Six Picks : Books to Read Now That ‘Breaking Bad’ is Over

breakingLooking for something to fill the void now that ‘Breaking Bad‘ is over?  Here are six titles that should keep you entertained.

dragon tattooThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Forty years after the disappearance of Harriet Vanger from the secluded island owned and inhabited by her powerful family, her uncle, convinced that she had been murdered by someone from her own deeply dysfunctional clan, hires journalist Mikael Blomqvist and Lisbeth Salander, an unconventional young hacker, to investigate.

JacketDifficult Men : behind the scenes of a creative revolution : from the Sopranos and the Wire to Mad men and Breaking bad  by Brett Martin. The new golden age of television drama—addictive, dark, suspenseful, complex, morally murky—is chronicled in Brett Martin’s Difficult Men. This group portrait of the guys who made The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Deadwood, Mad Men and Breaking Bad is a deeply reported, tough-minded, revelatory account of what goes on not just in the writers’ room but in the writer’s head—the thousand decisions fueled by genius, ego, instinct, and anger that lead to the making of a great TV show.

no countryNo Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. One day, a good old boy named Llewellyn Moss finds a pickup truck surrounded by a bodyguard of dead men. A load of heroin and two million dollars in cash are still in the back. When Moss takes the money, he sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic violence that not even the law–in the person of aging, disillusioned Sheriff Bell–can contain.

fightFight Club by Chuck Palanuik. The rise of a terrorist organization, led by a waiter who enjoys spitting in people’s soup. He starts a fighting club, where men bash each other, and the club quickly gains in popularity. It becomes the springboard for a movement devoted to destruction for destruction’s sake.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. Probably most famous for the gritty depiction of a gang of Scottish Heroin addicts,  Welsh’s controversial first novel  focuses on the darker side of human nature and drug use.

Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell. Ree Dolly’s father has skipped bail on charges that he ran a crystal meth lab, and the Dollys will lose their house if he doesn’t show up for his next court date. With two young brothers depending on her, 16-year-old Ree knows she has to bring her father back, dead or alive. As an unsettling revelation lurks, Ree discovers unforeseen depths in herself and in a family network that protects its own at any cost.

Fifty Shades of Grey’s New Lead Actor

 

Jamie Dornan

Jamie Dornan

Jamie Dornan will portray Christian Grey in the movie version of Fifty Shades of GreyThe 31 year old actor currently stars on ABC’S “Once Upon A Time”.   He was also a former Calvin Klein underwear model.  The role originally called for a salary of $125,000 – which is quite low for this type of high profile part.  Negotiations are still underway, so time will tell if Dornan will be able to command a higher salary.50

Linda Reads: The Christmas He Loved Her by Juliana Stone

This is book two of the series The Bad Boys of Crystal Lake.  You can read about book one, The Summer He Came Home, here.

Jesse Edwards was killed in Afghanistan and his widow, Raine, is having a very difficult time coping with his death.  Having an equally hard time is Jesse’s fraternal twin, Jake, who served with Jesse and was there when Jesse was killed.  What complicates the situation even more, Jesse, Jake and Raine were best friends growing up together.  Raine loved both brothers in different ways, but chose Jesse to marry – leaving Jake heartbroken.   Because he can’t come to terms with Jesse’s death and he can’t face Raine, Jake stays away from Crystal Lake.  Eighteen months go by before he has the courage to come home for Christmas.

Raine Edwards is barely coping with her husband Jesse’s death.  She’s depressed and isolates herself from everyone.  Jake is her best friend and she can’t understand why he is avoiding coming home to help her through her grief.  When he finally does comes home, Raine is angry, hurt and confused.

This book is an emotional roller coaster that follows Jake and Raine from a childhood friendship to devastating grief and through every emotion imaginable until they find love.

The Christmas He Loved Her isn’t your typical Christmas story.  The grief and pain of these two characters tears at your heart.  Even though they are surrounded by family, friends and the whole town of Crystal Lake, their struggle is heart wrenching.  But love has amazing healing powers and their journey is a very enjoyable read!

Romance Author Jill Shalvis Talks “Alpha Males”

Jill Shalvis

Jill Shalvis

New York Times and USA Today bestseller Jill Shalvis is the award winning author of over four dozen romance novels, including her sexy contemporary and award winning Lucky Harbor series.  Forever and a Day was one of Amazon’s Top Romances for 2012). She won a Rita for Simply Irresistible and is a 3-time National Readers Choice winner as well.  She also has one of the best author websites that includes her wonderfully entertaining and hilarious blog.  She posts everyday and it is well worth your time to check it out.

On October 16th, Ms. Shalvis was a guest contributor to the Huffington Post’s Book section with her list of her favorite “alpha males” in fiction.  Of course her number one alpha male is her husband, but her list includes some good picks.  How many do you agree with!

1.  Roarke – From JD Robb’s In Death series

2.  Jamie – Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

3.  Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

4.  Hawk from Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley

5.  Wrath from Dark Lover by JR Ward

6.  Wolf from Mackenzie’s Mountain by Linda Howard

7.  Piers Yelverton from When Beauty Tamed The Beast by Eloisa James

8.  Archangel Raphael from Nalini Singh’s “Angelseries

9.  Nick Allegrezza from Truly Madly Yours by Rachel GIbson

10.  Ranger from Janet Evanovich’s “Stephanie Plumseries.

Today Show Book Club Picks Its Second Book

The Today Show announced on October 16 their new selection for their book club, Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. 

In a triumphant return after fourteen years of silence, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is timely, tender, touching, page-turning, witty, wise, outrageous, and bloody hilarious.  Bridget Jones stumbles through the challenges of loss, single motherhood, tweeting, texting, technology,and rediscovering her sexuality.

Helen Fielding

Helen Fielding

The “Today” selections, chosen every four to five weeks, will have stickers on their covers indicating their inclusion in the club. The books, chosen by a team of producers and the show’s co-hosts, will include both fiction and nonfiction, newly released titles and classics. Discussion groups and excerpts will be featured online.