Heart Sick by Chelsea Cain

Are you looking for a sick and twisted tale of a serial killings this Halloween? Chelsea Cain's Heart Sick might be just what you are looking for. This book is the first of the Archie and Gretchen thrillers series (followed by Sweetheart and Evil at Heart.)

Two years after a serial killer that terrified the Pacific Northwest turned herself in, another one is loose on the streets of Portland, Oregon. Archie Sheridan, the head of the task force that helped capture Gretchen Lowell (he was her final victim and the only one that survived,) has been lured off of his medical leave to head up a task force to capture "the After School Strangler." Tagging along after him is local reporter Susan Ward, who is doing a profile on Archie. Susan is surprised to learn that two of the suspects in the current murders are former high school teachers of hers.

Although Archie survived his ordeal with Gretchen he is an extremely scarred individual, both physically and emotionally. He cannot seem to escape the grip that Gretchen has over him, continuing to visit her in prison every Sunday, trips that led to the demise of his marriage. He also has a vigorous pill-popping habit in an effort to stay on top of the pain. He somehow manages to hang on to his tenuous grasp of reality and be an effective leader.

Both Archie and Susan are extremely vulnerable human beings - the details of Archie's torture at the hands of Gretchen are gruesome, and as the book progresses, the readers learn more about Susan's troubled adolescence. Gretchen, the imprisoned serial killer is terrifyingly cold and plays both Susan and Archie to satisfy her own sick needs. The puzzling relationship between Gretchen and Archie is intriguing to say the least - I'm diving right into the next book of the series, Sweetheart, to see what happens next!

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

This is an ambitious work, combining history, romance, and suspense into an enveloping story, rich in detail and description. The narrator, a very unlikely protagonist, begins the story by crashing his car while under the influence, then being trapped inside while it burns around him. He is eventually rescued, although not expected to survive, due to the serious third-degree burns covering most of his body. Overnight, he has gone from being a well-paid and sought after porn star and producer to a grotesque monster, abandoned by all of his former "friends."

During his lengthy stay in the hospital, he receives a visit from a mysterious yet beautiful woman, Marianne, who claims to have known him in their previous lives. She regales him with the story of their past, in twelfth century Germany. As she is released from the hospital and continues her visits, he slowly falls in love with her. When, after months of being cared for in the burn unit, he is finally released, it is to Marianne's home that he goes for his re-entry into "normal" life.

While he settles in with Marianne, she becomes increasingly obsessed with creating her gargoyles, first spending a few days at a time creating them, but moving on to working until sheer exhaustion takes over. She claims that the gargoyles and "her masters" are hurrying her along. What will happen to our narrator when Marianne completes her final gargoyle and reaches the end of her story?

This is a story of love and loss, rebirth and renewal. Our narrator learns to open his heart to what had been previously closed. This book is both lovely and painful to read, and is so thick with storylines it seemed to take me forever to make it through...which was perfect, because it was one of those stories that I did not want to end.

The Time-Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler’s Wife is a unique love story, but it is also a biography of a man’s life captured in snapshots as he travels through time. The majority of his traveling revolves around the woman who is to become his wife. The main character, Henry, has the unique opportunity of meeting her (Clare) as a young girl, as a teenager, and as an adult. Clare therefore goes her whole life knowing that this is the man she will marry. She must just wait for their timelines to meet up before they can truly be together. Like a Nicholas Sparks’s novel, this love story also has some unexpected twists and turns. Unlike a Sparks’s novel, this love story can be a bit more graphic than what one would read in say The Notebook.

Yet, with such a unique twist to a traditional love story, it may be hard for some to put this book down as the reader tries to anticipate how this story will conclude. However, there may be others who will be frustrated by the seeming tedium of a story in which the reader already appears to know the conclusion from the earliest pages: these two people will marry and share an enduring love, but there is more to the story. I myself was bored with the seemingly unending jumps in time, but as the story neared its end, I became quite curious of the fate of the main character especially as the loose threads of storylines in his life are revealed to create a comprehensive biography of The Time Traveler’s Wife. While it would not be high on my list of recommended readings, it was unique enough and captured my interest enough, especially in the last few chapters that I would probably recommend it for those who enjoy the romance genre a la Nicholas Sparks. This review refers to the audio version of the book.

