Fall Reads

We’re kicking off the fall reading season with something for all literary tastes. All titles are available at The Coffee Shelf, where coffee, culture and community come together.

Sponsored by The Coffee Shelf (803-932-2660 | 130 Amicks Ferry Rd, Chapin, SC 29036)

The Book Thief 

by Markus Zusak
“The Book Thief” is the unforgettable story of illiterate and orphaned Liesel Meminger, set in 1939 Germany and narrated by Death. As a storyteller, Death may sound morbid and off-putting, but it’s an ingenious literary device and his perspective is powerfully-unique. It’s a rarity to come across a World War II historic fiction novel detailing German families who resisted Hitler. Some Germans resisted in quiet, subtle ways while others took big, risky steps to help others. In this story, Liesel and her family demonstrate resistance to evil by the use of books and words to bring comfort during bomb raids and to help heal the devastating effects of war.  “The Book Thief” is a modern literary masterpiece and is recommended to anyone who appreciates the impact of an expertly woven story and hauntingly-memorable characters.

The Gifted School 

by Bruce Holsinger
It’s a fun, fictional case of art imitating life when characters in “The Gifted School” try to guarantee their children gain admittance to a prestigious school. Crystal, Colorado is an ideal place to live, work, and raise a family. When the local school district presents a plan to open a public magnet school geared exclusively toward exceptionally gifted students in the surrounding four-county area, the ideal community begins to unravel. “The Gifted School” is the story of four families and their decade long friendship. Over the years they’ve supported each other through marital strife, financial drama, professional ups and downs, and tragedy. They are deeply committed friends, however, the competition of insuring their high-achieving and privileged children are accepted into the elite Crystal Academy brings out the worst. This novel is clever and engaging with fabulously-entitled and obnoxious characters you will enjoy getting to know. 

The One and Only Ivan  

by K. A. Applegate
Ivan is a western lowland silverback gorilla who was captured in the Congo as a baby. Now he lives at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade where people pay to watch him in his glass cage. Ivan has no idea what it means to be a gorilla and live in a jungle. He occupies himself with television, painting and talking with his two friends, an old elephant Stella and Bob, a stray dog. Things are fairly ordinary, until baby elephant Ruby shows up. This touching and inspiring story is written from Ivan’s perspective and the beautiful illustrations by Patricia Castelao are the perfect accompaniment to this classic tale of friendship. Newbery Award winner and #1 New York Times bestseller, “The One and Only Ivan,” is based on a real-life gorilla named Ivan who lived in a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington for 27 years. The heartwarming story is for the young and young-at-heart and would make a wonderful treat for a special reader in your life.

Recursion 

by Blake Crouch
Blake Crouch’s best-selling “Recursion” is the perfect dip into science-fiction, but it’s also a gripping thriller. The story centers around Barry, a divorced New York City cop investigating recent phenomena called False Memory Syndrome. This unusual condition gives victims memories of a life they did not live. He is also a troubled man struggling to cope with a long-ago, accidental death of his daughter.  In the meantime, a neurophysicist is desperately trying to develop technology to enable people to preserve their memories, with her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis being the chief motivator. Barry and Helena cross paths and the story takes a wild turn. The plot is fast-paced and the characters are so believable, the reader almost forgets he is reading about technical scientific terms and time travel.  It’s worth noting, Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes is adapting “Recursion” as a Netflix movie and a television series.

Visit BetsyTheBookWhisperer.com for more book reviews by Betsy Crawford.