Ghosts I Have Been by Richard Peck

Blossom Culp is an outcast in her town, born on the wrong side of the tracks. Her mother has the sixth sense, as do all the women in her family; all the women, except for Blossom... as far as she knows.

After defending a classmate from school bullies, Blossom is brought (more like dragged) into the “Sunny Thoughts and Busy Fingers” club, much to the chagrin of the current members—all of whom have a much higher social standing than Blossom. After being challenged by the group, Blossom attempts to save face by telling them she has her mother’s gift. She solidifies this lie using a little cunning and wit, but soon it becomes apparent that she really has inherited second sight; she can see and talk to ghosts. And she’s not alone!

At first, Blossom uses her abilities to help local ghosts with their “unfinished business” and move on. However, things drastically change when she suddenly has a vision of the sinking of the Titanic from a year before. She views the accident like a spectator on the ship, and now she knows a terrible secret.  Instantly, Blossom is on a quest to help a frightened and abandoned young ghost find justice so he can have finally rest in peace.

Richard Peck skillfully weaves together historical facts with paranormal fiction in this stimulating page-turner. You will easily disappear into the world of Blossom Culp as you follow her adventures and her quest to right the wrongs for one young passenger of the doomed cruise liner.

Ghosts I Have Been is the second book in the Blossom Culp series, but it easily stands alone. Check it out today and discover the secrets laying at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean.

If you like spine tingling stories, try The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn, or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz.

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Terrier by Tamora Pierce

Terrier dogs are small, wiry, and fearless. Bred to dig for and control rodents; once they have a scent, nothing can stop a terrier from catching its prey. This is Beka Cooper.

Beka is a new recruit in the Provost’s Guard—the local law enforcement—assigned to the Lower City. As a rookie, she has been paired with two of the best senior guards on the force, Clara Goodwin and Matthias Tunstall.

Beka proved her talents for catching criminals at the age of eight, when she tailed and reported a dangerous man who beat her mother and robbed her family. Unfortunately, Beka is shy. Incredibly and painfully shy. And that’s a problem when you’re enforcing the law on one of the toughest beats in Corus. Beka works hard to overcome her shyness, and when the chips are down she shows herself to be the terrier she really is.

But Beka’s beat is about to become even tougher. Children are being murdered; men are going missing; and it’s left to Beka to sort things out. Fortunately, she has friends on her side in both the criminal and law-enforcing worlds, and they’re willing to help however they can.

Tamora Pierce weaves yet another masterful story with a strong female protagonist with Terrier, the first book in the Beka Cooper trilogy. If you enjoy Tamora Pierce’s Terrier, try First Test from her series Protector of the Small. These series and more are available at the Virginia Beach Public Library.

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Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

I am a firm believer that the reader can make or break an audio book. In this instance, she makes it and so much more! Carrie Fisher performs her own autobiography, Wishful Drinking, and life has never been funnier! Wishful Drinking is an adaptation of her one-woman stage show by the same title in which Carrie discusses life as—what she calls—the product of Hollywood in-breeding.

Fisher talks about the quirks of growing up as the child of Hollywood royalty, the drama of coming to age on the set of Star Wars, and the shock of finding out the father of her child forgot to tell her he was gay. Fisher’s dry humor and frank attitude make even the most tragic situations humorous.

I cannot begin to explain how wonderfully Fisher performs as the narrator of her audio book. No one can tell her stories quite the way that she can, and with good reason! If you have ever been curious about the girl behind the iconic hairstyle—and even if you haven’t—this read will shock, delight, and enlighten you.

If you’re looking for more honest, witty— sometimes irreverent—memoirs, check out Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda and Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, available at the Virginia Beach Public Library.

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The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Sometimes you fall in love with the movie. Sometimes you fall in love with the book. And sometimes you are swept off your feet by both!

I first fell in love with The Princess Bride watching the movie as a child. My VHS tape wore itself out from being rewound and replayed over and over again. So when I discovered Goldman’s abridgment of S. Morgenstern’s classic, I was more than a little skeptical. How could any book live up to the wonder of my beloved film? Boy was I wrong! Not only did the book hold all the magic of my favorite movie, but it offered me more insight into my favorite characters.

The Princess Bride is the story of a peasant girl named Buttercup, who—devastated by the loss of her true love—finds herself swept up into the world of royalty when the prince of Florin chooses her to be his bride. On the brink of war, Guilder sends a gang of criminals to abduct and murder the princess. Buttercup finds herself rescued by a masked man. The same masked man who killed her true love! But nothing is as it seems and even more sinister motives are revealed as the time for Buttercup’s royal wedding approaches.

This edition takes an even deeper look at the story as William Goldman interjects with notes and anecdotes taken from his time researching this famous story. The book also harbors a brilliant literary twist… but you’ll have to read it to find out about that!

If you enjoy this classic tale of romance and adventure, try Beastly by Alex Flinn or Howls Moving Castleby Diana Wynne Jones. These books and more are available at the Virginia Beach Public Library.

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