# Book Recommendations by our Members (January 2012)



## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

For the list of recommendations in December, look here:

December Recommendations

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.


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## docnoir (Jan 21, 2011)

Damien Seaman's THE KILLING OF EMMA GROSS. This is a stunning book, fictionalizing a real murder from Germany in 1929. Love it.

The Killing Of Emma Gross


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## djgross (May 24, 2011)

I discovered this woman's fiction/romance series last month when I bought A Virgin River Christmas on deal. I checked out a Kindle copy of Virgin River (the first book in the series) from my library. Liked the book so much, I just purchased Virgin River books 1-4 (A Virgin River Novel) for $8.83 Kindle.

A Virgin River Christmas is included in the four book bundle, but $8.83 is still a good value for the three titles I didn't own.

Happy 2012!


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

I am reading



It is only $.99. I picked it up this summer, then read about it on the internet somewhere. It is very good. Lots of characters, but so far it is unclear how they all weave together. I am only about 20% into it.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

djgross said:


> I discovered this woman's fiction/romance series last month when I bought A Virgin River Christmas on deal. I checked out a Kindle copy of Virgin River (the first book in the series) from my library. Liked the book so much, I just purchased Virgin River books 1-4 (A Virgin River Novel) for $8.83 Kindle.
> 
> A Virgin River Christmas is included in the four book bundle, but $8.83 is still a good value for the three titles I didn't own.
> 
> Happy 2012!


I really like the Virgin River series. Robyn Carr also has a Grace Valley trilogy that I liked a lot. 
The books are kind of predictable, but that's the reason I read them. Definitely one of my favorite comfort reads.
deb


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## Matt Bone (Dec 27, 2011)

If you fancy a grown-up Werewolf read - and don't mind some slightly strong/graphic language - then Glen Duncan's _The Last Werewolf_ is well worth a read. It's probably been described somewhere as Twilight's nasty older brother, which wouldn't be too far off. Nick Cave likes it, so it must be alright.

For those of a more literary bent, I'm currently stuck into Jennifer Egan's _A Visit From The Good Squad_, which is deserving of its many plaudits.


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## tiaratum (Dec 30, 2011)

I read this in about three days over Christmas; I just could not put it down.



Dark, bitter and violent and yet beautiful at the same time.


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## njeggels (Jan 3, 2012)

They all look so good! I'm definitely putting them on my to-read shelf. I would add this book:  It's about angels, and they're not the nice kind, let me tell you!


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## Precarious Yates (Jan 4, 2012)

Just finished this e-book:
http://www.amazon.com/Messages-ebook/dp/B005ECT8DO/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2
Totally loved it. Do you like suspense? Action? This book has both in abundance. Also, it's free! Who knows how long it will stay free, so snap it up while you can!


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## eddiearcher (Dec 13, 2011)

I recommend this new book which has been very successful so far. Great reviews, its science/fiction/adventure!
http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Has-Stopped-Seller-ebook/dp/B006L6WE3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325693515&sr=8-1


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## TeachersApple2000 (Jan 6, 2012)

Loved this new book, Cry My Safari. About a young white girl from the US, kidnapped as a child and raised in Africa. Then, she is discovered 11 years later and brought back to reassimilate with a family she'd forgotten about. Good quick read. Insighful. Clever story idea.

http://www.amazon.com/Cry-My-Safari-ebook/dp/B006SRWAI4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325867057&sr=8-1


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel by Anthony Horowitz

This is the first Holmes _homage_ to be authorized by the Conan Doyle estate. I think he's done a marvelous job of capturing Watson's "voice". It's told by the good doctor at the end of his life -- he's recounting an adventure from early in their acquaintance, shortly after he had married and moved out. I've read all the original Holmes stories multiple times and this was like reading one of those again for the first time. . . .I'd call it a 5 star read and I don't rate many books that high. It is rather more expensive than most at $14.99. Worth it, though, I think.


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## mbatt (Dec 2, 2011)

Check out "Shadow Country" by Peter Matthiessen. It's brilliant.
http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Country-Modern-Library-ebook/dp/B001652HXG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1326040016&sr=1-1


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Lion's Blood (Insh'Allah)

If you want to read some alternate history, this is a good one. It's set in an America colonized from Africa and the Middle East and where Europe is a barbarian, tribal backwater. In this world, if your skin is 'darker than sunset' then you are a free man and all fair skin peoples are slaves. Its the story of Aidan, an Irish slave and master and eventual friend, Kai .... I've read this a few times over the past 20 years and it's thoroughly enjoyable.


