So, I read a lot. I had quite a few dry years as far as books were concerned...having 3 babies in 2 years and working full-time plus being a church youth director will do that to a person. But, one of the joys of working the night shift in a 19-bed hospital in the middle of Nowhere, Texas, is that you have time to read...a lot. This past year, thanks to this job and my kindle, I have been reading. A lot. One of my favorite things to do is to check out the free kindle books on Amazon and read them. (Free is my favorite). I have discovered a few authors I had never heard of before this way, and have some new favorites. I hadn't had my kindle long when I downloaded this book called Solitary, mostly because it had a cool cover and sounded like something I would like since it was about a teenager, and I am a youth-ministry sorta person. It was also put out by a Christian publisher, so I was good with that too. I read it in one night and had a hard time putting it down. When I realized it was part 1 of a series, I was so excited to see book 2, Gravestone was already out, so of course, I immediately downloaded it and read it the next night. You could say I was hooked. The Solitary Tales books are narrated by the main character, Chris Buckley, a teenager who is new to the town of Solitary, NC. He and his mother come to live there from Chicago, on the heels of his parents' divorce. What unfolds in this crazy and sinister town with an even scarier cast of characters leaves you laughing, crying, confused, captivated, and curious. (wow, that was almost an alliteration!) There are more twists and turns and unsolved mysteries than can be described here, but suffice it to say, there is an obvious battle going on between good and evil, and Chris finds himself right in the middle of it. There is romance, there is brokenness, there is humor, and there is hope. Book 3, Temptation, is set for release in April, but because I have a librarian friend who I guess has some sort of connections, I was able to get an advance copy and read it in its entirety last night. Wow. What a ridiculously, stinkin' amazing continuation to this series. I don't want to spoil anything, but let me say, it did not dissapoint. We continue to follow Chris through summer school in Solitary and the beginning of his Senior Year in high school, and some of the mysteries begin to unravel...and I stress "begin"--there is still much of the story to be told, I suspect, in book 4, and I hope, many questions which will still be answered. Temptation answers just enough questions to satiate the curiosity of the building questions, but leaves plenty yet unresolved and even brings up new questions. Book 4, Hurt is due out in January of 2013 (aaahhhh!!!! That would be an exasperated scream because that sure does seem like an awful long time to wait to hear the rest of the story!) I will write a legit-review on Temptation when it becomes available on Amazon, but for right now, this is my recommendation to read Solitary, Gravestone and Temptation! Of course, since I had many months to wait between Gravestone and Temptation, I set about to read more of Travis Thrasher's books, because well...they are just so good! I have now read everything of his that is available on the kindle and looking forward to what is next. I love his stories, because they are not predictable, and no two of them is alike...not even close! He is a believer, and thus writes from the vantage point of a believer, yet does it without being preachy, in-your-face, or cheesy. Cheesy seems to be pretty dominant in Christian entertainment, and that just drives me nuts. Travis Thrasher's stories are refreshing, because they are pretty much cheese-free. There are some crazy-funny parts in just about all of his books too, which is a big deal, because humor is a part of real life. The Solitary books, as serious, scary and suspensful as they are are laced throughout with some really, really funny stuff. It is also not lost on me that, like me, Mr. Thrasher is a child of the 80s with young kids, specifically twins. I think I just "get" some of what he writes because I identify with so much of it. So, for now, that is my recommendation, if you are looking for some good reads by a consistently engaging author. I have a couple of more I have discovered that I will share about in the weeks to come, but Travis Thrasher is my new favorite. You will not be dissapointed if you read his books, and the stories will stick with you--especially the Tales from Solitary!!
http://www.amazon.com/Temptation-Novel-Solitary-Travis-Thrasher/dp/1434764176/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1329875531&sr=8-8
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