Kara's Favorites from 2016 and 2017

by Kara

Here's some of my favorite books that I read in 2017.

A man called Ove : a novel

Fredrik Backman

FICTION Backman, Fredrik

Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon; the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him 'the bitter neighbour from hell'. But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.

Swedish writer Fredrik Backman is my new favorite author. A Man Called Ove is a feel-good story that I couldn’t put down. Backman has a unique way of introducing plot and the result is books that are to be savored. Readers must be patient … Backman will give you the details you need when he’s ready.
- Kara

My grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry : a novel

Fredrik Backman

FICTION Backman Fredrik

"From the author of the internationally bestselling A Man Called Ove, a charming, warmhearted novel about a young girl whose grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters, sending her on a journey that brings to life the world of her grandmother's fairy tales"--

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, is a heartwarming story about a seven year old girl who goes on a journey of discovery after the death of her beloved grandmother. It’s a compelling story that shows there are many good people in the world. Britt-Marie Was Here is a follow-up book that features one of the characters from “My Grandmother …”
- Kara

Vicious circle : a Joe Pickett novel

C. J Box

MYSTERY Box C. J.

"The past comes back to haunt game warden Joe Pickett and his family with devastating effect in the thrilling new novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author. The plane circled in the dark. Joe Pickett could just make out down below a figure in the snow and timber, and then three other figures closing in. There was nothing he could do about it. And Joe knew that he might be their next target. The Cates family had always been a bad lot. Game warden Joe Pickett had been able to strike a fierce blow against them when the life of his daughter April had been endangered, but he'd always wondered if there'd be a day of reckoning. He's not wondering any longer. Joe knows they're coming after him and his family now. He has his friend Nate by his side, but will that be enough this time? All he can do is prepare. and wait for them to make the first move"--

Vicious Circle by C.J. Box takes the reader on a vicarious trip to the Wyoming and the life of Game Warden Joe Pickett. Rodeo star Dallas Cates is out of jail and he wants revenge on Joe. Nate Romanowski, Joe’s falconer friend, is pulled into the drama and trouble always seems to find them. Box’s novels are known for their fast pace, memorable characters and strong sense of place. The reader will be kept on the edge of their seat in the page-turner. I listened to the book and David Chandler’s narration is excellent.
- Kara

Letters from Skye : a novel

Jessica Brockmole

FICTION Brockmol Jessica

An older epistolary novel (2013) but a goodie. Two narratives weave together through a series of letters. The drama begins when an American, David, writes a letter to Elspeth, a young Scottish poet who lives on the Isle of Skye. Their friendship blossoms into an unlikely love story just before the start of WWI. Flash forward to just before WWII. Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret is on the cusp of a love story of her own. Through the letters the narratives intertwine and the story unfolds. I listened to the book and the narration was excellent, especially the Scottish dialect that brings the story to life.
- Kara

The light of Paris

Eleanor Brown

FICTION Brown Eleanor

"The miraculous new novel from New York Times-bestselling author Eleanor Brown, whose debut, The Weird Sisters, was a sensation beloved by critics and readers alike. Madeleine is trapped--by her family's expectations, by her controlling husband, and by her own fears--in an unhappy marriage and a life she never wanted. From the outside, it looks like she has everything, but on the inside, she fears she has nothing that matters. In Madeleine's memories, her grandmother Margie is the kind of woman she should have been--elegant, reserved, perfect. But when Madeleine finds a diary detailing Margie's bold, romantic trip to Jazz Age Paris, she meets the grandmother she never knew: a dreamer who defied her strict, staid family and spent an exhilarating summer writing in cafes, living on her own, and falling for a charismatic artist. Despite her unhappiness, when Madeleine's marriage is threatened, she panics, escaping to her hometown and staying with her critical, disapproving mother. In that unlikely place, shaken by the revelation of a long-hidden family secret and inspired by her grandmother's bravery, Madeleine creates her own Parisian summer--reconnecting to her love of painting, cultivating a vibrant circle of creative friends, and finding a kindred spirit in a down-to-earth chef who reminds her to feed both her body and her heart. Margie and Madeleine's stories intertwine to explore the joys and risks of living life on our own terms, of defying the rules that hold us back from our dreams, and of becoming the people we are meant to be"--

