Week #5 of Recommendations (does anybody care about what number week it is?)

Well, here's the next list of 25.  I'm beginning to catch up and should have less than 25/week sometime in August.  But, as I said last time (just 6 days ago - I gained a day of catch-up and am just 2 days behind Mondays now), I am only listing those that the source loved.  They either gave the book a 4.5 or  5 out of 5 (I seem to be the only one, including Goodreads and Amazon, that rates on a scale of 4 - what a rebel I am!).  So here it is. Remember that I only list books that I haven't read or don't immediately intend to read.

Jennifer L. Armentrout, Onyx + Opal - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
M.L. Stedman, The Light Between Oceans, historical/women's fiction - Bermudaonion
Belinda Hawkins, Every Parent's Nightmare, true life story - book'd out
Taylor Jenkins Reid, Forever, Interrupted, contemporary fiction - bookfan
Chelsea Pitcher, The S-Word, high school - BookHounds
Luanne Rice, The Lemon Orchard, romance/women's lit - Booking Mama
Rachel Hennessy, The Heaven I Swallowed - book'd out
Janice Hamrick, Death Rides Again, Texas mystery - BookHounds
Megan McDonald, Stink and the Freaky Frog Freakout, 8th in series, young readers - Bermudaonion
Lindsey Farleigh & Lindsey Pogue, After the Ending, apocalyptic - Tangled in Pages
Wiley Cash, A Land More Kind Than Home, Southern fiction - Bermudaonion
Chris Grabenstein, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, middle grade -Booking Mama
Dawn Metcalf, Indelible, paranormal - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
William Ryan, The Holy Thief, The Darkening Field, The Twelfth Department, trilogy, historical
   fiction, Soviet Russia (like Sam Eastland and Tom Rob Smith) - Quirky Bookworm
Michael Walker, What You Want Is in the Limo, music history, 1973 - BookHounds
Angela Savage, The Dying Beach, crime fiction - book'd out
Kenneth Cameron, Winter at Death's Hotel, 1800's, detective story - Silver's Reviews
Simon von Booy, The Delusion of Separateness, WWII to present - Musings of a Bookish Kitty and Estella's Revenge ("a perfect book")
J.M. Sidorova, The Age of Ice - BookHounds
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave, history - Estella's Revenge
Susan Rebecca White, A Place at the Table - Bermudaonion
Luisa Weiss, My Berlin Kitchen, cooking memoir - Amused by Books
Menna van Praag, The House at the End of Hope Street - Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Max Barry, Lexicon, thriller - Under My Apple Tree
Steve Worland, Combustion, #2, Australian action - book'd out

NOTE OF REMORSE:  I am WAY behind on reviews.  I'll be getting to them - someday (remember Meg Ryan's lament about turning 30 in When Harry Met Sally?).

64 Campus Novels from Rose City Reader

These are 64 novels about college campus life, focusing on professors and faculty.  Rose City Reader has read 24 of them (outlined in red, some with reviews attached).  If this sounds like something you are interested in, then, by all means, take a look.  RCR has gone through a lot of trouble compiling this list.  To show you how attached I am to this particular subject matter, I have read exactly (drum roll, please) 1 of these 64 books.  It was Crossing to Safety, by Wallace Stegner.  And if I recall correctly, I wasn't too crazy about it.
Good hunting.

Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber Jake's Thing by Kingsley Amis Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis One Fat Englishman by Kingsley Amis (reviewed here) The Dean's December by Saul Bellow More Die of Heartbreak by Saul Bellow Herzog by Saul Bellow Ravelstein by Saul Bellow Eating People is Wrong by Malcolm Bradbury The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury Possession by A. S. Byatt The Professor's House by Willa Cather Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon Falconer by John Cheever Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee The Archivist by Martha Cooley In the Last Analysis by Amanda Cross (and the rest of her Kate Fansler series) The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies (reviewed here) What's Bred in the Bone by Robertson Davies The Lyre of Orpheus by Robertson Davies White Noise by Don DeLillo Death is Now My Neighbour by Colin Dexter (from his Inspector Morse series) The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn by Colin Dexter (from his Inspector Morse series) The Trick of It by Michael Frayn Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (reviewed here) Redback by Howard Jacobson Pictures from an Institution by Randall Jarrell The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman (reviewed here) The British Museum is Falling Down by David Lodge Thinks by David Lodge Deaf Sentence by David Lodge (reviewed here) Changing Places by David Lodge (reviewed here) Small World by David Lodge Nice Work by David Lodge The War Between the Tates by Alison Lurie A New Life by Bernard Malamud All Souls by Javier Marias An Oxford Tragedy by J. C. Masterman The Groves of Academe by Mary McCarthy Prisoner in a Red-Rose Chain by Jeffrey MoorePale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov Blue Angel by Francine Prose Japanese by Spring by Ishmael Reed Letting Go by Philip Roth The Professor of Desire by Philip Roth The Breast by Philip Roth The Dying Animal by Philip Roth The Human Stain by Philip Roth (reviewed here) That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo Straight Man by Richard Russo Gaudy night by Dorothy L. Sayers Porterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe Moo by Jane Smiley On Beauty by Zadie Smith (reviewed here) The Masters by C.P. Snow Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner The Secret History by Donna Tartt Memories of the Ford Administration by John Updike Stoner by John Williams The Hair of Harold Roux by Thomas Williams (reviewed here) Anglo-Saxon Attitudes by Angus Wilson

A 2nd Successful Book Launch in 2 Weeks (actually, 8 days) - Sheldon Siegel's The Terrorist Next Door

This past Tuesday night Joni and I, along with Rich and Leslie, drove up to Book Passage in Corte Madera.  Although it's quite a schlep, it was worth it to see Sheldon launch his latest book, The Terrorist Next Door.  This is Sheldon's 1st book (out of 8) that is not part of his Mike/Rosie series (for those that don't remember or simply don't know, Mike and Rosie are ex-spouses and current law partners in San Francisco - every adventure includes murder, mystery, and courtroom drama).

Sheldon had a crowd of about 30-35 at the event.  Of course, all of us there were and are big fans.  He began by recognizing 3 authors in the crowd, the same thing Meg did last week.  I think that is a very cool thing to do.  In this case, one of the authors, Rita Lakin, is 83 years old and began writing a series 9 years ago.  She now has 7 published books. How neat is that?

But back to Sheldon.  He then went on to talk about his latest book and how he used his native Chicago to make his mom happy.  He created a character, Detective David Gold, that can be the protagonist for future books.  I, for one, am really excited to have potentially 2 series to follow even though his Mike/Rosie series is plenty fun by itself.

We all got treated to wine and cheese and hung out for awhile after the formal part of the evening.  And, just like last year in San Mateo, we were able to have dinner with Sheldon after he was done signing books and pressing the flesh.  This time, we got to eat with Sheldon's wife, Linda, and her sister, Julie.  It was a great evening.

Week #4 of Book Recommendations - Going from Highly Recommended to Very Highly Recommended

Yes, I am well aware that it is Thursday.  It seems that every week I get a little bit later.  Be that as it may (in other words, tough toenails), here's the next 25.  I want to point out that the genre descriptions are coming from the source.  You all know how I feel about the designations "chick lit," "women's fiction," and "women's literature."  But, if that's what the recommender is calling it, then that's what I'm going to post.

