What We’re Reading

 

LUCY BURDETTE: I’ve been reading steadily this summer, not quickly, but still delighted to be reading lots of different books. HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD by Paulette Alden presents a slice of life in Greeneville, SC, with characters struggling with racial and family tensions. Next up, JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez, a cupcake baker turned romance writer. She’s gotten some amazing press and sales and so I wanted to try one of her books. I can see why readers love her (including me)--the characters are deeply drawn, not at all cardboard, with a most satisfying ending and enjoyable setting. Adriana Trigiani was also new to me. I loved THE VIEW FROM LAKE COMO for its family drama, descriptions of both New Jersey and Italy, and her fabulous food writing. HEARTWOOD  by Amity Gauge was recommended by my friend Chris Falcone–the story of a missing hiker on the Appalachian Trail written from some very interesting points of view. I also loved WELCOME TO MURDER WEEK by Karen Dukess, in which a young woman is left an all-expense-paid trip to a murder mystery week in a small British town. Nicely done! Finally, I enjoyed debut writer Adam Roberts’ very foodie FOOD PERSON, in which a socially awkward writer takes a job as a ghostwriter for a Hollywood starlet’s cookbook. 

What are you reading, Reds?

HALLIE EPHRON: I am happily immersed in Rhys’s MRS. ENDICOTT’S SPLENDID ADVENTURE… which is completely splendid and I’m trying to *slow down* because I’m enjoying it so much. Queued up behind it is Gillian McAllister’s WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME which Hank recommended. Then I have a whole stack of books to come after including one that I missed, OLIVE AGAIN by Elizabeth Strout.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, yay, Hallie, I hope you love it. Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Dukess, Lucy, highly recommended! I am reading Lisa Jewell’s DONT LET HIM IN (to interview her at Bouchercon, although I would read anything she writes, whenever she writes it.)  PLEASE DON’T LIE by Christina Baker Kline and Anne Burt is on the pile as is Guilty By Definition by Susie Dent. And cannot forget KISS HER GOODBYE by Lisa Gardner! Oh, oh, and FULL BLOOM by Francesca Serritella. ANd oh, breaking news. Do not miss THE DEAD HUSBAND COOKBOOK. It is completely clever and ingenious and…. what if your favorite TV chef was accused of being, well, a fan of Sweeney Todd? That’s not a spoiler. And it’s terrific!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I’m not reading as much as I usually am this month, as I’m busy prepping for house full of guests for my daughter’s wedding at the end of August. (If you’re recalling that she married last fall and is now pregnant, dear readers, you’re right! This is the religious service and party side of the event.) However, I’ve got my usual trio of mystery, science fiction and other going.

Mystery: Shari Lapena’s SHE DIDN’T SEE IT COMING, which drew me in for the setting (a luxe condo building a la Only Murders in the Building) and the gender switch - it’s the wife who’s disappeared and the husband has to figure out what’s up.

SF: Also a mystery! The third of Mur Lafferty’s Midsolar Mysteries, INFINITE ARCHIVE. I love this space-station twist on the classical village cosy - and the current book throws in a mystery readers convention!

Other: I’m finally, finally reading Richard Russo’s acclaimed NOBODY’S FOOL (yes, it DID come out over 30 years ago!) It’s so much like being back in Argyle, NY - no wonder when you consider Russo’s home town is an hour away from mine. I’m so glad I didn’t read this earlier; I would have either felt like I was ripping him off, or I would have fallen into despair over how much my own writing fails to come up to his. Now, I can just enjoy it for the gem it is.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I seem to have been doing a lot of re-reading, mainly Deb Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy, although I am mainly (re) listening on Audible. But I have read the new Martin Walker Bruno novel, AN ENEMY IN THE VILLAGE, the new Damien Boyd, BLUE BLOOD (British procedural series, top notch!), the new Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London novel, STONE AND SKY, all of Martha Wells Murderbot Diaries series, which I adored. But maybe the standout for me is a novel called SANDWICH by Catherine Newman that my daughter insisted I read because she loved it so much. I struggled a bit with the beginning, probably because of being more used to having plots set up clearly from the start, my failing) but by the time I was a third of the way through I couldn’t put it down. I loved it. It’s a joyous book, and is one that will stay with me for a long time.

RHYS BOWEN: I’ve just read two books I really enjoyed. One was THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY, by Matt Haig ( interesting it was written by a man as it is so sensitive to a woman’s point of view), and The House at Mermaid’s Cove by Lindsay Jane Ashford, set in the part of Cornwall where I spend time every summer. I’m now just starting The View from Lake Como by Adriana Trigiana as I’m a guest on her podcast next week, enjoying her writing style so far.

JENN McKINLAY: I've been maintaining my cozy fantasy bender. I just read Gate to Kagoshima by Poppy Kuroki and it was fascinating (last samurai history). I've also finished Julie Leong's The Teller of Small Fortunes and I really enjoyed it. Next up is The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst. I really enjoyed The Spell Shop by her so I have high hopes!

Okay Reds, phew! What are you reading?

What We’re Reading

LUCY BURDETTE: I’ve been all over the map with reading lately so here’s the run-down. I finally picked up ALL THE LIGHT YOU CANNOT SEE (very late to this party!) because John and I were going to St. Malo (more on that later this week.) Quite fascinating! Then I read CAT AND BIRD by Kyoko Mori–I’ve always been a fan of her books as she gives so much insight into the culture of Japan and her very difficult family. This was a beautiful, quiet book about the author’s intense relationship with her cats, as well as the birds in her life. Of course, much more is revealed about her family and her life along the way. I picked up THE PARIS WIDOW by Kimberly Belle because it won best paperback original at the Edgars. A fast moving story, plus Paris! Next up BACK AFTER THIS by Linda Holmes. Loved the characters, and also loved that the romance trope did not feel at all forced. My favorite of her books so far! On the way home from our trip I finished MRS. ENDICOTT’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE–another captivating standalone from Rhys Bowen! Although this book is less mystery/suspense and more historical fiction crossed with women's fiction, it's a wonderful read. The characters develop beautifully over the course of the story, the bad-ish guys get their comeuppance, the heroes emerge during the brutal years of WW2--all this is presented in an appealing small town coastal setting. Can’t wait for you all to read it in August.

