Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly

 

Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly

Reviewed by Christy

            Dixie wasn't even two years old when her entire family died tragically on Thanksgiving Day in 1992. The deaths of her mother and three brothers at the hands of their father shocked the entire nation and made headlines for years to come.

            Now in her late twenties, Dixie is aimless in life and struggling to piece together what happened that night. The aunt who raised her never liked to talk about the crime, so Dixie decides to take matters into her own hands. When the house where the murders occurred goes up for rent, Dixie snatches it up in the hopes of feeling more connected to her family. She even goes so far as to decorate it with her parents' furniture she discovers in storage. This leads her down an investigative path to discover the truth of that day.

            The premise caught my attention but unfortunately, I kind of hated this book. The writing style is incredibly off-putting and unpolished. The prose is muddled at times, which resulted in re-reading several passages to fully grasp what was happening. The tone, however, was the worst part for me. I think the author was going for sarcastic and slightly cheeky but it only reminded me of an edgy teenager desperately trying to get a reaction. There was just no tact whatsoever when discussing child murders or sexual assault, and it got to be a little too much for me.

            I kept reading because I did find the central mystery intriguing but even that came to a disappointing conclusion. There's just so much to pick apart about this book (and I haven't even touched on all of Dixie's deeply troubling issues that are glossed over). I was relieved to finish it and get out of Dixie's juvenile mind. There are so many wonderful thrillers and mysteries out there. Save your valuable reading time and skip this one.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Clementine is a book publicist in New York City, living in her late-aunt’s apartment. She is dedicated to her job and may even be up for promotion when her small press supervisor begins planning for retirement. Clementine’s best friends even work for the same company. Life is good, except for the late-aunt part. Clementine misses Analea terribly.

Clementine and Analea had been travel companions since Clementine was old enough to tag along, hiking in Europe and visiting a host of exotic destinations. Clementine always took her annual vacation at the end of summer, but without her aunt, she just can’t bear to travel.

Clementine walks back into her apartment at the end of a workday expecting to see still packed boxes and bare bones furniture, but instead she finds pieces of her aunt’s furniture and belongings that she knows were given away years ago. And, oh yeah, she also finds a tall blond man with a charming Southern accent. When “Iwan” introduces himself, he tells Clementine that Analea is subletting her apartment to him this summer, while she is in Europe. Umm, excuse me?

Iwan is fresh from North Carolina and just getting started in the city. He wants to be a chef to make his grandfather proud, but at the moment he would settle for a dishwasher job to get his foot in the door at a good restaurant. He is passionate about his cooking, and shares with Clementine how a simple meal can be a sublime experience.

Analea always told Clementine that the apartment was magical, and even noted (strangely!) that she should never fall in love inside it, but Analea did not mention that once in a while the entire apartment would slip seven years into the past.

Time slips forward and back, as Clementine gets to know Iwan in the past; she eventually begins to wonder where he is in his future, and in her present.

Lately I seem to be finding and reading books that involve time travel. Or maybe they are just finding me. Full of deconstructed lemon pies, taco trucks, and time bending relationships, The Seven Year Slip is a delight.

Nevermore: Frugal Wizard, Tumbling Girl, Episode Thirteen

 

Reported by Rita

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson follows an amnesiac wizard on a time traveling journey to discover his missing memories. Filled with fantasy and humor, our reader called it a fun read. WJ

The Tumbling Girl by Bridget Walsh is a mystery thriller set in Victorian London. When Minnie Ward’s best friend is murdered she finds herself involved in the investigation. Was it a serial killer? Our reader didn’t stick around to find out saying that while the characters were colorful, the story became too boring to finish. PP

 

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie is a paranormal thriller told through tapes, journals, and correspondence. The story follows a team of hunters behind the scenes of a ghost hunting reality TV show. Described as a really cool book, it didn’t deliver the level of horror our reader expected. MF

 

Also Mentioned:

The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About Love, Life, and Mortality by Karen Fine 

The Next Patient: The Incredible World of Emergency Medicine by Dr. J. Thomas Grant

Mary Kingsley: Explorer of the Congo by Heather Lehr Wagner

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

Conversations with Tom Petty by Tom Petty and Paul Zollo

The Captain's Wife by Douglas Kelley

After Anne: A Novel of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Life by Logan Steiner

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Jayne Ashford

Dog on It by Spencer Quinn

Wolves at Our Door: The Extraordinary Story of the Couple Who Lived with Wolves by 

Jim Dutcher, Jamie Dutcher, James Manfull (Primary Contributor)

 

New:

 

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia, M.D.

