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Tag Archives: booklist

Recommended Reading in June 2014 from Just Desserts

Just Desserts Logo 225Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read? At the June 2014 Just Desserts meeting on 6/26, 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 June 2014 with this mystery-savvy crowd:

MYSTERIES

  • Terminal City by Linda Fairstein
  • Secret Prey by John Sandford
  • Slow Kill by Michal McGarrity
  • And Then There Were None (on Audio) by Agatha Christie
  • This Dame For Hire by Sandra Scoppetone
  • Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries on DVD, based on the books by Kerry Greenwood
  • Field of Prey by John Sandford
  • The Old Blue Line – a Joanna Brady novella by J.A. Jance
  • Whack Job by Kendell Lynn
  • The Bake Sale Murder by Leslie Meier
  • NYPD Red 2 by James Patterson and ??? Karp
  • Death Angel by Linda Howard
  • The Son by Jo Nesbo
  • Death at the Door by Carolyn Hart
  • The Last Man by Vince Flynn
  • In a Dark House by Deborah Crombie
  • Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
  • Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly
  • The Book of Old Houses by Sarah Graves
  • A Face at the Window by Sarah Graves
  • The Cell by Stephen King
  • Any Other Name by Craig Johnson
  • Spider Woman’s Daughter by Anne Hillerman
  • The Longmire TV series based on the books by Craig Johnson (on Netflix)
  • Bad Blood by Linda Fairstein
  • Silent Mercy by Linda Fairstein
  • A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King
  • Run For Your Life by Andrea Kane
  • You Don’t Want to Know by Lisa Jackson
  • The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
  • Stolen Lives by Jassy Mackenzie
  • The Affair (audiobook) by Lee Child
  • A Darker Shade of Sweden edited by John-Henri Holmberg
  • Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
  • Murder on Bamboo Lane by Naomi Hirahara
  • Mystery Scene Magazine – not in the libraries’ collection, but available locally at both Barnes and Noble locations

NON-MYSTERIES

  • At Night We Walk in Circles by Daniel Alarcon
  • Coop by Michael Perry
  • Population: 485 by Michael Perry
  • Truck: A Love Story by Michael Perry
  • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
  • One Good Thing by Kevin Alan Milne
  • The Boys in the Boat by Daniel Brown
  • The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
  • Y the Last Man graphic novel series by Brian Vaughn
  • The Light Between Oceans (audiobook) by M.L. Stedman

So, what mysteries have you been reading that you’d recommend?

Results of May 2014 Series Share II gathering

Just Desserts Logo 225seriesshareiiHey, 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?

April 2014 Reading Recommendations from Just Desserts members

Just Desserts Logo 225Hey, 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?

March 2014 reading suggestions from Just Desserts members

Just Desserts Logo 225Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read? At the March 2014 Just Desserts meeting on 3/27, 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 last month with this mystery-savvy crowd:

MYSTERIES

  • Psych’s Guide to Crimefighting for the Totally Unqualified by Shawn Spencer
  • The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
  • Cursed by Carol Higgins Clark
  • Dead Center by Mary Collins
  • The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva
  • Litter of the Law by Rita Mae Brown
  • Missing You by Harlan Coben
  • The Man Who Invented Florida by Randy Wayne White
  • Captiva by Randy Wayne White
  • Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce
  • Nowhere to Run by Nancy Bush
  • Shiver by Lisa Jackson
  • Refusal by Felix Francis, based on the works of Dick Francis
  • The works of Margaret Coel
  • The works of Lillian Jackson Braun on CD
  • Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child
  • The Return by Jason Mott
  • Wonderland by Ace Atkins, based on characters by Robert B. Parker
  • Vermillion Drift by William Kent Krueger
  • Trickster’s Point by William Kent Krueger
  • The Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
  • Moving Target by J.A. Jance
  • Tell No Lies by Greg Hurwitz
  • Death Overdue by Mary Lou Kirwin
  • Snowblind by Christopher Golden
  • The Testament by John Grisham
  • Deadly Forecast by Victoria Laurie
  • The Jack Reacher series by Lee Child
  • Sleight of Hand by Phillip Margolin (or)
  • Sleight of Hand by Kate Wilhelm
  • Pandora’s Daughter by Iris Johansen
  • An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd
  • Eve by Iris Johansen
  • Quinn by Iris Johansen
  • Bonnie by Iris Johansen
  • A Pale Horse by Charles Todd
  • Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde

NON-MYSTERIES

  • Not Cool by Greg Gutfeld
  • Republican Party Reptile by P.J. O’Rourke
  • Things That Matter by Charles Krauthammer
  • George Washington and the Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade
  • Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozoll
  • The Circle by Dave Eggers
  • One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak
  • Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival by Jennifer Chiaverini

So, what mysteries have you been reading that you’d recommend?

Feb 2014 Reading Suggestions from Just Desserts members

Just Desserts Logo 225Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read? At the February 2014 Just Desserts meeting on 2/27, after discussing our monthly “assigned” books, we did a round robin around 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 novels that were hot last month with this mystery-savvy crowd:

MYSTERIES

  • The Hercules Poirot stories by Agatha Christie
  • The Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross
  • Billionaire Blend and others by Cleo Coyle
  • Heat Wave and others by Richard Castle
  • Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet
  • How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
  • A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd
  • A variety of materials about JFK and his assassination
  • Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (on CD)
  • In the Woods by Tana French (on CD)
  • Stalking the Angel by Robert Crais
  • Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben (on CD)
  • Stay at Home Dead and Popped Off by Jeffrey Allen
  • Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo
  • King and Maxwell by David Baldacci
  • The Spook Lights Affair by Bill Pronzini
  • Killer by Jonathan Kellerman
  • Private L.A. by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan
  • Death Angel by Linda Fairstein
  • The Cat Sitter’s Cradle by John Clement
  • Raylan by Elmore Leonard
  • Justified based on characters by Elmore Leonard (on DVD and TV)
  • The Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson
  • Brass Verdict and The Reversal by Michael Connelly
  • Dust by Patricia Cornwell
  • Three Can Keep a Secret by Archer Mayor
  • Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming
  • Storm Front by Richard Castle (on CD)

NON-MYSTERIES

  • How Dogs Love Us by Gregory Berns
  • The All Girls Filling Station Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
  • The House of Cards (on DVD)
  • Oh My! by George Takei
  • The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel Brown

So, what mysteries have you been reading that you’d recommend?