How about you Reds, what are you reading?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Well, I am thrilled to be reading Ruth Ware’s upcoming THE WOMAN IN SUITE 11,  she’s such a genius! And the amazing Shari Lapena’s new one, SHE DIDN’T SEE IT COMING, and then my idol Lisa Jewell’s (I am interviewing her GOH at Bouchercon! Whoo!)  DON’T LET HER IN. And yes, of course Mrs. Endicott, a must read! I also just finished FROM THESE ROOTS by Tamara Lanier, about her quest to get her enslaved relative’s daguerreotypes back from  Harvard. It’s amazing. And I am longing to get to CUE THE SUN, about the history of reality TV. And CARELESS PEOPLE. Talk about scary, both of them!

Oh, and please please do not miss WELCOME TO MURDER WEEK by Karen Dukess. Truly. Trust me. It is a lovely and smart and perfect book. ALL the reds and readers will love it.

RHYS BOWEN: I finally got around to Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club while I was in England. A pleasant easy read so I’ll tackle the subsequent books. I’ve also got to read Louise Penny’s The Grey and Black Wolves as we are being interviewed together for the Book Passsge Mystery Conference in July. Right now I’m reading a non fiction book I have to blurb about a woman becoming a farmer in WWII. Ghosts of the Farm

HALLIE EPHRON: I just finished Nita Prose’s THE MAID which I completely loved. What a great voice and boy howdy did the ending surprise me. And surprise me again. And what a great character, Molly Gray, even if she is yet another on-the-spectrum detective. There’s a reason why the trope works.

And I was riveted by Malcolm Gladwell’s TALKING TO STRANGERS. We’re so sure we understand one another, and yet all the science points otherwise. Got to be a must-read for anyone trying to write police procedure or courtroom drama. So many insights about how we get each other wrong. Counter-programming for the Karen Read trial.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: At a bookstore event for the wonderful Eliza Reid (former first lady of Iceland) and her debut DEATH ON THE ISLAND, I picked up EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS by John Green, author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and other YA best sellers. This book, however, is non-fiction, and is so fascinating I could hardly put it down. What an eye-opener!

Then, from another book event, THE DARK MAESTRO, the latest by Brendan Slocumb. Who else could combine a brilliant cellist, comic book heroes, and gangsters? What a fun read! Also, I’ve listened to the entire 15 hours of THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES by Jussi Adler-Olsen, the book on which the Netflix series DEPT Q is based. I’m fascinated by how they adapted this long book, what they changed while keeping the bones of the characters and plot.

Now, I’m finally indulging in Natalie Jenner’s charming AUSTEN AT SEA, and I especially love her portrayal of Louisa May Alcott. This one is a much-anticipated gem that I’m stretching out in small doses because I hate for it to end. Coming up soon is the new Damien Boyd, BLUE BLOOD, for those of you who love British procedurals. THEN, in July, the very much anticipated new Ben Aaronovitch, STONE AND SKY. And one more, I just downloaded the Netgalley of THE MANGO MURDERS by our own dear Lucy Burdette and cannot wait to dive in!

JENN McKINLAY: I’ve just gotten back to reading as my deadlines were CRUSHING me. I’ve been on a fantasy bender and devoured EMILY WILDE’S COMPENDIUM OF LOST TALES by Heather Fawcett (you need to read the first two to fully appreciate it), THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES (delightful!) by Julie Leong, and on deck for when I head to Canada, I have an ARC of Rhys’s MRS ENDICOTT’S SPLENDID ADVENTURE, and Hub just handed me ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS by Rob Hart, which he highly recommends! 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I'm splitting my time between mystery, romance/womens fiction, and science fiction, as usual. For the first, I'm about to start THE BACHELORETTE PARTY by Camilla Sten. It's a combo girls-on-a-summer island luxe getaway and Swedish noir thriller. Talk about perfect for summer reading!

For the second, I'm loving Annabel Monaghan's latest, IT'S A LOVE STORY. Also a summer book, set on the beaches in Long Island. If you haven't read her NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT, you absolutely must.

Finally, I'm re-reading Martha Wells THE MURDERBOT DIARIES to go along with the Apple + show Murderbot. Read them! Watch the show! It's the perfect intro for the SF-curious - I promise you don't need a degree in physics to love Murderbot.

What are you reading Reds?

What We're Reading!

 LUCY BURDETTE: I think we’re long past due a post on what we’re reading. For me, it might be better called ‘what’s been delivered for the contest I’m judging, and also what I’m buying, but don’t have time to read!’ I rushed over to the local bookstore the minute these two books were on the shelves, but I’m not sure when I’ll have time to get to them. I did read The Paris Cooking School by Sophie Beaumont on my way to and from Nashville— light reading, delicious food, Paris, romance, what could be better?

Honestly, I’d be so embarrassed to show you my stacks, and I definitely don’t need to add, but can’t resist: what are you reading?

HALLIE EPHRON: Lucy, I”m reading a wonderful book, your very own A POISONOUS PALATE, and having a blast spending time in Key west with Haley Snow and Miss Gloria. I just finished ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld and heartily recommend it. She’s just brilliant and it’s really all about being a writer, so what’s not to like? Even if there’s a boatload of romance in it.

LUCY: Thanks so much Hallie! I'm looking forward to the Sittenfeld book!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Thanks for the rec, Hallie - I love Curtis Sittenfeld, and I didn’t even realize she had a new book out. (Honestly, I rely on Jungle Reds for 80% of my new-book awareness. Otherwise, I’m just wandering in a fog.)

While recovering from surgery, I’ve been slowly re-reading an old, old favorite, COMING HOME by Rosamond Pilcher. It’s absolutely enormous, and slow-paced, and filled with the most painterly and poetic descriptions of homes and landscapes. I find myself wishing someone still wrote books like hers (although with the rising price of printing paper, her hardcovers would have to go for something like $50 these days!)

