We have all had them in our hands. We have all had trouble putting them down. They are books that get us so wrapped up in them that we just can’t put them downuntil we finish! Here are a few that had me in their hooks. What books did the same to you?
10 strangers invited to an isolated island and then stranded there. One killer slowly eliminating them one by one. I got so wild by the fifth murder that I couldn’t stand it anymore and flipped to the end. I will never do that again. Although doing so did not ruin the suspense for me as there was another trick up the author’s sleeve at the end, it did teach me to trust the author and enjoy the experience as it unfolds.
King’s first novel about the telepathic teen who is shunned and bullied at school and has to deal with one of those mothers-from-hell at home. Carrie’s revenge at the oh my god how could this be happening senior prom made me race on until I could finish to find out exactly how it was going to end.
Fellow staff members pestered me to read the first novel of this series as they each finished and raved about it. Didn’t sound like my type of book, but they kept after me until I took it on vacation one year. I couldn’t get past the first 75 pages. Shortly afterwards, the book hit the big time and had a huge reserve list of people waiting to read it. I tried it again the next year on vacation. Let me tell you, get past page 90 and you will see what everyone was talking about. It’s a great time travel book.
Before slasher movies, before everything had to be described or shown in gory detail, there was the terror of what was not seen and only imagined. Four strangers take up residence in a “haunted house” in order to study what may be the cause of the house’s reputation. There are two particular events that happen in this book that still give me the shudders…one of them making me be sure that my hand or foot is never protruding from my covers anymore.
The first in a series of books featuring a cast of characters living in a large rental in San Francisco in the 1970s as cultural and sexual change swept the nation. All were under the care of the mysterious Mrs. Anna Madrigal, the landlady of the building, who guided each of them as if they were her children. I became so enamored of this series and the characters that for years I did not read the sixth book which was supposed to be the last because I didn’t want it all to end and have to say goodbye to the characters. The author continued the series after a 17 year gap and came back with 3 more books. This time I went ahead and finished the series. What a gift.
By the way, aside from Outlander which hasn’t been completed yet, all of these page-turners were made into excellent movies. But as usual, go with the original movie and notthe re-make.
Scott Handville, Assistant Library Director