Dennis Lehane, Midnight Mile, sequel to Gone, Baby, Gone - Rose City Reader

Josie Brown, The Candidate, steamy political thriller - BookHounds

Janice Clark, The Rathbones, literary adventure - Read It Forward

Melina Marchetta, Jellicoe Road, coming-of-age story - Coffee & a Book Club

Amy & Ron Schmidt, Dog-Gone School, ages 3-7 - Bibliophile by the Sea

Elizabeth Strout, The Burgess Boys, family dysfunction - Bibliophile by the Sea

Camilla Grebe & Asa Traff, More Butter than Death, Swedish crime (series) - Rhapsody in Books

Crockett Johnson, Harold and the Purple Crayon, 2.5-5 year olds - Stacy's Books

Kendra C. Highley, Monster Hunter, Blade's Edge, Legend, Matt Archer series, fantasy, teen boys - Feed Your Fiction Addiction

Paul Collins, Duel with the Devil, non-fiction historical murder mystery - Booking Mama

Susan Crandall, Whistling Past the Graveyard - BookHounds

Sunni Overand, March, chick lit - book'd out

Joseph Ellis, Revolutionary Summer:  The Birth of American Independence, history - Rhapsody in Books

Luanne Rice, The Lemon Orchard - Silver's Reviews

Ewart Hutton, Good People, kinky-sex mystery - Quirky Bookworm

David Morrell, Murder as a Fine Art, historical mystery - Quirky Bookworm

Jo Nesbo, The Redeemer, Scandinavian mystery - Quirky Bookworm

Jessica Brockmole, Letters from Skye, historical fiction, wartime romance - Diary of an Eccentric
Ben H. Winters, Countdown City, pre-apocalyptic detective mystery - Under My Apple Tree
Claire Messud, The Woman Upstairs - Bibliophile by the Sea
Felicity Volk, Lightning, Australian - book'd out
Jenny Colgan, Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe, women's fiction - Booking Mama AND BookHounds
Meg Donohue, Call the Summer Girls, women's fiction, smart chick lit - Booking Mama
Christina Baker Kline, Orphan Train - Estella's Revenge + Joe Bolin (a Goodreads friend)
Camilla Lachberg, The Stranger, Swedish mystery - Quirky Bookworm

Recommendations for Middle Grade/Young Adult Books - By a 13-Year Old!

So, I was doing my Recycle Bookstore thing this morning, and I met Kate.  Kate is 13 years old and quite obviously an avid reader (my favorite kind!).  Kate appears to have a handle on middle grade/young adult novels.  Even though I’m getting recommendations for middle-grade/young adult books from some of my fellow bloggers, THEY ARE NOT 13!  I’d rather go directly to the source.  Without further ado, here, then, are 4 novels highly recommended by Kate:

Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper

Wonder, by R.J. Palacio

Firegirl, by Tony Abbott

Zink, by Cherie Bennett

I’m assuming that all of my readers are “of a certain age,” (i.e. adult and up).  If that is true, then it will be up to you “adults” to pass these recommendations on to the correct readers.  And if that happens, please let me know their reaction.  If the targeted age group agrees with Kate, then I will rely on Kate more heavily in future posts.

P.S.  Kate is considering starting a blog for middle grade/young adult readers.  I say YES wholeheartedly to that idea.

P.P.S.  Thanks to Kate's mom for picking up 3 of my recommendations from The Table.  I will be anxiously awaiting your feedback. 

Author Interview #7 (and the 1st since 12/18/12) - A.R. Silverberry/Peter Adler

Peter Adler, writing as A.R. Silverberry, is quite the Renaissance man. He is not only a psychologist, but he's also an artist and musician. And he writes books (fancy that!). In fact, his 1st published book (2nd book), Wyndano's Cloak, was one of my favorite books of 2011. It's a fantasy novel for girls 10-14, but I still loved it (no smart-aleck remarks please).

Although this book was self-published on March 15, 2010 (it's available as an eBook at Barnes&Noble.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes; hardback from the author), it has won several awards:

Gold Medal Winner in the 2011 Benjamin Franklin Awards, in Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction

Gold Medal Winner in the 2010 Readers Favorite Awards in Preteen Fiction

Finalist, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards, Juvenile Fiction (Winners announced June 2011)

Silver Medal Winner 2011 Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book, Children’s/Young Adult

Peter didn't start writing until he was 45. He was influenced by L. Frank Baum's world of Oz, myths, fairy tales, and Tolkien. His 1st book is still sitting in a drawer. It was never published although he had a couple of literary agents interested in it. In fact, he used the criticism from book 1 to make book 2 better (he certainly succeeded with that strategy!).

