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Tag Archives: recommendations

March 2013 reading recommendations from Just Desserts members

Just Desserts Logo 225Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read? At the March 28th, 2013 Just Desserts meeting, after discussing our monthly “assigned” author, 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

  • The works of Spencer Quinn
  • Sweet Tea Revenge by Laura Childs
  • The Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
  • Shadow Creek by Joy Fielding
  • Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner
  • Six Years and others by Harlan Coben
  • Beastly Things by Donna Leon
  • Exit Music by Ian Rankin
  • The Front by Patricia Cornwell
  • Cold Wind by C.J. Box
  • A Time for War by Michael Savage
  • Killer Librarian by Mary Lou Kirwin
  • Sew Deadly by Elizabeth Lynn Casey
  • The Bookseller by Mark Pryor
  • The Black Box by Michael Connelly
  • The Book of Killowen by Erin Hart
  • A Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
  • The works of Janet Evanovich
  • Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich (on CD)
  • Suspect by Robert Crais
  • Bad Blood by Dana Stabenow
  • Murder, My Dear Watson, a Sherlock Holmes anthology edited by Martin H. Greenberg
  • Strip Tease by Carl Hiaasen
  • State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy
  • The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott
  • The works of Harlan Coben
  • The works of Patricia Cornwell
  • The works of Stuart Woods
  • The Brothers Karamatzov by Theodor Dostoevsky

NON-MYSTERIES

  • The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
  • Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard
  • A Weekend in Winter by Maeve Binchy
  • Man in the Blue Moon by Michael Morris
  • An Irish Country Wedding by Patrick Taylor
  • On Writing by Stephen King
  • The Dead Zone by Stephen King
  • The Dark Half by Stephen King
  • Does This Church Make Me Look Fat? by Rhoda Janzen
  • Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
  • My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira
  • Bloodfire Quest by Terry Brooks
  • My Ideal Bookshelf by Jane Mount

What mysteries have you been reading, listening to, or watching lately?

February 2013 reading recommendations from Just Desserts members

Just Desserts Logo 225Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read?

At the February 28th, 2013 Just Desserts meeting, after discussing our monthly “assigned” author, 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:

  • The works of Donna Leon (who was the author of the month for Just Desserts in January)
  • The works of Janet Evanovich
  • The works of William Faulkner
  • The Collectors by David Baldacci
  • Prodigal Son by Colleen McCullough
  • Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd
  • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
  • The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
  • The Invisible Ones by Steph Penny
  • Train Tracks: Family Stories for the Holidays by Michael Savage
  • A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy
  • The Scumble River series by Denise Swanson
  • The Mystery Shopper series by Elaine Viets
  • The Charlie Moon series by James Doss
  • The Monk tie-in novels by Lee Goldberg (whose final Monk novel just came out)
  • The Con Job – a Leverage tie-in novel by Matt Forbeck
  • The Zoo Job – a Leverage tie-in novel by Keith R.A. DeCandido
  • Copper: Season One on BBC America
  • Ripper Street: Season One on BBC America

What mysteries have you been reading, listening to, or watching lately?

Just Desserts recommended reading list for January 2013

Just Desserts Logo 225Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read?

At the January 31st, 2013 Just Desserts meeting, after discussing our monthly “assigned” author, 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:

  • What the Cat Saw by Carolyn Hart
  • Firefly Beach by Meira Pentermann
  • Tell No Lies by Julie Compton
  • Gone for Good by Harlan Coben
  • A Necessary Evil by Alex Kava
  • Mad River by John Sandford (several readers)
  • Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (several readers)
  • Nightmare in Pink by John D. MacDonald (for the Nov/Dec Just Desserts reading challenge
  • Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
  • The Agony of Leaves by Laura Childs
  • Multiple works in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series by Donna Leon (this month’s assigned author)
  • A Dog’s Journey by W. Bruce Cameron
  • Books in the Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben
  • Buzzard’s Table by Margaret Maron (several readers)
  • Books in the Scumble River series by Denise Swanson
  • Books in the Mystery Shopper series by Elaine Viets
  • Books by David Baldacci
  • The Old Grey Wolf, the final Charlie Moon mystery by James Doss (who has died)
  • The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye
  • The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olson
  • Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman
  • Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver
  • Three books by James Lee Burke
  • A Place of Execution by Val McDermid
  • The Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
  • A Time to Kill by John Grisham
  • In the Company of Angels by Thomas E. Kennedy
  • The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
  • Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore
  • The Dark Winter by David Mack
  • A Novel Way to Die and Double Booked for Death by Ali Brandon
  • Broken Harbor by Tana French
  • Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear
  • City of Whispers by Marcia Muller
  • The Complaints by Ian Rankin
  • Hotwire by Alex Kava
  • Two in the Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger
  • The Fourth Bear, second in the Nursery Crimes series by Jasper Fforde
  • Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal
  • The Con Job, a Leverage tie-in novel, by Matt Forbeck

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

October 2012 reading recommendations from Just Desserts members

Just Desserts Logo 225Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read?

