Mystery Book Club's Top Picks of 2016

2016 is coming to a close. We had our last Mystery Book club of the year, earlier in December. We didn't have book that we all read for this month. Instead we brought snacks and treats and our favorite books that we read in 2016.  Here we are.




Our book club leader, Kay, took notes for us and compiled the list of favorites. Thanks Kay! I have done that in the past. It isn't easy. I am sharing them with you in case you need some new books to read. You will notice, they are not all mysteries or fiction.

Alice Quentin series - Kate Rhodes – first book is CROSSBONES YARD

Bell Elkins series - Julia Keller – first book is A KILLING IN THE HILLS

CAN’T WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT? – Roz Chast – graphic novel

DISPLACEMENT – Lucy Knisley – graphic novel

BRAIN BRIEFS: ANSWERS TO THE MOST (AND LEAST) PRESSING QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR MIND – Art Markman and Bob Duke

MY STROKE OF INSIGHT: A BRAIN SCIENTIST’S PERSONAL JOURNEY – Jill Bolte Taylor

THE ENGLISH GERMAN GIRL – Jake Wallis Simons

NEWS OF THE WORLD – Paulette Jiles

THE REST IS SILENCE (Billy Boyle WWII Mystery Book #9) – James R. Benn

THE GREAT RECKONING – Louise Penny

MY BELOVED WORLD – Sonia Sotomayor

GOLD OF OUR FATHERS – Kwei Quartey

THE SUSPECT – John Lescroart

BLOOD DEFENSE – Marcia Clark

THE BODY IN THE WARDROBE – Katherine Hall Page

UNDONE – Karen Slaughter

THE THREE DEATHS OF MAGDALENE LYNTON (Book #1) – Katherine Hayton

THE SECOND STAGE OF GRIEF (Book #2) – Katherine Hayton

DAWN GIRL – Leslie Wolfe

THE WARBLER GUIDE – Tom Stephenson & Scott Whittle

MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND – Helen Simonson

ME BEFORE YOU – Jojo Moyes

A MAN CALLED OVE – Fredrick Backman

THE WHISTLER – John Grisham

THE WOMAN IN BLUE – Elly Griffiths

WHAT SHE KNEW – Gilly Macmillan

ESCAPE TO EDEN – Rachel McClellan

Jason Stafford series – Michael Sears

Cormoran Strike series – Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)

THE DOG WHO DANCED – Susan Wilson

A GOOD MONTH FOR MURDER: THE INSIDE STORY OF A HOMICIDE SQUAD – Del Quentin Wilber

BORN TO RUN – Bruce Springstein

John Ceepak/Danny Boyle series – Chris Grabenstein

 

These aren't even the books we read during the year for our monthly selections. Would you say we all read a lot? Did you find a couple in that list that were mine?

I have some series this year that I am enjoying reading:

The Ngaire Blake series by Katherine Hayton

Onxy Webb series by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz

Selkie Moon series by Virginia King

Jamie Quinn series by Barbara Venkataraman - cozy

Bill and Piper Robins series by Ed Lynskey - cozy

Isabel and Alma Trumbo by Ed Lynskey - cozy

I also really enjoyed Dawn Girl by Leslie Wolfe - not a cozy. I am reading Executive by her which is #1 in a Alex Hoffman series. Ohhh I did not know that until now.

 

And here is different year in books that you might identify with.

 

See you next year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone. I know Christmas is almost over. It is a busy time of year isn't it?



I hope you had time to relax and enjoy family as I did. The weather is crazy here; last week we had lows in the 20's (F) and highs in the 40's. Today we were wondering if we needed to turn on the a.c. with 78 degrees. Oh well, it won't last long.

I am enjoying some free time to, as I say, play with my books. :) Just finished a book coming out in January 2017 called Gun by Lee Hayton. Now starting the next Mystery Book Club choice for January, The Lake House by Kate Morton. I have also been catching up on a series called The Librarians. Check it out on TNT if you like a sci fi meets archaeology.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3663490/

I will leave you with this local sign for the holidays:

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

I read In a Dark, Dark Wood this past weekend. It is Ruth Ware's debut book. Yes, two days, probably six hours. It is a quick read and REALLY holds your attention.



"Nora hasn't seen Clare for ten years. Not since Nora walked out of school one day and never went back.

There was a dark, dark house

Until, out of the blue, an invitation to Clare’s hen do arrives. Is this a chance for Nora to finally put her past behind her?

And in the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark room

But something goes wrong. Very wrong.

And in the dark, dark room....

Some things can’t stay secret for ever."

Here is a Halloween poem that prefaces the book:

In a Dark Dark Wood    In a dark, dark wood there was a dark, dark house;
And in the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark room;
And in the dark, dark room there was a dark, dark cupboard;
And in the dark, dark cupboard there was a dark, dark shelf;
And on the dark, dark shelf there was a dark, dark box; And in the dark, dark box there was a....

Sets a creepy tone.

This is a really good, suspenseful book.

The story goes back and forth between Nora in the hospital with multiple injuries, trying to remember how she got there, to the days before she awoke in the hospital, at her college friend's "hen weekend" aka bachelorette party. The police keep stopping in to question Nora in the hospital but won't tell her anything about what happened to her. She hears two policemen in the hall outside her hospital room, say something about murder. Someone has died but who? And how did she get all these injuries? How is she involved? The story continues with Nora remembering bits and pieces slowly and back to the weekend party that led up to being in the hospital. As Nora remembers more and asks more questions, it appears her life may be in danger too.

It is a very gripping tale. You won't be able to put it down. Really.

 
 


The Second Stage of Grief by Katherine Hayton

"A false accusation. A brutal murder. Can Ngaire find a killer before he finds her?

Ngaire Blakes is trying to put her life back together. The ex-cop resigned from the police after a vicious assault left her battling PTSD. Dragged into a murder investigation, she’s shocked to discover that all the evidence points to her.

When the body count climbs, Ngaire flees to the cold comfort of her estranged father’s hometown. In danger and not knowing who to trust, she severs contact with her closest allies and must learn to rely on herself if she’s going to catch the killer before it’s too late.

The Second Stage of Grief is the second book in a series of mystery novels set in the dark shadows of New Zealand. If you enjoy gritty mysteries, strong women who rise to the challenge, and thrilling psychological suspense, then you’ll love Katherine Hayton’s latest installment in the Ngaire Blakes trilogy. "


I love the Ngaire Blakes series.

In this second book in the series, we learn more about Ngaire's background, her parents and how she grew up. We also get to visit a different part of New Zealand, Te Kauwhata, where her father lives. I have always like learning about different parts of the world and cultures. We learn about New Zealand tribes and which Ngaire's family comes from. I found that very interesting, and looked up more about the area and people. Also many of the names of the characters are very different. That is interesting to me too. (I know I am not pronouncing "Ngaire" correctly in my head when I read, even though I looked it up.)

Ngaire is trying to find out who is framing her for murder from this remote town with barely any technology, and not letting anyone from Christchurch know where she is. Will she succeed in hiding while the police force sort through suspects? As in previous books, right when you think things are all tied up in a nice package, we are thrown a curve. The author is very good at surprises. This book is very suspenseful. Hard to put down.

Oh it looks like some of the bad guys might follow into the next installment....