By Kelly Riibe of Family Footnote
Free time can be hard to come by, but I always hope that some weeks will allow for a few quiet moments to appreciate a solid storyline. I have read and loved each of the five books mentioned below. They have also been out long enough to get in paperback, e-book, or via a short wait hold at the local library. So don’t be afraid to read one of these while waiting for your child to wrap up piano lessons or during a long car ride to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Happy Reading!
1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (The 1st Book in The Lunar Chronicles).
This book is a shout-out to youth fiction enthusiasts. If you enjoyed Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Divergent, or Twilight, then this is a solid bookmark choice. Plus it is a five book series with all novels already out on bookshelves, so that means there is no wait to find out how the whole she-bang ends. *FULL DISCLOSER: Reading Cinder almost guarantees that one should read the 2nd Book Scarlet, because Cinder’s ending has a decent cliff-hanger.
This story takes place in the future, while dancing around the theme of classic fairy tales. However, it is its own vision. The characters are fun and great to follow through an epic journey. The main character is a cyborg named Cinder, who is so human yet so robotic I can’t even do justice in my description. Just read it. She is not a damsel, but a mechanic with a comical sidekick named Iko (who is not even a person, but an android/computer program). I love the science fiction in this book, and even though there are romantic moments, it is not a sappy love-fest. Also, just because a person does not fall under the age bracket of youth, this book is still wonderful. The female characters are strong and smart. The male characters make a lot of sense, and there is a truly delicious villain in the form of a wicked queen who has the power to glamour herself from a disfigured wretch to a completely fearsome beauty.
2. The Big Love by Sarah Dunn
I am a big fan of chic lit books, mostly because the characters in them tend to chronicle around the same time-frame as my own life, only with much more glamour and hot bodied men. Fans of Emily Giffin and Sophie Kinsella should pick up this 2005 novel by Sarah Dunn, if for no other reason than the guaranteed giggles. I am one of those types of people who belly laughs on very rare occasions, but this story got a few out of me. It was comical to the extreme. I hardly ever laugh out loud while reading; however, the main character is Alison Hopkins and her voice in this story is hilarious. I felt for her while simultaneously laughing at her. The book is no Pride & Prejudice, but it is a very fun read. A definite romantic comedy for the pages. There is one part where the main character is remembering a childhood experience at a roller-rink, and it had me choking on my water. I then attempted to read the scene to my mother-in-law through my giggles, hiccups, and laughing tears. I am not sure if my mother-in-law was laughing more at me or the book, but it has to say something if I read this novel over ten years ago and still remember its humor.
3. Rules of Prey by John Sandford (Lucas Davenport Series, Book #1)
If you like mainstream best-sellers and aren’t reading John Sandford, put down the mailed-in writings of James Patterson and check these books out ASAP. Lucas Davenport is the main character, and as my dad’s best friend says, “Every time I read a Prey book it is liking visiting an old friend.” Lucas is a cop, but also has a wealthy side business and a network of street informants that allow him a different way of following a case and catching bad guys. He is a lady’s man and also a former hockey player. If you live in the Midwest, this book takes place in the Twin Cities, which I think is awesome since I have frequented that area of the country. Every time I visit the Gopher State I try to ask a random person if they know the author, John Sandford, with a quick follow-up regarding if they love seeing their home state as a backdrop to the New York Times Best Seller’s. However, I have yet to meet a Minnesota native that can introduce me to the author or has even read the books. If anyone from the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” has read a John Sandford book, or even better, met this amazing storyteller, please send me an email at [email protected].
These books are cool and so very well written. I love a good mystery, but the neat thing with Rules of Prey (and all the other novels in this series) is that the reader typically knows WHO committed the crime within the first few chapters, and the plot is really all about tracking and chasing down the criminal (and sometimes an accomplice or two). Adrenaline reading for sure, and just so dang smart.
Rules of Prey was published in 1989, so it is dated in terms of characters using payphones and maps (which is actually kind of neat from a reminiscent stand-point.). Also, the first three books in this series are a slow burn of goodness, but things really hit an unbelievable stride in books #4 (Silent Prey) and #5 (Winter Prey). There are 26 books in the series currently, with no end in sight (THANK GOODNESS) and there are also some spin-off series with different characters from Lucas Davenport’s posse. I started reading these books as a teenager, and then during my second pregnancy I found myself needing to stay off my feet a bit more, so I re-read the entire series (except for #15, Hidden Prey; it is the one and only Prey book that I felt was not an A+. It was more of a B).
4. The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (Cormoran Strike Series, Book #1)
Okay, so I am obviously a sucker for a good book series and this is another Book #1 that begins a trail of great reading. The two main characters absolutely rock in The Cuckoo’s Calling. They are deep, they are frustrating, and they are strong. Cormoran is a private eye and ex-military investigator. Robin is a temp, who enthusiastically becomes Cormoran’s assistant. She has a past that gets dealt out only a bit at a time, which makes her very interesting. The characters are flawed, which makes them perfect, and I also liked taking a visit to London (which sets the stage for these stories) without having to leave the comfort of my own home.
The case in this one involves a dead model and some creepy rich people with a lot of secrets. Cormoran can be hard to like, especially by people of authority, so his uphill battle in solving the case is a journey worth taking. His past is as interesting as his present mystery, so there are no dull moments it this 455 page novel.
Currently there are three books in this series, and I got them all for my dad for Christmas this year. I waited a bit to tell him that the author, Robert Galbraith, is really JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame. My dad was happily surprised, as he is not really a fan of the Hogwarts fiction. He has recommended this book to some of his buddies who read the likes of Ridley Pearson, Harlan Coben, and C.J. Box.
5. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I am ending my list with one of my all-time favorite reads. The Time Traveler’s Wife was a book that I could not put down and luckily read before I started losing all the minutes in my day to my children. It is a love story, but also so much more. It is part science fiction, part romance, and all the rest very, very intelligent. Somehow the author was able to write a time travel book that was intriguing and smart without too much confusion. I like books that make me think; this one did that, but instead of being technical, it was emotional. I will totally own it that I cried openly while reading parts of this book. It deals so much with time in general and the choices we make in life (or the choices that get made for us).
Henry and Clare are the two main characters. Clare meets Henry when she is six years old, but Henry does not meet Clare until she is in her 20’s. Sounds confusing, but don’t worry because the author writes it to all make sense. The story is powerful and I loved seeing the past creep up into the present moments. Henry’s time travel episodes were funny at times, while also cryptic and frustrating.
I have never ever felt so connected to characters in a book. They were powerful and written in a very powerful voice. If you saw the movie of this book (with Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana) and liked it…read the book, because it is so much better. If you didn’t like the film, still read the book because trust me that there was no way Hollywood could do this work of fiction justice. Plus, the endings are different. The book’s ending (aka the true ending) left me wishing I was in a book club, because I could have discussed it forever.
This post was originally published on Family Footnote.
**********
About the Author
Kelly J. Riibe has three kiddos, a husband, a Jack Russell Terrier, and a mildly curbed addiction to Diet Coke. Keeping busy for her involves staying home with her children and also finding work as a freelance writer. She has been published in Nebraska Magazine, Heels on a Farm, The Manifest-Station, BonBon Break, Parent.co, Living Here Magazine, Black Hills Faces Magazine, and MockMom. She is also the co-writer for the blog: www.familyfootnote.com. Follow her on Twitter at: @familyfootnote and @KJRiibe.