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Sy Montgomery

A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales by Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Full confession:  I am not a podcast listener, so the information that the authors host “the hit podcast And That’s Why We Drink” meant nothing to me.  The subject matter sounded interesting though, so I picked it up. 

The book is a collection of brief articles about various paranormal or true crime stories, arranged geographically by region and then by city.  For the Southeast, for example, the cities include New Orleans (obviously a must!), Nashville, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Charleston.  While factual, the writing is punctuated with light-hearted comments. There are also recommendations for other paranormal or crime-related places to visit or stay in the city. There is a reference to the podcast connected with each one, so you can go listen to it if you are so inclined.

The two hosts of the podcast add some personal notes along with each location. One is a wine drinker while the other is an ice cream aficionado: the stories of hauntings and crimes are followed by the authors’ recommendations for good places for wine or ice cream.  If the place is also the scene of a haunting, that’s just a nice bonus. 

It’s an interesting collection, even if you haven’t been to any of the places discussed. Some of the stories are well known (the ghosts of the White House, for example, or the Boston Strangler) while others were definitely new to me.  There was also a good mix of time periods for crimes and hauntings, including some fairly recent cases (your mileage may vary on this but I think of the 1990s as “fairly recent” since I do remember them) as well as some dating back centuries (which I don’t remember, thank you very much!)

I was entertained by the book and might, just might, even try to figure out how to listen to a podcast, which says a lot right there.  It sounds as if these are two friends who are just swapping stories and having a good time. My only worry is that I might start craving ice cream.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Reviewed by Kristin

Katy and her mother Carol have always been close. Even though Katy is a fully-grown woman and even married, she still considers her mother the most important person in her life. When Carol dies right before their long anticipated mother-daughter trip to Italy, Katy is devastated.

Unanchored and feeling her marriage falling apart, Katy decides to travel to Positano alone. As she hesitantly checks into the hotel and begins to enjoy the sun and the food, she begins to relax. Until somehow, a younger version of Carol is standing right in front of her, laughing and inviting her along on an excursion. Katy is shocked and confused—how could she be seeing her dead mother? Cautiously, she takes Carol up on her offer and begins an unlikely friendship with the one person she misses most.

Katy gets to know Carol as a young and carefree woman, but also sees some of the familiar characteristics Carol will have later in life. This mystical occurrence is something that Katy does not understand. However, Katy embraces the experience as fully as she can in order to have her mother back, however strange the circumstances.

I read this as an ebook through Tennessee READS, while on a plane to…not Italy. While this was somewhat disappointing when I deplaned to slightly less friendly weather and landscapes, the imagined Italian seaside stayed with me. The brilliant colors of the town, the sea, the delicious food, and even a delicious and tempting man flavored Katy and Carol’s story.

Ultimately, this is a story of mothers and daughters, loss, and the seemingly impossible task of moving on with life when your favorite person in the world is gone.

Nevermore: Dragon Teeth, Small Town Sins, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

 

Nevermore September 19, 2023

Reported by Rita

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton takes place in 1876 in the American west. Two rival paleontologists are on the hunt for dinosaur bones in this Jurassic Park meets the Wild West novel. This story is filled with deception, sabotage, and a discovery of epic proportions. This was our reader’s second attempt with this title and said it gets really exciting later in the book and she ended up really liking it. KN

Small Town Sins by Ken Jaworowski tells of people struggling to survive in a former coal and steel town on the brink of decay and lengths they go to get by. Described by our reader as a very interesting non-linear story that really captures the feeling of living in a small town. Extremely well written and thoroughly enjoyable. NH

 

