While I love the regular, consistent lines of text on a white page layout,
books
that experiment with other layouts and ways of storytelling are fascinating. By
this, I mean books that use journal entries, emails, random documents,
incorporate photos, and even transcriptions of tape recordings. I especially
love this mixed media idea with stories that have a high level of suspense (and
thus might have fictional files of police accounts and the like). Not only does
this add a different level to the story, but I almost feel as if I read these
quicker since my mind is jumping around from the different medias.
If you’re a fan of these kinds of books, or even if you’re new to them, you are
in luck because there have been several excellent recent releases of books
that
don’t follow the standard format. Below are three that I’ve either read or
thought looked exciting.
Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming
the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to
disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, "the girl of nowhere."
Kaitlyn's diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the
thoughts
of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that
took place that tragic night, and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center
of
it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn't exist, and in a way, she doesn't -
because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson.
Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It's during the night that a mystery
surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives
of
each student that dares touch it.
Debut author Dawn Kurtagich masterfully weaves together a thrilling and
terrifying story using psychiatric reports, witness testimonials, video
footage,
and the discovered diary - and as the mystery grows, the horrifying truth about
what happened that night unfolds.
About:
Time is running out for the Peculiar Children.
With a dangerous madman on the
loose and their beloved Miss Peregrine still in danger, Jacob Portman and Emma
Bloom are forced to stage the most daring of rescue missions. They’ll travel
through a war-torn landscape, meet new allies, and face greater dangers than
ever. . . .
Will Jacob come into his own as the hero his fellow Peculiars know
him to be? This action-packed adventure features more than 50 all-new Peculiar
photographs.
About:
This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d
have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.
The year is 2575, and two
rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an
ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn
the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—
who
are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto one of
the evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems
are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with
terrifying results; the fleet’s AI, which should be protecting them, may
actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on.
As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one
person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d
never speak to again.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked
documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports,
interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping,
high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the
courage
of everyday heroes.
My TBR list is really getting long, thanks to these columns!! lol I have now found more books to add to my list, although this time, not all of them are books that I would read. Thank you for finding these morsels, and bringing them to our attention!! You save us a lot of legwork. (Peggy Roberson 10:46am November 6, 2015)
I haven't read the latest Ransom Riggs' book but that series is wonderful. And oh, ILLUMINAE is one I just recently read and it is my top read for the year, maybe one of my top reads ever!!! (Debbie Wiley 3:59pm November 6, 2015)