Book of the Month: February

My best book for this month is Tom Savage's Valentine. While it was published in 1996 I recently found out about it from searching for a selection for the Calendar of Crime Challenge. It is so good that I rated it 10 out of 5 stars. The story was suspenseful but the ending was shocking. I never expected what happened and cannot believe Savage came up with the idea for the ending. If you haven't read it I recommend you check it out. It is unbelievably good.

The theme of Valentine is revenge. While in school, several girls play a nasty practical joke on a fellow student on Valentine's Day. He spends his life churning his anger over the "joke" and eventually gets even. All of the girls who ridiculed him died in accidents except for Jillian. Jillian begins receiving notes from a secret admirer who always signs his name as Valentine. While the ending seems to be predictable, it's not. 

You must check this book out. You won't be disappointed.

Book of the Month: January

The Girl in the Painting by Renita D-Silva is my favorite read for the month of January. It is an epic story of India. Four alternating plots are gathered together in this captivating story. One plot takes place in 1913 where our heroine Margaret is growing up in Charleston, England. During the same time, Archana is growing up in India. In 1926, Margaret has fallen in love with her new husband Suraj and his native country India. Having moved from England to India after Suraj obtained his law degree, the couple moved to his parent's home after their sudden deaths. In 2000, Emma McEwen plans to divorce her husband and seeks solace from her grandmother Margaret, now back in England. 

The book is really about Margaret and Archana. Both were interesting characters. Both of them had awful upbringings but Archana was poor because she married an untouchable so she suffered much more both emotionally and physically. Her story was the most compelling.

Book of the Month: November

Is it possible to have 3 books of the month? November was a fantastic month for reading and I had a hard time choosing between Defending Britta Stein, The Widow Queen and Tunnels. All three were spectacular reads. However, since I have to choose I am choosing Tunnels. It is a graphic novel with an intricate plot that rivals a full length book. Rutu Modan is an incredibly talented comic writer from Israel whose graphic novels are all fully plotted with fully firmed characters. I think Tunnels is her best book to date. 

In Tunnels we read about a race to find the Ark of the Covenant in underground tunnels on the Palestinian side of Israel. When a big antiquities collector is forced to donate his entire collection to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Nili Broshi sees her last chance to finish an archeological expedition begun by her father decades earlier. She believes that the dig will locate the Jewish Ark of the Covenant, the most important artifact in the Middle East. Motivated by a desire to reinstate her father's legacy as a great archeologist after a rival accepted the tenure her father earned, Nili gathers a ragtag crew to help her: a religious nationalist, her traitor brother and her childhood Palestinian friend. As Nili's father slips further and further into dementia, warring factions close in on and fight over the Ark. The author believes that the biblical Israel lies in one of the most disputed regions in the world, occupied by Israel and contested by Palestine.  Often in direct competition, Israelis and Palestinians dig alongside one another, hoping to find the sacred artifact which is believed to be a conduit to God.  

I think readers of all types of books should consider reading this book.  It's a great story. 

Book of the Month: October

My best book for this month is Susan Wittig Albert's Hemlock. It is a cozy mystery that normally takes place in Pecan Springs, TX. However, Albert has sent her protagonist to the east coast to assist a librarian friend in locating a missing rare book titled A Curious Herbal. I have found that when a series author changes the setting, that the book is not as good as usual. Here we have a great example of how to change setting and still have an interesting novel. I was also impressed with the addition of an alternating plot in Hemlock. Again, Albert has not done this before but she wrote a fascinating tale about a fifteenth century women, Elizabeth Blackwell, who wrote a book containing drawings of over 500 herbs and plants that apothecaries used to treat people. The book had vanished from its locked display case in the library of Hemlock House in the North Caroline mountains. I thought that the fifteenth century plot was more interesting than the current era story. Hemlock is a cozy, art theft mystery and historical fiction all rolled in to one novel. It was superb!

Book of the Month: September

I read several fascinating books this month. The September Society, Viral, The Cellist, The First Actress and Dominus are all contenders for my book of the month. However, I have chosen The September Society as my best book. It is a charming British yarn that takes place in the early 1800s and is volume two of the Charles Lenox Mysteries. This historical mystery novel is more of a whydunnit than a whodunnit or howdunnit. It's been a long time since I read a whydunnit and I enjoyed reading something different. 

