Fiction From the Shelves of a Non-Fiction Fiend

The virgin suicides

Eugenides, Jeffrey.

From the Publisher

The five Lisbon sisters are brought up in a strict household, and when the youngest kills herself, the oppression of the remaining sisters intensifies. As Therese, Mary, Bonnie and Lux are pulled deeper into isolation by their domineering mother, a group of neighborhood boys become obsessed with liberating the sisters. But what the boys don't know is, the Lisbon girls are beyond saving.

My Thoughts

My personal favorite work of fiction. I've yet to find another book that drew me in quite like "The Virgin Suicides."

Gone girl : a novel

Flynn, Gillian, 1971-

From the Publisher

On the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick's wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?

The bell jar

Plath, Sylvia.

From the Publisher

Esther Greenwood, a talented and successful writer, finds herself spiralling into depression and eventually a suicide attempt, as she grapples with difficult relationships and a society which refuses to take womens aspirations seriously.

Valley of the dolls

Susann, Jacqueline.

From the Publisher

Everything you've heard about it is true. First a sensational, bestselling novel... then a shocking motion picture...and now a powerful audio book brilliantly read by Juliet Mills. Three beautiful women achieve success beyond their wildest dreams in the glittering world of show business. Juliet Mills brings them to life unforgettably as she recounts their dramatic ascent to the top and their dizzying plummet into despair in the Valley of The Dolls.

My Thoughts

It's easy to get lost in "Valley of the Dolls." I got into more trouble reading this book than any other book I've read simply because I couldn't put it down.

Fight Club

Palahniuk, Chuck.

From the Publisher

When a listless office employee meets Tyler Durden, his ho-hum life takes a dramatic turn as a contender in amateur bare-knuckle street fighting matches that soon develop a fanatical following.

Fear and loathing in Las Vegas : a savage journey to the heart of the American dream

Thompson, Hunter S.

From the Publisher

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken. Now this cult classic of gonzo journalism is a major motion picture from Universal, directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro.

My Thoughts

A professor once told me I wrote like Hunter S. Thompson, and I think I have this book to thank for that.

Me and Earl and the dying girl : a novel

Andrews, Jesse.

From the Publisher

Seventeen-year-old Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia.

The kite runner

Hosseini, Khaled.

From the Publisher

Traces the unlikely friendship of a wealthy Afghan youth and a servant's son in a tale that spans the final days of Afghanistan's monarchy through the atrocities of the present day.

My Thoughts

My senior English class read this, and I don't think I've seen a class collectively like a book more than this one.

Jurassic Park : a novel

Crichton, Michael, 1942-2008.

From the Publisher

An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now humankind's most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all the world can visit them--for a price.

My Thoughts

Science fiction normally is not my favorite genre to read; however, reading "Jurassic Park" in the tenth grade has made me a life-long Michael Crichton fan. Known for revisiting themes in his works, Crichton based the idea of "Jurassic Park" on his 1973 film "Westworld." Fans of the the film or new HBO series should definitely check out this book!

Wise blood

O'Connor, Flannery.

From the Publisher

Flannery O'Connor's astonishing and haunting first novel, is a classic of twentieth-century literature. It is the story of Hazel Motes, a twenty-two-year-old caught in an unending struggle against his inborn, desperate fate. He falls under the spell of a "blind" street preacher named Asa Hawks and his degenerate fifteen-year-old daughter, Sabbath Lily. In an ironic, malicious gesture of his own non-faith, and to prove himself a greater cynic than Hawks, Motes founds the Church Without Christ,...

My Thoughts

I watched an interview with the band R.E.M. from 1984 where they mentioned liking Flannery O'Connor and this book specifically. Well, it turns out they were right, and I figured if my favorite band said it was good I might like it, so why not give it a shot? I highly recommend this to anyone who likes Southern Gothic or tales involving morally complex characters.

Room : a novel

Donoghue, Emma, 1969-

From the Publisher

Told entirely in the language of five-year-old Jack, describes the bond between parent and child, and what it means to journey from one world to another.

My Thoughts

The Ki-Be High School symphonic band flute section one-off book club got in a lot of trouble for non-stop talking about this book, but it was worth it.

11-22-63

King, Stephen.

From the Publisher

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King?who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer?takes listeners on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it. It begins with Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon...

As I lay dying : the corrected text

Faulkner, William, 1897-1962.

From the Publisher

At the heart of this 1930 novel is the Bundren family's bizarre journey to Jefferson to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Faulkner lets each family member--including Addie--and others along the way tell their private responses to Addie's life. As I Lay Dying is the harrowing, darkly comic tale of the Bundren family's trek across Mississippi to bury Addie, their wife and mother, as told by each of the family members--including Addie herself.

My Thoughts

I read this junior year of high school, and it began my deep love for the Southern Gothic genre.