I’m also very much enjoying Paula Munier’s sixth Mercy Carr mystery, THE NIGHT WOODS, coming out at the beginning of October. She’ll be our guest the first week in October, so one of you will have the chance to win a copy for yourselves!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, love this! And I am reading WE SOLVE MURDERS by Richard Osman, in preparation for interviewing him soon for Porter Square Books. Also the wonderful I NEED YOU TO READ THIS by Jessa Maxwell, a terrific novel about a woman who becomes an advice columnist. Oh, and if I have not raved on these pages about the incredible WORDHUNTER by Stella Sands, here’s the rave! Drop everything and read this–about a college student forensic linguist –sort of Lisbeth Salander meets Goth Nancy Drew–who helps police solve crimes by studying the word usage of suspects. When she gets upset, she calms herself by diagramming sentences.

You all will LOVE this!

JENN McKINLAY: Oh, Hank, WORDHUNTER sounds amazing!!! Putting it on my list.

My most recent read was ONE DARK WINDOW by Rachel Gillig. Creepy, dark, romantic, but with some very deep feminist themes. Loved it! A super fun romcom by Jen DeLuca entitled HAUNTED EVER AFTER was a perfect seasonal read! And THE SPELL SHOP by Sarah Beth Durst a wonderful low stakes cozy fantasy that was delightful escapism. In case you can’t tell, I’m fully embracing the magic of the season. Come on cooler temps, pumpkins, apples, and Halloween – we’re dying here in AZ!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Of course I adored A POISONOUS PALATE! Also, as some of us mentioned on our REDS LIVE, Sarah Stewart Taylor's AGONY HILL, the first of a new series set in 1960s Vermont. Big thumbs up for this one! 

My big sweet treat was the new Jenny Colgan, CLOSE KNIT, set in the same fictional Scottish village as last year's book, THE SUMMER SKIES. So happy to see these characters and this fabulous setting return!  

(LUCY: I need that book, Debs, as I loved The Summer Skies!)

I listened to the new Ben Aaronovitch novella, THE MASQUERADES OF SPRING, which so far is only available on Audible and as a very expensive (looks like UK) hardcover. Usually I enjoy the novellas but really wish he'd spend more time on the full-length novels, but this one I loved! Think late 1920's New York with jazz and gangsters and Harlem, plus magic (with the incomparable Thomas Nightingale) and a narrator who is right out of PG Wodehouse! No one is as creative as Aaronovitch!

Also, Ann Cleeves new Vera, THE DARK WIVES, which I really enjoyed. (I like the books a lot better than the TV series.) And now I've finally got to Allison Montclair's MURDER AT THE WHITE PALACE, which is starting out to be grand!

RHYS BOWEN: This has not exactly been the week for reading. I was reading the Echo of Old Books and the Novice’s Tale but with John having a health emergency I found it impossible to concentrate and switched to old comfort read, Mary Stewart’s Madam Will You Talk, as it takes place where I hoped to be staying in France… fingers crossed I still can.

Reds, bring it on--what are you reading??

Rhys on Titles

RHYS BOWEN:  I am just switching into publicity mode for my next book. (When you find yourself doing three books a year there is always a next book looming on the horizon).

It is called THE PARIS ASSIGNMENT and it comes out in August. I love the cover. Completely eye catching across an airport bookstore but I’m not entirely thrilled about the word Paris in the title. It’s true the story does center around Paris and the heroine is sent back to France during WW!! as a spy, so it’s quite accurate. BUT

I find myself asking HOW MANY BOOKS WITH PARIS IN THE TITLE CAN THERE BE IN THE WORLD AT ONE TIME?

A short scroll down the Amazon bestseller list will reveal a whole lot. My publisher and agent’s thought is that Paris sells. See the word Paris and you’ll rush to buy the book. But I worry that readers will have become over-Parised. What if they say “Not another Paris book”?  Time will tell, I suppose. (I DO THINK THE COVER IS STUNNING!)

Titles are hard. Some come to me right away, others I toy with. Some seem perfect only to have my publisher’s marketing team tell me that the title won’t work and we need a new one.  Some have too many words to be read in a thumbnail. Some do not invoke the right image. So now I’m struggling with that very thing for the book I’m close to finishing. Remember during the What we are Writing week I shared a snippet from the book I’m currently calling IN AN ABANDONED PLACE?  I asked you for feedback and got some excellent insights, including Hank suggesting that In An Abandoned… was hard to say. And one thing I have learned—never have a title that the reader does not know how to pronounce. You don’t want to embarrass a reader in a bookstore or they’ll have negative feelings about your books for life! Hence I had to change Naughty and Nice into Naughty IN Nice so that readers would not mistakenly ask for nice…

Now, the new book is about little girls who have disappeared in WWII plus another little girl who has vanished in 1968 and whether these somehow tie together. So THE LOST GIRLS would be logical except look how many books have LOST in the their title.

And even more books have GIRLS! ( See Hallie, I’m using white space. You've got me obsessed now!)

Will my publisher want lost or girls because they sell?  My own feeling is that the world doesn’t want any more lost girls.

I like the feel of the word Abandoned in the title because it is the theme , not just of the village but of the lives of several characters, but there has been a book called ABANDONED, so not that. Deserted, maybe? A Deserted Place? The Deserted Village?

Isn’t it interesting how there is a fashion for particular words in titles: books, bookshops, libraries, words seem to be in at the moment. The Paris Bookshop, the London Bookshop, the Last Bookshop, the lost Library etc etc etc.

A while ago it was daughter/wife/child.  The lighthouse keeper's/butcher’s/bakers/candlestick maker’s daughter/wife/child.  Okay, I did one of them. I confess, but it was Tuscan.

I’m always afraid that if I choose a title with current buzzwords (like Paris) readers will glance at the book and say “Oh, I read that one.”

So, dear Reds: is it the title that makes you pick up a book? Or the cover? Or the author’s name?

And does AN ABANDONED PLACE work better? Any other brilliant suggestions?

Jolabokaflod? AKA What to Read Next?