Book of the Month: August

This second book in the Jaipur Trilogy is my best read for August. Indian fiction is one of my favorite kinds of books to read and when I see this kind of book I grab it. This second book concentrates more on the Malik character than the Lakshmi character. Lakshmi is the main character of the trilogy but she did not have much part in the murder investigation. Her protege handled most of it. However, it felt good to see how these two characters are evolving. I will be sorry when the trilogy ends but hopefully, the author will continue to write Indian fiction. She is great at this genre.

Every review of the book that I have seen has been positive and I think historical fiction fans are going to love it. I cannot recommend it more highly.

Book of the Month: July

July was a lucky month for reading. I read four books that could have easily been the best book of the month. The Perfect Daughter, The Bombay Prince, Gone, and Revolutionary Mothers. I am selecting Revolutionary Mothers as my favorite book for July. I read it on July 4 which gave it a special significance. The Bombay Prince was a close second.

Revolutionary Mothers is a history book about the founding mothers of the American Revolution. It categorizes them into chapters on wives of patriots, wives of loyalists, general's wives, camp followers, Native American women and slave women. Their contributions before, during and after the war are brought to life by the author.

What was most interesting to me was that if the patriot ladies had not followed the leads from their husbands, the war may have been lost to the British. When the men decided to refuse tea and other products from Britain, they expected that their wives would make it work for their families. Had the ladies not handled the shortages well, I doubt that the war would've begun. The ladies made do for their families and proved that America could survive without the British. The men made the decisions but the women made everything possible.

Go ladies!

Book of the Month: June

Midnight Fire was my favorite read for this month. It is the second book in the Jagiellon Mystery Series by P. K. Adams. I love that it takes place in Poland and Lithuania, a new, to me, historical setting. The story begins in the summer of 1545 with Caterina Sanseverino Konarska traveling with her ailing son Guilio from their home in Bari, Italy to Krakow. Guilio suffers from mysterious fevers that have stunted his growth. Caterina hopes to see Queen Bona so that she can ask her if Guilio can see a court physician. After meeting Queen Bona, Caterina is allowed to travel to Vilnius where the best court physician is on hand in case crown prince Zigmunt August needs him. However, Bona asks Caterina a favor. Can she dissuade the crown prince from marrying a scandal ridden mistress, Barbara Radziwill? The book was the perfect read, with great characters, a fast pace, and a great plot. Caterina's sleuthing skills are solid and she is able to use her position at court to advance her investigation. Highly recommended for historical fiction fans!

Book of the Month: May

My favorite book for this month is Alan Brennert's Honolulu. While there were 2 other books that I loved I had to pick Honolulu because I am enthralled with Hawaii.  Psychological thrillers The Girl From Silent Lake and The Lantern Boats were close seconds.  Honolulu concerns the lives of seven picture brides who emigrated from Korea to Hawaii around 1913.  A picture bride is a woman chosen by an overseas man for marriage on the basis of the woman's photographs. They don't see who they are marrying until they step off the boat. Most of the women were married on the ship's dock having just set eyes on their men. The lives of these seven ladies are detailed through 1957.

Book of the Month: April

Ruth Heald's book The Wedding is my best book for April. It is a tight psychological thriller with more twists and turns than any other book I have ever read in my lifetime. That's a long, long time.  The plot concerns the events of the last week before Lauren and Adam's wedding. After dating for 18 years they plan on getting married in the same church Lauren's late parents married in. Lauren's parents died in a freak rafting accident 18 years ago. Both Lauren and Adam's families were vacationing together when the accident happened. What happened then matters to the plot as Lauren puts the final touches on her wedding.

Book of the Month: March

Comic book Primer is my favorite book for this month.   It is a fun, lighthearted book featuring superheroine Ashley Rayburn. When Ashley is sent to a foster home with parents Kitch and Yuka Nolan, she finally finds a family where she fits in.  Yuka is a geneticist and brings home the bacon. Kitch is an artist and has a 1960s vibe that Ashley is attracted to as she loves art too.  When Yuka brings home and hides a secret weapon that looks like paint canisters, Ashley finds it and thinks it's a birthday gift for her. When she uses the paints, Ashley becomes powerful. She feels like a superheroine and decides she needs a superheroine name.  Primer is chosen because the "paints" are primary colors. Now she can use her skills to prevent accidents and fight evildoers.

Book of the Month for January, 2021

My favorite book this month is The Midnight Library.  It made me think hard about what I want most in life and the need to be active in trying to obtain it. Keeping decisions on hold because you can't decide what to do is fatal to a good life.  The Midnight Library is a fable about being inbetween life and death. There are an infinite number of shelves inside the library where every book is a chance to live your life differently.  All you need to do is change the decisions you made in life so that you have no regrets.

