What do book lovers have queued up on their nightstands and ready to read before lights-out? We asked a few of them, and here’s what they said.
Sarah Pekkanen:
Teetering on my nightstand is a tall stack of soon-to-be published novels; one of the perks of my job is getting a sneak peek at upcoming books and the chance to offer a blurb for the cover jacket.
Recently, I tore through The Sweetheart Deal by Polly Dugan (which will be published in May) and was captivated by the surprising twists and the quiet strength of the heroine, a widow and single mother.
I also just read Mating for Life by Marissa Stapley and found it so atmospheric. It's the tale of a family of women, each at a crossroads, who come together at a lake house during a turbulent summer. Sometimes you just sink into a book like it's a warm bath, and I had that feeling upon reading this novel.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, is next up in my stack. My publicist asked me if I liked the movie "Up," and when I said I adored it, she sent me this book and told me I had to read it. It made her cry, she said, but in the best possible way. Since she reads a ton of books, I take her recommendations seriously.
My son recommended the novel It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini to me, and it's very engrossing. The book is narrated by a high-school student suffering from deep depression, and it's impossible not to root for this character. One of the best things about having kids who are old enough to read is being able to share books and discuss them; it gives me insight into what my children are thinking and feeling.
Sarah Pekkanen is the bestselling author of The Opposite of Me, Skipping a Beat, These Girls, The Best of Us, and Catching Air. Her sixth novel, Things You Won’t Say, comes out in May. Pekkanen and her family live in the Washington, DC, area.
Janet Roach:
Diabetic Living: Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication. So I've always seen these types of magazines in the grocery-store checkout aisle and never paid them any attention. Then suddenly, three weeks ago, out of nowhere, my 8-year-old son is diagnosed with Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes. Huh? So random! You mean the healthy little boy who doesn't even eat his Halloween candy and wins the Christmas Town 8K? So I read and learn. He can get a medical alert tattoo. The FDA has approved Afrezza, a rapid-acting insulin that's inhaled. And mmmmmm...that chipotle-ranch chicken casserole recipe looks really good. Maybe I'll try it.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Okay, so I read it before the movie came out, saw the film, and now I'm checking out the book again. Flynn's dark portrayal of a spoiled, bored, and bi-polarish (is that word?) housewife is a tale that's hard to put down. Yes, the book is better than the movie. Please tell me Amy isn't going to get away with that outrageous set-up. Sequel, sequel, sequel!
Mom and Me and Mom by Maya Angelou. What a fascinating glimpse into how one of the greatest poets and authors of our time came to be! We learn so much about Angelou as she chronicles her complicated relationship with her mother. In the end, it's a mother-daughter love story, published before Angelou's 85th birthday in 2013.
Janet Roach is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and two-time Edward R. Murrow Award recipient. She is co-anchor of WVEC ABC 13News Now at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. weekdays in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Jon Thorsen:
I love to read, but with a day job, a time-consuming wine hobby, a wife, and three young kids, I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew. The result is half-read books on all sorts of different topics lying around everywhere. Someday, I'll finish them all, but for now, I just grab a few pages when I can. Here's what I'm into at the moment:
Michael Connelly’s The Drop. I'm a huge fan of Connelly, and his Harry Bosch series in particular, but I've got some catching up to do!
Kevin DeYoung’s Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will OR How to Make A Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing In The Sky, Etc. A fantastic book for Christians that I like to re-read every once in a while. One of those books you wish you read when you were a lot younger.
Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine, 3rd Edition. I'm not really so much reading this one all the way through as just using it as my go-to reference book for anything and everything wine-related. Every wine lover should own a copy.
Neal Bascomb’s Red Mutiny: Eleven Fateful Days on the Battleship Potemkin. As a huge fan of Hunting Eichmann and The Perfect Mile, I'm now going back and reading some of Bascomb's earlier works.
ESV Study Bible. A Bible is just a Bible, you say? Well, to some extent, yes, but this literal translation is packed with excellent study notes, maps, timelines, and all kinds of goodies to help you understand the text.
Jon Thorsen is a wine lover helping other wine lovers find great grapes without breaking the bank. His website, the Reverse Wine Snob, has grown into one of the most popular wine sites on the Internet and has a massive social-media following. The website is ranked in the top five on the list of most influential sites in the wine industry, and Thorsen is ranked as a top-five influencer. He is the author of the forthcoming book Reverse Wine Snob: How to Buy and Drink Great Wine without Breaking the Bank. He lives in Shakopee, Minnesota.
Know anyone you'd like to see participate in Bedtime Stories? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
