Three good reads for the cold winter days coming up!

Yes, the cold weather is beginning to settle around us here in central Illinois...we have been so lucky so far...even Thanksgiving day was in the 60's, but a cold wind blew in and it has been cold ever since!  The last three books that I have read are good ones for those cold winter days (and nights) coming up...all three are fairly easy, quick reads that will keep your attention!

The first one is Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon.  This book had been presented, but not chosen at one of my book groups, but it sounded intriguing, so I suggested it for my other book group and we decided to read it.  It is basically three stories that don't really begin to tie into each other until near the end of the book.The first chapter introduces Ryan and his father Jay.  The second chapter introduces George and his girlfriend Lucy. And the third chapter tells of Miles and his twin brother Hayden. From then on, each chapter is about one of the three stories.  I have to admit that I only figured out half the mystery of the book!  It made for a great discussion!

Await Your Reply is about re-inventing one's self, over and over.  It is about identities.  It is a mystery.  The author does a quite skillful job of creating confusion and wonder as you read.  I enjoyed this book very much and am hoping that the ending means that a sequel may be in the works!

Once Upon A River by Bonnie Jo Campbell was chosen by my book group for our November meeting.  I also enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by the author.  The heroine of the story is Margo Crane, a sixteen year old whose mother took off one day and never returned.  Margo and her father remained on the river where they lived, until one day Margo is raped by her uncle.  That led quickly to the violent death of her father.  Margo was raised on the Stark River in rural Michigan and that was the only life that she knew and chose to live. After the death of her father, Margo set out to find her missing mother.  However, she had few leads and no one to rely on to help her.  She used her hunting and fishing skills to survive as she searched up the river for her mother.  Margo is a very strong female character, who seemed to have a kind of feral sense of survival.  She was a character who I ended up admiring, even though I didn't agree with some of her choices.  Good book.

And lastly, I read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  Talk about some messed up people and choices that they make!  This is a good mystery, although I have to admit it wasn't until about half way through the book that I got real interested in the story.  But after that, I couldn't put it down!  It's another mystery.  On their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappeared and by all evidence it appeared that her husband Nick killed her.  Each chapter ended with a new piece of evidence, theory or fact about the case. The story is an interesting case-study in relationships gone bad.  It was a fun read.

 My wish for you: Good reading this winter!