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.