CNN's 12 good summer reads

[chaliepud]

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/05/26/summer.books.list/

 

Look like there's some good reads here, five of them have gone straight onto my Amazon wishlist. (Is there a maximum number of books you can put on there?!) Sorry, haven't matered links yet

[Kell]

Well, I've just added three of those to my ish list:

- Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

- Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson

- The Sisters Brotehrs by Patrick deWitt

 

They all sound so unusual and have intrigued me! Thanks for that link.

[Chrissy]

They do look good, and an unexpected wide range too.

[Michelle]

Before I Go To Sleep is highly recommended!

My review:

Christine has a severe form of amnesia - every morning she wakes up with no memories, not knowing who she is, or where she is. The man she's with has to patiently explain every day that she was involved in an accident many years ago, and since then she loses her memories every night she goes to sleep.

One day however, she receives a call from a doctor, who tells her she's been keeping a secret journal, recording her days. Through this journal, Christine starts to put together the parts of her life she's missing, and she begins to question who she should trust.

 

The issue of Christine's memory loss is well handled. The book opens with her waking one morning, and we share her confusion and fear. She wakes believing she's a young woman who's had a one night stand.. only to find out that she's years older, and the man in her bed is her husband. He explains her memory loss to her, and she struggles to make sense of it.

 

From here, she receives a call from a doctor who says he's been helping her, and he gives her back her journal to read.. a journal she had no memory of. As we share in Christine's journal, we share the confusion she feels each day as she experiences flashes of memory, and tries to put her fractured past back together. Along with this confusion comes a building sense of unease and fear, as she realises her husband seems to lying to her.

 

This is an utterly gripping book, with a confusing story well told. The journal is a great way to both share the story, and to allow Christine to put details together. It races along to an equally gripping, and satisfying ending.

 

This has to be one of the best thrillers I've read for some time, and I can't wait to see what the author writes next. Highly recommended.

 

[nursenblack]

I'm definitely adding Before I Go To Sleep to my wishlist.

[bobblybear]

I've added to my wishlist:

 

Maine - J Courtney Sullivan

Before I Go To Sleep - S J Watson

Once Upon a River - Bonnie Jo Campbell

 

They all look quite interesting (except the ESPN one, because I just don't care about sports ).

[leanne]

Before I go to sleep sounds really good! Def gonna go get it

[willoyd]

I've downloaded samples of

 

Before I Go To Sleep

Once Upon a River

State of Wonder

Turn of Mind

 

It's unusual for me to find such a high proportion of books from a list like this appealing. Will see if any actually get to buying stage!