind by J.P. Moreland or Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by Richard Bauckham as counter-voices to Bart Ehrman?

LitLove: Tales from the Reading Room, Best Books of 2011. LitLove recommends at least one book that I must put on my TBR list, The Rossettis in Wonderland by Dinah Roe, a biography of the four Rossetti children including Dante Gabriel and Christina. I’m wondering if LitLove might like Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry or So Big by Edna Ferber, mostly because of the special litlove for Willa Cather.

Erin at analyfe: The Top Books of 2111, Not Necessarily Published in 2011. For Erin I’m recommending The Declaration by Gemma Malley, since she read two of my favorite dystopian fiction books, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Unwind by Neal Shusterman, and enjoyed those. She also seems to enjoy the self-help and project books, so she might find something interesting on this list that I made of “project books.” Praying for Strangers by River Jordan fits into this genre, and it was one of my favorite books of 2011.

Kathy at Book Diary: My Best Books of 2011. I wanted to add almost every one of Kathy’s picks to my TBR list, especially Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard and The Report by Jessica Kane. Has Kathy read The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa? She might also like My Enemy’s Cradle by Sara Young for World War II historical fiction.

Bible Geek Gone Wild: 5 Favorites from 2011. From Greek to graphic novels about Martin Luther(?), this “33-year old man who reads an awful lot of nonfiction” might try Athol Dickson’s River Rising or for something old, Basic Writings by Jonathan Edwards.

10 Bad Habits: Favorite Reads 2011. Ooooh, one of my favorites is one of his favorites, The King Must Die by Mary Renaualt. Justin should read the “rest of the story”, the sequel called The Bull from the Sea. Then, he might check out Stephen Lawhead’s Byzantium or Taliesin.

Great Thoughts: Top Books of 2011. I haven’t read a single book on Great Thoughts’ list, but almost all of them look like books that I could enjoy. She says she likes historical fiction and books about other cultures, so I’m proposing that she try City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell or maybe Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.

O.K. enough for today. Come back tomorrow for more links to more book lists and more suggestions from me for more reading in 2012.

With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo

Dec25

Somewhere along the way, however, the good reverend decided a small town meant a poor town, and a poor town meant humble people. Ollie’s daddy was born to preach to those people. His daddy had been a traveling preacher, as was his daddy before him, all the way back to the time of Moses. The Good Lord ushered him into that long line of preachers, and then his parents gave him the name Everlasting Love.
It was everything he was.

A children’s novel with a father/preacher character who is not cruel, not confused, not pathetic, and not looney is a rare jewel. I can think of one, off-hand, Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie. Now there’s a second.

And thirteen year old Olivene Love (Ollie), eldest daughter of Reverend Everlasting Love, is a PK who has no problem with being the daughter of a preacher; she just wishes he would settle down and preach in one place. The Love family spends three days holding a revival in one small town before moving on the next one: “[p]reaching, mostly—some singing and an occasional healing if the need arises.” Ollie is ready to stay in one place for a while, make friends, experience indoor plumbing and life in a house rather than a travel trailer.

I loved the characters in this book for middle grade readers. Ollie’s daddy gives her good advice:

“Be careful when you listen to people called they, Olivene. They often tell lies.”

“Some people are broken. They don’t know anything other than hatred. It’s like their heart gets going in the wrong direction early on in life, and they can never quite manage to bring it back around to love. It’s a sad thing and we should have compassion for them. Think of the joy they are missing in life.”

Ollie herself is a good girl, typical oldest child. Reverend Love says to her, “You are an example for your sisters in word and deed. I am blessed to call you mine.” Yet, Ollie isn’t perfect, not too goody-goody; she still gets impatient with her younger sisters, tired of living on the road, and sometimes a little too bossy for her own good. She reminds me of my eldest, whom I am also blessed to call mine.

Ollie’s mama, Susanna Love, is “like living poetry” as she welcomes the people who come to the revival meeting. Her sister, Martha, is the pessimist who’s always counting in her head to see who gets the most privileges or treats, but Martha is also the one who gets things done. Gwen, the third sister, is the spitting image of her father, and she wants to become a preacher just like him. Camille, sister number four, is “simple in mind”, but she almost has the dictionary memorized and has “an air of grace and dignity.” Ellen, the baby of the family, is friendly, a tagalong, and eager to please. Together, the Love family has a character and winsomeness all their own, rivaling other great families of literature such as the the Marches, the Melendys, the Moffats, the Penderwicks, or All-of-a-Kind Family. Actually, they remind me a little bit of the Weems family in Kerry Madden’s series Gentle’s Holler, Louisiana’s Song, and Jessie’s Mountain, maybe because of the time period (1950’s) and because of the way that each of the girls in the family has her own personality and way of coping with life in a preacher’s family.

