Chapter 40 - All I Want For Christmas

There are so many books being published this time of year as Christmas is the best time to give books (of course my grandchildren don't think so)! Last week I told you about some really cool reader gifts to check out. By the way, if you are visiting North Myrtle Beach anytime soon, Mindy the new owner of Bookends has some great reader gift ideas in the store. (No, she did not pay me to say that!)

Here are some terrific new reads just out for the holidays. You will notice there are some new authors in the mix as well as some of the old favorites.

Long Shadows by David Baldacci - This is number 7 in Baldacci's Amos Decker series. If you or your favorite book lover have not been following along, Amos Decker is a former football player turned detective who has some uncanny abilities. Long Shadows takes him to Florida to solve the murder of a judge and her bodyguard. The Memory Man series might be a good one to get someone started on.

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell - The latest Lisa Jewell is a standalone sequel to The Family Upstairs. There are a lot of moving parts in this one - discovery of bones related to a 30 year old cold case, a dead man in the basement of his French home, and an elusive man, a memory from the past. This one plus the paperback version of The Family Upstairs would be a great combo for your favorite book lover.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware - In my opinion Ruth Ware books just continue to get better with every one she writes. The It Girl is about a group of friends who met at Oxford in their first year there but by the end of the year, one of them is dead. Ten years later, as two of the friends are getting ready to have their first child, the man convicted of the murder has died in prison and a journalist contacts them with evidence that the convicted man may not have been the murderer. Lots of twists and turns in this one.

Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks - Three very different people meet in this tale of second chances and what people will do for someone they love. Sparks has started to put a little mystery in his relationship novels which seem to make them all the more interesting. Surely someone you know is a Nicholas Sparks fan and would love his latest.

Boys From Biloxi: A Legal Thriller by John Grisham - Grisham returns to Mississippi for his latest about two friends who grew up together but entirely different paths in life. One becomes a prosecutor and the other a crime boss. The showdown between the two is inevitably in the courtroom, as only Grisham can do.

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Carrie Soto is a tennis star who has more Slams than any other. Six years after her retirement she is watching Nicki Chan reaching for her record. Carrie is determined that this won't happen and decides to get back in the game and defend her record. A good book for all your friends who love sports - especially tennis - and for those who enjoy relationship books.

The Winners by Fredrik Backman - Finishing up the Beartown trilogy, this book is pure Backman. A autumn storm damages the hockey arena of nearby Beartown rival Hed and Beartown must share its resources with Hed. There is intrigue and friendship as well as a little romance in this new story which closes out the trilogy well.

And Then There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by Jon Meacham - This new biography by Meacham identifies Lincoln as not only a calculating politician but also as an imperfect man whose moral imperative was the dissolution of slavery. Worth reading as it is not the same old Lincoln biography.

Hollywood: The Oral History by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wesson - Here is the real story of Hollywood as told by those who were there. The stories are taken from The American Film Institute archives and include information from almost 3,000 interviews from actors as well as those who were behind the scenes. This is a great book for any film buff.

Do you have any new book suggestions for Christmas gifting? Please share!