I'm one of those people who doesn't just read a good book but devours it. I've been known to stay in the car while my husband runs in to the grocery to pick up that last minute item so that I can get in a few more pages... to wait until the last second before leaving the house so that I can finish a chapter and to stay up way past my bedtime because "I only had another 100 pages until I was done with the book".
When I travel, I load up with at least three or four good books and often make a stop in the airport bookstore or, if on a road trip, at a book store for my literary fix.
I'm addicted to good books. Especially thrillers. Or at least, I was.
Here's my dilemma. Since I've become a Mom, I don't just read the book and move on to the next, I now am a lingerer. My mind absorbs whatever horrible crime is committed in the book that I'm reading and applies said horror to my daydreams and nightmares.
Take for example James Patterson. LOVE HIM. Seriously. I buy his books the day that they come out, (thank you, Barnes & Noble membership for saving me 40%!) and I finish them within a day or two. Or, I did. Now I read about whatever crime committed, person murdered or maimed and I can only think about the parent that is missing their child.. their grief, their sorrow... it's AWFUL!
I read Jodi Picoult's recent release, Ninteen Minutes and I've now become obsessed with bullying and the long-term effects. I've brought the topic up with everyone from my 16 year old babysitter (she said that it's really bad in the high school and that they are even having drills on what to do if a shooter comes into the school! WHAT?! ACK!) to the lady at the local Starbucks who asked what book I was reading when I sat down to sip my latte and drink in my book. That particular book stayed with me for quite a few sleepless nights. I tried to read Perfect Match but it's sitting on my nightstand, open halfway through the pages. I simply cannot get past my stopping point in fear of never sleeping again.
So, I'm on the hunt. I need new authors who can grab the reader in the first chapter but who neatly tie up the package at the end of the book so that I can put it down and walk away without having too many insomnia-inducing thoughts in my head.
Not into romance books and I need something with teeth. With some fun weekend trips coming up, I see a B&N run in my near future but don't have a single wanted book on my list that that isn't a scary thriller... Send me some suggestions, ladies, and help this woman on her way... to the bookstore!