Now, he is shopping his next book. I hope he finds an agent and gets it published because I, for one, can't wait to read it. He's going to have to go some to put out another book as good as Wyndano's Cloak, but I have faith that he can do it. I will keep everybody posted on his progress. In the meantime, either read Wyndano's Cloak or make sure that a person in his targeted demographic gets it. Whoever reads it will thank you for the recommendation/gift.  I guarantee it.

A Book Launch to Remember

Last night, Joni and I attended the book launch for Meg Waite Clayton's latest, The Wednesday Daughters.  This is a sequel (sort of ) of her book from 2008, The Wednesday Sisters.  The event took place at Meg's home bookstore, Books, Inc. in Palo Alto.  There was a great crowd there, probably 75-100 people.  She was well-represented by family, friends, authors, and book club members (Joni and I are in The 4th Tuesday Book Club along with Meg and about a dozen other regulars).

Joni, who is a long-time professional event planner, said the event itself was exceptionally well-done.  There was champagne and food set up before Meg began at 7:00, and it was still there when the formal presentation was done.  Everybody mingled before and after.

A couple of minutes after 7:00, Ellen Sussman, who I have reviewed before and who is a good friend of Meg's, introduced Meg.  And what an introduction it was.  She not only talked about Meg's writing skills but also told everybody what a great friend she is and what a terrific support for other authors.  Ellen did a great job of making us all feel how special Meg is.

Then Meg took over.  The 1st thing she did, which was really cool, was introduce all of the local authors that were in attendance.  I counted 12.  And she also pulled a few of their books from the shelves and showed them to the audience during a number of the introductions.  Being a book blogger and a big fan of local authors, I loved that she did that.  After the introductions, she spoke a little bit about the background for her book and then did some reading.  When that was done, she took questions and, finally, signed books (yours truly bought her new book and had it personalized).

I have been to hundreds of author events and quite a few launches among them.  But this was definitely right near the top for the 4 E's:  Enthusiasm, Enjoyment, Excitement, and Execution (I just made those up!).  I've now read 2 of Meg's last 3 books - The Four Ms. Bradwells and The Wednesday Sisters.  I will soon be adding The Wednesday Daughters to that list.

Ellen introducing Meg

Meg signing her book

Weekly Recommendation List #3 (will the clever titles never cease?)

Here it is, folks, week #3.  It seems like a pretty boring post.  BUT, when I look at the list, I see a whole bunch of different types of books.  AND, it seems like there is something for everybody.  Just on this list alone, there's a picture book, a coffee table book, a romance, a kids' cookbook, a history,  a book on poetry, and a bunch more.  SO, do I keep doing this list weekly?  Every 2 weeks?  Not at all?  Please help me decide how to proceed with this thing?  Thanks, all.

David Schwartz, Rotten Pumpkin:  A Rotten Tale in 15 Voices, picture book - Booking Mama
Elisa Kleven, Cozy Light, Cozy Night, picture book - Booking Mama
Robert Schofield, Heist, Aussie crime fiction (debut) - Book'd Out
Meg Gardiner, The Shadow Tracer, thriller - Book'd Out
Vera Jane Cook, The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, segragation in the South - Silver's Review
Bella Andre, From This Moment On, romance - BookHounds
Robyn Schneider, The Beginning of Everything - Great Good Place for Books
Gayle Forman, If I Stay - Great Good Place for Books
Gayle Forman, Just One Year - Great Good Place for Books
Laura Moriarty, The Chaperone - Sandy Antle (reader)
Karen Harrington, Sure Signs of Crazy, middle school reader - BermudaOnion
Julia Durango, Angels Watching Over Me, multicultural picture book - Rhapsody in Books
Richard Cecil, Twenty First Century Blues, poetry (I won't be reading this one!) - My Reader's Block
Photos by Sammy Davis Jr., coffee table book - My Reader's Block
Kids in the Kitchen, Time Magazine, kids' cookbook - Booking Mama
Brenda Novak, Home to Whiskey Creek - Fresh Fiction
Melanie Benjamin, The Aviator's Wife, historical fiction - Booking Mama
Colleen Hoover, Slammed, romance - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Mary Alice Monroe, The Summer Girls, book 1 of trilogy - BermudaOnion
Harlow Giles Unger, John Quincy Adams, history - Rhapsody in Books
Simon Rich, The Last Girlfriend on Earth, short stories - Estella's revenge
Chris Bohjalian, The Light in the Ruins - Bookfan
Amanda Kyle Williams, Stranger in the Room, mystery (book 2 in Keyes St. trilogy) - BermudaOnion
Caroline Leavitt, Pictures of You - Booking Mama
Caroline Leavitt, Is This Tomorrow, women's fiction - Booking Mama

