New King

While Stephen King is probably best known for his mastery of the horror novel, he has proven to have an immense amount of talent in writing short stories, as well. One need only go as far back as "The Body" (which served as the basis for the hit movie Stand By Me) or "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" (which was made into another great movie) to see that he has a certain brilliance in this shorter format. His latest book, Full Dark, No Stars, which is out this month, is a collection of short stories that will no doubt excite fans of both the genre and of King.

Gluten-Free

Do you happen to know anyone who has celiac disease, or some other sensitivity to wheat? Until fairly recently, it was difficult to find products that didn't contain some sort of gluten, as most common products contained at least a bit. So, when a person was told to steer clear of gluten, it seemed like the worst possible thing--no more pasta or cookies or cakes or pretzels or bread! Now, however, as more and more people are being diagnosed with sensitivities to wheat, there are more products and recipes to help them out. The Complete Gluten-Free Diet and Nutrition Guide by Alexandra Anca and Theresa Santandrea-Cull contains recipes, meal plans, food guides, and many other things to make life easier for those with celiac disease.

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef by Shauna James Ahern and Daniel Ahern is a sequel of sorts to Shauna's book, Gluten Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back . . . And How You Can Too. Both titles are based on their popular blog, and their latest book is a love story of sorts. Shauna shares stories about how she fell in love with a chef and how he started to cook gluten-free meals at his restaurant. The recipes and techniques come from Daniel, and they look delicious!

Yes, This Time!!

If you like fun, breezy novels full of spunky women and their dreamy love interests (and if you don't mind an R-rated scene or two), then Jennifer Crusie is the author for you! Her latest, Maybe This Time, was particularly intriguing to me because it upped the ante with a spooky ghost story. If you want to know the truth, I stayed up well past my bedtime so that I could finish it in one night, and it's stuck with me for several days. To me, that's the hallmark of a good book!

Hoarding Explained?

With the popularity of such shows as Hoarders and Hoarding: Buried Alive, it was only a matter of time before someone came out with a book about the phenomenon of hoarding. What's amazing is how Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things remains so fascinating while conveying such a wealth of information. There's plenty of stories of hoarders combined with scientific fact, all of which allows for a very sympathetic look into the mind of a hoarder. If you know a hoarder, think you might be a hoarder, or are simply fascinated by this problem, this book is for you.

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.