Novels that Go Bump in the Night: Psychological Suspense

While most psychological suspense novels have a crime or a mystery as the plot, they also mix in an element of horror.  You’re not quite sure who is insane and who just has major psychological issues.  I have read some really good psychological suspense novels lately that really make you question not only the characters sanity but how reliable is the narrator.   So if you’re looking for mystery or crime novels that can give you a little scare or make you uneasy, try some of these.

What a rollercoaster ride!  If you like dark twisted stories that seem torn from the headlines then try the new novel Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  To the outside world, Nick and Amy seem like they have the perfect marriage until Amy disappears on their 5^th anniversary, and there are obvious signs of a struggle.  Like a Lifetime movie, Nick and Amy’s marriage is far from perfect with secrets and well-hidden obsessions.  Nick’s creepy smile, odd behavior, and lies make him the perfect suspect.  In he-said, she-said fashion, the novel alternates from Nick’s point of view to Amy’s disturbing diary.  Flynn’s writing will keep you hooked as the plot twists and turns into to an ever tightening spiral of heart-pounding suspense until the final creepy ending.  As the reader knows what happened halfway through the book, Flynn’s novel is less about solving the crime; it is about the dark paths that love, obsession, and marriage can take.

Another good book about a twisted relationship is HeartSick by Chelsea Cain. Five years ago, Detective Archie Sheridan was kidnapped, tortured, and then released by beautiful serial killer Gretchen Lowell.  Gretchen turns herself in and continues to psychologically torture Archie by slowly releasing names and burial places of her victims if only Archie visits her every week in prison.  Now addicted to painkillers, divorced, and haunted by his unwilling attraction to Gretchen, Archie is called upon once more when another monster starts killing young teenage girls.  A reporter, Susan Ward, is allowed to profile Archie as he tries to catch this new serial killer.  Gretchen, however, is never far from the story, and a deadly game begins with Gretchen pulling the strings.  A thrilling start to the Gretchen and Archie series with enough twists and turns to make this a really “sick” book.

In a small village in Ireland, 3 children go missing; only 1 is found, gripping a tree in terror, covered in blood, and he has no memory of what happened to him.  This is how In the Woods by Tana French begins.  Now that found child, Rob Ryan, has grown up and is a detective on Dublin’s Murder Squad, still with no memory of the traumatic events of that long ago day.  Rob and his partner, Cassie Maddox, catch a case that hurls him right back to that small village as a 12 year old girl is found murdered and placed on a stone altar.  The case has strange and chilling ties to the older case, and Rob is hiding his connection to the older case from his bosses and the town.  Part psychological thriller and part police procedure, the books pacing and tone allow the reader to feel Rob’s and Cassie’s emotions as their lives come off the rails. 

Other recommended psychological suspense

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith  

The Likeness by Tana French

Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain

The Breaker by Minette Walters

Die for You by Lisa Unger

Dum-dum-da-dum...

Weddings are extremely important occasions in most people’s lives. Some little girls spend their childhoods dreaming of their prince charming, his proposal, and have planned out every detail of their dream wedding before they have even met Mr. Right. But for those of us who need a little more help, thankfully there are a number of books that can provide advice about every aspect of the big day!

Planning Your Wedding: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Perfect Day by Blair deLaubenfels, Christy Weber, and Kim Bamberg is a good book to start with if you’re just beginning the planning process. Bamberg, deLaubenfels and Weber met in Photography School and are the creators of Junebugweddings.com. Their book is organized into chapters by topic and provides a wealth of information in an easily digestible format. You can read the book from cover to cover, or go directly to the chapter that focuses on the topic that addresses your current concern. For the visually-oriented, the text is punctuated with lots of photographs to illustrate the topics discussed and give the reader some specific ideas.

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words! If you’re planning your wedding, helping with your child’s wedding, or are just a romantic who enjoys reading about weddings, The Knot Ultimate Wedding LookBook: More than 1,000 Cakes, Centerpieces, Bouquets, Dresses, Decorations, and Ideas for the Perfect Day by Carley Roney is the book for you! Carley Roney is the founder of The Knot.com and has compiled more than 1,000 color photographs into an inspirational idea book. The book starts with an introduction about “Finding Your Style” and is then organized into topical chapters. Of particular interest to brides who need help picking their color(s) are the chapters that suggest possible color combinations. In addition to the gorgeous photographs, every chapter is filled with detailed information on each topic as well as practical advice to help the reader navigate or avoid tricky situations and decisions.

For creative brides with time to spare, The DIY Bride: An Affair to Remember –40 Fantastic Projects to Celebrate Your Unique Wedding in Style by Khris Cochran provides design ideas and instructions for a variety of wedding styles and budgets. Whether you’re trying to save cash by doing it yourself, or just want to personalize your event, the projects in this book will inspire you. Organized into thematic chapters, a minimum of five projects are provided for each section. Before launching into any of the projects, however, Cochran includes chapters on recommended tools and troubleshooting techniques. Each project includes an estimate as to how long the project will take, whether or not the project can be done alone or if help will be required, the price breakdown, and detailed instructions complete with illustrations.

