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Tag Archives: book group
Linda Fairstein’s “Death Angel”
When the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group met on June 26th, 2014, 17 of us enjoyed discussing Linda Fairstein’s Death Angel, the fifteenth volume in that author’s popular Alexandra “Alex” Cooper series.
Whether or not you attended the actual meeting, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book 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 Death Angel by Linda Fairstein?
Join us next on July 31st, 2014, 6:30 p.m. at the South Branch Library. We’ll be discussing Doing Hard Time, a Stone Barrington novel by Stuart Woods!
We hope to see you then!
Results of May 2014 Series Share II gathering
Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read? The May 2014 Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group meeting was our annual “Series Share” night. Group members did not all read the same book, but instead were encouraged to read the first or second volume in ANY new mystery/thriller/suspense series that had begun in the past 3 to 4 years. All attendees had a chance, then, to describe whatever series they had chosen, and to offer up their opinions about the characters, writing style, etc.
Here’s a list of the novels Just Desserts members enjoyed for the “Series Share”:
- The Amazing Harvey by Don Passman (1st in the Harvey Kendell Series)
- Murder on Bamboo Lane by Naomi Hirohara (1st in the Officer Ellie Rush Series)
- Murder by Artifact by Barbara Graham (2nd in the Quilted Mystery Series)
- Murder at Rosamund’s Gate by Susanna Calkins (1st in the Lucy Campion Series)
- Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman (1st in the Brigid Quinn Series)
- Christine Falls and The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black (1st and 2nd in the Griffin Quirke Series)
- A Spoonful of Murder and A Rue of Revenge by Connie Archer (1st and 2nd in the Soup Lovers Mystery Series)
- various volumes in the Seaside Knitting series by Sally Goldenbaum
- The Black Country by Alex Grecian (2nd in the Scotland Yard Murder Squad Series)
- Board Stiff and Whack Job by Kendel Lynn (1st and 2nd in the Elliot Lisbon Series)
- Pall in the Family by Dawn Eastman (1st in the Family Fortune Series)
- Sacrifice Fly and Crooked Numbers by Tim O’Mara (1st and 2nd in the Raymond Donne Series)
- Montana by Gwen Florio (1st in the Lola Wicks Series)
- End Me a Tenor by Joelle Charbonneau (2nd in the Glee Club mystery Series)
- All Sales Fatal by Laura DiSilverio (2nd in the Mall Cop mystery Series)
- The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott (1st in the Book Collector mystery Series)
- Sugar and Iced by Jen McKinley (1st in the Cupcake Mystery Series)
- Peril for Your Thoughts by Kari Lee Townsend (1st in the Mind Reader mystery Series)
- A Tisket, a Tasket, a Fancy Stolen Casket by Fran Rizer (1st in the Callie Parrish Series)
- In the Shadow of Gotham, A Curtain Falls and The Secret of the White Rose by Stefanie Pintoff (1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Simon Ziele Series)
- That Old Flame of Mine and PLaying With Fire by J.J. Cook (1st and 2nd in the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade mystery Series)
- Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass (1st in the Bookmobile Cat mystery Series)
- The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe (1st in the Hazel Micallef Series)
- Blue Monday by Nikki French (1st in the Freida Klein mystery Series)
And here’s a few older titles and non-mysteries were also brought up at the latest meeting:
- A Share in Death and All Shall Be Well by Deborah Crombie (1st and 2nd in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Series)
- Death at the Door by Carolyn Hart (latest in the Death on Demand Series)
- Unlucky 13 by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (13th in the Women’s Murder Club Series)
- Innocent Blood by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell (2nd in the Order of the Sanguines Series)
- Another Thing to Fall by Laura Lippman (10th in the Tess Monaghan Series)
- The Caveman’s Valentine by George Dawes Green
- The Black Echo by Michael Connelly (1st in the Harry Bosch Series)
- The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
So, what mysteries have you been reading that you’d recommend?
June through September 2014 Just Desserts titles selected!
The titles/authors for the June through September Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group have been posted.
June – Death Angel by Linda Fairstein
July – Doing Hard Time by Stuart Woods
August – The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan
September – After I’m Gone by Laura Lippman
There is also a survey available online for Just Desserts members to offer their opinions on what should be discussed at the October 2014 Just Desserts meeting. Click the link to add your vote! [survey no longer active]
What do you think of the above four authors/titles? Are you looking forward to reading any of these?
Click the title of this specific blog post, or the number to the right of Comments, below, to leave your own comment!
April 2014 Reading Recommendations from Just Desserts members
Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read? At the April 2014 Just Desserts meeting on 4/24, after discussing our monthly “assigned” book, we did a round robin at the table, asking attendees to share what mysteries they’d been reading lately that they felt they could recommend.
Here’s a list of the books that were hot in April 2014 with this mystery-savvy crowd:
MYSTERIES
- The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly
- The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
- The Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson
- Several short stories by Craig Johnson available online
- Leave the Grave Green by Deborah Crombie
- Flower Net by Lisa See
- Books, Cooks and Crooks by Lucy Arlington
- Zero Degree Murder by M.L. Rowland
- Missing You by Harlan Coben
- Death Angel by Linda Fairstein
- The Echelon Vendetta by David Stone
- various audiobooks by Lillian Jackson Braun
- various audiobooks by Dick Francis
- various audiobooks by C.J. Box
- The October List by Jeffery Deaver [very frustrating for this reader!]
- Murder She Wrote: Aloha Betrayed by Donald Bain and Jessica Fletcher
- Miss Julia’s Marvelous Makeover by Anne Ross
- Poacher’s Son by Paul Doiron
- Trespasser by Paul Doiron
- Bad Little Falls by Paul Doiron
- Massacre Pond by Paul Doiron
- The Raven’s Eye by Barry Maitland
- The Blue Edge by Jonathan King
- Country of Origin by Don Lee
- The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson
- North of Havana by Randy Wayne White
- A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie
- The Blessing Way on CD by Tony Hillerman
- The works of Sharyn McCrumb
- Back Story by Robert B. Parker
- Sycamore Row by John Grisham
- Thereby Hangs a Tail on CD by Spencer Quinn
- Storm Season (a graphic novel) by Richard Castle
NON-MYSTERIES
- Pro-Bono: The 18-Year Defense of Caril Ann Fugate by Jeff McArthur
- Room by Emma Donoghue
- The Circle by Dave Eggers
- Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin
- Traitor’s Wife by Alison Pataki
- Heart of the Storm by Edward Fleming
- Ungifted by Gordon Korman
- The Homecoming by Carsten Stroud
- The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher (on CD)
- Divergent by Veronica Roth
- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
- My Mortal Enemy by Willa Cather
- Inferno by Dan Brown
- Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fate of Famous Corpses by Bess Lovejoy
So, what mysteries have you been reading that you’d recommend?
Deborah Crombie’s “Water Like a Stone”
When the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group met on April 24th, 2014, 17 of us enjoyed discussing Deborah Crombie’s Water Like a Stone, the eleventh volume in that author’s popular Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series.
Whether or not you attended the actual meeting, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book 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 Water Like a Stone by Deborah Crombie?
Join us next on May 29th, 2014, 6:30 p.m. at the South Branch Library for our annual Series Share night. We’re not all reading the same book for that meeting. Instead, participants are encouraged to read the first volume of ANY new mystery/suspense/thriller series that’s premiered in the past 4 years. Everyone will get a chance to share their impressions and opinions of that new series with the group — should be an opportunity to get lots of good suggestions for new authors to try!
We hope to see you then!