Books, Books & More Books...

As some of you know, I am an inveterate reader and since, for the first time ever I have been keeping a list of "books read" this year, I was surprised to realize that my list has reached seventy...so far. If my math is correct, this comes to 7 books per month...or almost 2 per week. Not amazing, surely, but substantial. The list includes both fiction and non-fiction, with a smattering of poetry thrown in for good measure. But my favorite genre is mysteries & thrillers...not of the chainsaw variety but of the smart, well-written type, with well-drawn characters and page-turning plots which keep me engaged until the last page. And if the denouement is a true surprise, so much the better.

So, for you fellow mystery fans out there, I am including a list of some of my very favorites. A number of these are just one of a series by a particular author focusing on a particular main character and with these, I have read the others of the series in the past or am planning to catch up with the character in the future. Several are by European or British writers, which I love, since I am a true Anglophile. And more than a few are set in other historical periods, since there are several excellent writers out there working in Victorian London or post-WWI England, with much careful research obvious in the writing.

I hope I'll offer you, my fellow readers, some new directions to go in the coming months. And if you have any suggestions of "must-reads" for me, please include them in a comment, as I am always looking for EXCELLENT new reading material. Enjoy yourself...and be sure to become a frequent presence at your public library.
  • The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
  • Rains Gods and Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke (actually anything by this author- he's one of my favorites- his writing is both intelligent- with a gret vocabulary- and beautiful)
  • Breaking Silence and Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo (The main character was formerly Amish and the stories are set in Indiana's Amish country)
  • Live Wire by Harlan Coben (If you haven't met Myron Bolitar, you're in for a treat.)
  • ALL of the Harry Bosch books by Michael Connelly- Harry is one of my favorite characters and these books are great.
  • The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen
  • Iron House by John Hart
  • The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg
  • The Given Day by Dennis LeHane
  • About Face by Donna Leon
  • The Watery Part of the World by Michael Parker
  •  Sixkill and Killing the Blues by Robert B. Parker (few writers can equal Parker for sparking repartee between characters)
  • Treason at Lisson Grove and Acceptable Loss by Anne Perry (Set in Victorian London, these 2 series feature husband-wife teams and offer a great deal of description of the period.)
  • Instruments of Darkness, Anatomy of Murder, and Island of Bones by Imogene Robertson (this series is great! Can't wait for the next one.)
  • One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming (If you haven't discovered this series and this writer, I highly commend her to you. Those of us who are "hooked" await each new book with bated breath and great impatience.)
  • A Lonely Death by Charles Todd (Another "discovery", this mother and son team, living in NC and Deleware, respectively,  have 2 series going, both of which I really enjoy...check them out.)
  • Outrage by Robert Tanenbaum
  • A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear (Run right out and get the entire Maisie Dobbs series for the most engaging heroine I've encountered in a long time.)
Okay...that should keep you busy for a while, methinks. And as we're headed into colder weather with shorter days, what could be better on a chilly evening than curling up in front of the fireplace with a good book? Happy reading.

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