Sunday Synopsis-Year in Review

 My first Sunday Synopsis was September 17, 2016.  I had no idea I had been writing these for so long!  My current read is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  It's a re-read, and I'm loving it all over again!

Today is my year-in-review. I achieved my Goodreads goal of 30 books.  Out of those 30 books…

Two are considered classics.

12 books are part of a series.

I read 23 different authors. (So there were 7 authors whose books I read more than once during the year)

21 fiction and 9 nonfiction.  All 9 NF were true crime rather than informational.

Best fiction book I read all year- A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult books often present a moral dilemma, and this one is no different.  Set in a Mississippi women’s clinic whose services include abortion, Picoult manages to show several different points of view, thereby demonstrating why abortion is such a controversial issue.  We get to know a protester, a hostage negotiator, several different types of patients and nurses, and who you think you will dislike, you end up liking.  Picoult creates suspense, builds characters, and pens stimulating and thought-provoking content in this real-world yet fictional account.

There is a movie adaptation of this book that is in pre-production.  I hope they do it justice.

Best nonfiction book I read all year - In Plain Sight:  The Kaufman County Prosecutor Murders by Kathryn Casey

This is about an event that made the national news in 2013.  Even though it happened just hours north of my home, I don’t remember it being in the news, and the case is fascinating:  Eagle Scout turned Texas Guard Captain turned Justice of the Peace turned murderer.  Three members of the prosecuting team were killed over the course of 5 months by the same man.  The author did her research well and also conducted interviews with the killer and his wife as well as many of the other key players.  Bizarre case… yes.  She takes every detail and weaves it into a comprehensive, interesting account.

There should be a movie about this case, even if it's a TV movie.

Most Disappointing Book – The 15 Lives of Harry August by Clair North

This book did not live up to the hype on the book jacket!  Imagine a person who dies and comes back to life each time.  Intriguing, right? He is not alone in this.  Apparently there is a secret society of people who come back to life.  But Harry August is going to change the world for the better.  The characterization is incomplete, and the writing either waxes philosophical or becomes terribly disjointed.  It’s complexity and unnecessary descriptions often make it difficult to understand.

This book has been adapted for a movie that is in production and being directed by the man who directed the Mazerunner movies.  I wonder if it will actually follow the plotline.  For the movies' sake, I hope there are many differences.

In case you're interested, these are the books I read. Feel free to read my reviews or ask questions. The * indicates a book in a series.

1.       In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

2.       The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas *

3.       The Guardians by John Grisham

4.       The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris *

5.       The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

6.       In Plain Sight:  The Kaufman County Prosecutor Murders by Kathryn Casey.

7.       Killer Cupcakes by Leighann Dobbs

8.       The Reckoning by John Grisham

9.       American Predator:  The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21^st Century by Maureen Callahan

10.   A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

11.   Target Alex Cross by James Patterson *

12.   My Mother, a Serial Killer by Hazel Baron

13.   Body Movers by Stephanie Bond *

14.   Fatal Vision by Joe McGinnis

15.   In Good Faith by Scott Pratt *

16.   Lust Killer by Anne Rule

17.   F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton *

18.   Criss Cross by James Patterson *

19.   The Wanted by Robert Crais *

20.   The Night Fire by Michael Connelly *

21.   Brothers in Blood: The True Account of the Georgia Massacre by Clark Howard

22.   Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

23.   Mulholland Dive by Michael Connelly *

24.   The First 15 Lives of Harry  August by Claire North

25.   The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

26.   The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

27.   Mania:  The Bath School Disaster and the Birth of the Modern Mass Killer by Harold Schechter

28.   The Judge’s List by John Grisham *

29.   American Saturday by Clark Howard

30.   Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling *

Also linking up with Writer's Workshop at Mama's Losin' It where one of the prompts is Book Review Time!