A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

You may be wondering, this is an adult book. Why is it here?  Well, I was doing a long-term subbing stint for a friend who teaches middle school English. In walks a student, a 7th grader who is an avid reader, with A Man Called Ove in hand. As I started to questioned her, she said. "MR.B! YOU MUST READ THIS!" And so I did.

Ove is a man who is very set in his ways, stubborn, and inflexible. He gets angry when his routine is broken. Early on, we discover he is trying to commit suicide. The love of his life, his wife Sonja, has passed away and he no longer feels that life is worth living. The ensuing chapters switch between interruptions that either prevent his suicide attempts, or disrupt his daily routine, and flashbacks that help us to understand his love for his wife, and why he is the man that he is. I don't like to give away too much; this book will make you laugh, make you cry, make you angry, make you overjoyed, and most of all will endear you to a man called Ove. Following is a passage, that moved me, and I found instantly relatable to my own life:

"Loving someone is like moving into a house. At first you fall in love with all the new things, amazed every morning that all this belongs to you, as if fearing that someone would suddenly come rushing in through the door to explain that a terrible mistake had been made, you weren’t actually supposed to live in a wonderful place like this. Then over the years the walls become weathered, the wood splinters here and there, and you start to love that house not so much because of all its perfection, but rather for its imperfections. You get to know all the nooks and crannies. How to avoid getting the key caught in the lock when it’s cold outside. Which of the floorboards flex slightly when one steps on them or exactly how to open the wardrobe doors without them creaking. These are the little secrets that make it your home.”

Mark's Book Picks Rating: 5

Reading Level: 6.1 • Interest Level: 9+ • Lexile Level: 870L • AR Points: 15
Publisher: Simon & Schuster • ISBN: 1-476-73802-5 • Available in Perma-Bound binding

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

I felt this adult best-seller might be of interest to our more mature readers. A murder-mystery-thriller involving the Priory Sion, and ancient secret society, and Opus Dei, a fundamental Catholic order. One of those can't put it down thrillers. While sex is implied, there are no direct scenes, and the language is relatively mild. If a reader can handle the length, and is interested in the subject matter, why not? There are two versions available, the regular hard back, and the illustrated version which shows all the art work mentioned in the book. I recommend the illustrated version if your knowledge of the arts is limited.
Reed Reads Score: 4.5