Saturday, December 11, 2010

Great Reads


This post comes courtesy of Sue at Book by Book who posted about Book Pages Top 40 Books of 2010 and Amazon's Best Books of 2010. Of course, I had to check out those lists and was pleased to see that while I have read only a handful of the books on the two lists, I was familiar with the vast majority of them - some of which sit on my tbr list and some of which I had decided not to read. Reading Sue's post and looking over those lists made me realize that I have strong feelings about some of those books, which I have yet to share here. So thanks to Sue for inspiring me to write this post of mini book reviews.


The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - This is a fascinating look at the true story of Henrietta Lacks who died of cervical cancer in the 1950s. Her cancer cells became the basis for numerous medical advances and treatments and they are still being used all over the world in research today. The story is complicated by the fact that Henrietta was a poor black woman from the south whose family didn't know for two decades about the amazing advances made to medical science from the study of their wife and mother's strangely prolific cancer cells. I chose this book for the December Book Club that I run at the library. It was the best attended meeting and most hotly discussed book in the nearly 4 years I have been leading that group. This book has so many layers and is open to so many different points of view that no one is able to come away from it without giving serious thought to medical research and the advancement of medical knowledge. And the best part, is that Skloot writes this like a work of fiction. It is accessible to all readers, not just those with an interest or background in the medical field. 3/5 stars.


I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman - Great psychological suspense story about Eliza, a woman in her mid-thirties who was abducted and held hostage for 6 weeks by a serial a killer when she was 16 years old. The killer, now on death row and soon to be executed, contacts Eliza and asks to see her. Even though Eliza has managed to move on with her life in a healthy and positive way, she feels compelled to talk to him. Are the risks involved worth the benefit she hopes to gain? 4/5 stars.


The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell- I am almost finished reading this intriguing story and can not wait to see how it all plays out. In alternating chapters, O'Farrell tells the separate stories of two women living in London during two different time periods - right after WWII and current day. According to the book jacket, at some point the women's story will collide and the anticipation of that is very compelling. What I'm loving about this book is that each story is unique and fascinating in it's own right and as O'Farrell switches from one to the other I find myself reluctant to let go of one story, but then excited to read more of the other. I can not wait to find out how the two stories intersect. So far I have had only one hint and the anticipation is killing me. I anticipate giving this one 4/5 stars. Though it could go either way and end up being 3/5 or even 5/5. It all depends on how the stories are resolved and how the "collision" plays out. I'll let you know.

How about you? Have you read or heard of any of these books? Are any already on your tbr list? Do you normally consult these types of lists to find new books to read?

10 comments:

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Just bought my copy of Skloot's book. Chose it for my bookclub this year also. Had the pleasure of having her for a workshop leader for a week while she was working on the book. Such high praise she has received. Excited for her.

Terra said...

and I have not ready those. I am trying, struggling, but trying to get through The Great House. After reading The Scattered life in just 24 hours I am into this one for a week already and well, I am into it.

LindyLouMac said...

The last one is on my list to read. Sorry I have not been commenting much here recently, so much to do and not enough time! Have a wonderful Christmas and I look forward to continuing to follow your blog in 2011.

Unknown said...

I do look for bestselling lists for ideas. All three of the books you have reviewed are on my tbr list. I am finding all kinds of bargains on my Kindle so I'm reading a wide variety of genres.

Marie Cloutier said...

I've heard of Skloot's book and haven't read it yet. I figured out I've only read 4 nonfiction books this year! What's up with that?! I think HeLa would be a great one to add to the list.

Karen M. Peterson said...

Those all sound really interesting. My TBR list is never going to end!

Leah said...

I love Henrietta Lacks too. Fascinating story about medicine, history and race relations. And you're right - she writes like it's fiction.

Marie Cloutier said...

I've heard wonderful things about both of those books! I really want to read the Skloot book soon.

Leah said...

Loved Henrietta Lacks. What an amazing story about medicine, class, racism, and how different things were half a century ago. Loved this book! They psychological thriller looks really good too.

Sue Jackson said...

Hey, thanks for the shout-out, Pam! I missed it earlier because I wasn't online much during the holiday season.

I really want to read Henrietta Lacks.

Sue

 

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