January 2019 Books

This is a fun and touching exploration of the author's development as a publisher's sales representative from the 1970s to the present.

I enjoyed this spare novel that reveals the troubled marriage of the main character. This was our January book club pick.

This was a wonderful history of the author's work advocating for men, women, and children on death row. Through his work, laws have been changed to keep children off of death row and prohibit their detention in solitary confinement. He has advocated for people on death row; the major case followed in this book is the subject of an upcoming film starring Michael B. Jordan.

It's been a long time since I read A Streetcar Named Desire. I enjoyed it just as much this time around. I've never seen it performed live, although I have seen the movie.

This was the first time I'd ever read this science fiction classic. I enjoyed this short novel and Wells' writing style. The only film version I've seen is the 2005 Spielberg version (which I liked). I also remember watching The Night that Panicked America, a 1975 TV film about the radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds.

This is an intimate look at the relationships between three people after one has suffered an illness-related episode of amnesia.

















This was a fascinating story about how one doctor identified the cause of child bed fever, which caused a high mortality rate of women who had babies in hospital maternity wards. Doctors and medical students were in the habit of conducting autopsies in the morning, followed by rounds of the maternity wards, without washing their hands in between. It took decades to convince others and introduce accepted practices to avoid contaminating patients. Very well-written.

Two sisters come together to protect their son/stepson after their husband/ex husband was murdered. Fast-paced and riveting.

A detective is on the trail of a kidnapper and rapist, with help from a former victim. A page turner.