# Books Recommended by our Members (May 2012)



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

For the list of recommendations in April 2012, look here:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,109480.0.html

If you are an author or publisher, please do not 'recommend' your own books. Instead you may start a discussion/promotion thread in the Book Bazaar.

Generally, this thread is for quick recommendations. You know, you're sitting with a friend at dinner and you say, "Hey, I just finished this book and I think you would love it!" That kind of thing.

If you've got a book review or other site and would like to regularly share reviews with us, we invite you to start a thread in the Book Bazaar for your site and periodically post links to reviews, subject to our posting rules for authors and bloggers.

Also, please use generic links, or, even better, the Link-Maker to make KindleBoards affiliate links. But please do not link through another site.

Please see Forum Decorum for guidelines.

Betsy & Ann
KB Moderators


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

I just finished War Stories: An Enlisted Marine In Vietnam by Stephen MacDonald. It was an outstanding war memoir.


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## Guest (May 2, 2012)

Check out Truth Like the Sun. Loving it!


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## Ann Herrick (Sep 24, 2010)

I just finished reading _Blue Eyes and Other Teenage Hazards_ by Janette Rallison and really enjoyed it. http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Other-Teenage-Hazards-ebook/dp/B006HN8MSG/

_Cassidy knows everything about Chad--everything, that is, except how to get him to notice her. Someday, somehow, she vows, those deep blue eyes are going to look her way. In the meantime, she's got plenty of other things to worry about.

Cassidy has always been happy to be the studious, reliable type--until Elise and her good-looking brother move into the neighborhood. Elise is determined to introduce Cassidy to the partying life. But will Elise's Carpe Diem ways land Cassidy in more trouble than she's prepared for? Can a girl be smart and have fun too? Cassidy is about to find out._


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## Hope Welsh (Mar 9, 2012)

For those that like YA, I recommend two books by Lanie Jordan

Twin Tied  (paranormal)
Shadow and Light (fantasy)

I enjoyed them both. It's silly, really--I seem to enjoy YA more lately than adult books.


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## Suz Ferrell (Jan 29, 2012)

I've been enjoying Monica McCarty's Highland Guard series. Just finished the fifth installment, The Saint. If you like Scottish history, highland warriors and special forces stories, you'll love these books.


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## Arturo (May 1, 2012)

The Master and Margarita

This is a fantastic read. It's one of my favorites.


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## Guest (May 4, 2012)

Also, cannot wait til John Irving's latest comes out this Tuesday!


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## Holly Bush (Feb 11, 2012)

The Proposal by Mary Balogh

Balogh springs a peripheral character from the gathering of those not asked to waltz and makes her three-dimensional and very real in the author's latest, The Proposal. Gwen, Lady Muir, has been seen about the edges of many stories beginning, I believe, with A Summer to Remember, through the Slightly Series and occasionally in the Simply Series as well. I was very curious about her as a young widow with a marked limp. 

Lady Muir is not a woman without pain or tragedy in her life, few Balogh heroines are. There is more to the story of her late husband and her injuries than first imagined. Lord Trentham is an equally complex man whose heroism on the battlefields of France have been rewarded the rare gift of a title. But that heroism brought costs and sacrifices and humiliation. 

This love story is classic Balogh. Lady Muir and Trentham are not young and foolish but are both cautious, having experienced triumphs and tragedies. I would recommend it highly.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

A new Kindle Single by one of my favorite authors, Nelson DeMille: The Book Case (Kindle Single)

I enjoyed it very much. It's kind of a prequel to _Plum Island_, with recurring character John Corey, when he was still a homicide detective with the NYPD. It's a nice 1-2 hour read for DeMille fans.


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## jabeard (Apr 22, 2011)

I just finished a book by by Marva Dasef: Bad spelling. Nice light YA fantasy with a Scandinavian flavor.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

The Between by LJ Cohen. First Rate YA fantasy. I gave it 5 stars.


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## nathanm (May 11, 2012)

My Book of the month would be Galileo's Dream by Kin Stanley Robinson. I discovered him through the Mars Trilogy.
I tell you the man must have a brain the size of a planet. His stories are deliciously detailed without derailing the narrative flow; so you are sucked into the story's world and firmly kept there as it unfolds in all its science fiction splendor.

Here's the link to Galileo's Dream, http://amzn.to/J34xN9


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## djgross (May 24, 2011)

I Kindle gifted this book to my mom for Mother's Day. Set in Paris with some parallels to _Mrs. Dalloway_. I'd almost call this a literary thriller. As Claire, a British diplomat's wife, roams Paris acquiring necessities for a critical dinner party, she starts to see her former lover among the crowds. But Niall, a member of the IRA who convinced a much younger Claire to commit an act that haunts her still, was buried twenty years ago. And that is just the beginning of her problems


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## nickyp (Mar 28, 2012)

I just read *Homage to Catalonia *by George Orwell. I meant it to add to my enjoyment of traveling to Barcelona, but instead it made me think hard about how little we really know about war (especially in another country) while we feel like we know "everything" about it. Especially timely as I understood only about half of what people were saying to me in Spanish that week! Orwell's writing is so clear and British dry-wit funny it was a pleasure to read, despite the sometimes dark topic (the Spanish Civil War).

http://www.amazon.com/Homage-to-Catalonia-ebook/dp/B003K16PFU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1336768535&sr=1-1


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

This is a YA book, but it definitely has lots of "adult" appeal.