Weird Sisters author, Eleanor Brown’s Light of Paris is a tale of two women who are bound by the expectations of family and society. Madeleine is in her thirties, stuck in a loveless marriage and volunteering as a docent at an art museum. Youthful dreams of living as an artist are painful. Margie is in her twenties and dispatched to Paris in 1924. Upon her arrival she is abandoned and left to fend for herself. With dreams of becoming a writer she gets a job in a library in Paris and falls in love.
- Kara

The race for Paris

Meg Waite Clayton

LARGE PRINT FICTION Clayton, Meg Waite

"A World War II novel about two American journalists and an Englishman, who together race the Allies to Occupied Paris for the scoop of their lives"--

Wednesday Sisters author, Meg Waite Clayton’s, newest novel captures the fictionalized story of two women who served as journalists during World War II. Clayton layers the story between the brutality of war, determination of the women and the personal toll a war takes on the human spirit. Her research about women journalists in WWII brings their spirit to life and tells a lesser-known story about WWII heroes.
- Kara

Everyone brave is forgiven

Chris Cleave

FICTION Cleave Chris

Chris Cleave artfully crafts a World War II novel based on love letters between his grandparents. With the backdrop of war, bombing, starvation, bravery, society and sacrifice, Cleave weaves together unforgettable characters in a story that requires pondering long after the book is finished. Set in London and Malta, Mary is a socialite, Alistair signs up for service reluctantly and Tom would rather forget the war. Three people, three friends and three wars. Innocence is lost, London is bombed, Malta is devastated, friendship is tested and morals are questioned.
- Kara

The dollhouse

Fiona Davis

FICTION Davis Fiona

"The Dollhouse. That's what we boys like to call it. The Barbizon Hotel for Women, packed to the rafters with pretty little dolls. Just like you." Fiona Davis's stunning debut novel pulls readers into the lush world of New York City's glamorous Barbizon Hotel for Women, where a generation of aspiring models, secretaries, and editors lived side-by-side while attempting to claw their way to fairy-tale success in the 1950s, and where a present-day journalist becomes consumed with uncovering a dark secret buried deep within the Barbizon's glitzy past. When she arrives at the famed Barbizon Hotel in 1952, secretarial school enrollment in hand, Darby McLaughlin is everything her modeling agency hall mates aren't: plain, self-conscious, homesick, and utterly convinced she doesn't belong--a notion the models do nothing to disabuse. Yet when Darby befriends Esme, a Barbizon maid, she's introduced to an entirely new side of New York City: seedy downtown jazz clubs where the music is as addictive as the heroin that's used there, the startling sounds of bebop, and even the possibility of romance. Over half a century later, the Barbizon's gone condo and most of its long-ago guests are forgotten. But rumors of Darby's involvement in a deadly skirmish with a hotel maid back in 1952 haunt the halls of the building as surely as the melancholy music that floats from the elderly woman's rent-controlled apartment. It's a combination too intoxicating for journalist Rose Lewin, Darby's upstairs neighbor, to resist--not to mention the perfect distraction from her own imploding personal life. Yet as Rose's obsession deepens, the ethics of her investigation become increasingly murky, and neither woman will remain unchanged when the shocking truth is finally revealed"--

Alternating between 1952 and 2016 in the Barbizon Hotel in New York City, the lives of four women are haunted by ghosts. Darby is a Midwesterner who meets Stella who is a model. Darby befriends Esme, who aspires to a singing career. Rose is intrigued by the women of Barbizon’s past and a tragedy that changes all of their lives.
- Kara

Curious minds : a Knight and Moon novel

Janet Evanovich

MYSTERY Evanovic Janet

"A brand-new series introducing a fun and entertaining crime-solving team with great romantic chemistry--fiesty financial analyst Riley Moon and eccentric savant Emerson Knight. Riley Moon is a junior analyst at a mega-bank, when she uncovers what looks like an embezzlement scheme that could lead straight to the top. With his gold gone missing and analysts disappearing, famously eccentric Emerson Knight, the bank's biggest client, decides to take on his own investigation. With Emerson's laserlike focus and ability to see clues no one else sees, and Riley's financial-whiz mind and street savvy, this unlikely pair will uncover one of the biggest crimes of the century"--

Riley Moon is a street-savvy Harvard educated young lady who looks forward to a career in banking. Emerson Knight is an eccentric billionaire who has a facade that indicates more money than sense. He writes a doomsday blog with ideas so outlandish they might be true. Knight and Moon are an unlikely dynamic duo but their chemistry works in a funny, fast paced mystery that keeps the reader guessing.
- Kara

Year of yes

Shonda Rhimes

BIOGRAPHY Rhimes, Shonda

The creator of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" details the one-year experiment with saying "yes" that transformed her life, revealing how accepting unexpected invitations she would have otherwise declined enabled powerful benefits.