Book of the Month: October

The expectations that I had for my reading this month were not fulfilled.  I planned on reading specific books from international authors.  However, I did not read any of them.  There were several books by favorite authors that were published last month and they are what I read.  Three of them were spectacular and it was hard to choose a favorite from them.  Ken Follett's The Evening and the Morning, Laura Morelli's The Night Portrait and A. M. Stuart's Revenge in Rubies captivated me.  I would have to say, though, that my favorite book for October is Revenge in Rubies.  It is the second book in the Harriet Gordon Mystery series and was even better than the first, Singapore Sapphire.  It is a superbly plotted whodunit that takes place in Singapore during 1910.

I thought it was pretty cool that the author created a Pinterest page for this book.  On this page you will find photos of churches, grand mansions, maps, clubhouses and famous military men who were stationed in Singapore. This is an ingenious way to advertise the book.

Book of the Month - August

My top book of the month for August 2020 is a graphic novel I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf.  This book made me happy.  The silliness inside its pages brought enough laughter that I had to read it 3 times consecutively.  I read it a 4th time the next day and a 5th time one week later. It is a humorous glimpse at bookaholics and their issues with books  i.e., how to store them, write them, etc...

Book of the Month - July

I have two favorite books for this month. I could not select just one. Both books stayed with me for days after reading them. Singapore Sapphire and The Stone Doors are fantastic reads that satisfy the your reading soul. Both books take place in settings that are new to me in historical fiction. Singapore and Iceland could not be more different but it was nice to read something other than English, French or Italian stories.

I Know Your Secrets and Becoming RBG were close seconds which makes the month of July one of my better months for reading. Now that I am back to work full time I won't be able to read as much as I have since March when the coronavirus shutdown began. It's been a fun time. I have read 57 books as well as finishing several art projects. 

Book of the Month: June

My best book for the month of June 2020 is The Giant by Laura Morelli. Here, the lives of childhood friends Michelangelo and fresco painter Jacopo Torni come together in the creation of some pieces of art that have been well renowned over the past five centuries.  Morelli writes in detail about the lavish sites and sounds of Renaissance Florence. The artistry and architecture of the city are deliciously described by an author with a PhD in art history. I am sure her background was helpful to her in writing this fabulous novel.

Book of the Month - May

My favorite book of the month is Seven Days by Alex Lake. It is a gripping psychological thriller with a great plot. Character Maggie has seven days to save her son Max before he turns 3-years-old. Maggie is dreading his birthday because she knows that she will lose him. Her previous 2 sons were taken from her on their third birthday by her captor who has imprisoned her in a basement for the past 12 years. The novel has an eerie atmosphere and along with its sense of urgency I was unable to put the book down.  I read it in one sitting.

Book of the Month: April

With the coronavirus shutdown I have had the time to get alot of reading done. I have read 15 books this month. It was difficult to select just one book that I liked the most so I have decided to select a favorite book in each of the three genres that I read, mystery, historical fiction and graphic novel.

The Three Women is my best mystery for the month of April. It is a psychological thriller with a shocking ending. It could be a Hitchcock film, if Hitchcock were still alive and directing movies.

Book of Colours is my favorite historical fiction book.  As an artist, I reveled in the information given on how to create illuminated manuscripts.  The book follows the lives of several limners, illuminators, as they work together to create a book of hours for a wealthy woman.

The Oracle Code is my best graphic novel.  It is about the rehabilitation, both physical and psychological, of a newly disabled teenager.

Book of the Month: March

Apartment 6 was my favorite book this month.  It is a psychological thriller that grabbed my attention from the first page.  The book reminded me of an Alfred Hitchcock movie.  Each chapter ended with an eerie type of suspense that kept me reading until I finished it in one sitting.  The book tells the story of a woman named Meagan, alternating between 20 years past and the present.  Meagan's mother was murdered by her father and as an adult she is the victim of domestic violence from her husband.  After meeting a man named Oliver on her work commute, she tells him about her husband.  Soon thereafter Meagan asks Oliver to kill him.  Thus begins Oliver's downward slide as Meagan messes with his mind.

Book of the Month: February

My best book for February is Saga: Compendium One. This comic book is a science fiction and fantasy comic strip that has been serialized for the past seven years. The compendium contains strips 1 through 54.

I just loved this book. I was hooked from the first page and had a hard time putting it down. With 1300 pages to read I did have to take breather while reading it but I still got it done in 2 days.