LUCY BURDETTE: did you have the pleasure of experiencing an Icelandic holiday book flood this year? (On Christmas Eve, they exchange books, in a tradition called Jolabokaflod.) I received an embarrassment of riches, leaving me with the enviable problem of what to read next. As my sister pointed out, I am pretty good at speaking out about what I’d love to see around the tree on Christmas morning lol. Plus I added the top two myself, including Maddie Dawson’s SNAP OUT OF IT and our own Jenn’s FATAL FASCINATOR. I decided yesterday to start THE BULLET THAT MISSED because I was in the mood for characters I already knew and enjoyed. 

How about you Reds, books for Christmas? What are you reading from your pile?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, drop everything and read THE MYSTERY OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS by Janice Hallett. So incredibly good, she’s the most brilliant person! Here’s the pitch:

Open the safe deposit box.

Inside you will find research material for a true crime book.

You must read the documents, then make a decision.

Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police?

It’s great, truly.

Looking forward to Jordan Harper’s EVERYBODY KNOWS and Deepti Kapoor’s AGE OF VICE and Mary Kubica’s JUST THE NICEST COUPLE.

(And if you need a bargain, TRUST ME and THE MURDER LIST are each just $1.99 today!)

Oh, and so you can say you heard it here first, ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME by WIlliam Landay is gaspingly brilliant. Unforgettable.

HALLIE EPHRON: I finished THE BULLET THAT MISSED and loved it. Now I eagerly await the next in that series. And I’m in line for anything new from BIll Landay. His books are worth waiting for. Jenn’s FATAL FASCINATOR is on my TBR list. And I bought myself THE LAST CONFESSIONS OF SYLVIA P by Lee Kravetz… party truth, part fiction, totally fascinating, based on Sylvia Plath’s writings and her stay at McClean Hospital where she was treated for severe depression.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: For the first time ever I didn’t get a single book for Christmas! What?!? Everyone here should just send me books, that’s all I’m going to say. Grump Grump Grump.

LUCY: Wow Julia, that's shocking!!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I did give books, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY to my daughter and the Jim Kay illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to my granddaughter. Then my friend Gigi surprised me with not one, but two, of the Jim Kay books, Chamber of Secrets and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Have you seen any of the Jim Kay books? The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! They are absolute treasures and I can't wait to sit down and dip into my new copies. I do wonder, however, just how massive these books are going to be by the time Kay gets to the seven-hundred-some-odd page books towards the end of the series!

Also, I'm quite tickled that I've finally learned how to spell Jolabokaflod without double-checking it!

LUCY: Debs, our daughter asked for the first illustrated book for her family. It is gorgeous! I gave out Lessons in Chemistry too!

RHYS BOWEN: Count me as another fan of Lessons in Chemistry. Nobody gave me books for Christmas, which is fine as I always have a stack of upcoming books waiting to be blurbed. One of these I’ve just finished was Queen Wallis, a follow up to Widowland. Did anyone read that? So brilliant and chilling! The only books I gave were cookbooks. Are they still relevant,do you think, now all recipes can be found online?

JENN McKINLAY: We always give a book and a bookstore giftcard to each other for the holidays. This year’s selections for the fam were: Never Finished by David Goggins (Hooligan 2), Cheap Movie Tricks by Rickey Bird (Hooligan 1), Rory Galagher: His Life and Times by Marcus Connaughton (Hub), and Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan (me). We had a wedding in the family so I haven’t had a chance to read anything but I’m really looking forward to some downtime!

How about you Reds, did you experience the joy of Jolabokaflod??

Happy Holidays...Wait...What?! by Jenn McKinlay

JENN MCKINLAY: I admit it. I am one of those curmudgeons who loathes walking into stores and seeing the Halloween stuff facing off with the Christmas stuff! I keep expecting the green blow up witch and the jolly inflatable Santa to either have an epic battle or a torrid affair. Shocking, I know!

Of course, it wouldn't be a problem is everyone would stay in their designated holiday lane. Halloween stuff from Oct 1st through Halloween and then Thanksgiving (remember that one?) in November, followed by Christmas/Winter stuff from Dec 1st through the New Year's Day. Why is this so difficult?

That being said, there is something we need to talk about. I saw a post from an independent bookstore that said because of shipping, printing, and distribution issues, if you have books you want to give as gifts this holiday season, YOU SHOULD ORDER THEN NOW so they get to you or your intended recipient on time! 

EEK!

Naturally, that sent me into a panic, and I thought I’d share my anxiety, because I’m generous like that.

To help us all out, I polled the Reds about what they're giving for holiday books this year to get us all ahead of the situation. You're welcome :)

JENN McKINLAY: Here are three of my top picks to give away this year.

Lessons in Chemistry to every young woman in my life. Fave book of the year, hands down. I read a description that called it compulsively readable and I have to agree. OTHER BIRDS by Sarah Addison Allen is one of my other wonderful reads this year. She writes magical realism, but her use of language to me is truly what's magical about an Addison Allen book. 

Of course, my own cookbook Fairy Tale Cupcakes created with my chief baking officer Christie Conlee because of course I am. Why wouldn't I? I have a ton of copies :)

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Eurgh, I have books picked out for all my kids, but the girls read JRW, so I’ll have to skip those. The sailor doesn’t however, so I can pass on what I’m getting for him. LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD: The Story of the Syracuse 8 by David Marc. Spencer loves basketball and civil rights history, and this tale of the integration of the SU Orangemen in 1969 hits both of those sweet spots. I’m also picking him up S.A. Cosby’s RAZORBLADE TEARS, because he loved BLACKTOP WASTELAND. Cosby has a third novel coming out, but not until June, darn it.

For your favorite science geek/action-adventure lover, I’d suggest CHILD ZERO by Chris Holm, which came out in May but is still the best thriller I’ve read all years. For your friend who loves English Village mysteries, may I suggest Jessica Ellicott’s Beryl and Edwina series? There are six in print with the next coming in Spring, so if you get your friend hooked, you’re set for gift ideas for a while.

