Why am I passionate about this?

I have cerebral palsy, but the list of things that I absolutely canā€™t do is surprisingly short: I can climb a flight of steps or walk the length of a football field, for example, but those tasks are going to take a lot more time and energy for me than they would an able-bodied person. We all choose where to invest in life, but cerebral palsy makes that process much more deliberate, and Iā€™ve been fascinated by it for a long time. Iā€™m always on the hunt for stories that demonstrate that our choices shape our life, not our limitations, and Iā€™m determined to choose joy.


I wrote

How To Dance

By Jason B. Dutton,

Book cover of How To Dance

What is my book about?

Nick Freeman is a karaoke star at his local bar who hopes his talents will distract from his cerebral palsy.ā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Bone Collector

Jason B. Dutton Why did I love this book?

I love this book because itā€™s the best fictional example Iā€™ve ever seen of a characterā€™s disability being eclipsed by his talent. Lincoln Rhyme is paralyzed, but his talent as a criminologist is far more importantā€”and Deaver showcases Rhymeā€™s genius and passion as often as he details the difficulties of disability.

I find the bookā€™s mystery compelling and the characters well-written, and I couldnā€™t get enough of the relationship between Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. Iā€™ve never seen a better portrayal of a partnership based solidly on mutual respect and admiration. Iā€™m so grateful for how this story demonstrates that disability doesnā€™t need to stop you from making a real impact through the gifts and talents youā€™ve been given.

By Jeffery Deaver,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked The Bone Collector as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Goodbye Man, discover Jeffery Deaver's chilling thriller that inspired the film starring Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington and is now a major NBC TV series.

Their first case, their worst killer . . .

New York City has been thrown into chaos by the assaults of the Bone Collector, a serial kidnapper and killer who gives the police a chance to save his victims from death by leaving obscure clues. Baffled, the cops turn to the one man with a chance of solving them - Lincoln Rhyme.

Left paralysed by a debilitatingā€¦


Book cover of Anxious People

Jason B. Dutton Why did I love this book?

I love this book because itā€™s a triumph of storytellingā€”and by that, I mean both the way that the story is narrated, as the audiobook frequently gave me chills, and the way that the story is told by the author. I love this book because itā€™s realistic enough to draw me in, unusual enough to keep me guessing, and rewarding enough for every single second I spent listening to it to pay off in the end.

I was inspired by this book in the very best way: when an author presents characters with realistic, messy lives and then provides them with happy endings, itā€™s easy for me as a reader to believe that joy is out there waiting in the mess for me as well.

By Fredrik Backman,

Why should I read it?

18 authors picked Anxious People as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The funny, touching and unpredictable No. 1 New York Times bestseller, now a major Netflix TV series

'A brilliant and comforting read' MATT HAIG
'Funny, compassionate and wise. An absolute joy' A.J. PEARCE
'A surefooted insight into the absurdity, beauty and ache of life' GUARDIAN
'I laughed, I sobbed, I recommended it to literally everyone I know' BUZZFEED
'Captures the messy essence of being human' WASHINGTON POST

From the 18 million copy internationally bestselling author of A Man Called Ove
_______

It's New Year's Eve and House Tricks estate agents are hosting an open viewing in an up-market apartment whenā€¦


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Book cover of Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac Arrest by Elizabeth Amber Love,

Farrah Wethers struggles with her new midlife career as a massage therapist. Her wealthy client is murdered on her table making her suspect number one. Can Farrah and her best friend, June Cho, sort through the suspects to find the real killer?

If you love the hijinks of Only Murdersā€¦

Book cover of Very Sincerely Yours

Jason B. Dutton Why did I love this book?

This book is the most fun Iā€™ve ever had reading a romantic comedyā€”and Iā€™ve read a lot of them! As the title suggests, a lot of this story is told through correspondence between our main couple, and while many authors strive for banter that is funny and flirty, these letters actually wereā€”which is not easy to do!

I had an absolute blast watching Teddy and Everett get to know each other in the midst of a well-formed plot about building a life around what is truly important to you.

By Kerry Winfrey,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Very Sincerely Yours as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A charming and heartwarming new romantic comedy by the acclaimed author of Waiting for Tom Hanks, Kerry Winfrey.