2 Reviews of Books that Couldn't Be More Different

If you tried to put 2 books together that are completely different, I don't think you could do much better than Kate Atkinson's Life after Life and David Baldacci's The Hit.  The 1st one I'm still trying to figure out, and the 2nd one is a sequel to The Innocent, which I gave a 3.5 (out of 4) last year.  Let's start with Life After Life (this won't take long).  I'll quote you Goodreads' synopsis because I couldn't figure out how to describe the book on my own.

On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born, the third child of a wealthy English banker and his wife. Sadly, she dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in any number of ways. Clearly history (and Kate Atkinson) have plans for her: In Ursula rests nothing less than the fate of civilization.

Does that make sense to you?  Yes?  Well, then, you're a lot smarter than I am.  I read all 529 pages (in hardcover, mind you) and kept trying to figure out when Ursula died and when she reappeared.  I made a note that the book picked up on page 187 and another note that I finally cared about Ursula on page 231.  And then I didn't.  How can you get emotionally connected (I know, I'm at it again) with someone who is alive, then dead, then alive, then dead, ad nauseum.  Except for page 231, I couldn't.  

I gave the book a 2.5 because it is well-written, and because I acknowledge the complexity of the story.  But if I can't get caught up in the main character, then a 2.5 is the best number I can give.  Sorry, Kate.  I enjoyed seeing you at Book Passage, and I do love that British accent.  But if you can't make me care (i.e. cry), then you've, at least partially, lost me.  I own Case Histories and will maybe give that a try - some day.

Baldacci's The Hit picks up where The Innocent left off.  As a little recap, The Innocent centers on a 40-year old hit man for the CIA who develops a conscience.  I liked the main character, Will Robie, and thought he was one of Baldacci's better protagonists.  HOWEVER, what really made the book for me was Julie, the 14-year old spunky cast-off from a foster home that Will ends up on the run with.  She carried the book for me and made me really care what happened to her.

In The Hit, Julie only makes a couple of cameo appearances.  This one is all about Will and another CIA assassin, Jessica, who has gone rogue.  She has apparently killed a couple of CIA bigwigs, and Will is dispatched to dispatch her.  Him chasing her and then catching up to her makes for a very interesting book.  Baldacci has definitely hit on a good character.  But, without Julie, it's just a little bit flat.  It's still a solid 3 out of 4, but I can't give it a 3.5 like I did with The Innocent.  I firmly believe that Baldacci will be able to survive my diminshed rating.

That's it.  Every once in a while, I like to fool you all by reading mainstream, mass market books.  I'll try not to let it become a habit. 

Re-read Suggestions

Quite a few people came in with books that they've either re-read or intend to re-read.  Here are the books and the re-readers (with my comments for those that I have read):

John L. - Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card (very clever science fiction story and storyline)
               Neuromancer, William Gibson
               Aztec, Gary Jennings (well-written but didn't grab me)
               Under the Fifth Sun, Earl Shorris
               Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (liked, didn't love, it)
Susan U. - The Stand, Stephen King (liked it a lot - very compelling)
Brian G. (for a friend) - The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Robert Heinlein
Julie D. - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, JK Rowling (liked them all)
Meredith S. - Good in Bed, Jennifer Weiner (I personally liked this book a lot)
Joni R. - The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (1 of my top 12 all-time)
Bev S. - Othello, Willy Shakespeare
              Cat's Eye, Margaret Atwood
              Restoration, Rose Tremain
Book'dout - Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

If any others come in, I'll gather them up and report back to you.

