PECKERWOOD BOOK CLUB: Read It Before The Movies Ruin It, Plus Mitch Albom's "Twice!"

Greetings, book sluts, and welcome to a spanking new edition of Peckerwood's Book Club. You know what that means, right? Tell us what you're reading, what you love and what you loath! Ready-set-go!

Meanwhile, I don't know about you, but after I read a book that's great, or even just good, I recommend it to friends casually, not insistently; if we happen to be talking about books or authors, I'll mention it. But on occasion, I’ll pester them to read it immediately, and for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's just so fantastic that I have to let everyone know now-now-now. This isn't often. Other times, it's a really good read and I can tell it’s going to be turned into a movie and potentially ruined. "Read it before it becomes a bloated, multi-part Netflix limited series starring Millie Bobby Brown," I'll say. This usually does the trick.

Such is the case with "Twice" by Mitch Album, in which a man who's accused of stealing millions from a casino confesses to police about his ill-fated romance and his time-traveling gift - or his ability to relive moments in his life twice. 

Sound familiar? The premise will likely remind you of "The Time Traveler's Wife" or "Groundhog Day" (or even "Click," a justly forgotten Adam Sandler movie), but "Twice" offers a wholly unique spin. Mixing time travel, romance and edge-of-your-seat mystery, it spins an absorbing tale about Alfie, a man who’s able to "re-do" incidents in his life, or live them twice, thereby correcting any mistakes he might have made. With a casino theft used as a framing device, the novel features Alfie’s fantastical confession to LaPorta, a Bahamas cop, in which he recounts his life as a time traveler, as well as his romance with his wife, Gianna. LaPorta isn't buying it - or not at first - instead believing that Alfie has secretly given Gianna his ill-gotten casino winnings. From there, the scenario is never less than captivating. And like "Somewhere in Time," the author never loses sight of Alfie’s and Gianna’s emotional connection, which is the real source of suspense here.

For his part, Alfie is believably distraught and cagy when he’s first questioned by LaPorta, and we soon learn why once the novel tells Alfie’s story in what appears to be chronological order. His ability to re-do incidents in his life is no mere gimmick as it unfurls here, especially since every comic, romantic and tragic result is fully explored. For her part, Gianna is a vivid character whose adoration for Alfie powers the novel’s biggest twist by story’s end.

"Twice" isn’t reinventing the wheel conceptually, obviously, but it is giving it wonderful new life. It's also a mass-market novel penned with genuine skill - and that's saying something - so give it a go before it becomes a Hulu movie starring The Rock. You know he'll ruin it. 

Meanwhile, your happy Bibliophile Bendy Boy™ is nearly done pounding through his latest and needs something new to run his fingers through. Won't you kindly help him out with your recommendations below? 

Photo Credit: Harper Publishing