Will the movie, due out August 14th, measure up? Let us know what you think! Thanks to Patti Barker for her review!

I Love You, Beth Cooper! by Larry Doyle

Denis Cooverman, valedictorian for his Buffalo Grove High School graduating class has no idea that he is about to experience the night of a lifetime (which in his case would not take much.) Rather than present the usual rabble that goes in one ear and out the other, he takes the opportunity with his graduation speech to single out a few of the people who made his life more difficult during his high school years. He also calls out his best friend to admit that he is gay, but not before announcing to the sweaty mass of humanity filling the gymnasium that he, debate team captain and frequent target of harassment, Denis Cooverman, was in love with the head cheerleader and most popular girl in school, Beth Cooper.

At the post-graduation reception, Denis is anticipating receiving the accolades of his peers; however, as usual, no one pays attention to him, until Beth Cooper herself approaches him. Panicked, he invites her and her 2 friends to an impromptu party at his house later that evening. The chain of events that follow after Beth and her friends actually show up at his "party" consisting of Denis and his possible gay best friend, Rich, are unprecedented in Denis's young life.

This is your typical high school nerd breaks out of his mold story; however, the writing is snappy, the book moves along at a frenetic pace, and the dialogue is clever. It reminded me very much of one of John Hughes' movies from the '80's, such as "Sixteen Candles" or "Weird Science." Be forewarned, however - there is excessive violence, sexual encounters of all sorts, and substance abuse galore so if any of that subject matter offends, this may not be the fun summer read you are looking for. If you plan on seeing the major motion picture of the same title that is currently out, it would be an interesting comparison to read the book before you see the movie!

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

This is a quiet but lovely little book. Translated from the Japanese, this novel brings together three unlikely people who form their own little family unit.

The Professor is a mathematical genius who, due to a brain injury suffered in a car accident many years earlier, cannot remember more than 80 minutes at a time. He lives a quiet life, content with his numbers as his steady companions in a small cottage. He does not like crowds, and wears dozens of little notes attached to his suits to help remind him of important things.

The Housekeeper is a young woman, a single parent, and an honest and conscientious worker. She is the tenth housekeeper to go to work for the Professor, so she does not expect to last long. Instead, she finds a brilliant hermit of a man who can remember everything up to 1975, when his accident occured, including his mathematical theorems and baseball statistics for his beloved Hanshin Tigers. The Housekeeper also discovers that the Professor has an unrestrained love of children, and when he discovers that she has a 10 year-old son, he insists that he come to his house after school. Her son, who the Professor nicknames, "Root" develops a special bond with the Professor, despite the fact that he must be reintroduced to him every day as if they had never met.

As time goes on, this unlikely trio forms a strong bond and settle into somewhat of a routine, despite the fact that the Professor must constantly remind himself who the Housekeeper and her son are. Spending time with Root, helping him with his homework brings some much-needed life into the Professor's world, and some stability and structure into Root's.

Ogawa's quiet book brings relationships to the forefront and begs the question, what is it that makes a family a family? Her sparse prose is a thing of beauty, even as she is writing about things beyond my ilk, such as mathematical theories. This is a story that does not take long to read, but will leave you thinking about it long after you've finished the book.

Heartfelt and Heartwarming

This is a little book with a great big title and an even bigger heart. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is an unusual tale, told in the form of correspondence between numerous characters.

