Now I Am A Book Snob!!

I am very fortunate that I live in a town that has an independent book store.  Last night I attended a book review of good books for book groups...an event that occurs a couple of times a year and is presented by two of the ladies that work at the book store and actually read the books that they recommend.  Now I say that because many times if you go into a "big chain" store ala Barnes & Noble and ask for a recommendation the people there are not actual readers they just shelve books, and take your money. Now I shouldn't put them all into that category because I know there are many that work in large bookstores are readers and can recommend but my experience has been that many are not, or only read whatever happens to be on the "best-seller"  or "popular fiction" list at the moment.  Now James Patterson & Danielle Steele's books hit the best-seller lists almost as soon as they are published but I wouldn't call any of their titles book-club worthy discussions or consider them literary fiction.  Oh dear, now not only am I a pumpkin snob, but it sounds like I am a book snob as well.  I guess when I was younger, "those" books appealed to me, but as I grow older and appreciate a good story and a well written book I no longer read what is on the "best-seller" list.

Anyhoo, last night we were presented with a list of their latest picks and I thought I would share these with you today.  I love it when people share and recommend good books.  All of these are in paper-back, are great discussion books for those of you in book-clubs and are in no particular order.

Fiction

• THE STORYTELLER by Jodi Picoult (wondering how to pronounce her last name? "PeeKo"
• THE SILENT WIFE by A.S.A. Harrison
• FLIGHT BEHAVIOR by Barbara Kingsolver
• I AM FORBIDDEN by Anouk Markovits
• MRS. LINCOLN'S DRESSMAKER by Jennifer Chiaverini
• ARCHIPELAGO by Monique Roffey
• SCHRODER by Amity Gaige
• DEAR LIFE by Alice Munro - short stories
• MRS QUEEN TAKE THE TRAIN by William Kuhn
• ROUND HOUSE by Louise Erdrich
• ORPHAN TRAIN by Christina Baker Kline
• THE DINNER by Herman Koch
• TIGERS IN RED WEATHER by Liza Klaussman
• THE LIFEBOAT by Charlotte Rogan
• THE TWELVE TRIBES OF HATTIE by Ayana Mathis
• THE LOWER RIVER by Paul Theroux
• HOUSE GIRL by Tara Conklin

Non-fiction

• SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE by Laura Bates
• THE WARMTH OF OTHERS SUNS by Isabel Wilkerson
• THE END OF YOUR LIFE BOOK CLUB by Will Schwalbe
• THE INVISIBLE THREAD by Laura Schroff
• THE BOY IN THE MOON by Ian Brown
• QUIET by Susan Cain
• I NEVER PROMISED YOU A GOODIE BAG Jennifer Gilbert

And a couple of hardcover recommendations - 

• THE RETURNED by Jason Mott (the author was working in a Verizon store when he wrote this book and shorty after it was published it was picked up by Brad Pitt's production company to film a mini-series based on this book, needless to say, Jason quit his day job) 
• MUD SEASON by Ellen Stimson
• LONGBOURN by Jo Baker (for lovers of Jane Austen and Downton Abby 

Tonight is book club and this month we read THE LIGHT IN THE RUINS by Chris Bohjalian.  It was an OK book, I've read better and it left me unsatisfied.  Does that make sense?  It bounced back and forth between 1943-44 and 1955 in Italy during World War II when the Germans occupied much of Italy.  I will be interested to hear how the rest of our group liked it.  So for books, and there are many, and for book groups that inspire good discussions I am grateful.

Until next time.....