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## dwallacefleming (Aug 10, 2011)

A good intro to Blake's work:


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## Ella Skye (Jan 5, 2012)

I haven't read House of Silk yet, but I love Anthony Horowitz. If you haven't read his Alex Rider series (YA - young James Bond-style) or seen his Foyle's War television drama, you have more wonderful work in store. 

On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves was unique and beautifully written. 

Joanna Bourne's The Black Hawk was amazing.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

I've been on a YA reading kick lately, some good, some not so good. The two books below are the most original YA titles I've read in a long time.

 by Catherine Fisher
_Incarceron_ is a fantasy about a sentient prison that communicates with its prisoners--the sections set in the prison itself have an Alice in Wonderland horrific feel to them -- anything could happen, most of it strange, most of it terrifying. The scenes set in the world outside the prison have a vaguely 18th century/steampunk element, which I enjoyed.

 by Cornelia Funke
Although I enjoyed Funke's _The Thief Lord_, I liked _Reckless_ better. Funke does an excellent job weaving together a number of fairy tales to make this darkly compelling adventure story. I've always preferred the original fairy tales, in all their darkness, to the sanitized versions we mostly read/view today, and Reckless highlights the dark side of traditional tales such as "The Sleeping Beauty" in a wonderfully creepy way.


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## Billisnice (Jan 9, 2012)

Pride and Prejudice

http://www.manybooks.net/titles/austenjaetext98pandp12.html


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Ella Skye said:


> I haven't read House of Silk yet, but I love Anthony Horowitz. If you haven't read his Alex Rider series (YA - young James Bond-style) or seen his Foyle's War television drama, you have more wonderful work in store.


I guess a lot of folks associate him with YA. Most of the more negative reviews of this book are because of the nature of the ultimate crime/conspiracy that Holmes and Watson uncover. . . .they felt it wasn't appropriate for a YA audience and the there should be a warning that it's not for kids. . . .


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## Rebecca Burke (May 9, 2011)

Highly recommend The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes. Won the most recent Booker prize in the UK and deservedly so. A psychological page-turner--many reviewers say they finish the last page and go right back to the beginning to start reading it again, searching for answers to its mysteries. See my review on its Amazon page .


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

Storm Constantine's Wraeththu novels are brilliant I highly recommend them to anyone and particularly those who like fantasy/science fiction.


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## Kristan Hoffman (Aug 6, 2009)

Just finished The Night Circus and it completely blew me away. As a warning, it's a slower, more luxurious read, with lots of (beautiful) description. So that won't be everyone's cup of tea, and it usually isn't mine, but if you can be patient, it just might weave its magical spell over you as it did with me.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

_*Sugar Daddy - A Dark Thriller*_ was one of the scariest, most macabre short stories that I've read in a long time. Rod Serling would have loved it.

Sugar Daddy - A Dark Thriller


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## montgal (Jan 10, 2012)

Chromosome 47 by John Brinling is a fun read. Although it says it is a screenplay, it is written in a novel format. The screenplay listing made me have my doubts, but it is a misnomer as far as I am concerned. Nice blend of sci-fi, thriller, and romance. It's free right now so give it a try.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

I read a very enjoyable new book with two short stories by Maria Schneider today. Black-Tie Bingo


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## CNDudley (May 14, 2010)

This was my last five-star read--an unputdownable read about two families on a Mississippi Delta farm after WWII. Shades of Faulkner (only, way easier to understand). this is the book THE HELP wanted to be.

If it's too pricey for you, use your Amazon Prime to borrow it! Just read it!!!


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## LisaBlackwood (Jan 12, 2012)

I finished this one a few weeks back, and really enjoyed it. It's the last book I can remember that wasn't a let down. I've hit a few duds lately, so I'll avoid mentioning them, because nothing good will come of that. LOL


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

CNDudley said:


> This was my last five-star read--an unputdownable read about two families on a Mississippi Delta farm after WWII. Shades of Faulkner (only, way easier to understand). this is the book THE HELP wanted to be.
> 
> If it's too pricey for you, use your Amazon Prime to borrow it! Just read it!!!
> 
> ...


