Tim
I like to read fiction with plots that drive forward with cinematic pacing. Not sure why. Well, yes I am. I studied filmmaking back in school and worked for Warner Bros. for a few years. That's probably why. However, I've delved into some historic non-fiction and biography a tad. But none of the boring ones! It's got to fit in with my healthy diet of spy thrillers.
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Tim's Staff Picks:
Bookseller: Tim
Title: Dark Horse (Orphan X #7)Comments: Hurwitz's Orphan X series just keeps getting better and better. This time around Evan has to decide if he should help someone who's arguably not an innocent (or even a "good") person. The setting this episode has the dry, southwestern flavors of the show "Breaking Bad" and plenty of U.S./Mexico Cartel action -- which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Bookseller: Tim
Title: The SurvivorsComments: With writing this good, and a unique story structure that will certainly get its hooks into you, it won't take you long to devour this one. I loved the cinematic sensibility, and the format of alternating timeline directions (à la the film "Memento"). As you read the story in a forward direction (presumably, like a normal time-bound human) revelations and epiphanies unfurl as you then experience some sections in reverse chronological order. What's it all leading to (or following from)? Just stick with it until the very end, and let me know when you finish, so we can talk about it.
Bookseller: Tim
Title: When Ghosts Come HomeComments: This leisurely-paced crime procedural is not out to shock or thrill you, but boy, is it good. The small town setting, in 1984, is such a well-written place filled with true humans. Sheriff Winston is a Walt Longmire/Atticus Finch-type, and someone you can (quietly) root for in this mildly-dark story that packs more heart than your average mystery novel.
(If you liked The Snakes by Sadie Jones, then you will love this one!)
Bookseller: Tim
Title: Egg Marks the Spot (Skunk and Badger 2)Comments: The first "Skunk and Badger" was a fun and quirky introduction to this odd couple series for younger readers (ages 7 to 10). In this adventure they go on a camping trip and even visit a local indie bookstore, all characteristically illustrated by one of my favorites, Jon Klassen!
Bookseller: Tim
Title: TogetherComments: I can NOT STOP looking at Hawker's intricate, perfect line art!
Bookseller: Tim
Title: Subpar ParksComments: This is hilarious, beautiful, and full of helpful Park Ranger insights and stories. But best of all are the beautifully rendered travel posters quoting real reviews from these places' most surly visitors.
(Check out author/artist Amber Share's Instagram feed @SubparParks: she posts a new beautiful poster of a different dismal review each week!)
Bookseller: Tim
Title: The Disappearing ActComments: This author’s psychological thrillers must be the perfect beach reads, because her first 2 novels “Something in the Water” and “Mr. Nobody” have been selling out consistently!
This one’s her newest, and is finally a thriller set in the actress-turned-writer’s native world of Hollywood.
Natalie Wood...Marilyn Monroe...Sometimes Hollywood's glittery facade is lifted for a moment and we glimpse a darkness beneath. Mia Eliot is a great British actress. But what if she could be an even bigger star in Los Angeles? Countless up-and-comers have been drawn to that sign and what it symbolizes - those 9 white letters on a California hillside - since the beginning Hollywood. But sometimes there's a price to pay that's higher than the reward could ever be.
Bookseller: Tim
Title: The MaidensComments: It's another Hitchcockian suspense story with which Michaelides blesses us for his thrilling 2nd novel. While not exactly a sequel to The Silent Patient, this one's definitely more of the same in the best way possible: a contemporary Greek tragedy, a mysterious killer whose true identity is unknown, and a psychotherapist at the middle of it all. (There are even some fun crossover moments between the two books that fans of the first one will notice.) It's a perfect read for your summer psychological thriller needs.
Bookseller: Tim
Title: Permanent RecordComments: Wow. I stayed up late reading this like I do with a good novel. I loved Snowden's easy way of writing, so transparent and honest. Almost exactly the same age as Snowden, I completely identified with him as someone who grew up while the Internet also grew up.
His crisis is immensely relatable, and it's easy to get into his very principled whistleblower mindset: what do you do when it would be a crime to report a worse crime? There's no justification here, only conviction. Already knowing the real world outcome, the thrilling final pages raced at me like the seconds counting down on a bomb's digital clock. (Bonus: the spy community insider tidbits were delicious!)
Bookseller: Tim
Title: The Rock from the SkyComments:
I love the art, I love the peculiar family members, I love the rambling old house
I can NOT STOP looking at Hawker's intricate, perfect line art!