Bookseller Taste Exchange: Rebecca & Barb (Part 1)

We (Rebecca and Barb) were so inspired by Josh and Sarah's grand book recommendation experiment a few weeks ago that we decided to do one of our own!

Barb Suggests: The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell. 5th in the Kay Scarpetta crime fiction novels, this was the first one that I read.  After reading this, I had to read the others in the series, as well.  Kay, the protagonist, is the Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is a strong, smart, beautiful woman.  You get to know her well as she takes you on a journey through the investigation of an 11 year old girl in rural North Carolina.  The murder has the same handiwork of a wanted serial killer.  The investigation brings us to a clandestine research facility, the body farm, where cadavers are experimented on to determine different stages of decay and decomposition.  The forensics are what I found so compelling.  The twists and turns make the book a page turner! There is a wonderful cast of characters, including her niece, who works at the FBI bureau in Quantico and assists Scarpetta in the research on this case.  Wesley, her co-worker, romantic interest and her gruff partner, Marino, also working on the case. The Body Farm is an easy to read, fast paced novel full of believable forensic activity.

Rebecca Suggests: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I was about to suggest The Miseducation of Cameron Post (emily m. danforth) (also a great book, go read it). But then I learned that not only had Barb never read anything by Neil Gaiman, she'd never even heard of Neil Gaiman! What a travesty, as I'm sure you'll all agree. This being the case, I immediately shoved The Graveyard Book into Barb's hands. The Graveyard Book is a deliciously creepy reimagining of The Jungle Book in which the requisite orphan boy, Bod, is being raised by a graveyard full of ghosts. Featuring Gaiman's signature weirdness, not to mention his lovely prose, The Graveyard Book is not your typical middle grade read. Perfect for readers who enjoy being (just a little) scared at the hands of a master storyteller.

Check back to see what we thought of each other's recommendations!