New Series Post

Ok so we're not so quick with our postings, but it IS that time of year (well that's going to be our excuse for the day anyway!!) Nonetheless, it's me, Christy, and a short while ago I explained I was working on another entry, which will now be known as my Strawberry Series Selection.

This series will highlight one of my favorite literary series and/or authors. Just to give you a background of some of the more mainstream series I follow, I absolutely love the Alex Cross series by James Patterson and the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. There is just something about following characters and storylines that attracts me. But of course I'm a sucker for new series, so feel free to recommend any you've read and enjoyed. I just had another series that I've started that will DEFINITELY be on the list shortly (just a little something to keep you waiting!! :)

You will learn, if you haven't figured out based on my "favorites", I am a VERY diverse and eclectic reader and the series I read are no exception. There is a little bit of this and a little bit of that so stay tuned and maybe learn of some great new reads for your taste.

My first recommendation isn't technically a series, although it may have been if the author had lived. With that introduction, my first selection is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. His next novel, The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is slated to be released next May but will surely be another fantastic read. Apparently, Mr. Larsson suffered a heart attack shortly after delivering the manuscripts for these 3 novels. And believe me, what a tragedy as he is clearly a talented writer.

These novels have been translated from Swedish, which is not typically my thing as translated novels often seem to lose part of the story (as we've discussed in our review of The Angel's Game) but these stories do not miss a beat. The first approx 50-75 pages of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo seem a little rough at first, but once you get through that bumpy part, it is a non-stop thrill ride. I simply can not say enough about these books and can't wait to read the final installment. Without giving too much away, these stories follow Lisbeth Salander who appears as a modern day Lara Croft heroine for lack of better description. She's not a very likable person but you end up thinking that she is the coolest chic out there!! The other main character is Mikael Blomkvist who is a journalist for a rather liberal Swedish magazine that is no stranger to controversy. Together, this unlikely duo search for the truth shall we say, all while hunting "serial criminals". This is an EXCELLENT series that will keep you up at night turning pages faster and faster.

I hope you enjoy it and we will return SOON, hopefully within the next week or so with our review of Mudbound by Hilary Jordan.

Until then - Happy Reading!!!!

Random Book & Movie Recommendation

Hi there Funky Fruit-ers - thought I'd give another random book and movie recommendation until we get our act together with the next official book review.

Book Recommendation: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Yes, I know I recommended her first book, The Hunger Games, in my last post but this is so worth it. I don't always like the sequel as much as the first book but this sequel was amazing. I dare you to put it down - I couldn't, and read the whole thing in one sitting. Warning: it's not the last book so I'm wanting to know how it ends and I have no closure :)

Movie Recommendation: Lars and the Real Girl. I just saw it this weekend w/ my hubby (via Netflix, my favorite thing ever) and we both LOVED this movie. Ryan Gosling can act like Peyton Manning can throw a football - he's awesome. I thought it would be a quirky, fun little film but it was so much more than that. It was a wonderful story of healing and human connection. Warning: my hubby and I are both psychologists which may have impacted how fascinated we were with the psychological elements of the story (we've both worked with delusional disorder), but I think that everyone can relate to the grief issues addressed. It's an uplifting, heart-warming way to spend your evening!

Random Book Recommendation

Hi - Kristi here. Okay, for those of you that enjoy reading YA (that's young adult - a la books like Twilight) I finally got around to reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and it was fantastic. One of those can't put down until it ends books - and then I find out it doesn't end because there's a Book 2 - which I just ordered today off of Amazon. I know, I've recommended The Help and then this but what can I say - I have eclectic taste.

Next Official Book Review: Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. :)