And for the elementary school child on your list? D.B. Johnson’s Henry series. I’ve given HENRY HIKES TO FITCHBURG and HENRY BUILD A CABIN to so many birthday boys and girls over the years. These beautifully illustrated, gentle stories are interpretations of Henry David Thoreau’s work, with thoughtful Henry Bear enjoying nature outside Concord, MA, and interacting with his friends Emerson and Mr. Alcott. 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I have THREE Fairy Tale Cupcakes I’m giving! Perfect gifts. 

Not sure what I’m buying, that always turns out so spur of the moment, but you all be on the look out for WRONG TIME WRONG PLACE, a brilliant brilliant thriller about a women who sees her teenage son murder someone, but why? And then she wakes up the next day, it’s the day before the murder. And the next day is the day before that. AHHHH! How did Gillian McAlllister pull this off? ( And it’s also a moving study of parental guilt and responsibility.)

THE STORYTELLER’S DEATH  by Ann Dávila Cardinal. About a young half-Puerto Rican woman who realizes she’s inherited the gift/curse of being a cuentista. When a member of her family dies, she has visions of a moment in each of their lives, as if SHE lived it. And then she has to…well, read it.

And MORE THAN YOU’LL EVER KNOW,  by Katie Gutierrez, about a woman who has two husbands–and one of them kills the other.

Oh, classic spy movie buffs will devour December 1941 by William Martin. A German spy plots to kill Roosevelt on Christmas Eve at the White House. It’s DAY OF THE JACKAL meets North by Northwest.

One more–The Appeal, by Jancie Hallett. ALL in emails and I tell you, it is FABULOUS. Amazing. (Actually, intimidating. She is so good.)

And get gift cards! Pre-order! (A pre-order is a GREAT gift!) Because in March, I think, WIlliam Landay (Defending Jacob) has a new book! ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME  is beyond amazing. BEYOND!

LUCY BURDETTE: If you have kids to buy books for, take a look at Sean Rubin’s stuff–he’s a brilliant illustrator, but also a writer. He’s quite New York-centric, but I gave his books to all our grandkids and great nephews last year. Also, looking for a copy of Carol Ryrie Brink’s old book, THE HIGHLY TRAINED DOGS OF PROFESSOR PETIT. And Jacques Pepin has a beautiful new cookbook out about chicken, including a lot of his artwork–he’s wonderful! Plus something to do with our trip to Scotland (I’m being perfectly vague in case the getter is reading–but ask me offline and I’ll whisper it to you:)

HALLIE EPHRON: Thanks for the kid-book recommendations, Lucy - We love great illustrations and my grands LIVE in NY. So what could be more perfect.

For me, I’m hoping Santa drops of a copy of Richard Osman’s THE BULLET THAT MISSED (A Thursday Murder Club Mystery) - and I can share it with the eight million people to whom I’ve recommended the series. Also Kate Atkinson newest, SHRINES OF GAIETY, because, well, Kate Atkinson.

 

I’ve also been trying to find a copy of SPEAKING OF HARPO - by Harpo’s widow, Susan Fleming Marx. And SHY: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memories of Mary Rodgers by Mary Rodgers. I love theatre and movie memoirs, and a woman’s perspective at a time when women were pretty much shoved to the corners.

 

Got to get a copy of Jenn’s WAIT FOR IT for my daughter who loved PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA and shared it with her friends.And Rhys’s WHERE THE SKY BEGINS for the person in my family who reads and rereads Jane Austen. And I plan to pack an assortment of Lucy’s Key West mysteries to take with us on a family vacation to… Key West this winter. 

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, yikes, Christmas already? How is this even possible? The only thing I know for certain is that I'll be buying at least three copies of FAIRY TALE CUPCAKES! Contemplating a copy of BLACKTOP WASTELAND for my daughter (shh, don't tell) and also LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY. And loving all the children's book suggestions for Wren! 

I highly recommend the new Richard Osman, THE BULLET THAT MISSED, and Natalie Jenner's BLOOMSBURY GIRLS, which is historical/literary rather than mystery and was one of my favorite books of the year.

RHYS BOWEN:  Holiday books now?  I have no idea. My two sons-in-law are great readers and always get books from me. Tom is a big fan on Daniel Silva so recommendations please! Tim is very much a spiritual type of guy so any help there would be appreciated too

The only ones I am sure of are:

Jenn’s cupcakes. Who could resist those? I know who is getting one but they may read this column. Also, a gluten-free cookbook for a daughter who has suddenly become allergic to gluten after Covid and a vegan cookbook to a daughter who has become vegan. Again recommendations please!

Normally I would have shopped for books in UK, but I was a prisoner of Covid so I’m just starting to get my act together. Maybe everyone will get my new Peril in Paris!

How about you, Readers, what are you giving for books this year?

Reading Notes @lucyburdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I think I've come to terms this week with the fact that I suffer from a book addiction. I've probably got enough books in my stack(s) to keep me busy for a lifetime, and yet, I want more... Here a few I've finished and enjoyed, and a few more I'm looking forward to, in addition to those by Zac and Leslie, whom you met this week. I know I can count on all of you to help me feed the beast:).

THE DROWNING SEA by Sarah Stewart Taylor. Sarah's such a gifted writer and I love the characters in this series--and it's all set in Ireland. What's not to like?

MISS CECILY'S RECIPES FOR EXCEPTIONAL LADIES by Vicky Zimmerman. This starts out a bit like many English women's fiction novels--with a perfectly nice protagonist dumped by the guy she thought was "the one." She's encouraged to try volunteering to get her mind off her misery, and meets a 97 year old woman in a nursing home who'd had a fascinating life, including writing a remarkable cookbook. Their growing friendship is wonderful, the old woman's a pip, and they share the love of food. I'm sorry it's over.

WHERE THE SKY BEGINS by Rhys Bowen. Okay, I will not gloat, but Rhys shared a few advance copies of her new standalone with the Reds, set during World War II in England. You are going to love it!

OUT OF THE CLEAR BLUE SKY by Kristan Higgins. I think I've read everything she's written from romance to women's fiction, but this may be her best. An enticing Cape Cod setting, a spunky character with an interesting career as a nurse midwife, a bum husband that she gathers the courage to leave behind...

And a few on my TBR pile...