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## docnoir (Jan 21, 2011)

Cool! I just saw that MONEY SHOT, by the absolutely fab Christa Faust, is only $1.9 for Kindle right now. It's part of the retro-pulp Hard Case Crime line. Now, her pulp is thoroughly modern, though, as a former porn actress gets involved in something way over her head. It's a really good one, and pretty cheap for...I have no idea how long.

http://amzn.to/z3x7vT

UPDATE: And the price is already back to normal the next morning. Oh well. Still, it's relatively cheap.


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## RobynH (Jan 17, 2012)

New to this, but the best e-book I have read in MONTHS is Angela's Coven by Bruce Jenvey
It's a story about modern day witches helping a rock star break his deal with the devil before his cancer claims him. What I liked most is that it was not "magical', I mean there were no magic wands, no spells, no 'traditional witches.' It was all chemistry and brewing stuff on the stove. In one scene, the younger witches even brewes something on a sears barbecue! There was the devil, and there were guardian angels that carried guns. It was really incredible! I laughed, I cried, I gave it 5-stars and I was not the only one who did that. This one is worth a read!


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

An excellent Kindle Single that I read in a couple of hours. It's available in the Kindle lending library.

The Rescuer


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006JPBOYQ/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img

Just finished Wolfhound. I don't know the author, and don't think I've seen him/her on KB but I really liked this book. I sampled after it showed up on my Amazon...."you might like this" ads and it was very good. Military Sci-fi/space opera similar to Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet or Elizabeth Moon's Vata's War or even Feintuch's Seafort Saga (actually better than that...)


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## Kristan Hoffman (Aug 6, 2009)

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

My first book by the infamous "nerdfighter," but definitely not my last. It wasn't perfect (4.5 stars) but the parts that WERE perfect definitely made up for the parts that's weren't, IMO.


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## djgross (May 24, 2011)

Extraordinary crime fiction filled with unexpected plot twists. Riveting to the last page


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## Paul Reid (Nov 18, 2010)

An oldie but a goodie. Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights is one of the most powerful novels ever written and has more than withstood the test of time. I've visited the quaint little village on the moors in Yorkshire where she was raised and where she wrote the book, and you can certainly get an idea of where her inspiration came from. It's rough on the heart and mind, but compelling story-telling. And now available for only 99c on Kindle! If you haven't read it already, I recommend that you do so. And if you're a writer, I think it's a must-read.


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## kevinm (Jan 21, 2012)

To all you new kindle owners check out M. Leighton's Blood Like Poison series especially if you are into vampire love stories.  Just saw where the first one is free on Amazon.


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## LoriBooks (Jan 22, 2012)

I discovered this Kindle-only book on Twitter when I was following a funny guy and then realized that he was an author.

Title: Henry Wood Detective Agency
Author: Brian Meeks (a/k/a @ExtremelyAvg on Twitter)

Henry Wood Detective Agency][url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ED65AM/?tag=kbpst-20]Henry Wood Detective Agency

I could almost hear the voices of Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney as the gumshoe Henry Wood (cleverly named, which you'll understand once you read about the detective's hobby) met mobsters like Frankie and Tommy The Knife. I also expected wolf whistles when Henry met Luna and Sylvia. Everything about this book was straight from the old 50's gangster era and black and white detective stories. I "met" the author on Twitter and know him as "Extremely Average," which his writing is not -- it is exceedingly above average. Great story, wonderful plot. While I was deep into the story and dying to know the secrets about the time travel closet, the journal, and the two missing men, I was tempted to flip the pages ahead to the end to figure it out, but I'm glad I didn't because (1) the story line was just too good to miss; and (2) I don't know how to jump ahead on a Kindle! I've tweeted the author to pry info out of him about his next books and see if he'll spill his guts about the cliff hangers he left in this book. Fun, easy, enjoyable read.

Lori A. Moore


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## markcooper76 (Jan 22, 2012)

I just finished reading the Sexual Chronicles and Adventures by Mark Taylor http://www.amazon.com/Female-Rejected-Adventures-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B006YK6PX6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327363246&sr=8-1 I loved it! It is erotica but with a sense of humour and an amusing plot line.

