Editor’s note: The Texas Lawbook is pleased to launch this new column in partnership with Texas-based Half Price Books sharing our readers’ favorite reads. “My Five Favorite Books” will publish every other Wednesday. Please email brooks.igo@texaslawbook.net for more information.
Pulling this list together was harder than expected. My book choices vary greatly — from chick lit rom-coms to biographies to thrillers. I love a book that doesn’t make me think. I’m a lawyer — I have to think a lot. So it’s sometimes nice to just read something light and mindless.
That said, what this exercise taught me is that I am really drawn to books that weave storylines together and pull me in enough that I get to the “just one more chapter” stage. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. And, if you happen to come by Half Price Books’ flagship store in Dallas to grab one of these books, let me know! My office is right upstairs.
Having grown up on Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys mysteries, these first two books are the thriller genre that I love so much, and they both kept me up late at night wanting to know what was going to happen next.
Tell No One, by Harlan Coben
In traditional Harlan Coben style, this book is a fast read with twists and turns throughout. Whether I am reading a book or watching a movie/television show, I usually end up throwing my finger in the air and exclaiming “I knew it!” at some point. I actually did that while reading this book — until the next twist came and proved me wrong.
Coben is a master at creating multiple storylines and propelling each story forward until they intersect with a sonic boom. The attention to detail in this book is impressive, too, as nothing is left undone. (He even told us how the dog is being cared for while the central character is otherwise engaged. If you’re like me, that matters.) I have been a fan of Harlan Coben’s books and his Netflix limited series’ for a while, but Tell No One was, in my humble opinion, his best work to date.
For more information or to purchase this book, click the cover below.
Famous Last Words, by Gillian McAllister
Much like Tell No One, McAllister’s Famous Last Words had me fooled until the end.
The books starts out with a bang, literally, when the main character, Camilla, learns that her husband is caught up in a hostage situation. He is not a hostage, however. He is the gunman! With storylines told from multiple perspectives and plot twists that don’t seem to “fit” until they suddenly make sense, this book drew me in from the beginning and kept me there until the end.
McAllister is genuine in her writing about the characters, however flawed they may be. This is not simply a whodunit. It also explores the ripple effect that one moment in time can trigger. As a book club recommendation, Famous Last Words did not disappoint.
For more information or to purchase this book, click the cover below.
Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens
Yes, this book lived up to the hype. I didn’t watch the movie because I didn’t want to ruin the incredible imagery that Delia Owens created through her storytelling. I could picture the swamp and the house and the characters, and I could feel the emotion in the writing. It is said that good writing can transport you, and that is what Where the Crawdads Sing did for me.
Owens kept readers on their toes by flip-flopping between storylines with each chapter being set in a different year. Some chapters outline the backstory and some are current day, piecing together two distinct stories that intertwine over time. In the end, readers experience every aspect the life of Kya, the central character. The mystery is solved, the love story comes full circle, and this particular reader was left content.
Fun fact: Delia Owens is a zoologist by trade, so her beautiful descriptions of nature and nature’s creatures throughout the book are largely based on her personal studies.
For more information or to purchase this book, click the cover below.
This Dog Will Change Your Life, by Elias Friedman (aka The Dogist)
If you know me even a little bit, you know that I am a huge dog lover. (See my concern about the dog in Tell No One above.) Elias Friedman, aka The Dogist, is a social media sensation who walks the streets of New York City (and sometimes other locations) to photograph dogs and to learn about their stories. In this book, Friedman introduces readers to the dogs that he has known personally and the dogs that he has met through his work as The Dogist, and he uses those experiences to demonstrate the transformative effects that dogs and their humans have on each other.
Companionship with a dog changes people. I, for one, can attest to that. While some dogs are trained as therapy dogs, Friedman delves into the connections between dogs and their humans, both anecdotally and scientifically, ultimately revealing that all dogs are therapy dogs in some way.
This book is sweet. It’s poignant. It’s a feel-good book that literally made me smile and hug my dogs.
For more information or to purchase this book, click the cover below.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom
An oldie but goodie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven had such an impact on me that it remains one of my favorites. Starting at the end of the life of the main character, Eddie, this book illustrates the significance of one’s existence through the five people he meets in the afterlife. Weaving the stories of Eddie’s life experiences to show how they affected him long-term, this book reveals that there are no random occurrences. Each event is connected to another, we just don’t always understand how until we examine our life as a whole. Thoughtful in his approach, Mitch Albom provides a sense of peace in this book, and it was certainly worth my time.
For more information or to purchase this book, click the cover below.
Jennifer Rodriguez is the head of legal at Texas-based Half Price Books.
