Imaginary Friend

 Fiction by Stephen Chbosky

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

A little boy called David disappears one night in a quiet Pennsylvania town, after scaring everyone with his talk of seeing a spooky imaginary world. Then fifty years later, another little boy called Christopher comes along, moves to town with his mother, and begins to see some of the same things.

This story started out well, but I started to dislike it about halfway through. Then I tried to keep reading, but it just got worse. I really liked Christopher, and some of the other characters, but horrible things just kept happening. (I told you I don't like horror books!) Also the story made less and less sense to me as I kept reading.

Anyways, I finally gave up. I don't really recommend this one.

You Don't Own Me

 Fiction by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Five years ago, Dr. Martin Bell was murdered in his own driveway while his wife Kendra slept upstairs and his small children played inside with the new nanny. The police investigation never resulted in an arrest. Now Laurie Moran, investigative reporter, is being urged by Dr. Bell's parents to find the killer. The older Bells believe the murderer was his widow, Kendra Bell. But Laurie isn't so sure...

This was a good story with some surprises, although it's not as good as Mrs. Clarks's classics.

Doctor Sleep

Fiction by Stephen King

 https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This book is the sequel to Mr. King's classic The Shining, which (gasp!) I have not read. I decided not to go back and read that one because I generally don't enjoy "horror" stories, and it's pretty clear that's what that book is. This book, however, was different.

Doctor Sleep is the story of Danny, the little boy from The Shining, and what happens to him as he grows up. It's spooky, but does not fully turn into a horror book, in my opinion. It's mostly a character story about the grown-up Dan and how he lives with his strange abilities.

I enjoyed this book, and have successfully proved that you don't HAVE to read the first book in order to understand this one.

I also read recently by this author: Elevation

The Paris Winter

 Fiction by Imogen Robertson

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

In 1909 Maud Heighton, an English girl, is living in Paris. She is trying to become an artist; however, what she seems to actually be doing is slowly starving to death. Things begin looking up for Maud when she finds a position as a companion and English tutor for a sickly young Frenchwoman, but she does not realize that her troubles have only just begun.

This was an interesting story with good characters. It started slowly, but the ending was exciting.

Andrea Vernon and the Superhero Industrial Complex

An Audible Original

Fiction by Alexander Kane

https://www.audible.com

This is the sequel to Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for Ultrahuman Protection, which was a fabulous story. LISTEN TO THAT ONE FIRST. And, as I mentioned before, willingly suspend disbelief to enjoy the wacky other-world-ness of the story.

This was just as good as that story, or maybe better. It ends on a cliffhanger though, and the next book in the series isn't out yet.

I also read recently by Audible Originals: When You Finish Saving the World

Piece of Mind

 Fiction by Michelle Adelman

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Lucy suffered a traumatic brain injury very early in her life that left her mostly okay, but still somewhat impaired. She requires medication and monitoring, and she still needs her dad to take care of her, even though she's twenty-eight years old now. But her dad is pushing her to get a job and be independent, and things are about to change for Lucy. 

This was an interesting story that did not go where I expected.

The Passengers

 Fiction by John Marrs

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This story takes place in a not-so-distant future, in which all roadways in the British Isles are dominated by self-driving cars. The people are no longer drivers; they are passengers (hence the title) who reach their destinations by programmed routes navigated by artificial intelligence (AI). It works pretty well for the people of this Future Britain. There are no longer traffic jams in this brave new world, as the cars' AI systems communicate to each other and automatically avoid all congestion and most accidents. Everyone can sit back and relax as they safely and efficiently travel the motorways.

But what happens when we as citizens cede so much control to AI? What if we could no longer control the system at all? Or what if someone or something else seized the control?

This is an exciting thriller with several surprises.

When You Finish Saving the World

 Audible Original Fiction by Jesse Eisenberg

https://www.audible.com/

This tells the story of a family from three perspectives and at three different points in time. It's a really good piece of theater. I did feel like the ending was abrupt, but I understand why the author did that.

It's a story worth listening to.

I also read recently by Audible Originals: Phreaks

The Holdout

 Fiction by Graham Moore.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Ten years ago, a man called Bobby Nock was accused of a brutal murder, tried for the crime, and acquitted by the jury. Maya Seale was on that jury, and no one will let her forget it. After coming out of sequestration, she and the other jurors find themselves vilified by the media and public opinion. 

Under the pressure after the trial, almost every other member of the jury recanted on their position, and insisted it was only Maya's strong persuasion that convinced them to find Bobby Nock not guilty. Although Maya still feels she was right in holding out against conviction, and that the prosecution's case had not been sufficiently proven, she is reluctant to attend a ten-years-later-reunion reality show and rake it all up again.

Still, Maya and (almost all) the other jury members head back to the hotel in which they had been sequestered ten years before... and something truly unexpected happens.

This was a really good book!

The Perfect Child

 Fiction by Lucinda Berry

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Little Janie was found all alone in a parking lot wearing only a diaper and covered in blood. When brought to the ER by the police, she is found to have been severely abused and neglected, but fortunately her orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Bauer, becomes strongly attached to her. Dr. Bauer and his wife, a nurse, decide to adopt Janie and give her a loving home. But will love be enough to save Janie? 

This was a good story but rather disturbing, because of the subject matter. 

One in a Million

 Fiction by Lindsey Kelk

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Annie Higgins is an expert on social media, and so when she takes a bet that she can turn ANYONE into an "Instagram influencer" within thirty days, she fully expects to win. However, the man she is tasked with transforming is a boring nerd with decided Luddite tendencies. Can she change him and win the bet? Will she discover his wonderful inner qualities and fall in love with him in the process? You can probably guess...

This was a fun and lighthearted romance, with enough humor in the writing to make it fun to read, despite the predictable romance plot.

Another Gospel?

 Subtitled: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity

Nonfiction by Alisa Childers

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

I read the first chapter of this book as a “teaser” advertisement on Facebook and it interested me a lot. I bought the book on kindle and read at least half of it while waiting for a prescription at the military hospital. (It was a LONG wait, obviously.)

This is a memoir written by Alia Childers, who was in the popular Christian group Zoe Girl in the early 2000’s. She is a Christian woman raised by devout parents who experienced a crisis of faith as an adult.

I really recommend this book to any Christian who is wondering how to answer those who ask, “How do we know the Bible is true? And does it even matter?” The author had her faith well and truly shaken by these questions at a vulnerable time in her life, and came back so much stronger after searching for the answers.