I'm not that into erotica but a friend of mine recommended this series and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it!


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## RobynH (Jan 17, 2012)

Just finished Titanic 2012 by Robert W. Walker. Very nice historical thriller! I think there were some faults the editors SHOULD have caught, but this is a well-known Indie author. I found a couple of historical flaws and some sentences I had to go over twice, but it was WELL WORTH it for this story!
    It proposes a whole different take on the Titanic Tragedy and I have always been fascinated by Titanic. It suggests the Titanic became a plague ship with the only way to save everyone one on earth being to deliberately sink Titanic with all hands! What I found really exciting was that the story is told in two, very different story lines. 1. The 1912 detective and his helpers on board the ship trying to track and then stop the disease and avert the tragedy and then, the 2012 team that is chasing down the mystery and rediscovering the panic of the 1912 detective team. The last chapter is thrilling including a first-person account of riding the sinking ship to the bottom! Great read if you can get around a few broken sentences, and a few plot holes like someone leaving the room and then suddenly speaking up again... it happens!


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

RobynH said:


> Just finished Titanic 2012 by Robert W. Walker. Very nice historical thriller! I think there were some faults the editors SHOULD have caught, but this is a well-known Indie author. I found a couple of historical flaws and some sentences I had to go over twice, but it was WELL WORTH it for this story!
> It proposes a whole different take on the Titanic Tragedy and I have always been fascinated by Titanic. It suggests the Titanic became a plague ship with the only way to save everyone one on earth being to deliberately sink Titanic with all hands! What I found really exciting was that the story is told in two, very different story lines. 1. The 1912 detective and his helpers on board the ship trying to track and then stop the disease and avert the tragedy and then, the 2012 team that is chasing down the mystery and rediscovering the panic of the 1912 detective team. The last chapter is thrilling including a first-person account of riding the sinking ship to the bottom! Great read if you can get around a few broken sentences, and a few plot holes like someone leaving the room and then suddenly speaking up again... it happens!


Interesting....I wonder how he explained all the survivors.....


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## Serena Fairfax (Aug 21, 2011)

I recommend The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt. Funny, picaresque about 2 bungling cowboy siblings. A terrific read!


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## sc skillman (Jan 13, 2012)

Just this morning I listened to someone recommending "An Evil Cradling" by Brian Keenan. This reader spoke about it for ten minutes. I thought to myself, _this is every writer's dream; for their book to receive a recommendation like this. _ Word-of-mouth is what it's all about. I've read John McCarthy's and Terry Waite's books about their hostage experiences in Beirut twenty years ago. I haven't read Brian Keenan's book yet. But because of this reader's enthusiasm, it will come to the top of my reading list.
SC Skillman


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## Scribejohn (Jul 2, 2011)

Recent book likes have been (in no particular order - OMG, starting to sound like an X-Factor compare...

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Lincoln Lawyer, Child 44 and Library of the Dead.

Lee Child's latest, 61 hours, wasn't up to his usual standard IMO.


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## Sherlock (Dec 17, 2008)

Just finished this one -- edge of the seat action. Very good.


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## Suz Ferrell (Jan 29, 2012)

Just finished Primal Law by J.D. Tyler. It's a great start to a paranormal romance series about black ops shape shifters. Can't wait for the next one!


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## eddiearcher (Dec 13, 2011)

Flippin fantastic recipe book this one.
Short but shows you many ways to cook an egg!

http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Egg-ebook/dp/B007100S36/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1327923653&sr=8-3

Also if you haven't read the hunger games by susanne collins yet you need to, what a book, there releasing a film soon on it!

Thanks


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## mak44 (Jan 31, 2012)

Thanks for all the great recs!

I read the first novel by this author, and just finished the second. I love the voice of her narrator's. This one is set during WWII and is about a really compelling character, a fictional WASP (Women's Airforce Service Pilot). Really liked it!

http://www.amazon.com/Wings-ebook/dp/B006Z64O5A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327985899&sr=8-1


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## tamaraheiner (Apr 23, 2011)

I don't give out 5 stars very often, but this book was excellent. Classified as YA but I didn't think so.

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer


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## corpsjustice (Jan 27, 2012)

Just finished this one in two days. Smooth read even if you don't particularly like golf. If you do like golf and have been to that Masters, it's fantastic.


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