Year of Yes focuses on a year of transformation for Rhimes when she gave herself permission to start saying YES to life including invitations, healthy lifestyle choices, time with family and happiness. Rhimes’ personal story is remarkable and I enjoyed learning more about her. Plus her story is funny, compelling and made me think.
- Kara

The rainbow comes and goes : a mother and son on life, love, and loss

Anderson Cooper

BIOGRAPHY Cooper, Anderson

"A charming, intimate and fascinating collection of correspondence between broadcaster and #1 New York Times bestselling author Anderson Cooper and his mother, the celebrated Gloria Vanderbilt"--

A beautiful story written through emails between Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt. I listened the to audiobook and the narration by Anderson Cooper augments the story. I have two favorite quotes from the book: “The rainbow comes and goes. Enjoy it while it lasts. Don't be surprised by its departure, and rejoice when it returns.” and “You may not be able to see the battle others are fighting, and you may believe they are confident and have never known sadness or fear, but believe me, they have, so be kind."
- Kara

The women in the castle

Jessica Shattuck

FICTION Shattuck Jessica

Experiences of three widows of German resistance leaders before, during and after WWII. The story is inspired by the experiences of the author’s grandparents. The three women are suffering from their war experiences and seek atonement, redemption and healing for choices made.
- Kara

Born to run

Bruce Springsteen

781.66092 /Springsteen

Over the past seven years, Bruce Springsteen has privately devoted himself to writing the story of his life, bringing to these pages the same honesty, humor, and originality found in his songs. He describes growing up Catholic in Freehold, New Jersey, amid the poetry, danger, and darkness that fueled his imagination, leading up to the moment he refers to as "The Big Bang": seeing Elvis Presley's debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. He vividly recounts his relentless drive to become a musician, his early days as a bar band king in Asbury Park, and the rise of the E Street Band. With disarming candor, he also tells for the first time the story of the personal struggles that inspired his best work, and shows us why the song "Born to Run" reveals more than we previously realized.

I listened to Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen and the audiobook is narrated by The Boss himself. I am not typically a biography reader, but this was a great book that revealed intimate details about Springsteen’s childhood and family life. Springsteen’s songs have been bumping around in my head since starting the book and I often took a break to listen to the songs. Born to Run, Born in the USA, Streets of Philadelphia, My Home Town, I’m on Fire … all songs from my youth and just as fun to listen to today.
- Kara

Anything is possible

Elizabeth Strout

FICTION Strout Elizabet

A collection of stories tell of two sisters: one trades self-respect for a wealthy husband while the other finds in the pages of a book a kindred spirit who changes her life. The janitor at the local school has his faith tested in an encounter with an isolated man he has come to help; a grown daughter longs for mother love even as she comes to accept her mother's happiness in a foreign country; and the adult Lucy Barton returns to visit her siblings after seventeen years of absence.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout’s newest book is a story of family, love and redemption. Strout’s writing is complex-she takes a simple story and weaves in layers of emotion, reconciliation, self-discovery and human interaction. I first fell in love with Strout’s writing with her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Olive Kitteridge. Anything is Possible is a continuation of Strout writing at her best and features a return of the beloved character, Lucy Barton from Strout’s 2016 book, My Name is Lucy Barton.
- Kara

In this grave hour : a novel

Jacqueline Winspear

MYSTERY Winspear Jacqueli

Jacqueline Winspear’s newest Maisie Dobbs book. Maisie Dobbs is a trained psychologist and personal investigator. England is once again at War, Scotland Yard is overwhelmed and Maisie is called in to investigate the murders of Belgian refugees from the first World War. The title is foreboding and comes from a quote from King George VI on September 3, 1939: “In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history….for the second time in our lives for most of us, we are at war.”
- Kara