At the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group meeting on October 25th, after our book discussion, we spent time doing a round robin at the table, giving all attendees an opportunity to share what they’ve been reading lately. Here’s what was popular in October 2012 with this mystery-savvy group:

Mysteries

  • Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  • Phantom by Jo Nesbo
  • Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben
  • The Camel Club series by David Baldacci
  • The Berger & Mitry series by David Handler, including The Snow White Christmas Cookie
  • Death by Darjeeling and others by Laura Childs
  • Oh, Jerusalem by Laurie R. King
  • Sherlock Season One
  • Rock Bottom by Sarah Andrews
  • Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs
  • NYPD Red by James Patterson
  • Long Lost by Harlan Coben
  • Blood Ties by Kay Hooper
  • The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley
  • The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell
  • Criminal by Karin Slaughter
  • The B&B series by Mary Daheim
  • A Fistful of Collars by Spenser Quinn
  • The 1948 film Impact
  • Brethren by John Grisham

Non-Mysteries

  • Killing Kennedy by Bill O’Reilly
  • The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
  • Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
  • Oklahoma City by Andrew Gumbel
  • Season of Wonder by Ann Patchett
  • Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  • Quiet by Susan Cain
  • The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
  • The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
  • The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

What mysteries have you been reading lately?

September 2012 reading recommendations from Just Desserts members

Just Desserts Logo 225Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read?

At the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group meeting on August 23rd, after our book discussion, we spent time doing a round robin at the table, giving all attendees an opportunity to share what they’ve been reading lately. Here’s what was popular in July 2012 with this mystery-savvy group:

MYSTERIES or THRILLERS

  • Rosemary & Thyme DVD series
  • Simisola on DVD from Ruth Rendell
  • The Lincoln Lawyer on DVD – extras with Michael Connelly on a driving tour of L.A.
  • Angels Flight by Michael Connelly
  • Trickster’s Point by William Kent Krueger
  • Judgment Call by J.A. Jance
  • Fireproof by Alex Kava
  • Black Mist by Brad Thor
  • Broken Harbor by Tana French
  • A Corpse’s Nightmare by Phillip Depoy
  • Dorchester Terrace by Anne Perry
  • The Closer – final season on DVD
  • As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson
  • Bonefire of the Vanities by Carolyn Haines — didn’t recommend it as a mystery, but for the literary element of having the ghost of the protagonist’s grandmother come back as a different famous female sleuth in each book in the series
  • Nobody’s Fools by Richard Russo
  • The works of William Kent Krueger
  • Fool Me Twice by Michael Brandman, continuing the Jesse Stone novels of Robert B. Parker
  • Lullaby by Ace Atkins, continuing the Spenser novels of Robert B. Parker
  • Scones and Bones by Laura Childs (a Tea Shop mystery)
  • Crusader’s Cross by James Lee Burke
  • In the Moon of Red Ponies by James Lee Burke
  • The Mercedes Coffin by Faye Kellerman
  • The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly
  • The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King
  • Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
  • Killing Gifts by Deborah Woodworth
  • The Big Cat Nap by Rita Mae Brown
  • Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch by Nancy Atherton
  • Haven by Kay Hooper
  • Lethal Outlook by Victoria Laurie
  • The Busy Woman’s Guide to Murder by Mary Jane Maffini
  • Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow
  • Fire and Ice by Dana Stabenow
  • Crooked House by Agatha Christie
  • Black Coffee by Charles Osborne, based on the play by Agatha Christie
  • And Be a Villain by Rex Stout
  • Sister Pelagio and the Black Monk by Boris Akunin
  • Murder on Capitol Hill by Margaret Truman
  • Black Water by T. Jefferson Parker
  • Criminal by Karin Slaughter
  • Cat Coming Home by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
  • Cat Telling Tales by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
  • Frozen Heat by Richard Castle

NON-MYSTERIES

  • The Care and Handling of Roses With Thorns by Margaret Dilloway
  • Salmon Fishing in Yemen DVD
  • Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope by Gabrielle Giffords
  • 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James
  • Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore
  • Perfect is Overrated by Karen Bergreen
  • The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
  • Niceville by Carsten Stroud
  • The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

What mysteries have you been reading lately that you would recommend?