Topics

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Top Ten Lists / My Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers of 2021

« on: February 23, 2022, 03:18:05 pm »

Late posting this but in case anyone wants to take a gander, here's my Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers of 2021.

It was another great year of books with lots to choose from as well as some great things that I got to be part of during the year.

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Welcome and General Discussion / Library Book Sales

« on: April 22, 2021, 11:44:47 am »

Anyone frequent the fundraising book sales that their local library holds?

Here where I am, they started holding the first one of the year today. The various protocols of distancing, masks and hand sanitizer are in effect. Only 8 people allowed inside at a time too.

I cut out of work for a bit so I could get there right at the start and have the best possible selection to choose from.

And for just under 15 bucks I walked out with 29 books. Now, 16 of them were for my trivia team partner. He started reading the Lee Child books and asked if I would pick him up some. At 79, he's not exactly roaming about the landscape yet even with being fully vaccinated. So as luck would have it, they were packed with Lee Child books. I got 14 titles for him, plus the first book in the Quinn Colson series by Ace Atkins. The other book was actually a mistakenly bought 2nd copy of one of the Lee Child books, so I'll just donate that back to the library at another time.

Now for me, I grabbed DEEP STATE by Chris Hauty. That's one of the most talked about thrillers of 2019 but I hadn't gotten around to getting it for myself. I also grabbed up the first two books in Jane K. Cleland's Josey Prescott Antique mystery series, the first two book's in Jenn McKinlay's Cupcake Bakery series, a Barbara Ross Maine Clambake book, an Ellie Alexander Bakeshop mystery, the first four books in Paige Shelton's Farmer's Market series and one in her Country Cooking School series as well.

My question for anyone reading, do authors hate the notion of their books being sold off like this? I mean, they got bought once to end up in the library sale. But do you think it leads to further sales down the road if a reader gets started on the cheap? I know that when I buy books this way, if I like the series, I start buying the books new.

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Welcome and General Discussion / Where's Becke?

« on: April 10, 2021, 08:06:48 pm »

Any idea where Becke has gone? She hasn't posted on the forums in a while.

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Welcome and General Discussion / RIP Margaret Maron

« on: February 24, 2021, 04:31:09 am »

The news was posted online via Twitter. I haven't been able to find an official news article to link to but author Margaret Maron passed away yesterday.

Here's the photo of the state released by her family:

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Top Ten Lists / My Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers of 2020!

« on: December 31, 2020, 04:33:27 pm »

I've just finished writing my article on my Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers of 2020. If anyone cares to check it out, it's posted on my home away from home on the Internet, the Classic Rock Bottom message board. Here's the DIRECT LINK.

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Welcome and General Discussion / Giving Books as Gifts?

« on: December 04, 2020, 03:00:28 pm »

Anyone making a point of giving their fellow book lovers some new reading material as gifts this year?

I am giving books to a co-worker and one of the people on my trivia team. Two people are getting gift cards. And two of my cousin's kids are getting four books apiece.

I believe one friend is giving me a book as a gift this year.

What about everyone else?

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Welcome and General Discussion / Sherlock Holmes Pastiches

« on: November 21, 2020, 07:35:01 am »

I know that there is no shortage of non-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories on the bookshelves these days. Do you have any particular favorites?

I've always loved the Laurie R. King stories that focus on Mary Russell and an older Sherlock. But there's so many series that it is impossible to keep up with everything.

I know that Nicholas Meyer has written a couple of books in this particular field. I've heard they are pretty good but haven't gotten a chance to read them yet. Leonard Goldberg has a Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series that is doing well. I recently reviewed one.

Yesterday I picked up a couple of books by James Lovegrove. He's written a number of books but SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE CHRISTMAS DEMON came out in paperback recently while SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE BEAST OF THE STAPLETONS came out in hardcover. I got both of them and I'm going to look forward to reading them.

My local comic shop has been getting prose novels in recently and there's another Sherlock Book that came in last week by Sam Siciliano that seems pretty interesting. I put that on hold for next week.

I've noticed that the local B&N's shelves for all these Holmesian books are seemingly all filed with the Doyle books, regardless of author alphabetical order.  I can't imagine the hell that must play for people that don't know that in advance.

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Welcome and General Discussion / RIP Rachel Caine

« on: November 02, 2020, 04:50:08 pm »

Author Rachel Caine passed away yesterday after a fight with cancer. I'd been hoping to start reading her Stillhouse Lake series in the near future and didn't even know she was ill so this came as a big surprise to me. She wrote thrillers, young adult books and more. You can read more about her work and passing HERE!

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Mystery Scene Magazine Issues / Summer 2020 - Issue #164

« on: May 26, 2020, 09:37:13 am »

Now that the new issue is out, what were your favorite parts of the magazine?

I have the issue but haven't read about it. Going by the cover, I'm looking forward to reading the articles on Maddie Day (naturally) and R.G. Belsky.

And I've got two reviews in the magazine as well.

I'm sure there will be a host of other pieces that will make me add more books to my never ending want list as well.

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Welcome and General Discussion / RIP Sheila Connolly

« on: April 23, 2020, 10:08:07 pm »

I'm sad to report that author Sheila Connolly has passed away. She wrote the County Cork, Victorian Village, Orchard, Relatively Dead and Museum mystery series as well as many other works.

You can read more HERE!

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Welcome and General Discussion / RIP Barbara Neely

« on: March 08, 2020, 11:23:36 am »

Sad news to report - Author Barbara Neely passed away earlier this week.

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Welcome and General Discussion / RIP: Clive Cussler

« on: February 26, 2020, 01:16:02 pm »

Author Clive Cussler has passed away.

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Mystery Scene Magazine Issues / Winter 2020 Issue #163

« on: February 20, 2020, 07:39:18 pm »

The new issue was released this week and it is the first one under the new quarterly publication schedule.

What did you like best about the magazine?

I just picked it up tonight so I haven't yet gotten to read the issue. But I've got three reviews printed in the issue as well as my contribution to the Fave Raves article.

The first two reviews have been posted online too.

Matthew Quirk's HOUR OF THE ASSASSIN - https://www.mysteryscenemag.com/component/content/article/26-reviews/books/6780-hour-of-the-assassin

Michael Stanley's FACETS OF DEATH - https://www.mysteryscenemag.com/component/content/article/26-reviews/books/6799-facets-of-death

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Welcome and General Discussion / Book surprises!

« on: February 13, 2020, 07:28:51 pm »

Well, this doesn't happen to me often.

Tonight was the monthly Mystery Book Club meeting at my local library. I brought some books that I didn't want anymore (I'd bought them from another nearby library's book sale just last month) to share with the other members of the group.

While I was laying them out on the table, I happened to glance at one of the books I had bought but decided not to read. It was Ian Rankin's The Naming of the Dead. And in a huge shock to me, it turned out that it was a signed copy!

I hadn't gone through the book before now so I missed it. Of course, a bigger surprise was that the library had missed it when they put it in their used book sale.

So, I took that book back obviously and now can say I have a signed Ian Rankin!

Anyone else ever get a book related surprise like that before?

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Welcome and General Discussion / The 2020 Edgar Nominations

« on: January 22, 2020, 05:04:19 pm »

Having just read the list of nominees for the 2020 Edgar Awards, I've never been more aware that I am seemingly out of step with the majority of mystery readership.

I own exactly 1 book amongst all the nominees. And I've yet to read that one so far. There are three other titles I want to read. Not that I feel the need to be one with the crowd but damn that's a lot of nominees that I've never read, or in some cases, even heard of before now.

Here's the list: https://mysterywriters.org/mwa-announces-the-2020-edgar-nominations/