Covers of Books I Love - A Challenge (Part II)

Remember that challenge my friend and I did on Facebook? Well, there's a reason I wasn't allowed to write why I loved those books (see Part I), so here are the final three books (plus a bonus fourth!) I featured on Facebook!

Quick Recap: Recently, a friend challenged me to one of those Facebook daily posts - seven days of posting the covers of books I love. No explanations. No reviews. Just seven pictures of books to promote literacy during the COVID-19 quarantine.

Because I'm a writer, I couldn't simply limit it to one blog post. There was just too much to say about the books I selected (because really, what self respecting book worm can actually pick just seven books they love?). So, here's the final three (plus one) book covers I love and the reasons I think everyone should at least give them a look.

First, here were my first four selections (in order of posting, not levels of love):

1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets/Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2. Cross by Heart and Hope to Spy

3. One for the Money

4. Angels and Demons

The Lincoln Lawyer (Michael Connelly)

An adult book! A real, serious adult book has appeared on the list! No dysfunctional family drama (though there is)! No boyfriend drama (though there is plenty of male-driven drama)! No spies, wizards or complicated, God-driven treasure hunts! A real, serious adult novel for the serious, full-grown adult.

My dad recommended "The Lincoln Lawyer" to me on a family vacation after I read three books in the first two days of our trip (apparently, I wasn't allowed to re-read Harry Potter for the eighth time in my life). I was 21 when this occurred and was fully engrossed in several James Patterson/serious adult book series. However, this was the first book I read from the lawyer's prospective of an investigation, and it was life altering to say the least. I spent the next two months (once we returned to civilization that is) researching high profile court cases and watched at least two documentaries on the OJ Simpson case. I do have to admit, I have not read the other books of the series, but they are in my ever-growing book pile (which will hopefully shrink during quarantine).

Trell (Dick Lehr)

I stumbled on "Trell" by complete accident, and I wasn't even the one who found it. My friend found it on a display in the Young Adult section of Barnes and Nobel, a place I avoided for years for fear of looking like a dork. This book, though, is far from your stereotypical young adult novel. Told from the point of view of 12 year-old Trell, the book follows the young girl's attempts to clear her father of a wrongful murder charge. To do so, she enlists the help of a "washed up" journalist (a fictional representation of Lehr, formerly a member of the famed Boston Globe Spotlight team) and a young yet determined lawyer. While "Trell" is often found in the local bookstore's Young Adult section, it is a true example that the Young Adult label doesn't simply apply to teenagers and high schoolers, though this book is a perfect bridge between the seemingly young "Young Adult" section and the supposedly more mature "Adult" part of the bookstore.

Mad River (John Sanford)

I'm a sucker for any fictional book that takes place in Minnesota. The Virgil Flowers series is no different. "Mad River" happens to be my favorite in the series (so far), but all of them are exceptional. Truly. The first book is titled "Dark of the Moon", and I recommend starting from the very beginning.

To quote the wonderful website "GoodReads, "Virgil Flowers, thrice-divorced, affable member of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), who reports to Lucas Davenport (of a different John Sanford series on my "To Read" list). In this particular novel, Virgil has to chase down a teenage Bonnie and Clyde on a murder spree through rural Minnesota, but again, START WITH ONE!

BONUS BOOK!

The Thief Lord (Cornelia Funke)

It's another thief book! I warned you all, I have a thing for thieves, and it probably started with this book. It was a "I'm waiting for the next Harry Potter book and need something to occupy my time" venture, and it got me hooked on Cornelia Funke as a writer. Thanks to "The Thief Lord", I devoured "Inkworld", "Inkspell" and "Inkdeath" three times each, which I will probably write about in an upcoming post.

"The Thief Lord" has everything you could want in a con artist book for teens: orphaned brothers wandering the streets of Venice, a motley crew of teenage thieves, cruel relatives, bumbling detectives and long forgotten treasure with the power to change time itself. It's a true young adult novel and a quick read, but it's worth every second, even if you manage to read it in under two hours (not that yours truly has ever done that...).