Looking for a few good reads

Just a week until the booksale! Once again, the Friends of the Library will have THOUSANDS of books to purchase for just .25 to $1!  And it’s all sales tax free!

The sale begins with the "Members Only Preview" on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. The sale continues Friday, noon-8 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. We end on Sunday with the $1 per bag sale. You don’t want to miss it!

And speaking of really good books (which I was, because the book sale has tons of really awesome books), I have encountered several recently that I thought I’d share.

·         “Behind Closed Doors” by B.A. Paris. Jack and Grace seem like the perfect couple. He is rich and successful and she is the perfect housekeeper and entertainer. Very quickly the reader sees that something is very wrong. Jack is an absolute monster, and a few other characters start to see red flags as well.  Does Grace stay with him and will she ever get away? The first third of this book is really very average. It sort of drags and sets up a bunch of impossible scenarios. However, if you will just let yourself go along with the story, then your patience pays off. The last half of the book zooms and is filled with heart pounding tension.

If you’ve read this book and are shopping the book sale for similar stories, choose books like any early titles from Mary Higgins Clark, “Good Girl” by Mary Kubica or “Before I go to Sleep” by S.J. Watson.

·         “Be Frank with Me” by Julia Johnson. Alice is called from New York to California to be the personal assist to Mimi, a middle aged writer who wrote one hit classic and hasn’t been able to produce anything since. Alice is put in charge of Mimi’s adolescent son Frank, who is exceptionally precocious and odd. The story is fine, but the reason to read this book is Frank. He is one of the most interesting and endearing characters to come along in a very long time.

If you’ve read this book and are shopping the book sale for similar stories, choose books like “A Man Called Ove” and “Britt Marie was Here” by Fredrik Backman, The Mitford series by Jan Karon or “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon

·         “Watching Edie” by Camilla Way. Single and lonely Edie has just had a baby that she can’t care for. Heather is a best friend from Edie’s past who comes along just at the right time to help her. You’ll think this is just another rehashing of “Single White Female,” but you’d be wrong. Like “Behind Closed Doors,” this story of psychological suspense has rewards its readers with a great ending.

For a similar book, look for “In the Blood” by Lisa Unger or “Jack of Spades” by Joyce Carol Oates.