Welcome to this week's Shelf Share Thursday. This is the place to let all the books on your shelf get a little love and not just the latest and greatest out there. Every week I will post a letter of the alphabet and share three books starting with that letter. Maybe I'll find out the from others the books are awesome and they need to be read right now or maybe I'll find that the book I've been holding onto forever can be put to better uses--like making cute little origami paper cranes or as a coaster to avoid pesky condensation rings on your table. Please feel free to share your shelf too! Mr. Linky at the bottom of the post will be happy to assist you :)
This week's letter is C.
is for.....
Cane River by Lalita Tademy
From Amazon:
"Lalita Tademy's riveting family saga chronicles four generations of women born into slavery along the Cane River in Louisiana. It is also a tale about the blurring of racial boundaries: great-grandmother Elisabeth notices an unmistakable "bleaching of the line" as first her daughter Suzette, then her granddaughter Philomene, and finally her great-granddaughter Emily choose (or are forcibly persuaded) to bear the illegitimate offspring of the area's white French planters. In many cases these children are loved by their fathers, and their paternity is widely acknowledged. However, neither state law nor local custom allows them to inherit wealth or property, a fact that gives Cane River much of its narrative drive."
I'm pretty sure I grabbed this one thinking it was Red River by the same author which I'd heard good things about. I had no idea that this was an Oprah's Book Club selection but both this one and Red River sound like they'd be great reads. I think I got this one at Goodwill for $1.
C is also for....
The Canterbury Papers by Judith Koll Healey
From Amazon:
"Debut novelist Healey brings medieval history to life in magnificent fashion as she adds a new twist to an old legend. An elderly Eleanor of Aquitaine requests that her former ward, Alais Capet, the sister of the king of France, travel to Canterbury and retrieve a cache of letters Eleanor had hidden in the cathedral there years earlier. Alais is reluctant, but Eleanor dangles an irresistible carrot in front of her: a promise of information about the whereabouts of Alais' illegitimate child. The French princess undertakes the dangerous task, only to be kidnapped by a desperate King John. Alais must unravel an intricately tangled web of family intrigue and deception that could lead either to a reunion with her lost son or to her own destruction."
As stated in my review of the Plantagenet Prelude, I love Eleanor of Aquitaine. I find that I really enjoy books that are set during this time period. I would love to devote an entire month to reading about the Plantagenet's. Unfortunately I find that as soon as I get interested in a certain topic, all the sudden it becomes popular ***cough TUDORS cough cough**** and then I'm not as interested. I hope that is not the case this year even though it is said to be Eleanor's year in the historical fiction world. Maybe I will enjoy this one since EofA seems to be a supporting character.
and C is also for....
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
From Barnes and Noble:
"Set in the closing months of World War II, in an American bomber squadron on a small island off Italy. Its hero is a bombardier named Yossarian, who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. (He has decided to live forever even if he has to die in the attempt.) His problem is Colonel Cathcart, who keeps raising the number of missions the men have to fly."
This one piques my interest because it is a war novel with humor-not something you usually get with such a topic. I have heard good things about this book and have seen decent ratings on Barnes and Noble and Amazon so I'm hoping to give it a try eventually. I'll admit to not knowing for a very long time what a catch 22 was :)
Those are my three for this week. Now it's your turn.
What's on your shelf?
is for.....
From Amazon:
From Amazon:
From Barnes and Noble: 
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI almost forgot about this! I'll need a little more time to get my list up . . . =)
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteWell, it didn't take as long as I thought it would! =P My post is up!
By the way, I have a similar reaction to really interesting things that suddenly become popular. I suppose it's not fair to the topics themselves, but I don't like fads . . . and I really don't like crowds!
Cane River was a good one! I enjoyed it. I'm in for next week! :)
ReplyDelete@ Enbrethiliel-I am eventually able to get over my aversion to topics when they become popular but its just the whole idea that I'm on a bandwagon with a bunch of other people and the idea has lost its originality. Doesn't mean theres still not good material there, at least thats what I keep telling myself.
ReplyDelete@ Maxine-glad to hear about Cane River. Thats my whole purpose in doing this meme is so I can find the great ones and weed out the ones that might not be worth my time (or shelf space). See ya next week!