Choosing the flowers for your wedding can be very exciting, but once again, there are so many options that it can be hard to make a decision! Smart, budget-conscious brides may want to consider not only their favorite flowers, but should also take into account what flowers are in season at the time of the wedding.  Author Diane Wagner has tackled the topic of flowers in her book, Beautiful Wedding Flowers: More than 300 Corsages, Bouquets, and Centerpieces. Broken into five chapters, the book covers the basics, flowers for the wedding party, flowers for the ceremony, flowers for the reception, and includes a DIY section for the creative bride. Color photos adorn nearly every page of this book, and the accompanying text describes the ideas presented in each photograph. 

Although you may not want to read this in the midst of your wedding planning, author Rebecca Mead has written a fascinating book about the history of the American wedding titled, One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding. For example, it may interest readers to know that the multi-billion dollar wedding industry of today is recognized by social historians to have started sometime between the 1920s and 1950s. Although Mead admits that she enjoys weddings as much as anyone else, her premise is that American weddings are shaped as much by commerce and marketing as they are by other social, religious, or familial influences. To prove her point, she takes a close look at the wedding industry and how it has transformed the American wedding into an increasingly commercialized affair.

Additional Reading:

• e-Plan Your Wedding: How to Save Time and Money with Today’s Best Online Resources by Crystal and Jason Melendez
• The Modern Bride Survival Guide by Antonia Van Der Meer
• Wedding Flowers: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Ideas for Bouquets, Ceremony Décor, and Reception Centerpieces by Sharon Naylor
• Do I Have to Wear White? Emily Post Answers America’s Top Wedding Questions by Anna Post
• The Everything Wedding Etiquette Book: From Invites to Thank-You Notes -- AllYou Need to Handle Even the Stickiest Situations with Ease by Holly Lefevre
• The DIY bride Crafty Countdown: 40 Fabulous Projects to Make in the Months,Weeks & Hours Before Your Special Day by Khris Cochran

Sizzling Historical Romances from my Never-Get-Rid-Of List

This week, I was going through my romance paperbacks in anticipation of the Sizzling Romance Swap at the Cartersville Public Library on June 7th, and it brought back so many memories of some great books that I loved.  I have read romances for over 30 years so I have quite a collection in my closet, on bookshelves, and in boxes.  I have read all the sub-genres--historical, contemporary, romantic suspense, paranormal, etc..., but the ones that I have trouble letting go of and have reread many times are historical.   These books go on my Never-Get-Rid-Of List.

If you ask romance readers of my generation what book got them started reading romances, chances are you will hear a title by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss.  Considered the mother of the modern historical romance novel, her first book was The Flame and The Flower. I have been hooked on romances after I read it in high school.  Set in Georgian England and in the Carolinas, it is the story of Heather Simmons and ship captain Brandon Birmingham.  Less politically correct than today’s historical, Brandon mistakes Heather as a wharf prostitute on his trip to England; her weak protests seem like part of her act to him.  When she later turns up pregnant, the two are forced to marry.  The story is about two very different people trying to make a marriage work and finding love in the process.  Woodiwiss’ writing captivates the reader and transports you to a time and place different from our own.  Romance novelist Teresa Mederios wrote, “Whether you love The Flame and the Flower or hate it, we're still talking about it almost 40 years later.  How many other romances will be able to make that claim?”

Another favorite on the historical scene is author Johanna Lindsey.  Her 50th novel, Let Love Find You, comes out this month.  My favorite of hers is the 2nd in the Mallory series, Tender Rebel.  Set in England in 1818, Scottish heiress Lady Roslyn Chadwick needs to find a husband quick to save her fortune from a greedy cousin.  At a ball she meets Sir Anthony Mallory, London’s most notorious rake.  He’s everything she has been warned against but everything she can’t resist.  Anthony will do anything, tell any lie, to seduce her but has sworn never to marry—what he does not count on is falling in love.  When the greedy cousin finds her, she is forced to make a choice that may ruin her life or turn it into an enchanting dream if she can only trust Anthony.  The book sizzles with the chemistry between the two and is great escapism reading.

Next on my Never-Get-Rid-Of List is Mary Jo Putney’s Fallen Angel series.  This series takes place in England during and shortly after the Napoleonic Wars and features men who were friends in school and in war.  It is hard to pick my favorite but I’ll go with River of Fire.  Bearing both physical and mental scars, Kenneth Wilding returns from the war to an impoverished family estate.  A stranger offers him an unusual proposition: prove Anthony Seaton (England’s most famous artist) killed his wife and all debts will be forgiven.  Kenneth has no choice but to go undercover as Seaton’s secretary to investigate.  While there he meets Rebecca Seaton.  Rebecca is Anthony’s socially ruined spinster daughter and a talented artist.   Kenneth must choose between love, honor, and saving his family estate.  Putney brings an added element of the art world into this historical novel.  Her novels are well-researched, historically accurate, and just great reading.