I found it to be well-written with a terrific ending. It's the first in a series, but it does have a complete story.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

A couple of enjoyable books that I've finished recently:

Bad Luck Cadet
A marvelous story written by a lady who, in her mid-40s, decided to become a police officer. The book is her story of the grueling 18 weeks at the police academy.


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Awaken Your Perfect Self: How to Become Better Than Everybody Else (Kindle Single)
A Kindle Single parody of self-help gurus.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

A Kindle Single by Joe Hill. A nice ghost/horror story for 99¢.

The Black Phone


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## LadaRay (Apr 6, 2011)

Might I recommend a classic:  Rumi's Poetry.  It's hot and insightful!


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

A new Kindle Single by Karin Slaughter: Snatched: A Novella (Kindle Single)



A first rate suspense story about a child abduction [nothing shocking or explicit, I promise].


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

If you enjoy true crime, Joe McGinniss's _Never Enough _ has been compelling read. Different style from _Fatal Vision_ and _Cruel Doubt_, the other two books I've read by him. The tone of _Never Enough_ is far more acerbic than I remember the tone being in the other titles--I suspect it's because of the subject matter, the murder of high profile investment banker Robert Kissel at the hands of his wife Nancy. Lots of interesting, short asides concerning present day Hong Kong, the 1990s Asian financial crisis, and SARS.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

Reading this now and laughing soda out my nose...


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

JimC1946 said:


> A new Kindle Single by one of my favorite authors, Nelson DeMille: The Book Case (Kindle Single)
> 
> I enjoyed it very much. It's kind of a prequel to _Plum Island_, with recurring character John Corey, when he was still a homicide detective with the NYPD. It's a nice 1-2 hour read for DeMille fans.


I love Nelson DeMille (especially the John Corey books). Thanks for the tip about the book's availability. I have the audiobook, but want the e-book, as well.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Thumper said:


> *Reading this now and laughing soda out my nose...*


Our highest recommendation for a humor book...


(Not such a good one if it's a thriller, though )

Betsy


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

I've read both of Toni Dwiggins' thrillers this month and enjoyed each one! I love the idea that the stories center on a pair of "forensic geologists" which is a nice break from jaded cops and private eyes. The stories are character driven and exciting, and in the second book, a mountain blows up. What more could you ask?


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

First book of a trilogy by Kate Gordon: Ninth Crossing: Discovery


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## Nicole Ciacchella (May 21, 2012)

It's been a good reading month for me. I've got several recommendations.



This is a very honest and graphic memoir about the author's struggles with cancer.



It's controversial, but it's an interesting look at some contrasts between French-style parenting and American-style parenting. There is a good bit of generalization, but it gave me a lot of food for thought.



A funny satire about the "Mommy wars".



If you're a fan of Donna Tartt's "The Secret History", this should be right up your alley.



Fun YA speculative fiction.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

A fascinating Kindle Single: The Story of a Photograph: Walker Evans, Ellie Mae Burroughs, and the Great Depression (Kindle Singles)


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## BT Keeney (Jul 9, 2010)

The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor was a doozy. Even if you're plugged into the comics or the TV series, this totally worked as a standalone. I was familiar with it from the TV series, but the Governor is ahead of where the series is so far, and I had no clue, really, who he was.

This book explained him, and did so masterfully. With great scenes, good characterization, and enough interiority to please even a non-horror fan, this is a two thumbs up rec for the book! Gory? Oh, yeah. Adult in tone? Oh, yeah, not one for the kiddies.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Walking-Dead-Rise-Governor/dp/1250008395/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337886977&sr=1-1


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## LadaRay (Apr 6, 2011)

I highly recommend MG Edwards new E-book: Kilimanjaro - One man's quest:
http://www.amazon.com/Kilimanjaro-Quest-Adventurers-Series-ebook/dp/B007QCDDLS/ref=sr_1_12?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337967852&sr=1-12


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## djgross (May 24, 2011)

The sequel to Wolf Hall is awesome! I spent some quality time on Wikipedia looking up the secondary characters after reading the book. The author is going to write one more book to finish the saga of Thomas Cromwell


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I have that one on my wish list. . . .I really enjoyed Wolf Hall . . . Reviews have been good but it's nice to hear it from a 'regular' person.


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## RangerXenos (Mar 18, 2009)

Finally gave up on the Kindle price dropping from an insane $16.99, and borrowed it from the library. EXCELLENT, one of the best books I've read in a long time.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

For the June 2012 recommendations, go here:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,115945.0.html

Betsy


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