5 Must-Read Books

Posted by Cathy | Thursday December 23, 2010

Some excellent books published this year hit my must-read list. Grab a cup of hot chocolate, add as many marshmallows as your mug can fit, and curl up on the coach with one of these page-turners.

Chick Lit: Cocktails for Three by Sophie Kinsella as Madeleine Wickham

Roxanne, Maggie and Candice meet once a month for cocktails and gossip. All smart and successful women working in the magazine industry, they seem to lead separate lives until a chance encounter sets off a chain of events that almost destroys their friendship.

Drama: Room by Emma Donoghue

Room is a story narrated by five-year-old Jack, who lives in a locked room with his Ma and has never been outside. To Jack the room is home, but for Ma, it's the prison she has been locked in for seven years by Old Nick. When Jack turns five, he starts to question their life and slowly Ma reveals to him that there is a world outside.

Thriller: Cross Fire by James Patterson

Detective Alex Cross is back, called to the scene of an assassination of two of the most corrupt men in Washington D.C. Soon, other crooked politicians are being assassinated and it becomes clear that this is the work of a professional with insider Washington knowledge. Alex is battling with the sniper, an FBI agent Max Siegel, and his biggest rival Kyle Craig, when he learns that he and his family are next on the Sniper's list of targets.

Comedy: Hope in a Jar by Beth Harbison

In high school, Allie Denty and Olivia Pelham were inseparable. Allie was the pretty one and Olivia the smart one, but a cruel rumour too close to the truth ended their friendship. Twenty years later, both find themselves unhappy with where their lives are heading and they reconnect in this hilarious novel about friendship.

Fun Stuff: The Book Of Awesome by Neil Pasricha

The Book of Awesome is an extensive list of the simple pleasures of life. From watching The Price Is Right when you're home sick, and wearing underwear just out of the dryer, to when cashiers open up new checkout lanes. Some entries are short and others expand to funny and intuitive essays.

Which books are on your must-read list? Rate them here!

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11 Comments

	on January 05, 2011 MaryD 662 said: I LOVE Girl with a Dragon Tattoo! Lisbeth Salander is perhaps one of the best heroines out there, I think. I'm actually on the third book now.
	on January 05, 2011 mamaluv STAFF said: I'm starting the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but while I find it pretty good so far, I really don't know what the hype is all about. I guess I'll have to wait and see!
	on December 23, 2010 Guppy 2,819 said: The Room looks great! I loved Slamerkin and enjoyed The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue. I'm all Shopped out - havent even seen the movie :s.....yet......
	on December 23, 2010 cathy3087 98 said: Well I guess I'm the odd one out here because I'm all for more Shophaholic books! But I must say that the Shopaholic movie was horrendous! It really is because Kinsella (or should I say Wickham) is such a great chick lit author, I've yet to read one of her books that I didn't love!
	on December 23, 2010 mamaluv STAFF said: @jchang212 From Madeleine Wickham's wiki page (so, take w/ grain of salt!), it sounds like she just did it for a lark. Maybe she thought she could bargain better, who knows. But she submitted to her publishing house and only after they went for it did her identity come to light. It seems the general public only found out a few years ago, and she's been writing as SK for much longer than that.
	on December 23, 2010 Ali de Bold STAFF said: I have the book Room but haven't started reading it yet. That's next on my list!
	on December 23, 2010 Oendrila 997 said: I've heard nothing but praise for the Book of Awesome and am really excited to read it! As for the Shopaholic Series, I too was an early reader and find the books getting a bit redundant now. However, I'm always up for another SK book! Her writing is very descriptive and I feel that I can really connect with the characters. Her books are funny, witty, and the characters are hilariously ridiculous! Notice that all of the men in her books are dark haired, light eyed hotties...why do you think I moved to London?! lol
	on December 23, 2010 jchang212 106 said: I think the originals are always better... I don't know how much I want to read about Becky's daughter haha. @mamaluv, that's so interesting! is there a reason why she decided to use SK instead? Or was it only for the reason of having an alter ego?
	on December 23, 2010 mamaluv STAFF said: I have to be honest - I'm all Shopaholic'd out. I was one of the early readers of the series and am happy to leave it behind. It was hilarious and I love to reread the first few books, but I felt like she lost steam after a while. On a trivia note, Madeleine Wickham is actually Sophie Kinsella's real name! She started out as MW, then switched to SK and now is dabbling with both. There is a different feel to her two personas, so it is interesting to read but I feel her best material is written under SK. Her sister Gemma Townley is a decent chick lit author as well! And now I have to say it: the Book of Awesome looks awesome!
	on December 23, 2010 cathy3087 98 said: Jen there's a new book in the Shopaholic series out too called Mini Shopaholic. From the title, I gather that Becky Bloomwood's daughter inherits her mother's taste for the finer things in life. I can't wait to read it! I haven't read ROOM but I plan to grab a copy as soon as I get the time. I've heard such amazing things and the premise is really unique.