RAZORBLADE TEARS SA Cosby

THE WEDDING PLOT Paula Munier

MUDDLED THROUGH Barbara Ross

CLARK AND DIVISION Naomi Hirahara

THIS PLACE OF WONDER Barbara O'Neal

THE BODYGUARD Katherine Center

And finally, one I hope you'll put on your list if you haven't already: UNSAFE HAVEN, which is out in paperback on Tuesday, and also now has a reasonable ebook price:). Here's an excerpt should you want to take a look...

Okay Red readers, pile on! What are you reading? What must I add to my pile?

The TBR Pile

 LUCY BURDETTE: this is a photo of my recent TBR pile. I know we’ve talked about this subject before, but the decision still flummoxes me every time. So here we are again: if you have a stack of books (oh surely you must), how do you decide what to read next?

In this case, all the books were bought by me so I do want to read each of them. And I like to alternate women’s fiction with mystery sometimes. Since taking the photo last week, an online friend told me she had loved Lost in Paris so that’s where I started. Lovely book, especially for Paris nuts like me. Last night I started Sarah Stewart Taylor‘s. It's excellent and I wonder why I waited so long??

So what’s in your pile and how do you choose?

JENN McKINLAY: I’m traveling right now, doing research on Martha’s Vineyard — a hardship, I know. So my TBR pile consists of two books — a women’s fiction novel, LIFE’S TOO SHORT by Abby Jimenez and a sneak peek at an upcoming new mystery PRIDE, PREJUDICE, AND PERIL: A Jane Austen Tea Society Mystery by Katie Oliver — both of which are proving to be excellent! Sometimes packing light works out! 

RHYS BOWEN:  As usual my TBR pile is all books I have to blurb, that will be coming out later this year. The one I’m really looking forward to is called Once Upon a Wardrobe and is about a little boy who is dying and wants to know if Narnia is real. His sister seeks our C S Lewis to find the truth

But I’ve just finished an Indian mystery called a Will to Kill— strangely retro. The Golden Age transported to India.

I’m hoping for time to read my own choice of books on vacation in San Diego...

 

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I would hate for anyone to see my TBR piles(s), because, yes, there are multiples, all over the house. And that's not counting the blizzard of books on my Kindle!!! What I choose to read next is very capricious. Sometimes something new, sometimes it's books I've been meaning to read for ages. For instance, last week I read Ian Rankin's A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES, which had been in the pile for at least a year. Then I read all three of Connie Berry's excellent Kate Hamilton books, because she'd been on JRW and I thought they sounded just my cup of tea (and they were!) Now I'm reading the new Damien Boyd Nick Dixon novel, DYING INSIDE. This British series is very procedural, and very well done. And next up after that is Sarah Stewart Taylor's A DISTANT GRAVE, which I have been very much looking forward to! Oh, and I may have to order LOST IN PARIS, on Lucy's recommendation.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, I love hearing about the piles! On my already read all-star list: the terrific debut ALL HER LITTLE SECRETS by Wanda Morris. Run run run to preorder. Seriously. Do not miss this! Also the debut HER NAME IS KNIGHT by Yasmin Angoe is completely riveting. Double wow. Here's my stack right now: The brilliant brilliant FIVE STRANGERS by E.V. Adamson. SURE to be a bestseller, a true pageturner. The wonderful Tracy Clark'S RUNNER, of course, and the NEW John Lescroart, THE MISSING PIECE! (He is such a genius.) And Sarah Strohmeyer has a new book--a thriller titled DO I KNOW YOU? I cannot wait to read. What a luscious reading future for me! 

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Hank, I was just rereading Sarah Strohmeyer's THE PENNY PINCHERS CLUB - I'm delighted to know she has a new novel coming out. She's such an interesting example of writing across multiple genres: comedic cozy mystery, womens fiction, YA and now domestic thrillers.

 

As for me, my TBR contains the usual mix of science fiction/fantasy and crime fiction, leavened with various reads I arbitrarily deem "summertime." I got a copy of THE SWEETEST DAYS, our recent guest John Hough Jr's exploration of a long-time marriage. I bought Katherine Addison's THE WITNESS FOR THE DEAD, an "in the world of" sort-of sequel to her Hugo- and Nebula award nominated THE GOBLIN EMPEROR. But I've decided I want to re-read the first book, so I guess that's also on deck for my TBR? 

 

Finally, I picked up HOSTAGE by Clare Mackintosh, because who doesn't love claustrophobic thrillers set on a flight? The heroine is a flight attendant who discovers her husband and child are being held by bad guys in London, just as she takes off for a 20 hour flight to Sydney. Of course, the baddies want her to help them...  

 

Okay Red Readers, let's hear what's on your pile and how you choose!

What We’re Reading as the Pandemic Rages On

LUCY BURDETTE: Jenn and I were delighted to be included in one of Hank’s backroom events this week (https://bksp.org/)--what could be more fun than talking with eighty readers about books and writing? I loved hearing about what folks are reading, and whether our current pandemic reality is affecting their reading.

For me, I’m still reading less than I like, and I’m still reading lighter and often women’s fiction featuring strong women wrestling with their lives rather than straight mystery. Bonus points for books that take place in other countries without our toxic politics. Two I’ve enjoyed lately are WELL-BEHAVED INDIAN WOMEN by Saumya Dave, and THE SECRET RECIPES OF SOPHIE VALROUX by Samantha Verant. I'm addicted to books set in India. The Dave book takes place mostly in New York, but it’s loaded with issues about a woman’s place in traditional India versus the US. Verant’s book (which came recommended by our book pal Jean Lewis) features a disgraced chef who runs away to her family’s chateau in southern France--so much wonderful food and scenery and a handsome Frenchman! And how come my family doesn’t have a secret chateau??

RHYS BOWEN:  oh gosh, I’ve hardly been reading at all for two reasons: deadline looming on not one but two books and such tension surrounding the election. So I’ve just read a biography of The prince of Wales and Mrs Simpson ( always good to have more input for my Royal Spyness books) and a couple of old Mary Stewart suspense novels. My TBR pile is growing rather large so I’m hoping for a time when I can sit on my patio in Arizona and binge read!

