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Tag Archives: book discussion
Just Desserts — Patricia Highsmith discussion and Reading Recommendations from October 2020
Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read?
At the October 29th 2020 Just Desserts meeting that took place online using Zoom meeting software, 11 members participated in a discussion of the body of works by suspense author Patricia Highsmith, after which we held our monthly round robin in which all 11 attendees were able to share recommendations of what other books they’ve been reading recently.
Here’s the list of Patricia Highsmith novels that members read and mentioned during our October 2020 discussion:
- The Talented Mr. Ripley (2)
- The Black House (1)
- A Game for the Living (1)
- Ripley Under Ground (1)
- Strangers on a Train (1)
- A Suspension of Mercy (1)
- Ripley’s Game (1)
- Those Who Walk Away (1)
- Deep Water (1)
Here’s the list of mystery, thriller and suspense books recommended by Just Desserts members in October 2020:
- The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles (2 people), Death Comes at the End, Murder at the Vicarage, and Sleeping Murder, all by Agatha Christie – past author selection for Just Desserts
- The Cat Who Played Brahms (audiobook) by Lillian Jackson Braun
- Get Smart on DVD
- Crewel World (audiobook) by Monica Ferris – past author selection for Just Desserts
- Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson – past author selection for Just Desserts
- Fair Warning by Michael Connelly – past author selection for Just Desserts
- Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
- The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
- Walk the Wire by David Baldacci – past author selection for Just Desserts
- Nightshade by Michael “M.L.” Huie
- Outsider by Linda Castillo – past author selection for Just Desserts
- Muzzled (2 people, both print and audiobook) by David Rosenfelt
- Blind Search by Paula Munier
- Murder by Misunderstanding by Leighannn Dobbs
- The Ghost and the Dead Man’s Library by Alice Kimberly
- Slow Burn by Ace Atkins
- Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith – past author selection for Just Desserts
And here were some non-mystery titles some group members also recommended in October 2020:
- Fanshawe and various novels by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- The Haunting of Bly Manor (on Netflix) based on The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
- Neither Snow Nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service by Devin Leonard
- Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote (audiobook) by Craig Fehrman
- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (a 2020 One Book – One Lincoln finalist)
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (a 2018 One Book – One Lincoln finalist)
- The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley
- The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
- More Miracle Than Bird by Alice Miller
- South of the Buttonwood Tree by Sally Webber
- Kamala’s Way: An American Life by Dan Morain
- Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (the 2020 One Book – One Lincoln winner)
What mysteries have you been reading lately that you’d recommend?
Join the Discussion of Tana French’s “The Witch Elm”
When the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group met on July 25th, 2019, 15 group members discussed the 2018 psychological suspense novel The Witch Elm by Irish author Tana French. Whether or not you attended the actual meeting, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions about The Witch Elm and Tana French, in a reply comment to this blog post, below.
For additional reminders about upcoming Just Desserts meetings and/or other announcements of interest to mystery fans, don’t forget to sign up for the Just Desserts e-mail list. Or, if you’re logged into your account on Facebook, you can visit the Events page for the Lincoln City Libraries, and mark whether or not you plan to attend upcoming sessions of Just Desserts – this is a great way for you to help us promote this engaging discussion group! Our selections for future meetings are usually posted there months in advance — currently through our May 2019 meeting.
So…What do you think of Tana French, and her stand-alone novel The Witch Elm?
Join us again in August 2019 for a discussion of Robert Galbraith’s debut-novel thriller The Cuckoo’s Calling, in the 4th floor auditorium at the Bennett Martin Public Library, 14th & “N” St., in downtown Lincoln, on August 29th, 2019. [Galbraith is actually J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, but The Cuckoo’s Calling is her debut novel for adults in the mystery/thriller genre.]
Discussion of John Connolly’s “The Woman in the Woods”
When the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group met on March 28th, 2019, 19 group members discussed the 2017 psychological suspense novel The Woman in the Woods by John Connolly, part of his popular “Charlie Parker” series. Whether or not you attended the actual meeting, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions about The Woman in the Woods and John Connolly, in a reply comment to this blog post, below.
For additional reminders about upcoming Just Desserts meetings and/or other announcements of interest to mystery fans, don’t forget to sign up for the Just Desserts e-mail list. Or, if you’re logged into your account on Facebook, you can visit the Events page for the Lincoln City Libraries, and mark whether or not you plan to attend upcoming sessions of Just Desserts – this is a great way for you to help us promote this engaging discussion group! Our selections for future meetings are usually posted there months in advance — currently through our May 2019 meeting.
So…What do you think of John Connolly, and his “Charlie Parker” thriller The Woman in the Woods?
Join us again in April 2019 for a discussion of the entire “Tony Hill and Carol Jordan” police procedural series by Val McDermid, in the 4th floor auditorium at the Bennett Martin Public Library, 14th & “N” St., in downtown Lincoln, on April 25th, 2019.
Discussion of Jeanne M. Dams’ “Dorothy Martin” series
When the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group met on July 27th, 2017, 18 mystery fans held a spirited discussion about the 18 volumes in the “Dorothy Martin” cozy series by Jeanne M. Dams. Whether or not you attended the actual meeting, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions about the “Dorothy Martin” series, in a reply comment to this blog post, below.
For additional reminders about upcoming Just Desserts meetings and/or other announcements of interest to mystery fans, don’t forget to sign up for the Just Desserts e-mail list. Or, if you’re logged into your account on Facebook, you can visit the Events page for the Lincoln City Libraries, and mark whether or not you plan to attend upcoming sessions of Just Desserts – this is a great way for you to help us promote this engaging discussion group! Our selections for future meetings are usually posted there months in advance.
What do you think of the “Dorothy Martin” series of cozies by Jeanne M. Dams?
Jonathan Kellerman’s “Victims”
When the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group met on July 30th, 2015, 18 of us enjoyed discussing Victims, the 27th book in the popular Alex Delaware series of mystery thrillers by Jonathan Kellerman. Whether or not you attended the actual meeting, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions about Victims novels in a reply comment to this blog post, below.
For additional reminders about upcoming Just Desserts meetings and/or other announcements of interest to mystery fans, don’t forget to sign up for the Just Desserts e-mail list. Or, if you’re logged into your account on Facebook, you can visit the Events page for the Lincoln City Libraries, and mark whether or not you plan to attend upcoming sessions of Just Desserts – this is a great way for you to help us promote this engaging discussion group! Our selections for future meetings are usually posted there months in advance.
What do you think of Victims, by Jonathan Kellerman, or the Alex Delaware series in general?
Join us for our next meeting on August 27th, 2015, 6:30 p.m. at the South Branch Library. We’ll be discussing the first 3 volumes in the relatively new “Carpenter & Quincannon” series, jointly written by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini.
We hope to see you then!