Do You Re-read Books?

I've had a lot of people recently, especially on Sunday mornings at Recycle, who have mentioned books that they either re-read or want to re-read. I, personally, can't make time to re-read anything. But, if I did, The Source, by James Michener, comes to mind.
What one book would you pick to re-read? Maybe you've already done it. Let me know, and I'll post the results.

Weekly Recommendations List #2 (exciting title, eh?)

Here is my 2nd list of recommendations (yes, I know it's Tuesday - so, sue me).  As a reminder (because it was a week ago, after all), these are all books that I have NOT read.  My sources are bloggers, authors, readers, publicists, and publishers.  As before, if I don't list a genre, then it's your basic contemporary fiction.  Here they are:

Anne Pfeffer, Girls Love Travis Walker, tearjerker - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Robyn Carr, The Newcomer (#3, #1 - The Wanderer) - BookHounds
Ingrid Thoft, Loyalty - Booking Mama
Jennifer Gilbert, I Never Promised You a Goodie Bag, memoir - Bookfan
Charity Norman, The Son-in-Law - Book'd Out
Harold Holzer and the NY Historical Society, The Civil War in 50 Objects, history - Rhapsody in
   Books
Michael Faber, The Crimson Petal and the White - Estella's Revenge
Anton Disclafani, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, coming-of-age story - Booking Mama
Shaunta Grimes, Veral Nation, dystopian YA - Coffee and a Book Chick
Bridget Zinn, Poison, YA - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Carole M. Roman, If You Were Me and Lived in... (a variety of cities), children's - Stacey's Books
Ruth Silver, Aberrant, dystopian science fiction - Tangled in Pages
Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess, YA - To Be Continued
Alexandre Bracken, The Darlot Minds, YA tearjerker - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Katie Hofner, Mother Daughter Me, memoir - Parade Magazine, Goodreads, itunes
Holly Robinson, The Wishing Well, women's fiction - Booking Mama
Saira Shah, The Mouseproof Kitchen - Book'd Out
Maureen Johnson, The Name of the Star, Shades of Passion series, 1888 - Tangled in Pages
Elizabeth Winder, Pain, Parties, Work, biography - Sylvia Plath - bermudaonion
DM Yates, Always, Love Is Eternal, spiritual fantasy - BookHounds
Sports Illustrated, Big Book of Who Football, sports - Booking Mama
Mary Kay Andrews, Spring Fever, adult contemporary - Tangled in Pages
Stan & Jan Berenstain, Berenstain Bears, children's picture books - bermudaonion (I read these books
   my kids, who are now 37, 34, and 29)
Kelly Starling Lyons, Tea Cakes for Tosh, multicultural picture book
Catriona McPherson, As She Left It - Amazon (8 reviews)

That's it for this week.  Another 25.  There is no shortage of books being recommended by no shortage of sources.  Stick with me here.  In the meantime, I'll "see you" next Monday (approximately).

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Have A Winner!!!

Okay, everybody, we have a winner to the Avid Reader contest.  It's Shelleyrae, author of the blog bookdout.  Here is her entry.

I can't resist $50 to spend on books!

I read about five books a week (250+ a year) so I will pretty much read anywhere, anytime: while in labour (between contractions); while filling up my car at the petrol pump (it has 2 tanks and it takes a while); while swimming; at school I used to prop my textbook up on my desk with another book inside and I'd be reading while the teacher droned on about something as unimportant as algebra; instead of sleeping. LOL

Shelleyrae
www.bookdout.wordpress.com

I think we can all agree that Shelleyrae is truly an Avid Reader.  Congratulations.  Let me know how to make out the $50 gift certificate and where to send it.  It's truly a pleasure to present it to you.  As for the rest of you, thank you for participating.  I'll make sure the next contest makes it a little tougher for Shelleyrae!