HALLIE EPHRON: Hank interviewed me, too, for her BOOK CLUB WITH STYLE group on Facebook. So much fun! If only all work were made that easy. Thanks, Hank!

I’m making my way through months of back issues of The New Yorker. There’s always some article I never would have thought I’d be interested in. More than a few of my novels were sprouted from something I read in The New Yorker. And the short stories!  

I just finished E. O. Wilson’s TALES FROM THE ANT WORLD. He’s a brilliant writer and inquiring mind, all about how he got fascinated by ants (myrmecology) and his worldwide travels to study them. 

JENN McKINLAY: After a mental hiatus from words or a small nervous breakdown, hard to say, I’ve finally gotten my reader groove back. Most recent books that I’ve loved were The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James, a creepy, suspenseful ghost story and fabulous mystery all in one.  The Flip Side, a British rom-com by James Bailey, which was a delight, especially from the male perspective. These were after I blew through all ten of the Chronicles of St. Mary’s by Jodi Taylor, a time traveling historian adventure series set in England. So fun! And I’ve also read some non-fiction, my fave being Keep Moving by Maggie Smith. It’s a book of affirmations written by the poet to motivate -- even when it all seems fairly futile. 

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  Lucy, the Verant book is going straight on my list! And Jenn's The Flip Side, and the Chronicles of St. Mary's. All of those sound like huge fun, and I want fun. Scarily, the only mystery I've managed to get all the way through in months other than Hank's, Lucy's, Jenn's, and Rhys's, was Elly Griffiths' The Stranger Diaries, which I loved, too. Otherwise I've been reading women's fiction (British chick lit, really!) with lots of Jules Wake/Jenny Caplin titles, and rereading favorite fantasy series. Since the pandemic I've reread all my Ben Aaronovitch, all the Harry Potters, and am now on the third Deborah Harkness All Souls book. What is up with this? Oh, I read the new Charles Todd story, which is really more of a novella, A Hanging at Dawn, and really enjoyed that. So basically, I want happy endings, not too much tension (unless I already know the ending), characters I really like, and no politics. I have a new biography of Dickens by A.N. Wilson, and am going to order the Obama memoir.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I tore through Ruth Ware's ONE BY ONE, and now am immersed in Gilly Macmillan's truly disquieting TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH. I'm ready for JT Ellison's new book--yikes, what's the name of it? I'm distracted by my envy for her idea: What if Rebecca hadn't died? AHHHH. Brilliant. And then the new Anthony Horowitz! (Am I too stuck in my ways?) And then the new Charles Todd novella! And oh, Hallie. The ant book. I LOVED IT. (a long time ago, right?) And please find THE FIFTH RISK. It's not a fictional thriller, the way it sounds. It's a real life political horror story. Truly. Read it.

LUCY: Our copy of Obama's memoir is on the way from RJ Julia in Madison CT. Can't wait for that! Reds, how is your reading, and what can you recommend?

Rhys on What We're Reading

RHYS BOWEN: Well, we’ve made it through another week, haven’t we? I wonder if it will get any easier if we’re in isolation for a month, for two months?


Please email me if you’d like me to answer any of your questions or concerns like “IS it normal to want to put a pillow over your husband’s face while he is sleeping because he’s driving me crazy?” Okay, only some of the time. Most of the time he’s being really good. Except when he brings in a package and PUTS IT ON THE JUST CLEANED AND DISINFECTED COUNTER!


Earlier in the week I talked about the gift of time, which should translate into time for reading all those books I’ve meant to read but never did. But you know what I find? I find it hard to concentrate. So no complicated mystery stories, nothing too dark, and certainly nothing too sad. It has to have a happy ending (except that for some reason I’m finding Harry Potter just fits the bill. Maybe because he’s battling against terrible odds and finally wins … unless you are Dobby).


So I find I’ve been re-reading things I’ve enjoyed before. Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden. Some of Louse Penny’s early Gamache books, and now Laurie King’s The Beekeeper’s Apprentice which I must have read when it first came out and I didn’t know who Laurie King was.


Unfortunately I’m at my Arizona winter retreat so I don’t have access to all my library of children’s books and old favorites which I’d normally read in times of stress. My entire collection of Agatha Christie for example. So I’d like to hear from you:


What are you reading right now? Any suggestions for books in the time of plague?


LUCY BURDETTE: Ha ha on the pillow over hub’s head. I texted with friends yesterday and we agreed (1) maybe we’d have more time to write in jail, and (2) we’d look good in orange.


Bad jokes aside, I feel very lucky to have my hub holed up with me! I’m reading an unusual book called THE GULF by Belle Boggs. It takes place at a rundown motel in Florida, where a poet and her ex-boyfriend are trying set up a writing seminar for inspirational writer wanna-bes. I wanted something other than a murder mystery for once, and this is very different!


I’ve also started THE MOTH CATCHER, a Vera book by Ann Cleeves. I’d say this is comfort reading because I know and love the characters. And I also pre-ordered Julia’s new book, coming VERY SOON--HID FROM YOUR EYES. Let’s all do that and then we’ll have a virtual book party!





JENN McKINLAY: LOL, Rhys. Yes, quality time with the fam has begun to feel more like doin’ time. Thankfully, I have a plethora of ARCs to read for endorsements and for once I actually have time to savor them instead of wedging the reading into every spare minute I can find. So, that’s nice. Let me just say there is some really terrific fiction coming out this year and next like our Lucy’s KEY LIME CRIME (July), Devon Daniels’s MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE (Sept), and Lauren Elliott’s A PAGE MARKED FOR MURDER (Oct). Other than that, I am trying to write, catching up on my Netflix backlog, and doing a lot of procrastibaking. I’m on a shortbread bender at the moment.


DEBORAH CROMBIE: I thought I would do so much reading! But, like most everyone else, I’ve been very distracted. An advance copy of Lucy’s THE KEY LIME CRIME helped get me through the last couple of weeks! Now I’m missing being in her fictional Key West--virus free! Now I’m reading an ARC of Cara Black’s WWII standalone, THREE HOURS IN PARIS, which comes out next week, and I can tell you that it’s gripping! And so looking forward to our Julia’s book, HID FROM OUR EYES, out next week as well. I’ve been waiting SO long! This is my big anticipated read of the spring!


