Three 5-star Novels for Under $3

Since I acquired my Kindle, I've read some of the best books in years! In fact, I've read more good books in the last six months than in the last six years put together. Even better is that there are a lot of excellent, well-written books out there you can buy for less than $3 and some at just 99 cents. While I don't believe in climbing aboard the indie train solely for the sake of doing so, I do believe in recommending self-published and small press authors who've written some amazing books that truly deserve a wider audience.

Being the sensitive idealist I am, I love a book that makes you think, cry, laugh or sometimes do all those things. Today I'm featuring three poignant and thought-provoking Kindle books by debut novelists who I can confidently count among my all-time favorite reads. To browse some of the top Indie books on Amazon, click here. Meanwhile, here are my three picks for 2011:

*****
Daisychains of Silence, by Catherine MacLeod

"Daisy’s story unfolds over three days of memories and misunderstandings during a visit to her mother, Ellen, who’s in the early stages of dementia.

An idyllic childhood in the highlands of Scotland ends abruptly when Daisy is sent to boarding school, but that’s just the beginning of her unravelling. Fall-out from her parents’ disintegrating marriage spirals her into chaos and the 1970s Punk scene, but childhood memories intrude.

Daisy keeps it all inside, but she has had enough. Forbidden contact with her family, she marries Jake, a musician, determined to build her life from scratch, based on honesty not lies.

All goes well for twenty five years, till Jake faces a crisis of his own. Daisy reverts to old ways of coping as betrayal and family secrets are exposed, loosening the threads woven so tightly into the fabric of her life.

Ellen is losing her already shaky grip on reality. If Daisy is ever to find out the truth, she must do it now. A gun and a bundle of letters at her mother’s house trigger a series of painful but ultimately cathartic memories, forcing Daisy to re-examine her past.

The story explores the bonds of friendship and the ties between mother and daughter, father and lover. Mostly though, Daisy’s story is about trust."

*****
The Silver Mist, by Martin Treanor

"Her dying father calls her unique, doctors have diagnosed her ‘brain is wired wrong’, most say she's ‘plain simple’ yet, in herself, young Down’s syndrome woman, Eve Hayes, feels only that she’s different. Then, on 21st July, 1972 - Belfast's ‘Bloody Friday’ - Eve encounters the captivating Esther, who ferries Eve on a sequence of illuminating, metaphysical journeys. In order to make sense of the slaughter that surrounds her, Eve must first learn the truth of her perceived difference, and therein unravel the timeless purpose of the silver mist. "

*****

Einstein's Shutter, by Vincent Yanez

"Einstein’s Shutter is a whirlwind journey into a decade of one man’s life, in New York City, during what turns out to be one of the most horrific times in U.S. History. It’s also a story about redemption, reincarnation and ultimately it is a story of the power of the human spirit in a man, and a city, finding the strength they need to rise again after the attack on 9/11.

Einstein’s Shutter is also a comedy, a romance novel and ultimately a memoir of one life, amongst millions, in the greatest city in the world. "

*****
Happy reading,
Gemi