Midterm Report

Well, I'm nothing if not a copycat.  I have now read a couple of bloggers who have given mid-year progress reports on books and pages read as well as some 1st-half favorites.  Heck, I can do that too.  Here's the info:

42 books
14,014 pages
Ratings:
1   - 4.5
3   - 4.0
5   - 3.5
15 - 3.0
12 - 2.5
6   - 2.0

Top 5, in order:
The Language of Flowers, Vanessa Diffenbaugh - 4.5
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, Beth Hoffman - 4.0 (almost a 4.5 - a 4.25 maybe?)
The Storyteller - Jodi Picoult - 4.0
Minefields of the Heart - Sue Diaz - 4.0
House on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford - 3.5

See you again on January 1, 2014 (or tomorrow, whichever comes 1st).

Weekly Recommendation List-Not By Book Sage (WRL-NBBS)

Other than the awkward title, I hope that this weekly list of recommendations will be helpful.  Every book on the list has come highly recommended.  My sources are - bloggers, authors, readers, publicists, and publishers.  I will list the source for each one.  And if I don't specify a genre, then consider it the catchall category of contemporary fiction.  There is no significant order to this list.  They're just listed as I wrote them down.  I will be interested in your comments, especially after you have tried a book or two.  And keep in mind that I have not read any of these books.

Each book is listed by author, title, genre (other than contemporary fiction), and recommender.

John Boyne, The Absolutist - Jasmine Haynes (author)
Justin Cronin, The Passage (book #1) - Jasmine Haynes (author)
Justin Cronin, The Twelve (book #2) - Jasmine Haynes (author)
Janet Evanovich, One for the Money - Ronda (reader)
Margaret George, The Memoirs of Cleopatra - Ronda (reader)
Nicci French, Waiting for Wednesday, psychological thriller (book #3 in series) - book'd out (blogger)
Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Estella's Revenge (blogger)
Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat:  Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the
   1936 Berlin Olympics, non-fiction - Booking Mama (blogger)
Kirsten Knaute, just_a_girl, YA - book'd out (blogger)
Diane M. Haynes, Rift Healer, YA - Feed Your Fiction Addiction (blogger)
Bella Andre, The Look of Love, romance (book #1, #2-#4 also available) - BookHounds (blogger)
Amy Brile, The Movement of Stars, historical fiction - Booking Mama (blogger)
Robert Penn Warren, All the King's Men, classic (1946) - Lauren (reader AND MY DAUGHTER)
Alex Hammond, Blood Witness, crime fiction (book #1)(Australian) - book'd out (blogger)
Jenn Bennett, Binding the Shadows, urban fantasy (book #3 in series) - Tangled in Pages (blogger)
Kimberly McCreight, Reconstructing Amelia - bermudaonion (blogger)
Jim Bailey, The Yankee Chef:  Feel Good for Every Kitchen, cookbook - Bibliophile by the Sea
   (blogger)
Sally Vickers, The Cleaner of Chartre, mystery - Silver's Reviews (blogger)
Suzanne Rindell, The Other Typist, historical fiction/psychological suspense - Under My Apple Tree
   (blogger)
Jenni Fagan, The Panopticon - Gillian Flynn (author), Vanessa Diffenbaugh (author)
Sara Pennypacker, Clementine, children's (6 books), (3rd & 4th grade) - Booking Mama
Jennifer Smith, This Is What Happy Looks Like, YA - bermudaonion (blogger)
Richard Michelin, Twice As Good, non-fiction (golf) - Rhapsody in Books (blogger)
Kate Kerrigan, City of Hope (book #2, Ellis Island-book #1) - Diary of an Eccentric (blogger)
Lucinda Riley, The Lavender Garden - Silver's Reviews

I think 25 recommendations is enough for one week.