Rhys, you’ve tempted me to go back to Harry Potter. I’d started the Jim Kay illustrated edition with Wren a few weeks ago, but we are not co-reading for the time being… Or I might pick up one of my all-time favorite reads in times of stress, a Dick Francis novel.


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, gosh, my brain is having such a difficult time focusing. Luckily I have the new Kate White HAVE YOU SEEN ME and Roz Nay’s HURRY HOME--both sinister and twisty. The new Samantha Downing arc just arrived, hurray, called HE STARTED IT. I am sure it’ll be wonderful--she’s so talented. I cannot wait for Cara Black--you are all so lucky to have read it--but mine will arrive on pub day.


I am loving SOMETHING WONDERFUL, a bio of Rogers and Hammerstein by Todd Purdom. (I appeared with him on one of my last book tour events, sigh.) It’s wonderful, and a fascinating examination of how those geniuses worked together. ANd has a lot of the discarded lyrics, which are fascinating. (Can you believe So Long, Farewell with a verse that says something like: “So long, farewell, and now we must aloha; I know it’s sad, but time for me to go-ha.” Isn’t that hilarious?


I’ve been very tempted to read all the Agatha Christies, I must say, but suddenly my life is all about decontamination and dinner-making, and worrying that I am not writing. Books all seem to have a weird subtext now, like when you see old movies on TV where people are standing too close together. My mind is still searching for a new normal, so I’m thrilled to see all these suggestions.


HALLIE EPHRON: I”m reading Wendy Corsi Staub’s heartstopping THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER - the finale of her The Foundlings Trilogy. You’lll have to wait until the end of August to see how it all comes together. I also have Raymond Chandler’s FAREWELL MY LOVELY, just to remind myself what an amazing writer he was.

And I’m reading PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS - an anthology of essays by mystery writers on the real mysteries they’ve experienced in real life. Both Rhys and I have essays in the collection, edited by Victoria Zackheim. It comes out in a few weeks, y’all will be hearing much more about it then.


JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Comfort reads for me. I’m re-reading Lucy’s Key West Food Critic series because it has everything my life does not right now - solvable problems, delicious food I don’t have to make, beautiful settings and warm weather. I’m also rereading in my usual favorite genre, science fiction: the more recent books of Lois McMaster Bujold. I’m not usually a big rereader, and I think I’m enjoying it precisely because I know what’s going to happen. Unlike here in the real world.


Side note: The Maine Millennial and I were talking about this sense of uncertainty, and I realized the next week, day, hour has always been uncertain - it’s just when things are trundling on as normal we can forget that inconvenient fact.

Back to books - I’m really excited about some books I’ve ordered from one of my local independent bookstores. I’m getting THE LAST EMPEROR, third in an amazing series by John Scalzi, the SF author even people who don’t get SF can read and love. Also Tessa Wegert’s DEATH IN THE FAMILY, because murder on an isolated island is irresistible now. And finally, I’m looking forward to Deb’s current read, THREE HOURS IN PARIS, by Cara Black. Did you know it’s on Amazon’s Editor’s Pick for Best Books for April? I think it’s going to be a BIG book.




NOTE FROM RHYS: Cara will be our guest on Sunday, sharing her favorite sites in Paris. And I LOVED the book. It's brilliant.




















So, dear friends, what are you reading? Can you read? Is it old comfort reads or fun new books?

Most Anticipated Spring Reads

Jenn McKinlay: I am an eclectic reader, meaning I read everything. There is no genre I won't read. So, while looking at my most anticipated reads for spring, I was unsurprised to see a nice mix of genre there. Show of hands, who reads ALL the genres?

Because I like to share (librarian), here's my short list -- in no particular order -- of my most anticipated spring reads. Believe me, the actual list is much, much, much longer!

I discovered Abby Jimenez when she was a Food Network champ of Cupcake Wars - no, not kidding. She co-owns Nadia Cakes and since I write the Cupcake Bakery mysteries, I was an instant fan. Imagine my delight when she published her first book, The Friend Zone, and it was EXCELLENT! Naturally, I've been waiting for book two and was thrilled when she endorsed my upcoming summer book and then sent me an ARC of The Happy Ever After Playlist, which I just finished and let me just say -- it is FANTASTIC!

One of the cozy mysteries I have been most eager for is Death at High Tide, the start of a new series by my dear friend Hannah Dennison. If you love a good British mystery with delightful wit and a divine setting, Hannah's your writer! The series is about two sisters who inadvertently inherit a crumbling Art Deco hotel on a fictional tidal islet called Tregarrick Rock in the Isles of Scilly. Perfect, right? I've just started it and am loving it! 

Freakin' Scalzi. I straight up love this guy. Smart and funny, he's a writer's writer. Plus his Twitter feed features his cat Smudge, so we were simpatico even before I found this series, which I love. The Last Emperox is book three of the of The Interdependency Trilogy, and I am here for it. Not for nothing, but Scalzi pens a heck of a heroine and this space opera is a supercharged rocket of a ride. Strap in!

Lori Wilde has been a friend and mentor to me for years. When we met up at Bouchercon in Dallas, we had a lot to share as we'd both been moved into women's fiction by our publishers. I have been anticipating The Moonglow Sisters ever since. Three sisters raised by their grandmother, inseparable until a betrayal cuts their close ties. How will it play out for Maddie, Shelley, and Gia? No one writes better complicated family dynamics with warmth and wit than Lori. Her book arrived on my doorstep yesterday and I can't wait to dig in!

Okay, there's anticipation, and then there's ANTICIPATION! No eager-to-read-list would be complete without mentioning our Julia. At long last, number nine in her series drops this spring and I am over the moon.

I have loved Claire Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne from book one and I can't wait to have them back in my life. Seriously, I am clearing my calendar and booking a long reading sesh with Hid From Our Eyes on it's release day, April 7th, and I suggest you do the same!

So, tell me, Reds and Readers, what are your most anticipated books this spring? And do you read all genres or no?