John Grisham read-alikes

Looking for books like John Grisham's The Confession, or his many other legal thrillers?  Try:

• Grudge Match by Jay Brandon - Questioning the legal system when DNA evidence clears a police officer of a crime for which he was imprisoned eight years earlier, San Antonio district attorney Chris Sinclair wonders who is telling the truth after two additional murders occur.  Also try Running with the Dead by the same author.
• Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly - Representing some unsavory characters in his work as a defense lawyer, Mickey Haller takes on his first high-paying and possibly innocent client in years, but finds the case complicated by events that suggest a particularly evil perpetrator.  This book has a film adaptation, available on DVD and on blu-ray at your Community Library.
• Bodily Harm by Robert Dugoni - Attorney David Sloane is back seeking vengeance for the death of a young boy, in a thriller by the best-selling author of Wrongful Death.
• Letter of the Law by Tim Green - After defense attorney Casey Jordan gets her client, a brilliant but arrogant professor, acquitted of the murder of a law student, she discovers that her client is guilty and is forced to make a choice between justice and the law.
• Moment of Truth by Lisa Scottoline - Mary is a lawyer with an unusual problem. Her new client, Jack Newlin, is an innocent man claiming to be guilty. Now she finds herself risking her own life to discover why a man would frame himself for his wife's murder.
• Reversible Errors by Scott Turow - Corporate lawyer Arthur Raven defends the reopened case of a death-row inmate who may be innocent, while prosecuting attorneys Muriel Wynn and Larry Starczek fight for a conviction they still believe is deserved.

'The Dog that Talked to God' and other inspirational canines

Love inspirational dog stories? In the new Christian fiction book The Dog that Talked to God, a middle-aged widow named Mary Fassler adopts a miniature schnauzer with the surprising ability to speak.  With the help of her canine companion's simple faith, Mary sorts through the Job-worthy mess of her life.  For other books like The Dog that Talked to God, try Emily and Einstein, a secular story about a widow with a loveable dog, or The Art of Racing in the Rain, written from the point of view of a dying dog who meditates on the wisdom of his widowed master.

'A gripping debut' in 'Age of Miracles'

Check out The Age of Miracles, a brand-new book that Publishers Weekly calls "a gripping debut."  This coming-of-age story is set against the backdrop of a creeping natural disaster; main character Julia is only eleven when she learns that the Earth's rotation has started to slow, with gradual but devastating consequences.  For other books like The Age of Miracles, try Life as We Knew It, a story told in the form of a teenage girl's diary in which an asteroid collides with the moon, gradually causing cataclysmic weather changes on Earth.

Books like 'Hunger Games'

The wildly-anticipated Hunger Games movie was released in theaters today, sparking a resurgence of interest in the dystopian trilogy: Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay.  For those of you who are addicted to these books, in which teens are forced to battle to the death on live TV, try checking out a few of these books like Hunger Games from your Community Library:

• Matched by Ally Condie - Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her, so when Xander appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate--until Ky Markham's face appears for an instant before the screen fades to black.  The newly-released sequel is Crossed; the series is on-going.
• Divergent by Veronica Roth - In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomoly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.  The sequel, Insurgent, is coming soon; the series is ongoing.
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - Just before their sixteenth birthdays, when they will will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have a great time, Tally's best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all.  This is the first in a completed 4-book series, followed by Pretties, Specials, and Extras.
• Unwind by Neal Shusterman -  In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to survive until they turn eighteen.  An as-yet unnamed sequel is forthcoming.
• Maze Runner by James Dashner - Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.  This is the first in a completed trilogy, followed by The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure.

There are plenty of other great dystopias out there for Hunger Games fans hungry for more; share your suggestions by commenting!