I consider a lot of factors when deciding what to read next. I’m in two book clubs, so those books receive priority. Sometimes, I have specific books that I want to read for this column, so they are often near the top of the list. Then there’s the ever-present, ever-growing stack of physical books. There’s the ever-present, ever-growing list of books that feeds the aforementioned stack. Plus, if we’re traveling, audiobooks that my husband will also enjoy get thrown into the mix. BUT … all of that takes a backseat when Harlan Coben releases a new book.
I’m a huge Harlan Coben fan. Moreover, I’m a Myron Bolitar fan. Myron Bolitar is the main character of 12 of Coben’s 36 novels. The 12th, “Think Twice,” came out in May. It’s an apt title because it seems that Myron has to think twice about just about everything he knows - starting with the fact that a former client of his sports agent/representation firm is a suspect in a murder investigation. This is a former client who just happens to be dead, and who had a long and extremely complicated history with Myron. I’ll just say that the complications continue.
If you are new to the Myron Bolitar series, I recommend that you not pick up here. Fellow fans, if you need to talk, reach out to me. Or maybe I should say, I’m a mess. I need someone to please reach out to me, because I really need to talk this out.
One of my book clubs read Ruta Sepetys’ “Salt to the Sea.” I have written about all of Ruta Sepetys’ books before. I won’t re-review now. For historical fiction fans, I highly recommend them. I’ve said it before, look for this and all of Sepetys’ books.
Speaking of historical fiction, what about Kristin Hannah? I tend to enjoy her historical fiction more than her contemporary fiction, and that’s certainly true for her newest historical fiction novel, “The Women.” It is an emotional story of the service of an Army nurse in Vietnam, and the life and times to which she returned after completing two tours. I lost a brother in Vietnam when I was just a baby. My husband’s father was one of the earliest military advisors to go into South Vietnam. Once, when traveling through South Georgia, we stopped at the Museum of the U.S. Infantry at Fort Benning, Ga. I highly recommend it. It’s a beautiful facility that we just happened upon. It’s organized by U.S. military era, and you can easily spend an entire day there. We only had a short time to spend, so we concentrated primarily on the exhibits that related to my father-in-law’s military service. In the Vietnam Era exhibit, you can go through an area that replicates the war-time jungles of Vietnam. I won’t say it was terrifying, because obviously I knew that I was safe, but I don’t think I have ever wanted to get out of anywhere so badly in my life. I don’t know if it was all of these connections to the Vietnam War, or the fact that I just really liked and cared about Frankie McGrath, the main character, but this book really resonated with me. For me, it’s that rare book you finish and by the next morning, you’re thinking you’ll just go ahead and read it again.
I also have to say that I haven’t read anything quite as endearing as “Remarkably Bright Creatures” in a while. Shelby Van Pelt’s use of an octopus as the catalyst for the story is ingenious. If you’re thinking that sounds fanciful, you’re right. Fanciful, but not farfetched. Watch the Netflix documentary, “My Octopus Teacher,” or National Geographic’s “The Secrets of the Octopus” on NatGeo, Hulu, or Disney to learn more about the intelligence of these animals. Give this imaginative novel a try. You’ll be glad you did! It’s so engrossing that at one point while I was reading, my watch told me to breathe.
Happy Reading!
I’m a huge Harlan Coben fan. Moreover, I’m a Myron Bolitar fan. Myron Bolitar is the main character of 12 of Coben’s 36 novels. The 12th, “Think Twice,” came out in May. It’s an apt title because it seems that Myron has to think twice about just about everything he knows - starting with the fact that a former client of his sports agent/representation firm is a suspect in a murder investigation. This is a former client who just happens to be dead, and who had a long and extremely complicated history with Myron. I’ll just say that the complications continue.
If you are new to the Myron Bolitar series, I recommend that you not pick up here. Fellow fans, if you need to talk, reach out to me. Or maybe I should say, I’m a mess. I need someone to please reach out to me, because I really need to talk this out.
One of my book clubs read Ruta Sepetys’ “Salt to the Sea.” I have written about all of Ruta Sepetys’ books before. I won’t re-review now. For historical fiction fans, I highly recommend them. I’ve said it before, look for this and all of Sepetys’ books.
Speaking of historical fiction, what about Kristin Hannah? I tend to enjoy her historical fiction more than her contemporary fiction, and that’s certainly true for her newest historical fiction novel, “The Women.” It is an emotional story of the service of an Army nurse in Vietnam, and the life and times to which she returned after completing two tours. I lost a brother in Vietnam when I was just a baby. My husband’s father was one of the earliest military advisors to go into South Vietnam. Once, when traveling through South Georgia, we stopped at the Museum of the U.S. Infantry at Fort Benning, Ga. I highly recommend it. It’s a beautiful facility that we just happened upon. It’s organized by U.S. military era, and you can easily spend an entire day there. We only had a short time to spend, so we concentrated primarily on the exhibits that related to my father-in-law’s military service. In the Vietnam Era exhibit, you can go through an area that replicates the war-time jungles of Vietnam. I won’t say it was terrifying, because obviously I knew that I was safe, but I don’t think I have ever wanted to get out of anywhere so badly in my life. I don’t know if it was all of these connections to the Vietnam War, or the fact that I just really liked and cared about Frankie McGrath, the main character, but this book really resonated with me. For me, it’s that rare book you finish and by the next morning, you’re thinking you’ll just go ahead and read it again.
I also have to say that I haven’t read anything quite as endearing as “Remarkably Bright Creatures” in a while. Shelby Van Pelt’s use of an octopus as the catalyst for the story is ingenious. If you’re thinking that sounds fanciful, you’re right. Fanciful, but not farfetched. Watch the Netflix documentary, “My Octopus Teacher,” or National Geographic’s “The Secrets of the Octopus” on NatGeo, Hulu, or Disney to learn more about the intelligence of these animals. Give this imaginative novel a try. You’ll be glad you did! It’s so engrossing that at one point while I was reading, my watch told me to breathe.
Happy Reading!
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