2022 So Far

 I know I'm missing a few, but here's the list for now:

The English Spy by Daniel Silva

Love in the Time of Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith

The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

Cover Her Face

A Mind to Murder

Unnatural Causes

Death of an Expert Witness

Shroud for a Nightingale

The Black Tower

by P. D. James

Red Notice

Freezing Order

by Bill Browder

(VERY pertinent to what's going on with Russia right now.)

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

The Joy and Light Bus Company by Alexander McCall Smith

The Club by Ellery Lloyd

A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear

The Family by Naomi Krupitsky

Merry Christmas!

 

Friday Night Lights

A Town, a Team, and a Dream

by H. G. Bissinger

Portuguese Irregular Verbs

by Alexander McCall Smith

The Butterfly House

by Katrine Engberg

The Windsor Knot

by S. J. Bennett

Reason to Kill

by Andy Weinberger

This Tender Land

by William Kent Krueger

The Thursday Murder Club

by Richard Osman

Nine Perfect Strangers

by Liane Moriarty

(The book is good, the Netflix series not so much.)

The Consequences of Fear 

by Jacqueline Winspear

The Odor of Violets

by Baynard Kendrick

A Student of History

by Nina Revoyr

Vittoria Cottage

Winter and RoughWeather

Music in the Hills 

Spring Magic

by D. E. Stevenson

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

by Holly Jackson

Verity

by Colleen Hoover

Game On 

by Janet Evanovich

A Slow Fire Burning

by Paula Hawkins

Evvie Drake Starts Over

by Linda Holmes

The Madness of Crowds

by Louise Penny

Malibu Rising

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Man Who Died Twice

by Richard Osman

The Hollywood Spy 

by Susan Elia MacNeal

2021 So Far

 No matter what, you can always count on books.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Classic Fantasy mixing Americana and mythology.

Thanks for the gift, Pete!

Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz

Read if you loved Jason Bourne.

Pretty as a Picture by Elizabeth Little

Fascinating protagonist and a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood.

It ain't pretty.

A Promise of Ankles by Alexander McCall Smith

My favorite series by my favorite author.

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

The latest Veronica Speedwell mystery.  LOVE.

One by One by Ruth Ware

Take this on a ski trip.  Heed any avalanche warnings.

How to Raise an Elephant by Alexander McCall Smith

Okay...all his books are my favorites.

Fortune and Glory by Janet Evanovich

#27 in the Stephanie Plum series.  

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

A wedding on a remote island.  Guests keep dying.  It doesn't get any better!

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (ie: JK Rowling)

Almost 1000 pages. Wish it were longer.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

Give me a good mystery any day, especially involving the Mystery Queen.

A Few for You

 

Enola Holmes for the Win!!

Watched Enola Holmes on Netflix and LOVED IT!!!

Did you know it was a young adult mystery series?

The six installments by Nancy Springer will delight readers of all ages.

Start with The Case of the Missing Marquess, finish with 

The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye.

Wish she had written more.

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

Historical fiction of how the greatest Christmas story of all time 

came to be written.  Mostly fiction, but with a lot of true facts to make

it super interesting.  Be sure to read the author's notes at the end!

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

I think Allie Brosh is a brilliant comedic writer.  She has also been 

through A LOT.  If you want to laugh, read this.  Also read 

if you need some perspective.  Either way, please read.

Baby, It Is NOT Cold Outside.

 Fall may be officially here, but it's hot as blazes in San Diego. Whatever the weather reading is always in season, so try curling up with one of these.

My daughter gave me Death in Provence by Serena Kent. Loved it, and was so happy to find a sequel, Death in Avignon. Made me want to hop on a plane to France.  Ate a croissant instead.

Of Mutts and Men by Spencer Quinn

One of my favorite series.  Bernie and Chet rock!

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Finally got to this one. Funny and heartbreaking at the same time.

The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.  Read now.

Honolulu by Alan Brennert

Couldn't go to Hawaii. Almost the next best thing. Also, Molokai by Brennert is fantastic.

Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Issacson

Da Vinci was a true genius.  The book is long.  Still, worth the read.

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny

One of my favorite authors.  One of her best!  

Au Revoir for now...TBC

When All Else Fails, Take a Vacation - Betty Williams (If THAT Fails, Read a Book)

Some books to help escape this reality.

The Corfu Trilogy, etc. by Gerald Durrell

My Family and Other Animals, Birds, Beasts and Relatives, 

and The Garden of the Gods tell the story of the Durrell family's 

 life in Corfu from 1935 to 1939.  Told through the eyes of youngest son and budding naturalist Gerry, these laugh-out-loud funny and completely charming memoirs will leave you wanting more.  Which you can get as he wrote about 40 books.  Menagerie Manor tells some of his 

adventures establishing the Jersey Zoo, and The Durrells of Corfu by Michael Haag 

gives a closer look at the real Durrells, how they came to Corfu and where they went when 

WWII ended their Greek Island Life.  If you can, watch "The Durrells in Corfu" on PBS Masterpiece.

We loved every minute of that binge!

The Veronica Speedwell Mysteries

by Deanna Raybourn

In Victorian England at the end of the 19th century, scientist and butterfly expert Veronica Speedwell  along with her super hot partner/pirate-in-crime take on the bad guys in this delightful series.

I read the first four in a flash, but I'm waiting for the fifth to come out in paperback. The sixth is 

coming  in 2021.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Good story telling, but it gave me nightmares. A little too Southern Gothic for me.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

I always love a good Agatha Christie-ish plot!

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

Very interesting and based on a real event.

The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Short stories of the lives of Vietnam refugees mostly in Southern California.

Written by a USC professor who was a refugee himself and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his 

debut novel The Sympathizer.  Fight On!!

The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe

Illuminating and entertaining.  You can't go wrong with anything Mike Rowe.

Based on his podcast.

A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell

The true story of an American woman who effectively ran the French Resistance of Lyon 

during WWII. Oh, and she had one leg. Read and be amazed by her accomplishments.

Count your blessings and read more books!

TBC

Quarantitles

Books for making time fly.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Love, love, love.  Read this first.

A Better Man by Louise Penny

Another terrific addition to the Inspector Gamache series.

The King's Justice by Susan Elia MacNeal

Serial killers don't let war stop them, but Maggie Hope will.

You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Ladies, you can't change him, so don't be surprised when things go south.
A cautionary tale that's now a series on HBO. (The Undoing)



To the Land of Long Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith

We need a little Mma Ramotswe right now:)



What the Heart Remembers by Debra Ginsberg

A page-turner set in San Diego and written by a San Diegan!
Say "hello"to Debra at Diesel Books in the Del Mar Highlands.
(When we're set free, that is!! Until then give them a call to order books for
curbside pick up: 858-925-7078  dieselbookstore.com. )



Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

An incredible true story about Li's escape from abject poverty through ballet.
Nothing going on here now could ever compare, so count your blessings.



An Old Man's Game by Andy Weinberger

Loved this book!  A mystery set in my daughter's old neighborhood, and in the
apartment complex where she lived.  Hope he writes another.



The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden

A fabulous series based on Russia fairytales.  Appropriately dark and brooding,
but with plenty of light at the end.  Great characters and atmosphere.



English Creek by Ivan Doig

The first book in his Montana Trilogy.  Set in the 1930's, it will transport you
back to the childhood of the narrator.  Love Ivan Doig

Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich

Just for fun!  Hasn't disappointed 26 times over.