IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN (NOVEMBER 2015)

The holiday season has arrived but I don’t think chaos has to come with it, at least when it comes to books.  Choosing a book for someone based on his or her interests is one of the most rewarding gifts you can give. Here's a few suggestions...

THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS: Stories by Stephen King(Thriller/Short Stories) Audiobook available, narrated by Stephen King and 14 others Since his first collection, NIGHTSHIFT, published 35 years ago, Stephen King has dazzled readers with his genius as a writer of short fiction. In this new collection, he assembles, for the first time, recent stories that have never been published in a book. He introduces each with a passage about its origins or his motivations for writing it. There are thrilling connections between stories: themes of morality, the afterlife, guilt, what we would do differently if we could see into the future or correct the mistakes of the past. THE MAGIC STRINGS OF FRANKIE PRESTO by Mitch Albom(Fiction) Audiobook available, performed by Mitch Albom and a full cast At nine years old, Frankie Presto --- a war orphan raised by a blind music teacher in a small Spanish town --- is sent to America in the bottom of a boat. His only possession is an old guitar and six precious strings. But Frankie’s talent is touched by the gods, and his amazing journey weaves him through the musical landscape of the 20th century. Frankie becomes a pop star himself but soon realizes that, through his music, he can actually affect people’s futures. At the height of his popularity, Frankie vanishes. Only decades later does he reappear --- just before his spectacular death --- to change one last life. Reviewed by Kate Ayers. AVENUE OF MYSTERIES by John Irving (Fiction) Audiobook available, narrated by Armando Duran Fourteen-year-old Juan Diego, who was born and grew up in Mexico, has a 13-year-old sister. Her name is Lupe, and she is a mind reader. Regarding what has happened as opposed to what will, Lupe is usually right about the past; without your telling her, she knows all the worst things that have happened to you. What might a teen girl be driven to do if she thought she could change the future? As an older man, Juan Diego will take a trip to the Philippines, but what travels with him are his dreams and memories.....all this and more for the John Irving fan.   DEAR MR. YOU by Mary-Louise Parker (Memoir/Letters) Audiobook available, narrated by Mary-Louise Parker DEAR MR. YOU renders the singular arc of a woman’s life through letters Mary-Louise Parker composes to the men, real and hypothetical, who have informed the person she is today. Beginning with the grandfather she never knew, the letters range from a missive to the beloved priest from her childhood to remembrances of former lovers to an homage to a firefighter she encountered to a heartfelt communication with the uncle of the infant daughter she adopted. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano. Thankyou Bookreporter. Com. All books can be ordered from AMAZON directly from this blog. Click on the Amazon Search Box in the Sidebar. Happy reading and gifting!