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Tag Archives: book group
Laura Childs’ “Dragonwell Dead”
When the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group met in August 2012, we discussed a 2007 entry in Laura Childs’ popular “Tea Shop Mystery” series, Dragonwell Dead.
This book was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on August 23, 2012. Whether or not you attended the actual meeting, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book (and series) in a reply comment to this blog post, below.
Join us next on September 27th, at the South Branch Library (6:30 p.m.), as we discuss a volume in the Rosato & Associates legal thriller series by Lisa Scottoline, Lady Killer.
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! Our selections for future meetings are usually posted there months in advance.
What do you think of Dragonwell Dead and the Tea Shop Mystery series by Childs?
Mystery recommendations from Just Desserts members – July 2012
Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read?
At the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group meeting on July 26th, 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
- The Return of the Dancing Master by Henning Mankell
- The works of John Sandford
- The works of Tom Clancy, particularly The Sum of All Fears
- Cold Harbor by Jack Higgins
- Free Fire and Bloodhunt by C.J. Box
- Point of Impact and others by Stephen Hunter
- Knit One Kill Two by Maggie Sefton
- Spin a Wicked Web by Cricket McRae
- Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag
- Dragonwell Dead by Laura Childs
- Dead Men Can’t Crochet by Betty Hechtman
- I Am Half Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
- The Last Days by Joel Rosenberg
- Out of the Shadows by Kay Hooper, part of her Bishop/Special Crimes series
- Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich
- Defending Jacob by William Landay
- Gun Games by Faye Kellerman
- Dead Scared by S.J. Bolton
- Snagged by Carol Higgins Clark
- Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
- The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt
- Sleeping Beauty by Ross MacDonald
- The Lew Archer series by Ross MacDonald
- The Shane Scully series by Stephen J. Cannell
- The Jesse Stone, and Sunny Randall series by Robert B. Parker
- Stay Close by Harlan Coben
- The Cinnamon Roll Murders by Joanne Fluke
- The Bad Hair Day series by Nancy J. Cohen
- Day of Atonement by Faye Kellerman
- The Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt
- The works of Margaret Coel
- The works of C.J. Box
- The works of Emily Brightwell
- The works of J.A. Jance
- The Magic Bullet by Larry Millett
- Sea Change by Karen White
- The works of Suzanne Arruda
- The works of Val McDermid
- The works of Donna Leon
- The works of Deborah Crombie
NON-MYSTERIES
- Bleak House by Charles Dickens
- The works of Stephen King
- The Submission by Laura Waldman, one of the One Book – One Lincoln finalists
- The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, one of the past One Book – One Lincoln selections
- Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard, one of the One Book – One Lincoln finalists
- Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
What mysteries have you been reading lately that you would recommend?
Anne Perry’s “Treason at Lisson Grove”
When the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group met in July 2012, we discussed a 2010 volume in Anne Perry’s popular “Thomas and Charlotte Pitt” series, Treason at Lisson Grove.
This book was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on July 26, 2012. Whether or not you attended the actual meeting, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book (and series) in a reply comment to this blog post, below.
Join us next on August 23rd, at the South Branch Library (6:30 p.m.), as we discuss a volume in the Tea Shop mystery series by Laura Childs, Dragonwell Dead.
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! Our selections for the September and October meetings were posted just recently.
What do you think of Treason at Lisson Grove and the Thomas and Charlotte Pit series by Perry?
Mystery recommendations from Just Desserts members – June 2012
Hey, mystery fans! Looking for something good to read?
At the June 28th 2012 Just Desserts meeting, 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 this month with this mystery-savvy crowd:
- Other works by Susan Wittig Albert (whose Nightshade was our book-of-the-month)
- Due or Die by Jen McKinley
- As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson
- Justice Ends at Home…and Other Stories by Rex Stout
- The Chocolate Castle Clue by JoAnna Carl
- The Quick and the Thread by Amanda Lee
- Death Comes Silently by Carolyn Hart
- Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag
- The works of Janet Evanovich, particularly the 8th Plum book, on audio
- The works by Suzanne Arruda, who was our author-of-the-month in May
- The works of Linda Castillo
- Day of Atonement by Faye Kellerman
- Shear Murder and others by Nancy J. Cohen
- The Innocent and others by Harlan Coben
- The Last Jihad by Joel Rosenberg
- Defending Jacob by William Landay
- The works of Val McDermid
- Acceptable Loss by Anne Perry
- Back of Beyond by C.J. Box
- The Drop by Michael Connelly
- A Killer Read by Erika Chase
- The Snowman and others by Jo Nesbo
- Kingdom of Strangers by Zoe Ferraris
Non-Mysteries recommended by group members:
- The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
- World War Z by Max Brooks
- Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith
- The Kingdom Keepers series by Ridley Pearson, volumes 1-3
- True Sisters by Sandra Dallas
- Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas
- The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan (the 2007 One Book One Lincoln selection)
- Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson
- The current three One Book One Lincoln nominees:
- The Submission by Amy Waldman
- The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart
- Destiny of the Republic by Candace Millard
Mystery-related news:
- Group member Vera shared the link to site she recommended about Scandinavian mystery/thriller fiction: scandinaviancrimefiction.wordpress.com, which she described as “a very comprehensive website created by Gustavus Adolphus College; excellent blog by librarian Barbara Fister with reviews of many Nordic crime fiction novels.”
- Group member Cathy shared the news that author Diana Norman, who also wrote a mystery series starting with Mistress of the Art of Death under the pseudonym Ariana Franklin, died last year (2011).
So, what mysteries have you been reading that you’d recommend?
Susan Wittig Albert’s “Nightshade”
When the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group met in June 2012, we discussed a 2008 volume in Susan Wittig Alberts’s long-running “China Bayles” series, Nightshade.
This book was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on June 28, 2012. Whether or not you attended the actual meeting, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book (and series) in a reply comment to this blog post, below.
Join us next on July 26th, at the Walt Branch Library (6:30 p.m.), as we discuss the historical Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel Treason at Lisson Grove by Anne Perry.
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! Our selections for our July and August meetings are posted, and the selections for the September and October meetings will be posting shortly.
What do you think of Nightshade and the China Bayles series by Albert?