Christine's Favorites
Hi, as anyone can probably tell, my taste in books is all over the board. Sometimes a book makes my must-read recommendation list because it makes me laugh, sometimes because it makes me cry, and sometimes because it makes me imagine the monster drooling and dragging his clawed hooves behind me on a dark street at night. A book can take me out of my safe, boring little life and open my eyes to a whole new world. Who doesn't love to see themselves in the misfit who slowly, sometimes painfully changes their whole life to something meaningful. Hey, and if I can imagine my knight in shining armor charging in to rescue me, I can also imagine,(with the right books), figuring it all out and rescuing myself ! ~Christine
The Readers of Broken Wheel
by Katarina Bivald
I picked up this book intending to read just a few pages. It's description intrigued me! A correspondence between two book lovers, a small town setting, quirky characters and a dilemma of epic proportions. Well, nearly 400 pages and four hours later I had read every word of it. I never put the book down, even to drag my sleeve over the tears sliding down my face. This gem is full of heart and humor, wit and some really good book recommendations. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with Sara, Amy and all the residents of Broken Wheel. I identified with, sympathized with, was entertained by, and loved them all. This book would be my recommendation for readers who loved Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman, A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman, A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg. P.S. Have your tissues ready for this one. I mean this in the best way! Christine
A Man Called Oveby Fredrik BackmanI don't know how to describe this book featuring a fiesty curmudgeon called Ove without using the word charming. I certainly didn't set out thinking that this person, so ridgid and set in his state of grumpy old-man-ness, would resonate with me like it did. Watching this thorny guy thaw throughout the book (entirely without his intent or permission) was sweet and perfect. I So recommend this debut novel by Swedish author Backman, and look forward to his next book "My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry". Christine
The Martianby Andy WeirAndy Weir's "Real" science fiction novel The Martian skips readable and amps to devourable in light seconds. Stranded on Mars with limited food and water, Mark Watney could easily throw in the towel and O.D. on the morphine. Someone as intelligent, resourceful and downright MacGyver-ish as he couldn't call it quits that easily though. Hey! a major life-threatening upset crops up, solve it with ingenuity, recycled poopie and duct tape, just like you would (mostly) on Earth. I don't usually like to use the term "Nail Biting" Suspense ( I thought I broke the habit years ago), but nails got bitten as the story roared along to a spectacular end.Weir opened my eyes to a genre that was previously unfamiliar to me: He could "Fly me to the Moon" any time, just let me download some not Disco music first. - Christine
Beat the Reaper
By Josh Bazell
If you like a book like an old sweater, all warm, fuzzy and comforting, stay far, far away from this one! On the other hand, if you don’t know the meaning of the word squeamish, if you prefer your dog book dripping rabid foam, your pride & prejudice with a side of zombies, your girl with a dragon tattoo … then this one is for you. Be prepared for a story that will smack you upside the head, grab you with sharp teeth and shake you until you’re dizzy. - Christine
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker is a marvel, beautifully written and tragic. Duchess is a great Narrator. Tough and Thorny - Full of Rough edges. She had me rooting for her from the start. She never wavered in her outlaw status or the defense of her family.
Reading through layers of this book to its heart wrenching finale, leaves me with the feeling that this book needs to become a classic that is read by everyone. I highly recommend.
Falling by T.J. Newman
"I will not crash this plane, and you will not kill my family."What a Rush! Reading this book is like going to a theater to see Highschool Musical and finding out that it has been swapped with Jaws. Talk aboue a white knuckler. We are equally concerned for the plane full of souls as we are for the family of the pilot.
How will this jacked-up, stressed out pilot and his bad-a** crew figure out how to make the ending to this predicument with the least amount of damage to all parties involved?
I recommend this book to anyone looking for the flaming hot cheetos equivalent of a story (and you won't have red cheese fall-out all over your fingers when you're done).
OK, I admit it. I like my books like some people like their food, spicy enough to cause a little bit of discomfort! Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is hot with a side of jalapenos. If you like a book that you have figured out in three chapters .. Don't Read this one. This darkly compelling, twisty as hell book will keep you guessing to the very end. It turns everything you think you know about dysfunctional characters on it's ear. And if you are as intrigued by Gone Girl as much as I was, be sure to check out Flynn's other books; Dark Places and Sharp Objects. You will not be disappointed. Enjoy the Burn ...
Christine's Pick
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The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins
Read this for a bird's-eye view of one of the most unreliable narrators in recent fiction. How do you trust a character when what you see is the bleary eyes of a black-out drunk? Is she obsessively stalking or voyeuristically imagining what she is seeing? Told from alternating viewpoints, the suspenseful story draws you in, unfolding very quickly to a satisfying conclusion you just may not have seen coming.
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Cats Are Capable of Mind Control: And 1,000+ UberFacts You Never Knew You Needed to Know (Hardcover)
As fun as a book can get! Where else can you find an infatuated orangutan with an 8 foot arm span, an Escalade hard-wired for nasty, a hooker with a heart of pudding and a slightly befuddled beta-male groom-to-be just trying to make it to his wedding? Only read this book if you want fast-paced hilarity sure to make you laugh out loud!
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This book was so heartfelt and good. Mason is not your ordinary hero. He deals with some issues, but dishonesty and disloyalty are not among them. We, along with Mason, learn that we can recover from anything and band together as a family, no matter how unconventional. It also makes me grateful for the "Moonie Drinker" in my own life.
I rarely ever use the words sweet and warm and brain-eating zombies in the same sentence. This book is a love story wrapped in an undead package. It is a fast, quirky read with a surprising amount of heart.
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Email or call for price
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To what extent do you go to protect the ones you hold most dear? False Witness By Karin Slaughter is a messy, graphic thriller that answers this question for us voraciously-reading fiction fans. How are these true-to-life characters going to dig themselves out of the pit they've fallen into before time runs out using only their wits and fingernails? I highly recommend this page turner to anyone wanting a fast and furious read they wont forget for a long time.
