Dear reader, this last month was quite an interesting reading month for me. I dabbled in the Dark Romance genre that is highly popular right now. I finally, after all these years, read all The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books for the first time. I also read a thriller novel with a very unique premise that I was not sure I would like (spoiler alert: I was smitten by it!). I enjoy giving books a try that I may not normally pick up. Dear reader, please enjoy my offerings of books that may be a bit out of the ordinary. Perhaps you will also like to give one a try that is not on your usual reading menu.

Hooked by Emily McIntire

Have you looked at the book selections at Walmart and Target lately? If you have you will see that dark romance is all the rage right now. As a librarian, I am seeing these books coming through on a daily basis. Of course I am curious! I myself am attracted to the dark and spicy side of the bookshelves. The thing is, I just do not read romance often. The genre attracts me, but usually other books (thrillers, nonfiction, or The Dragonriders of Pern) get my attention first. Well, I told my usual To Read list to take a break and made a point to read Hooked.

I chose Hooked as I am a Disney nerd. I have also always rooted for Hook over Peter in the Peter Pan story so I was sold with Hook being the hero/love interest. Honestly, I did not expect much. I thought this would be a poorly written bit of fluff. To my surprise and delight it was really well written and good! I fell in love with the characters! James Hook was a complex character that ended up exploring issues of what childhood trauma does to a person. Wendy was loveable and quite relatable. I was emotionally invested! Hooked is very very loosely based off the Peter Pan story. It is not a fantasy. It takes place in the real world. Peter is an adult rich businessman who owns an airline company and is trying to get into the drug (Pixie Dust) trade. Wendy is his adult daughter who he ignores and treats like crap. Wendy was instantly likeable. She was unaware of her father’s illegal activities. She is trying to make a life for herself outside of the shadow of her rich and famous father. In trying to make that life, she ends up going with some friends to a nightclub called The Jolly Roger. . . .

The Jolly Roger is owned by the notorious James Hook. The town bad boy and heartthrob. Every girl wants him, but he will give none of them the time of day. (Yes, he just smolders. The accent does not hurt either.) Seeing Wendy on the security feed gives him a plan, a dark plan steeped in revenge. See, Peter killed James Hook’s parents and destroyed his life. Peter drove Hook into a life of darkness and crime. If he can get close to Wendy, Peter’s daughter, he can use her against Peter. What James Hook does not expect is to find that he may have a heart after all and he is falling for Wendy.

I highly recommend Hooked for all those Dark Fantasy fans out there! Click HERE to request Hooked from catalog!

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is considered by many to be a classic. After reading the series, I can see why! I just never got around to reading this book until now. When I was a child the movie came out. I remember renting it and turning it off pretty early in the movie. It was not the sci fi of Star Trek, Stargate, or Star Wars I was used to. To my teen mind it was rather absurd really. My husband HAS watched the whole movie and from comparing notes with him it is nothing like the book. Don’t get me wrong, the books are still absurd, but brilliantly, intellectually so! Don’t let the absurd fool you, these books are way deeper than expected.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy follows Arthur Dent, a human, who is dealing with trying to stop his house from being demolished to construct a new highway. Arthur soon discovers that this is the least of his problems when he is whisked away by his friend, Ford Prefect, to an alien spaceship. See, Ford has just been posing as a human. He is actually an alien who happens to write for the super popular guidebook The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The reason Ford whisked Arthur away is that the Earth was about to be destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass. (Ironic, I know. The whole book is filled with delightful irony.) This is the beginnings of a life of adventure for Ford and Arthur who are joined by Zaphod, Trillian, and Marvin the depressed robot. Together they cross time, space, and even universes on an unending adventure to discover the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. And what an adventure it was! I never knew what escapade our heroes would get up to next! I highly recommend this great series. I had so much fun! It may be one of my new favorites!

Click HERE to request The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy from our catalog!

Black Widows by Cate Quinn

For those of us who still prefer the library’s classic catalog, there is a special feature that the new catalog does not have: the most popular titles section. You can find this on the main page of the classic catalog just above where the new releases are posted. This section shows you what the majority of people are checking out. I get some of my reading recommendations from looking at this and it really is just fun to see what is trending in our library system. Well, that is where I saw that a ton of people are reading The Clinic by Cate Quinn. . . there has been quite a list on Libby for it. I am one of those on that list. So while I am awaiting my hold to come in, I thought I would give a different Cate Quinn book a try to see how she writes. Oh boy, she is good at writing mystery thriller! Black Widows was a wild ride full of twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat.

I was not sure if I would enjoy Black Widows as the main characters were involved in a polygamous relationship. Honestly, it was fascinating to see the relationship dynamics and added to the drama of the story. If you are looking for a thriller that is also full of drama then this one is for you! The situation: Blake lives with his three wives Rachel, Emily, and Tina in a farmhouse out in the desert. He is a prepper and has dragged his wives into it. Each wife comes with a past trauma. Rachel grew up in a cult and has buried her traumatic memories. Emily was raised by a strict Catholic mother and married Blake when she was 18 to get away. She is child-like in many ways which is a bit disturbing in her relationship with Blake. Tina was a former addict and prostitute who met Blake when he was a rehab counselor. Someone killed Blake. Each wife has a motive for murdering their husband. Did one of them do it or could Blake have been killed to protect a secret from Rachel’s past?

This thriller had it all. Mystery, atmosphere, drama, and the bonds of sisterhood. I could not put it down! Just when I thought I knew where the story was headed, another twist would come up. It sure kept me on my toes! I highly recommend this Black Widows and am looking forward to reading other books by this author.

Click HERE to place a request for Black Widows from or catalog!