If You Don't Mind a Bit of Weirdness . . .

I've already admitted that I sometimes fall in love with books that are difficult to recommend because they sound so strange when briefly described. Well, it's happened again with Horns, a wonderful new book by Joe Hill. When Ig Perrish wakes up after a night of drunken debauchery, he finds that he has horns growing out of his head and the ability to make people tell him their deepest, darkest, most devilish thoughts. Instead of moping about, he decides to use his new powers to find out who killed his girlfriend a year previous. Part murder mystery, part horror story, and part philosophical musing on religion, this book is altogether fascinating. And it would appear that Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King. Who knew??!?

Mockingjay

I've made no secret of the fact that I love The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. These stories of Katniss and Peeta fighting for their lives in the arena have adventure, romance, gore, philosophy, and everything else that you could possibly want in a book. Last month, the long-awaited third (and last) book, Mockingjay, was released, and reactions have been mixed. While I loved the ending and thought it was just right, there are many people who weren't satisfied by it. But, love it or hate it, you have to respect an author whose work garners such strong reactions!

The Adventure Grows Up

I've mentioned before how Choose Your Own Adventure books are insanely popular among our youth population, and I have to think that one doesn't lose that love as one gets older. I mean, adults want the freedom to lead lives both good and disastrous without ever leaving their couch, too! Heather McElhatton has tapped into this nostalgic love and created Choose Your Own Adventure books for adults. The Hillsdale Community Library recently acquired her second book, Million Little Mistakes, which lets you explore what would happen if you won the lottery. If you miss flipping excitedly through the book to find out if your decision will lead to unimaginable riches or an ignominious death, pick this book up.