With a Name Like Love is a good family story with a good plot (I didn’t mention the plot, but there’s a murder to be solved, friendships to resolve, and family decisions to be made) and excellent, heart-grabbing characters. Highly recommended.

What are your favorite families in children’s literature?

Since I’m Planning to Read about Africa

Dec25

I found this article, How To Write About Africa by Binyavanga Wainaina, at the website of a magazine called Granta. A few of Mr. Wainaina’s many rules for writing about Africa:

1. Always use the word â€˜Africaâ€™ or â€˜Darknessâ€™ or â€˜Safariâ€™ in your title.
2. Make sure you show how Africans have music and rhythm deep in their souls, and eat things no other humans eat.
3. African characters should be colourful, exotic, larger than lifeâ€”but empty inside.
4. Remember, any work you submit in which people look filthy and miserable will be referred to as the â€˜real Africaâ€™, and you want that on your dust jacket.
5. Never, ever say anything negative about an elephant or a gorilla. Elephants may attack peopleâ€™s property, destroy their crops, and even kill them. Always take the side of the elephant.
6. Always end your book with Nelson Mandela saying something about rainbows or renaissances.

Read the article, especially if you’re planning a book about Africa. Binyavanga Wainaina is a Kenyan author and journalist who follows his own rules exactly I’m sure. He wrote How To Write About Africa in 2003 (but it’s new to me). One Day I Will Write About This Place: A Memoir by Binyavnaga Wainana was published in 2011.

Christmas: The Grace Project

Dec24

“His secret purpose framed from the very beginning [is] to bring us to our full glory. (I Corinthians 2:7 NEB) He means to rename us—to return us to our true names, our truest selves. He means to heal our soul holes. From the very beginning, that Eden beginning, that has always been and always is, to this day, His secret purpose—our return to our full glory. Appalling—that He would! Us, unworthy. And yet since we took a bite out of the fruit and tore into our own souls, that drain hole where joy seeps away, God’s had this wild secretive plan. He means to fill us with glory again. With glory and grace.” From 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of Godâ€”- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husbandâ€™s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:11-14

Saturday Review of Books: December 24, 2011

Dec23

â€œIf you have never said ‘Excuse me’ to a parking meter or bashed your shins on a fireplug, you are probably wasting too much valuable reading time.â€ ~Sherri Chasin Calvo

Merry Christmas to all, and Happy Reading, too!

If you’re not familiar with and linking to and perusing the Saturday Review of Books here at Semicolon, you’re missing out. Hereâ€™s how it usually works. Find a book review on your blog posted sometime during the previous week. The review doesnâ€™t have to be a formal sort of thing. You can just write your thoughts on a particular book, a few ideas inspired by reading the book, your evaluation, quotations, whatever.

Then on Saturday, you post a link here at Semicolon in Mr. Linky to the specific post where youâ€™ve written your book review. Donâ€™t link to your main blog page because this kind of link makes it hard to find the book review, especially when people drop in later after youâ€™ve added new content to your blog. In parentheses after your name, add the title of the book youâ€™re reviewing. This addition will help people to find the reviews theyâ€™re most interested in reading.

After linking to your own reviews, you can spend as long as you want reading the reviews of other bloggers for the week and adding to your wishlist of books to read. That’s how my own TBR list has become completely unmanageable and the reason I can’t join any reading challenges. I have my own personal challenge that never ends.

For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Dec23

“This book is written as fiction but tells a true story.”

Suzanne David Hall was thirteen years old in 1940 when the Germans invaded France, and she later became a spy for the French resistance. While training to become an opera singer, she relayed messages that helped bring about the Allied invasion of Normandy. The 2003 novel For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is based on interviews with Hall.

The novel is quite exciting, and the tension builds as Suzanne is called on to deliver her messages more and more frequently and as the spy network in which she works becomes smaller and smaller when the Germans capture the spies one by one. Suzanne is a brave girl, and she continues her work even though she knows the Nazis will torture or even kill her if she is found out. The prose in the story is simple and straightforward, and the pacing is mostly good, although the novel does start out a little slowly. The book is halfway through before Suzanne’s spy adventures start.

For Freedom is a good introduction to so many World War II topics: Dunkirk, Vichy France, the French Resistance, German occupation of France, daily life under German occupation, the Allied invasion of Normandy. But it’s not just a nice “salad” accompaniment to the main course of the history of World War II. The story carried me along and made me feel how difficult it must have been to be involved in the Resistance, never knowing from one day to the next whether this day would be the last before you were captured by the Germans.

Isn’t that what courage is? Courage: to keep doing right, to persevere in the face of uncertainty and even valid reasonable fear. If I were doing something that I knew would lead to disaster, if I were certain that I would be caught and killed and unable to complete my mission, it would be foolish and useless to persist. But if it’s only very likely that I might be arrested and if what I was doing was likely to help many people if I could continue, then bravery would be required. Suzanne was a brave young woman, “a hero of France.”