Psychological Thrillers

Ever since I found Freida McFadden, I have become obsessed with reading her books. I love the way she writes. She has a way about her writing that sucks you into the story and makes it hard to put the book down. You fall into the character's life and develop great anticipation for their journey. She is great at throwing several plot twists and keeps you guessing until the end. After reading "Never Lie", I have dug deep into her book list and totally through out my TBR list I had for June. ( I stuck with the thriller theme though!) Here is what I have read so far and have loved all of them too!

Never Lie

The Housemaid

The Housemaid's Secret

One by One

"Never Lie" By: Freida McFadden

This psychological thriller,"Never Lie", is one of the best I've read in a while. I was surprised at how it hooked me. The author provides detailed writing that flows and allows your brain to sink into the story as if you are there. The plot line has a young couple, who have only known each other a short time but who are married, go looking at a house showing only to be ended up stranded there due to a horrible snow storm. The wife finds interest in the possessions around the house like recorded tapes of therapy sessions, and the husband is walking around as if he already owns the place. Things spiral quickly but the plot twist will get you thinking you know what is about to happen but you won't guess it!

This page turner will have you thirsty for more and in that case, I highly recommend more of Freida's books including "The Handmaid" and "The Handmaid's Secret".

Why Reading Matters

Reading for me is a calm and pleasurable activity. It allows my mind to be carried away on someone else's' adventure. There are people to meet, places to go and no worries for me along the way. In my waking moments of life, I suffer from so much anxiety, it can be very hard to relax. My brain and body are so tired at the end of the day that there isn't much room for more. But when I read, I feel exhilarated. I feel at peace and comfortable. I love finding a cozy spot and snuggling up with my cat or dog and reading a good book.

It pains me when someone says they do not like reading or they can't understand how people can do it. The teacher side of my brain goes right to, well maybe they are a struggling reader or they have a disability, thats understandable. But honestly its almost even more of a reason to read. Reading allows your brain to work in such a different way and science proves that it helps us become better with vocabulary, emotional intelligence, aging of the brain and overall our well being. There are so many benefits. So when someone tells me they don't read, I wonder also about the fact that maybe they just haven't found something they like. That is a more common factor when I dig deeper into the conversation. I can promise you, there is something out there for everyone. There are so many different kinds of reading templates out there to try.

Get this, even audio books are considered reading! The brain has to do very similar work as looking at a book or listening to a book so researchers say it's the same! So maybe audio books are your thing! If you have never tried it before, I highly recommended it! Audio books have the extra benefit of multi-tasking while reading. Audio books are great for car rides, showers or folding the laundry. There really are no excuses for not doing something. We humans are just lazy. Or sometimes, we just don't thing outside of the box. We don't break the habits of our normal schedules to fit in things we actually want to do.

I challenge you to break up your habits. Change your cycle and maybe add in some reading time! I think you may find you like it more than you ever thought before!