I could go on with many more that are on my Never-Get-Rid-Of list, but I’ll stop with just one more, For the Roses by Julie Garwood.  Four orphaned street boys in New York City, just prior to the Civil War, find a baby girl in the trash heap.  They name her Mary Rose Clayborne and decide to raise her.  They head out West eventually settling in Blue Belle, Montana.  Mary Rose grows up being a well-loved, soft-hearted, but stubborn young lady.  One day Lord Harrison MacDonald comes to town, sticking out like a tenderfoot.  Mary Rose convinces her brothers to help him survive in the American West.  As Mary Rose and Harrison fall in love, he has a secret that could destroy them; he is searching for a woman who was kidnapped as a baby and never found.  What makes this novel first-class is the letters inserted between chapters that the boys wrote as Mary Rose was growing up; imagine four young street urchins learning how to raise a child, and the trials they must overcome.

Additional Sizzling Historical Romances from my Never-Get-Rid-Of List:
Rose by Leigh Greenwood
Deception by Amanda Quick
Nobody’s Angel by Karen Robards
To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt
Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Books That Grow On You

In addition to how-to books about gardening, there are a number of books out there that describe the fascinating history of particular plants, gardens, or gardeners. Whether or not you possess a green thumb, or just an admiration for the gardening talents of others, these books will be sure to inspire you to spend a little more time admiring the beauty found in the garden.

History lovers and anglophiles will be captivated by Queen Elizabeth in the Garden: A Story of Love, Rivalry, and Spectacular Gardens by Trea Martyn. In her book, Martyn explores the rivalry between the two most powerful men in the kingdom during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I: Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (her suspected lover) and William Cecil, Baron Burghley (her trusted advisor). Martyn’s account of the rivalry between these two men explores the queen’s love of the outdoors, and how Dudley and Cecil created spectacular gardens to curry the favor of their queen and encourage her to spend more time at their estates. Those not familiar with this exciting period of British history will find that Martyn provides enough detail about the characters and events to bring them up to speed. Gardeners will love the descriptions of the elaborate gardens at Dudley’s estate, Kenilworth, and Cecil’s gardens at Theobald’s Palace, as well as the details provided about gardening during this era.

In Wicked Plants: the Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, author Amy Stewart introduces us to the dark side of the plant kingdom by exposing us to the scandalous history of some rather perilous plants. Her ultimate goal, she says in her introduction, is not to scare us away from the outdoors, but to remind us that plants can be dangerous, and they deserve to be treated with the same respect and caution with which we approach the rest of the world. Gardeners will recognize morning glory, monkshood, and hemlock, all of which can be as dangerous as their more exotic brethren, such as the Yopo (a South American tree whose seeds contain a psychoactive compound that causes hallucinations and seizures) and the Mokihana (the official flower of the Hawaiian island of Kauai whose oils are highly toxic and cause a painful rash). Plant enthusiast or not, readers will find the stories that Stewart tells about each botanical bandit both fascinating and enlightening.

While some plants have dangerous properties, others can lead to dangerous obsessions. In Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused, author Mike Dash gives a detailed account of this spectacular bulb. Starting with its origin in the Tien Shan Mountains of China (where it grew wild), Dash explains the tulip’s journey to the Ottoman Empire, (where it was revered for its beauty and perfection and first cultivated) and tells of its eventual arrival in Holland in the 1600s. Dash then goes on to describe the tulip mania that ensued until the market for tulips crashed spectacularly, causing economic ruin for the investors and speculators caught up in the frenzy for these beautiful flowers. While gardeners and economists will be most interested, readers who enjoy history will also be captivated by the story of the tulip and its rise and fall as the world’s most coveted flower.

The tulip is not the only flower that has inspired mania in its admirers. The Scent of Scandal: Greed, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Beautiful Orchid by Craig Pittman exposes a tale of intrigue and obsession in the world of orchids. Pittman begins by describing the history of the Marie Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota Florida and identifying the principle players in the story. He tells about the discovery of a rare orchid in Peru in 2002 and the legal issues with its transportation to the United States for identification by the experts at Selby. Along the way, Pittman reveals quite a bit about the history of the cultivation of orchids and the issues that threaten these plants in the wild. Readers may be surprised to discover that the orchid industry generates $44 billion annually, and that rare varieties can sell for thousands of dollars. Gardeners and environmentalists will find the story informative and thought provoking, but will also have to face some rather sober realizations about the challenges associated with safeguarding nature’s treasures.

