A recent episode of the Bonnie Hunt Show featured George Lopez as a guest. As Bonnie interviewed George about his family life, the topic turned to kids, and the many conveniences and choices that are available to them today. As the conversation continued, it led to how things were when WE were kids. Our choices were limited to fried bologna to eat and Kool Aid to drink, with only two flavors to choose from, and they were both red.
Things have changed, I'll admit. A trip to the grocery store can be a visit to the state of confusion because of all the choices. Even choosing toothpaste feels like a test. Whiter teeth and fresher breath can be mine if I only choose the right one. Therein lies the confusion; do I want the added bonus of tartar control, extra whitening, fluoride, or do I have sensitive teeth that require extra ingredients? Soup is a study in confusion for me as well. They all boast the word "healthy." I bought a can of potato soup called, "Healthy Potato Soup." I bought it because I didn't want the unhealthy version of potato soup.
Take a break from the mind boggling parade of choices by visiting your local branch of JCPL, where the new adult fiction titles on the shelves can make your book shopping experience an adventure in choices that you'll actually enjoy!
In "Just Breathe" by Susan Wiggs, Sarah Moon works out the issues of her own life through the characters that she has created in her cartoon comic strip. While her personal life and marriage are falling apart, Sarah goes on hiatus to the small town in California where she grew up, reconnecting with her emotionally distant father and coming to terms with the loss of her marriage as she begins her life again, all the while, keeping her alter ego comic strip hero, Shirl, close at hand.
What starts out looking like a tragic drowning accident for Christina Haynes, the daughter of a popular U.S. Senator, ultimately turns into a murder investigation with well respected African American attorney, Rayne Martin, held as the chief suspect. "Undertow" by Sydney Bauer builds lies, deceit, and threats, one on top of another, taking unexpected twists and turns into the mysterious world of politics, creating page-turning suspense until the shocking finale.
Illicit love affairs with the wife and stepdaughter of his boss leave Cason Statler unemployed from his job at a prestigious Houston newspaper. Never a person to consider the possibility of staying politically correct, Cason struggles to find his place in the world. Latching on to a story about a young college student who mysteriously went missing six months before may be just the jump start that Cason's career needs in "Leather Maiden" by Joe R. Lansdale.
In th blink of an eye, the lives of the Churchill family are irrevocably changed when Kara Churchill, a high school student driving home one spring afternoon, goes through a crosswalk, striking and fatally injuring another young student. "The Rest of Her Life" by Laura Moriarty resonates with the deeply drawn lines that connect mothers and daughters, illuminating those relationships with real emotion and depth of feeling.
Eeny, meenie, miny, mo; that was the technically scientific method that we used as children to make choices, and when deluged with too much information, it sometimes still works for me today. But when you shop for a book at JCPL, you won't have to resort to any extreme approach. All you have to do is ask a staff member the magic question: Have you read anything good lately that you can recommend?
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