Teddy Phillips never thought she would still be spending every day surrounded by toys at almost thirty years old. But working at a vintage toy store is pretty much all she has going on in her life after being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend. The one joy that she has kept is her not-so-guilty pleasure: Everettā€™s Place, a local childrenā€™s show hosted by Everett St. James, a man whom Teddy finds very soothing . . . and, okay, cute.

Teddy findsā€¦


Book cover of Thank You for Listening

Jason B. Dutton Why did I love this book?

This is one of my favorite audiobooks ever, and the best romance Iā€™ve ever listened to, and thatā€™s unsurprising since Julia Whelan is my favorite audiobook narrator. When I learned she had written a romance about an audiobook narrator, I knew I had to listen to the audiobook she narrated herself. Julia did not disappoint as an author or a performer. I loved how this book presents a romance based both on strong attraction and a relationship that grows over time.

I was greatly entertained by glimpses into the audiobook industry, and I appreciated the nuances of a story about how we often have more control than we realize when it comes to the power our limitations have over us.

By Julia Whelan,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Thank You for Listening as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the author of My Oxford Year, Julia Whelan's uplifting novel tells the story of a former actress turned successful audiobook narrator-who has lost sight of her dreams after a tragic accident-and her journey of self-discovery, love, and acceptance when she agrees to narrate one last romance novel.

For Sewanee Chester, being an audiobook narrator is a long way from her old dreams, but the days of being a star on film sets are long behind her. She's found success and satisfaction from the inside of a sound booth and it allows her to care for her beloved, ailing grandmother.ā€¦


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Book cover of Fourth and Long

Fourth and Long by Britt Belle,

Fourth and Long is a novel written in the first person with dual POVs.

Ellie: When I meet Slater, an infamous quarterback trying to salvage his career, I know better than to form expectations. Our relationship starts out casual, but I canā€™t help falling for him. The problem is, thatā€¦

Book cover of Book Lovers

Jason B. Dutton Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because itā€™s the only novel Iā€™ve ever read during which Iā€™ve said to myself, ā€œI know these two are going to have a happy ending (the book is a romance, and the genre demands it), but I have absolutely no idea how theyā€™re going to get there.ā€

I love Emily Henryā€™s prose, and the way it propels the story; I love the idea that the book is centered around the kind of woman who always gets left behind in Hallmark movies. And I love that the book is unapologetic when it asserts that the kind of life that brings you joy is not necessarily the life everyone else wants for themselves or for you.

By Emily Henry,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Book Lovers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

ā€œOne of my favorite authors.ā€ā€”Colleen Hoover

An insightful, delightful, instant #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Oprah Daily āˆ™ Today āˆ™ Parade āˆ™ Marie Claire āˆ™ Bustle āˆ™ PopSugar āˆ™ Katie Couric Media āˆ™ Book Bub āˆ™ SheReads āˆ™ Medium āˆ™ The Washington Post āˆ™ and more!

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming...

Nora Stephens' life is booksā€”sheā€™s read them allā€”and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dreamā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

How To Dance

By Jason B. Dutton,

Book cover of How To Dance

What is my book about?

Nick Freeman is a karaoke star at his local bar who hopes his talents will distract from his cerebral palsy. Hayley Burke is a professional dancer who has come to town with her boyfriend for a fresh start. As Nick remains convinced that Hayley would have no use for a man who canā€™t move like she can, Hayley shows him that ā€œdancingā€ is about so much more than moving your feet.

Nick and Hayley find their rhythm together and learn that neither physical disability nor emotional scars disqualify us from finding beauty, validation, and love amidst the chaos of being human: there will always be beauty in life, and there will always be pain, and we can always choose where to look.

Book cover of The Bone Collector
Book cover of Anxious People
Book cover of Very Sincerely Yours

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Return to Hope Creek by Alyssa J. Montgomery,

Return to Hope Creek is a second-chance rural romance set in Australia.

Stella Simpson's career and engagement are over. She returns to the rural community of Hope Creek to heal, unaware her high school and college sweetheart, Mitchell Scott, has also moved back to town to do some healing ofā€¦

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