Additional recommended titles:

Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation by Andrea Wulf

In the Garden with Billy: Lessons about Life, Love & Tomatoes by Renea Winchester

The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievement of Earthworms by Amy Stewart

Women and TheirGardens: A History from the Elizabethan Era to Today by Catherine Horwood 

 

Cruising the World

Cruising can be a very relaxing vacation. The vacationer is pampered with nice rooms, attentive staff, great food and entertainment. However if you don’t do your research ahead of time then your cruise can go wrong very quickly. You could have a great experience on one cruise, and yet another cruise by the same company can be a disaster. Online research is one venue of getting the scoop from different cruise lines, but it is difficult be sure that the reviews or even the website are done by professionals or amateurs.

The book I use for good unbiased information is the Berlitz CompleteGuide to Cruising and Cruise Ships. This book gives you the histories of all the cruise line from Carnival Cruise Lines to the smaller European river cruises. In a convenience format, it will help you choose your Cruise Company and ship. It also gives you tips on how to make the most of your money and avoid rip-offs. The book details the pros and cons of most cruise lines. The book is unique from most cruise books because of the details on individual cruise ships currently afloat. This is useful information since the quality your cruising experience will vary from ship to ship. They rate each ship and honestly state the strength and deficiency of each ship.

Fodor’s has a couple of books on destination cruises, The Complete Guide toEuropean Cruises and The Complete Guide to Caribbean Cruises. In both books, Fodor’s gives details on what you can do in each port of call within the time constraints of the ship, usually 4-5 hours. Of concern for most cruise novices is on how to get off the ship for a port of call and get around the area. Don’t worry, these books state in the front of each chapter where the ship will be docked, how to get ashore, and transportation needs. Also the books inform you if any local currency is needed, any extra charges, and safety concerns that a cruise tourist needs to know about. In every location that they mention, the books provide a map of the country and the local area.

Don’t have time to read all these great material? The library does a smaller cruising book titled Cruising: All Questions Answered. It answers many of the basic questions like where to go, the cost, excursions, cruising companies, and others. It does a great job getting to the heart of the matter: how to have a great cruise. This book however does not detail individual ships.

Armed with this information and a destination in mind, your next cruise can be a memorable experience.

Goodbye Michael Crichton

I’ve been thinking lately about my favorite suspenseful books. One of my all-time favorites is Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. He has had some truly suspenseful stories. The blog installment is an ode to Crichton. But it is also an acknowledgement of other great writers who have the same flair for storytelling (with a lot of science).

I assume the final book by Michael Crichton is Micro. Before his death in 2008, he had written approximately a third of the story. The remaining novel was co-written by Richard Preston.  Seven graduate students, including venomologist Peter Jansen, are invited to Hawaii by Eric Jansen, Peter’s older brother, to be recruited by the mysterious Nanigan MicroTechnologies Corporation. The day before their flight, Eric is in a boating accident and presumed dead. The group goes to Hawaii to discover that Nanigan MicroTechnologies has pioneered miniaturizing machines and humans to presumably work on methods of curing disease. Unfortunately, the founder Vin Drake has found that miniaturizing machines and humans can be used to murder anyone who gets in the way. Vin Drake miniaturizes the group of grad students and abandons them in to their fate in the Hawaiian rain forest. In this micro-world, the group has to survive confrontations with giant ants, wasps and other assorted creatures. They must find a way to be returned to their normal size and stop Vin Drake from getting away with multiple murders. There is a great deal of action with a lot of scientific detail- classic Crichton.

Richard Preston has the same knack for writing as Crichton. He is the author of The Hot Zone and The Demon in the Freezer. Panic in Level 4  is a collection of 6 non-fiction stories ranging from a story about an arborist’s study of hemlock trees to a genetic condition that causes people to compulsively chew their own skin to the ebola virus. Richard Preston has an impressive ability to explain scientific events in an interesting way. He was a perfect choice to step in as coauthor of Micro.

 
Before the movie, there was the book- JurassicPark written by Michael Crichton. Due to the popularity of the movie, the plot is probably well-known. Scientists have discovered a way to retrieve DNA from dinosaurs and clone it. As an experiment, other scientists are invited to the dinosaur theme park. What happens next is the worst case scenario for everyone. It’s an exciting, suspenseful story about what can happen when science goes too far.

Although Michael Crichton is gone, we have one last sample of his writing in Micro. Luckily, we also have a variety of other talented authors who continue Michael Crichton’s legacy to make science suspenseful and entertaining.

Other Science Suspense Books by Michael Crichton
Sphere
The Lost World
Prey

Books by Richard Preston
The Wild Trees
The Demon in the Freezer
Fiction
The Cobra Event

Invasive Procedures by Orson Scott Card
Intervention by Robin Cook