Tuesday, March 1, 2011

HarperCollins March Madness

It's time again for HarperCollins March Madness, which pits book against book in a fierce literary competition. 64 books are entered....only one book will be victorious. It's up to us to decide.

Of course, I have my favourites from the lists. Rather than post all of my selections, I'm just going to list the ones that I'd love to see win. At the beginning of each round, I'll list the ones that have survived and maybe talk about them a little more...maybe not. Clicking on the titles below will take you to my reviews. To vote for your favourites, click here. Oh, did I mention that by voting and entering your information, you can win all 64 books? Wouldn't that be fantastic?

Anyway, I'm hoping that one of these will be come out on top!

In alphabetical order:





Belong to Me by Maria de los Santos. Beautifully written story in which lives are torn apart, secrets are revealed, friendships are made and tested, and love is defined.










The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. The tragic life story of Aminata Diallo, a slave girl. Just read the book. You will not forget her.








Cool Water by Dianne Warren. Warren transports the reader to dry, scorching hot Saskatchewan with a cast of memorable characters. Have a glass of water ready.










The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan. Beautifully written historical love story novel set in the Niagara Falls area. It remains one of my all-time favourites. Debut novel.








Deafening by Frances Itani. Set around WWI, it's about a deaf girl and her lover who goes off to war. (Incidentally, if you liked this book, you might also enjoy the one above.)







Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. Intricately woven story set in New York featuring unforgettable characters.











Library of the Dead by Glenn Cooper. Great debut mystery that will blow you away wondering if what Cooper suggests is possible.










Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup. Absolutely delightful book set in India about a game show not unlike Who Wants to be a Millionaire.










Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. If you've ever wanted to run away with the circus or live a dream, you'll enjoy this book.










We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. Fictional account of the life of a school shooter. Written from the mother's point of view. I love Shriver's work.






So, those are my selections. Do you agree? Disagree? Which ones did you vote for?

2 comments:

  1. Hi Marie,

    I agree with some of your choices like Deafening and Water for Elephants. I haven't read Slumdog Millionaire yet (although it is next up on my audiobook choice) but I absolutely loved The Art of Racing in the Rain so I voted for that instead. They are really close in the voting so far -- 49% for TAORITR as opposed to 51% for Slumdog Millionaire. And although normally I too would have voted for We Need to Talk about Kevin it was up against Bel Canto which is a more hopeful book than We Need to Talk about Kevin so I voted for that. It will be interesting to see which one triumphs. It's hard when two great books are teamed against each other.

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  2. Hey Wendy,
    I have both TAORITR and Bel Canto sitting on Mt. TBR. Had I read them, I bet my choices would have been a lot harder. I really loved the books I choose.

    Thanks for stopping by!

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Thanks so much for your comment. I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I've been getting lots of spam comments, so I'm turning on word verification to help keep spammers away. I know it's a pain; I don't like it either. Hopefully, in time I'll be able to turn it off again. Thank you!