Saturday, July 7, 2018

Book Haul: Life And Death




Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews. I get to show off all the books I’ve gotten recently. Here are a few books I’ve acquired about people who find themselves in perilous situations.













History of Wolves – Emily Fridlund


Fourteen-year-old Madeline lives with her parents in the beautiful, austere woods of northern Minnesota, where their nearly abandoned commune stands as a last vestige of a lost counter-culture world. Isolated at home and an outlander at school, Madeline is drawn to the enigmatic, attractive Lily and new history teacher Mr. Grierson. When Mr. Grierson is charged with possessing child pornography, the implications of his arrest deeply affect Madeline as she wrestles with her own fledgling desires and craving to belong. 

And then the young Gardner family moves in across the lake and Madeline finds herself welcomed into their home as a babysitter for their little boy, Paul. It seems that her life finally has purpose but with this new sense of belonging she is also drawn into secrets she doesn’t understand. Over the course of a few days, Madeline makes a set of choices that reverberate throughout her life. As she struggles to find a way out of the sequestered world into which she was born, Madeline confronts the life-and-death consequences of the things people do—and fail to do—for the people they love.


















The Complete Stories - Flannery O’Connor


The publication of this extraordinary volume firmly established Flannery O'Connor's monumental contribution to American fiction. There are thirty-one stories here in all, including twelve that do not appear in the only two story collections O'Connor put together in her short lifetime.

























A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean – Tori Murden McClure


During June 1998, Tori McClure set out to row across the Atlantic Ocean by herself in a twenty-three-foot plywood boat with no motor or sail. Within days she lost all communication with shore, but nevertheless she decided to keep going. Not only did she lose the sound of a friendly voice, she lost updates on the location of the Gulf Stream and on the weather. Unfortunately for Tori, 1998 is still on record as the worst hurricane season in the North Atlantic. In deep solitude and perilous conditions, she was nonetheless determined to prove what one person with a mission can do. When she was finally brought to her knees by a series of violent storms that nearly killed her, she had to signal for help and go home in what felt like complete disgrace. 

Back in Kentucky, however, Tori's life began to change in unexpected ways. She fell in love. At the age of thirty-five, she embarked on a serious relationship for the first time, making her feel even more vulnerable than sitting alone in a tiny boat in the middle of the Atlantic. She went to work for Muhammad Ali, who told her that she did not want to be known as the woman who "almost" rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. And she knew that he was right.


















The Avenue of the Giants – Marc Dugain


The Avenue of the Giants follows Al Kenner as he progresses from antisocial adolescent to full-fledged serial killer in the turbulent 60s and 70s. A giant at over 7 feet tall with an IQ higher than Einstein’s, Al was never ordinary. His life is tainted by his parents’ divorce and his mother’s abusive behavior, and it takes a chilling turn on the day of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Al spends 5 years in a psychiatric hospital, and although he convinces the staff that he is of sound mind, he continues to harbor vicious impulses. Al leads a double life, befriending the Santa Cruz Police Chief and contemplating marrying his daughter, all the while committing a series of brutal murders. Delving into the mind of this complex killer, Marc Dugain powerfully evokes an America torn between the pacifism of the hippie movement and the violence of Vietnam.




















A Thousand Perfect Notes – C.G. Drews


Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music—because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence.

When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it?









Have you read any of these? What did you think?








27 comments:

  1. I haven't read any of these, although I keep meaning to get my hands on A Thousand Perfect Notes.
    The Avenue of the Giants sounds really interesting!

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  2. History of Wolves sounds like an interesting read. I find those that extricate themselves from society intriguing - whether it be communes, religious cults, survivalists, etc. I always wonder at the "why" behind their decision. And I'm hearing great things about A Thousand Perfect Notes.

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  3. I have read NONE of these, but I have been hearing tons about A Thousand Perfect Notes, all good too.

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  4. This is the first time I'm hearing about History of Wolves, and it sounds amazing, something that definitely has the potential to be complex and meaningful. I had to read A Good Man Is Hard To Find for my Modern Lit course, and I really enjoyed it & found O'Connor fascinating, so I'm definitely planning on purchasing this collection as well, especially given that it has an incredibly stunning cover. I read and really enjoyed A Thousand Perfect Notes, hope you will too. :)

    Veronika @ The Regal Critiques

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  5. I'd like to give Flannery O'Connor a try one day. Enjoy your new babies!

    Ronnie @ Paradise Found

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  6. Flannery O'Connor is one I want to try as well. Happy reading.

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  7. I need to get and try A Thousand Perfect Notes. Hope you enjoy all of these!

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  8. I've only read O'Conner's stories (have I told you my writer's group meets in her childhood home?). I'm curious on your review of "A Pearl in the Storm"

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  9. These all look good. Enjoy them!

    My Sunday post is here.

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  10. Wow, The Avenue of Giants definitely catches my attention. Looks like you added some great books! I look forward to some of your reviews.

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  11. A Pearl in the Storm sounds amazing, can't wait to hear your thoughts on that!

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  12. I've only read A Thousand Perfect Notes, which I very much recommend! The one about the rowing lady sounds really interesting though! I mean, wow, talk about a tough situation, but I extra love that her story doesn't end there! And A History of Wolves sounds all KINDS of messed up, which of course is delightful hah. Hope you enjoy these!!

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  13. History of Wolves looks good to me, and so does Drews' book.

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  14. I've heard good things about A Thousand Perfect Notes, I hope you enjoy it!

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  15. I haven't read any of these, but I have been eyeing A Thousand Perfect Notes. Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.

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  16. I haven't read any of these, but A Thousand Perfect Notes sounds like an amazing book!

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  17. I haven't read any of them but I hope you enjoy them!

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  18. These are all new to me but I hope you enjoy them, AJ!

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  19. Most of these are new to me but I definitely want to read Cait's book at some point. I've read a few of Flannery O'Connor's short stories back when I was in school but don't remember much about them.

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  20. Looks like quite the haul! I keep thinking about reading Cait's book, but it doesn't quite sound like my thing... but then I remind myself that I don't really have a set taste in a particular genre, and maybe I should just give it a go!

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  21. I havent read any of these but they all sound good. Happy reading!

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  22. Only heard of Cait's book, but happy reading <3

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  23. I've heard so much about A Thousand Perfect Notes, you'll have to let me know what you think of it!

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  24. For some reason Flannery O'Connor has ended up on my radar lately. The name has always been familiar but I've never felt much of a call to read her until recently. Your collection looks really interesting! Can't wait to see what you think of these!

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  25. These are all new to me. Some lovely covers. History of Wolves sounds interesting and the O'Connor book sounds like a great read. Happy Reading!

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  26. What an intriguing book haul. Stories about individuals trying to change their life for the better, by doing the hard thing. As for The Avenue of Giants, I wonder how many are struggling with what’s going on in society now, which way to go? Thanks for sharing A. J.! ♥️

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  27. I haven't read any of these but A Thousand Perfect Notes is so high on my TBR. I am waiting for the prices to go down. I have heard nothing but good things about it.
    I hope you enjoy all of your new books.

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