Hey Book Lover!
The plans of the NO THINKIN Book Club for the upcoming months are simple: Beach, Read, Repeat! We’re here to share our May favorites to add to your beach bag this summer!

Mirketa’s choice: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Plot:
For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life--until the unthinkable happens.
“This is such a good book; I still can’t stop thinking about it. It is masterfully written, with outstanding character development. Kya is such a strong beautiful person shaped by the beauty of nature and a life of loneliness and isolation after she got abandoned by her mother and then her siblings. Ms. Owens paints a remarkable picture of the marsh and its surroundings, and excellently depicts racial and social division, as well as the fragility of humanity’s relationship with nature.”

Eli’s Choice: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Plot:
In The Silent Patient, Alicia Berenson is a famous painter who murdered her husband six years ago and hasn't spoken a word since. He was found bound to a chair with gunshot wounds to his face and she was convicted soon thereafter. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who hopes to treat Alicia and uncover the mystery behind her motives for killing her husband. As they sit in silence, the main clue he has is a painting she completed. She titled it Alcestis, named after a heroine in Greek mythology who sacrifices her life to save her husband.
“Since I am a huge fan of crime and psychological thriller novels, I’ve become extremely picky with this genre. So I was extremely happy and intrigued when this book managed to surprise me. I usually make accurate predictions of the story ahead but this proved me wrong. I almost went silent after not figuring out in advance the plot twist... Even though it deals with mental health problems and how child hood trauma can resurface and impact your adult life, it is still very easy and enjoyable to read. Michaelides masterfully combines Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy.”

#1 No Thinker’s Choice: Those Who Are Loved by Victoria Hislop
Plot:
Those Who Are Loved is set against the backdrop of the German occupation of Greece, the subsequent civil war and a military dictatorship, all of which left deep scars. Themis is part of a family bitterly divided by politics and, as a young woman, her fury with those who have collaborated with the Nazis drives her to fight for the communists. She is eventually imprisoned on the notorious islands of exile, Makronisos and Trikeri, and has to make a life or death decision. She is proud of having fought, but for the rest of her life is haunted by some of her actions. Forty years after the end of the civil war, she finally achieves catharsis.
“The plot might seem a little boring but it is actually a really atmospheric and compelling novel that immerses the reader in the life of Themis and her family. You can always rely on Victoria Hislop to take you away to another time and place. She has that magic touch where she mixes well-researched history and personal love of a country and its people and paints a vivid, raw and fascinating picture. This book gave me all the feels so I totally recommend it.”

#2 No Thinker’s Choice: Sauve-toi, la vie t'appelle by Boris Cyrulnik

Plot:
“This is a fascinating autobiographical narrative about the resilience and mental strength of people. Boris Cyrulnik is a renowned French neuropsychiatrist and psychoanalyst of Jewish descent. His parents were deported to a concentration camp during the Second World and never returned. He managed to escape arrest thanks to his teacher who helped him hide. Even though the book is an autobiography, it is not difficult for the reader to find points to relate to. The writer’s experiences prove that suffering, however appalling, can be the making of somebody rather than their destruction.”
What is your choice?

For you #NOTHINKER,
Eli