2016 Selections
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Author: Rebecca Skloot
Publisher: Broadway Books, January 2010
Genre: History/Medical/Cell Biology
Pages: 450
Rating: 9
Fascinating story of the first seemingly immortal human cell culture and the woman from whom they were involuntarily harvested.
With Every Breath
Author: Elizabeth Camden
Publisher: Bethany House, July 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 368
Rating: 9
A captivating look at the victims and treatment of tuberculosis in the late 19th century, driven by an excellent plot and characters.
The Fatal Tree: Bright Empires Book 5 (audiobook narrated by Simon Bubb)
Author: Stephen R. Lawhead
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, November 2014
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 400 (10 hours 26 minutes)
Rating: 8.5
Final book in the Bright Empires series. Travel the omniverse along magical ley lines that lead to distance times and places. I really enjoyed this series, all on audiobook, starting with Book 1: The Skin Map.
Focused: Keeping Your Life on Track, One Choice at a Time
Author: Noelle Pikus Pace
Publisher: Deseret Book, October 2014
Genre: Sports/Olympics/Memoir
Pages: 144
Rating: 8
“Olympic silver medalist Noelle Pikus-Pace shares ten vital lessons that have been instrumental to her success—in sports and life.” Good read, and especially interesting to me since I happened to help coach her junior high track team.
Echo
Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
Publisher: Scholastic Press, February 2015
Genre: Teen Historical Fiction
Pages: 592 (the font is big--it isn’t really that long a read)
Rating: 8.5
Otto’s harmonica weaves the lives of three other children in different times and places into an enchanting story of music, courage, and hope. Newberry Honor Book 2016.
Lady Helen Finds Her Song
Author: Jennifer Moore
Publisher: Covenant Communications, April 2016
Genre: Regency/India
Pages: 240
Rating: 8.5
Probably my favorite book from Jennifer Moore. I thought she did a great job bringing to life 1813 India and creating memorable characters.
A Tailor-Made Bride
Author: Karen Witemeyer
Publisher: Bethany House, June 2010
Genre: Historical Fiction/Western
Pages: 352
Rating: 9
Loved this funny western. Opposites do attract!
Cheaper By the Dozen
Author: Frank Gilbreth
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, May 2002
Genre: Biography/Memoir/Parenting
Pages: 224
Rating: 8.5
Hilarious true stories from a family with twelve children, led by efficiency-expert parents in the early 20th century.
A Date With Danger
Author: Kari Iroz
Publisher: Covenant Communications, June 2016
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Pages: 256
Rating: 9
This book made me laugh out loud, and that doesn’t happen very often. Enter the world of Happy Valley Singles Life, with a dangerous twist.
Truman (audiobook narrated by Nelson Runger)
Author: David McCullough
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, April 2011
Genre: Biography
Pages: 1120 (54 hours 12 minutes)
Rating: 9
Um, I love Harry Truman. Not romantically. But we spent a lot of time together, and I honestly teared up when he died—in the book of course, since I wasn’t actually born when that happened in real life. Death. Whatever.
Undercurrents
Author: Traci Abramson
Publisher: Covenant Communications, July 2011
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Pages: 192
Rating: 9
Olympic-hopeful swimmer in the witness protection program. This was my first Abramson book, and it spurred a serious binge. I refuse to admit how many more of her books I read before I came up for air. It’s a little embarrassing.
Working It Out
Author: Rachael Anderson
Publisher: HEA Publishing, December 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 264
Rating: 9
Love this story about physical therapist Grace Warren and the annoying guy who unexpectedly kisses her, disappears, and then resurfaces as a patient at her clinic.
Maid of Fairborn Hall
Author: Julie Klassen
Publisher: Bethany House, January 2012
Genre: Regency
Pages: 418
Rating: 9
My favorite Klassen. Pampered Margaret hides herself away as a maid and discovers what life is like for the servants she’s always taken for granted.
An Elegant Facade (Hawthorne House Book 2)
Author: Kristi Ann Hunter
Publisher: Bethany House, July 2016
Genre: Regency
Pages: 370
Rating: 8.5
Georgina Hawthorne was presented as rather a villain in Book 1. I was pretty skeptical of her ever becoming a sympathetic protagonist even after a few chapters of Book 2, but Hunter did a great job of making me look past her appearance. Model-gorgeous, perfect heroines are boring.
Mistletoe Inn (The Mistletoe Collection Book 2)
Author: Richard Paul Evans
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, November 2015
Genre: Holidays/Christian
Pages: 320
Rating: 9
Maybe it’s just because I’m an aspiring author, but I really enjoyed this novel set at a writers’ conference. Books 1 and 3 of the collection were also good, and each is a stand-alone.