Cafe Chaos -- Books

Welcome to Café Chaos. Grab a cup of coffee or tea (we prefer coffee) and join us for a chat. Every Thursday we’ll offer recommendations for book lovers. Feel free to comment on our picks or to throw in a few of your own. We’re listening!

SIS Barb says...
I read Beth's pick before writing my own and I want to touch on something she said. The only downfall I can think of to being a writer is that you no longer have the time or the freedom to read as often as you used to. I miss that. A lot. Maybe once I master better time management I can get back to reading more. I used to average 3 books a week. Now I'm lucky if I make it through 3 chapters in a week. With that being said...I do have a bazillion books in my house that I did read in my past life and my pick this week is one of those. Drum roll please!

My Pick of the Week: Hunting Fear (A Bishop/Special Crimes Unit Novel)
Kidnappings, ransom, psychics and romance. This book has it all. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire read. Some parts were disturbing--but in a good way. Noah Bishop has put together an elite group to solve crimes of an intense and disturbing variety. The entire series is great and incredibly well written. I chose Hunting Fear because it was the first book I read from this author and the one that got me hooked. Can't wait to read more!

Author: Kay Hooper

SIS Bren says...
I read mostly fiction. Mystery/ Suspense or Thrillers are my preference. But recently I picked up a book from one of my favorite authors thinking it was fiction since that is what he writes. To my surprise, it was his first non-fiction work and it was every bit as good as anything else I have read from him.

My Pick of the Week: The Innocent Man

I sat in disbelief as I read this book, thinking that nothing should ever go so wrong. To think that this sort of injustice could happen in America is disturbing. This book is an excellent read and when I had finished, it left me with such strong feelings of outrage and compassion.

In the major league draft of 1971, the first player chosen from the State of Oklahoma was Ron Williamson. When he signed with the Oakland A’s, he said goodbye to his hometown of Ada and left to pursue his dreams of big league glory.

Six years later he was back, his dreams broken by a bad arm and bad habits—drinking, drugs, and women. He began to show signs of mental illness. Unable to keep a job, he moved in with his mother and slept twenty hours a day on her sofa.

In 1982, a 21-year-old cocktail waitress in Ada named Debra Sue Carter was raped and murdered, and for five years the police could not solve the crime. For reasons that were never clear, they suspected Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. The two were finally arrested in 1987 and charged with capital murder.

With no physical evidence, the prosecution’s case was built on junk science and the testimony of jailhouse snitches and convicts. Dennis Fritz was found guilty and given a life sentence. Ron Williamson was sent to death row.If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you.

If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you.

Author: John Grisham

SIS Beth says…
Because of my hectic schedule, reading for pleasure is a luxury. Mostly I read for research. I think I own as many non-fiction books as fiction, and a good many of those books focus on the craft of writing.

My pick of the Week: The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes
I can’t tell you how many times this book has saved me. When I start writing a new story, I have a vague idea of who my hero and heroine are, what they do, what they’re like. As a seat of the pants writer, I’ve never been one for extensive character charts. Unfortunately, 75% of the time I reach a point in my story where I hit a brick wall. Sometimes it’s plot related. But often, it’s because I don’t know my hero or heroine well enough. More specifically flaws, virtues, qualities, etc. The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines explores 16 different archetypes, breaking men and women into categories I can easily visualize. For instance: The Charmer, The Bad Boy, The Warrior…. Or for women, The Free Spirit, The Seductress, The Waif… Follows explanations of what shaped their personality, what occupations they gravitate toward, how they behave, and… how they interact with one another. The writing is down to earth, enlightening, and draws on various movies (something that helps me) to make a point. I HIGHLY recommend this book for every writer.

Authors: Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders