Company Needs Misery » Books

“Where the Woodbine Twines” by Sherry Austin

Zombie-Girl — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:38:07 +0000

Ok so I wasn’t feeling so great yesterday and needed to go somewhere else. A book is always my best escape and did I pick a good one. Have you ever thought you recognized someone from your past? Well that’s how this book begins, and we are then transported back to the childhood of the storyteller and her attempts at friendship with a girl who was “different” for lack of a better word. Difficult might have been more appropriate. Where the Woodbine Twines: A Novel by Sherry Austin is a small book, but don’t let the size fool you. Every needed detail is there to keep you captivated and turning pages to see what happens next. The story covers all ranges of emotions, educates with some history, takes us back to our own childhoods and of course keeps you wondering the entire time, “how is this going to end?”

This was my first novel by this author and I’ve already ordered her other two. Please click on the link above to go directly to Sherry Austin’s website where you can read reviews and purchase autographed copies of all of her books.

“An Unquiet Mind” By Kay Redfield Jamison

Zombie-Girl — Mon, 03 May 2010 19:00:13 +0000

Of all the books I’ve read on bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression), the most poignant and truly moving has to be that by Kay Redfield Jamison called An Unquiet Mind. What makes this book unique is that the author herself is a Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and has experienced this disorder first hand.

An Unquiet Mind is “A Memoir of Her Moods and Madness” as she puts it. She takes you through her education into the field of the very subject she is suffering from, and the struggles through the treatment of a disorder that is so very difficult to treat.

If you or anyone you know suffers from Bipolar disorder, I highly recommend reading this book. It gives a little more realistic view of the disorder than television portrays and shows that one can lead a very productive life.

[For more reviews click the link above]

“Await Your Reply” By Dan Chaon

Zombie-Girl — Sun, 02 May 2010 21:39:11 +0000

Await Your Reply: A Novel by Dan Chaon is the story of Miles Cheshire who longs to find his troubled twin brother, Hayden, who has been missing for ten years. It is also the story of Lucy Lattimore, who sneaks off from her small town life with her history teacher. It is also the story of Ryan Schulyer, who receives some shocking news and since he’s presumed dead, how he remakes himself.

I think this was absolutely one of the best books of 2009. I read it in one sitting. I love to read and this is what curling up with a good book is all about.

[click the link above to read more reviews]

“Everything Matters” by Ron Currie Jr.

Zombie-Girl — Sun, 02 May 2010 20:37:13 +0000

Imagine while still in utero, being informed exactly when the world will end. Would your life even have any meaning? Would you struggle with this or just accept your fate? That is the dilemma for Junior Thibodeau in the book Everything Matters! by Ron Currie Jr. Junior goes through his life and the interactions with family and friends make for quite an interesting journey.

I imagined as I read this book how I would change my life. I then wondered why I couldn’t live my life as if it was ending soon, because I know from experience, it could end at any moment.

This book was a quick read and left me with many questions and things to think about. Most importantly, everything really does matter.

[click the link above to read more reviews]

The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie

Zombie-Girl — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:23:02 +0000

During my time of scattered mind, I found that reading was a great way to gather at least some of myself together and focus. I found The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley to be a novel that really kept her attention because it was, for lack of a better word, “fun.”

It takes place in the summer of 1950 in the English countryside. Flavia De Luce is an 11 year old aspiring chemist. (This alone makes the story so much fun, think of the possibilities!) Of course she ends up becoming a detective, having discovered a crime to solve, this is a mystery after all. You will definitely fall in love with this precocious little girl.

This does not read like a children’s novel, this is crime solving at it’s best leaving you anxious for the novel’s promised second in the series. A little something to check out if you need a good read…

[click the link above to read more reviews]