Wrap It Up!-Chapter Five

Books For Those Seeking Mastery In Their Storytelling

My Christmas wish for you is this, as we navigate through another trying year, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself.

May they provide an escape, a perspective on the unconceivable, a lesson in how to do better, to be better, a door into a world of wonder, a glimpse at an everyday hero’s inspirational tale, a reminder that laughter is indeed the best medicine, that words and stories are sustenance for the soul, and in our darkest moments, a soft place to land.

Find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

HOLLY – STEPHEN KING

Holly is a rather shy and reclusive private investigator who is hired by a mother desperate to find out what happened to her missing daughter. Soon Holly discovers connections to other missing people. A broad plot that has certainly made the rounds among thriller writers, so what’s left to offer? The answer to that is the casting of diabolically depraved miscreants created by a master. Apparently, the bonkers Annie Wilkes was barely skimming the surface of this authors reservoir of seemingly harmless villains. I was thrilled to be reminded that King is a superb writer who smoothly navigates the realms in which all genres meet. As long as darkness is allowed to enter.

ALL THE SINNER’S BLEED – S.A. CROSBY

It came to me as I was reading this spectacular and provocative novel, that apparently, I love a small-town crime story. One that can be a narrative about murder, an exploration of trauma and a contemplation about the sins of the past, all rolled into one. Titus, the first Black Sheriff of Charon County, and his deputies are called to the scene of a reported school shooter. One who has killed a beloved teacher and is himself killed when officers believe he is going to turn his weapon on them. Sounds straightforward, a bad man killed a good man and then a good man killed the bad man, what more could there be to talk about? Turns out quite a bit.

THE BEE STING – PAUL MURRAY

The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickies once-lucrative car business is going under but he’s in denial and spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His wife, Imelda, is selling off her jewelry and half-heartedly dodging the attentions of a fast-talking rancher. Eldest daughter Cass, formerly a top student, seems determined to binge drink her way through exams and twelve-year-old PJ is sick of them all and on the brink of running away. A dazzling family saga that is sadder, truer, and funnier than any other you will read this year. If you are looking for a read that is epic in scope, this is it!

And a few more…

Same Bed Different Dreams – Ed Park

Family Meal – Bryan Washington

Small Mercies – Dennis Lehane