Horns by Joe Hill

Joe Hill, author of Heart-Shaped Box, and son of horror legend Stephen King, continues to solidify his place among up-and-coming writers with his most recent work, Horns.

Ig Perrish awakens one morning with the mother of all hangovers...not to mention the horns growing out of his head. As he attempts to move through his day, he begins to realize that people aren't as freaked out by the horns as he thinks they should be. Plus, they tell him things that they normally would not tell anyone - secret, dark desires - then cannot remember the conversation or even that they spoke with him. In one such conversation, Ig's brother Terry reveals the who the killer of Ig's former girlfriend is, a crime that the community assumes was committed by Ig. Ig, with horns humming, decides to use his new power to trap the real killer.

Hill continues honing his storytelling abilities in this entertaining and thought-provoking read. He tackles age-old topics such as good vs. evil, what awaits in the afterlife, and what are people really thinking behind their public facades? Is forgiveness always an option? To learn more about this book and Joe Hill, see the widget below.

Horns Widget

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

Mary Beth Latham has a good life. Married with three teenage children, she devotes herself to her family, yet still manages to run a landscaping business on the side. Each of her kids requires something different of her - eighteen year-old Ruby is independent and creative, ready to move on to college; the twins, Max and Alex, are fraternal in every way. Max is quiet and a loner; Alex is a star athlete and popular. Despite all the different needs, schedules and lives, Mary Beth manages to create a happy and secure home for her family.

One night, Mary Beth's world is shattered by one violent, tragic act. As she struggles to recover, she must rediscover what she holds dear while dealing with her staggering loss. While this is a difficult book to read at times, it is also beautifully written. Quindlen is amazing at writing real women characters and relationships. While ultimately an uplifting story, it is a long hard road for both Mary Beth and the reader to reach that point of hopefulness at the end of the book.

Bookies Book Club!

Join the village of Minooka and Three Rivers Public Library
for our monthly book discussion club! We meet the 2nd Saturday of the month, at 10:00, at Bean Encounters
in Minooka. For the June meeting, we will be discussing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson, Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and Lion's Heat by Lora Leigh. See you June 12th!

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

This book is written from a unique and frightening perspective - that of an Alzheimer's patient. Author Genova, a first time novelist, holds a PhD. in neuroscience and is active with the National Alzheimer's Association, lending an air of credibility to her work.

Alice Howland has it all - she is a busy, brilliant lecturer and Harvard professor, married to an equally brilliant man. Her three grown children have all turned out healthy and are pursuing dreams of their own. Alice has begun to notice little annoyances, such as not being able to locate her glasses or forgetting appointments, which she feels are easily explained away by menopause. When she becomes disoriented when out for a run one day, she decides to visit the doctor just in case. At age 50, Alice is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease.

As the book progresses, so does the disease. We feel Alice's descent into the unknown, as her husband and children try to cope with this stranger in their lives. This is a difficult book to read, not only for the sadness factor, but also because so many of us can relate to the early symptoms of the disease. Have some kleenex on hand to read this one!

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult continues her run of timely issue-based narratives with this story of a young man with Asperger's syndrome, who must challenge society's perception of him when he is accused of a heinous crime.

Emma Hunt has her hands full - a single mom with two teenage boys who works from home, she also has the added pressure of maintaining a solid and predictable routine for her older son, Jacob, who has Asperger's syndrome. Although incredibly intelligent, Jacob has a difficult time communicating with others and picking up on social clues. He also is prone to throw a tantrum when his regular routine is disrupted. His younger brother, Theo, although also very intelligent, is floundering through his formative years while Jacob saps most of their mother's energy and time.

When tragedy strikes Jacob's social skills tutor, he finds himself in some serious trouble. Is Jacob guilty of a crime other than landing on the autism spectrum? Will his newbie attorney be able to understand and work with his "quirks?" Will this fragile family be able to weather the situation or will they crack under the pressure? Picoult handles the familial relationships with grace and her characters, as always, are perfectly drawn as imperfect humans.

Bound To Shadows by Keri Arthur

This is the 8th book in the Riley Jenson Guardian series. Riley, part vampire and part werewolf is smart, sassy and tough. She is a guardian for the nonhuman population, which is like a police officer for humans. In this book, she has to hunt down a killer who is beheading their victims. She also has to deal with her werewolf soulmate, Kye, who Riley hates plus keep her jealous vampire boyfriend happy. This book definitely has a twist at the end that was totally unexpected. So, if you like a paranormal romance that is suspenseful, who-done-it kind of book which includes some hot and spicy encounters, give Keri Arthur's Guardian series a try.