The blue line

Betancourt, Ingrid, 1961- author.

From the Publisher

"From the extraordinary Colombian French politician and activist Ingrid Betancourt, a stunning debut novel about freedom and fate. Set against the backdrop of Argentina's Dirty War and infused with magical realism, The Blue Line is a breathtaking story of love and betrayal by one of the world's most renowned writers and activists. Ingrid Betancourt, author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Even Silence Has an End, draws on history and personal experience in this deeply felt portrait of a...

Dear Mr. Henshaw

Cleary, Beverly.

From the Publisher

In his letters to his favorite author, ten-year-old Leigh reveals his problems in coping with his parents' divorce, being the new boy in school, and generally finding his own place in the world.

My Thoughts

I came across this book as an adult because the audiobook is narrated by an actor I like. To say that I was moved would be an understatement. I had never read a book by Beverly Cleary before and this certainly won't be the last one either.

Ghost forest : a novel

Fung, Pik-Shuen, author.

From the Publisher

"In Ghost Forest, the unnamed narrator is the eldest of two daughters who grew up in Vancouver with her mother, away from her father in China, who's now sick. She's twenty-four and realizing she has never told her father that she loves him. The stories and experiences that unfold through his subsequent death and memorialization are lessons and curiosities of intimacy and affection. They are real, raw, and poignant meditations on how life and love can sometimes best be discovered in dying. This...

My Thoughts

Melancholic and deeply moving. I can't wait for future novels from Pik-Shuen Fung.

The memory police

Ogawa, Yōko, 1962- author.

From the Publisher

"A deft and dark Orwellian novel about the terrors of state surveillance, from the acclaimed author of The Housekeeper and the Professor On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, things are disappearing. First, animals and flowers. Then objects--ribbons, bells, photographs. Then, body parts. Most of the island's inhabitants fail to notice these changes, while those few imbued with the power to recall the lost objects live in fear of the mysterious 'memory police,' who are committed to ensuring...

My Thoughts

A dark book whose protagonist has placed so much hope into a change that never comes. I personally believe this would be a great novel for book clubs.

The Midnight Library

Haig, Matt, 1975- author.

From the Publisher

"While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better? In [this novel], Nora Seed finds herself faced ... with the possibility of changing her life for a new one: following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist. She must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life,...

My Thoughts

I couldn't put this book down. At first I was skeptical of where the plot was going but once the midnight library appears that skepticism went away fully.

Everyone knows your mother is a witch

Galchen, Rivka, author.

From the Publisher

"Drawing on real historical documents but infused with the intensity of imagination, sly humor, and intellectual fire for which award-winning author Rivka Galchen's writing is known, Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch is a tale for our time-the story of how a community becomes implicated in collective aggression and hysterical fear"-- Provided by publisher.

My Thoughts

I really, truly, earnestly wish more books were like this one.

Summer of '69

Hilderbrand, Elin, author.

From the Publisher

Every year, the Levin children spend the summer at their grandmother's historic island home. But this year, Blair, the oldest sister, is pregnant with twins and unable to travel from Boston. Middle sister Kirby is caught up in civil rights protests. And Tiger, the only son, has just been deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie, the youngest, is marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother, who is hiding secrets of her own. As the summer heats up, Teddy Kennedy sinks a car in...

My Thoughts

My first dip into the vast ocean that is the category of "beach reads" and a good one, if I must say. Not too complicated and full of heart. Just a great story to enjoy.

Z a novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

Fowler, Therese.

From the Publisher

A tale inspired by the marriage of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald follows their union in defiance of her father's opposition and her abandonment of the provincial finery of her upbringing in favor of a scandalous flapper identity that gains her entry into the literary party scenes of New York, Paris and the French Riviera.

My Thoughts

Historical fiction of this nature is so entertaining even if it's not very accurate...

Carrie

King, Stephen, 1947-

From the Publisher

A sixteen-year-old misfit, denied everything by her fanatical mother and abused by her classmates, unleashes her terrifying telekinetic powers on an entire town.

The final girl support group

Hendrix, Grady, author.

From the Publisher

"A fast-paced, thrilling horror novel that follows a group of heroines to die for, from the brilliant New York Times bestselling author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. In horror movies, the final girl is the one who's left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious, a victim and a hero. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her? Lynnette...

My Thoughts

My favorite of Hendrix's novels thus far. I was entertained throughout and couldn't wait to see how it ended.

The southern book club's guide to slaying vampires

Hendrix, Grady, author.

From the Publisher

"A supernatural thriller set in South Carolina in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious stranger who turns out to be a real monster"-- Provided by publisher.

My Thoughts

Some of Grady Hendrix's best character work yet. More of a thriller than a horror novel but fantastic nontheless.