Juliet Ashton, who writes a human interest column in World War II London, is looking for a new project. The war is over, London is beginning to rebuild, and her column is played out. One day, out of the blue, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a resident of the isle of Guernsey, who spotted Juliet's name in a book. Juliet becomes intrigued by Dawsey's mention of the "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," which was formed in order to prevent the members (who were violating curfew) from being arrested by the German soldiers who had taken over the island. She asks Dawsey to have anyone interested from the society write to her as well, in the hopes of doing an article on them.

Well, write to her they did - enthralling Juliet with life on the island and tales of coexisting with the German soldiers. Eventually, Juliet decides to visit Guernsey, despite the fervent wishes of her current suitor, the rich and powerful Mark Reynolds, who is looking to solidify their relationship. Will Guernsey spell the end of Juliet and Mark's relationship? Will the island and its people be everything Juliet hoped it would be? Will Juliet's career plans pan out as she hoped? Read this lively little book to find out the answers - you won't be disappointed!

On a related note, one of our patrons reported that the audio version of this book is wonderfully done, so I'm going to listen to that next.

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Looking for a creepy read for Halloween? Heart-Shaped Box should fit the bill nicely. Jude Coyne is an aging rock and roll star with a taste for the morbid - so when he is tipped off about a "ghost" that inhabits a recently deceased man's suit for sale on an internet auction site, he can't resist. The suit arrives - in a black, heart-shaped box - a few days later. Jude, his live-in girlfriend, Georgia, and his personal assistant, Danny have no idea what is in store for them.

The ghost wastes no time making himself known to the inhabitants of the house, not only making personal appearances, but also infiltrating the dreams of the occupants of the house, as well as transmitting his voice over the radio and TV. Jude, a wee bit disturbed by all of this undead activity in his home, discovers that the dead man just happens to be the stepfather of his previous girlfriend, who committed suicide when their relationship ended. Presumably, the ghost has come back with the intention of enacting revenge on Jude - by goading Jude into killing not only himself, but also anyone who tries to help him.

As Jude and Georgia attempt to outlast the ghost, Jude is also trying to outrun his dying father, a cold and abusive man, who is on his deathbed in rural Louisiana, and who he has not seen in over 30 years. As Jude and Georgia flee his farm in an effort to solve their ghostly predicament, they grow closer to figuring out a way to not only outsmart their ghost, but also determine what really happened to Jude's former flame. Through this all, Jude learns to grow up and see what is really important in his life...but is it too late?

I really enjoyed this book, I thought the ending was surprisingly upbeat considering the subject matter. It is interesting to note that the author, Joe Hill is Stephen King's son. He seems to have the same gift for story telling that his father does.

Stop by and check out some of our other Horror titles on display for Halloween. We've got something for everyone!

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

The Wednesday Sisters is a light and entertaining read about friendship and loyalty. The "sisters" (who are not really sisters,) are comprised of 5 women who first meet in a neighborhood park in Palo Alto, California during the late 1960's. Each of the women is assigned a role early on by the narrator, Frankie, and none of them stray far from these early perceptions. Frankie is a quiet Midwesterner, Linda is brash and outspoken, Kath is a Southern belle, Ally is mousy and secretive, and Brett is brilliant and always wears white gloves. All are married and have children, or are trying to have children.

The group starts out meeting regularly on Wednesday mornings, discussing their families, married life, as well as slowly discovering who they really are. Eventually they start a writing group, with a shove from Linda (the pushy one, of course.) Though it starts out slowly, the women learn to be honest rather than polite when critiquing one another's work, and the characters grow into themselves through this process, learning to balance their home lives with their writing, while gaining a level of success along the way. The writing also gives the friends some insight into one another's lives, helping them understand each person's unique point of view.

As the novel progresses, the women each come into their own while sticking together through all that life throws at them, including marital strife, illness, infertility, and the social unrest that is prevalent during this period in history. The ending I found a bit unlikely, as if the author was trying to wrap everything up with an incredible, tie-up-all-lose-ends-and-make-everything-okay ending, which feels forced in this case. Book clubs looking for something a little less heavy might want to look into this title - I read it for a club, and I am looking forward to a lively discussion!