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson is a dark psychological fantasy that explores the idea of split personalities. Our reader found this classic gothic tale to be just as strange as the title suggests. PC

 

Also Mentioned:

Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Bryson City Tales: Stories of a Doctor's First Year of Practice in the Smoky Mountains

by Walt Larimore MD

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis by Jared Diamond

Montana 1948 by Larry Watson

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli

Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature by Margaret E. Martignoni

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

After Anne: A Novel of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Life by Logan Steiner

Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls

In the Distance by Hernan Diaz

 

New:

 

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

 

Reviewed by Andrew

 

Hex by Dutch author Thomas Olde Heuvelt is the story of a small modern-day New England town called Black Spring, which has been terrorized by the ghost of a witch for centuries. The witch has placed a curse on Black Spring, so that whoever lives there but tries to leave is overcome with suicidal urges. Because of this curse, the town goes to extraordinary measures to ensure that no one new moves there. In addition, over the years, the townsfolk have formed a special committee that attempts to hide the witch from visitors to Black Spring, and keeps track of the witch through security cameras that have been placed across town. It is strictly forbidden to interact with the witch in any way, with the committee doling out punishment to anyone who breaks the rules revolving around the witch. When several teenagers who live in Black Spring decide to film pranks performed on the witch for a social media site, it starts a series of horrific events that places the lives of everyone in Black Spring in mortal danger.

Personally, most “horror” books don’t really scare me that much (probably from being de-sensitized from watching too many horror movies), so I have been looking around for a while to find the scariest books ever. This book came up on several people’s top-ten horror lists, so I thought I would give it a try. The book does have a certain amount of suspense and dread, and as I read it, I was constantly reminding of Stephen King’s earlier, darker material. This book definitely has a very dark, grim tone, but its interspersed nicely with occasional humor and interesting fictional history about the town of Black Spring, and how the people who live there have dealt with the witch’s curse for close to 400 years. I also really enjoy when a story has multiple plots that all end up converging together towards the end, similar to Needful Things by Stephen King or Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, and Hex definitely had several interesting overarching plots. The story was also told in such a way that I had absolutely no idea how it would end.   I enjoyed reading as much of it as I could at a time, just to find out what happened in Black Spring next.

Something I wished the author had explored more is how the town of Black Spring deals with the outside world because of their curse. It was definitely touched on but I thought it would have been interesting to see more of the outside world’s view on the town. Maybe a scientific research team attempting to come to the town to try to discover how and why the curse works.  Still, I understood that the author wanted to keep the sense of extreme isolation that the people of Black Spring feel due to the curse.

The book also tends to be very bleak at times (I know, I know, I asked for a VERY scary horror book!)  It made me want to go read something much more light-hearted afterwards.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. The plot was fast-paced, and always kept me engaged and wondering what was going to happen next in the small town of Black Spring. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Stephen King or Dean Koontz, or someone who is looking for a good extra-scary book to read right before Halloween.

How Can I Help You by Laura Sims

Reviewed by Kristin

The flames erupting from a library book due date pocket on the cover of How Can I Help You leapt out at me and cried “Read me, read me!”

So I did.

Margo presents herself as a congenial librarian at the Carlyle Public Library. She is ever so helpful to her library patrons, helping with a returned book here, a computer login there. Margo’s coworkers have no reason to suspect that she is hiding anything behind her pleasant demeanor. No one knows that she used to be a nurse, one who walked off her last nursing job when administrators began to question the unusual number of deaths on her shifts….

Patricia is new to the small town library. She is assigned to the reference desk which has been empty for years due to lack of funding. Patricia is fresh out of library school and Chicago. She is also trying to come to terms with her rejections as an author, and plans to dedicate herself fully to this new career path as a reference librarian.

Margo tries to mask her feelings of impatience with her patients; no, she must call them patrons. She has kept up her façade for quite some time, but it starts to slip right as Patricia begins her new position. Patricia watches Margo, and becomes intrigued. Could Margo really have a darkness within herself, or is it only Patricia’s imagination? Patricia begins to scribble in a notebook, writing what she sees and what she imagines. No, she is not writing a book, that part of her life is over…isn’t it?

The story is told in alternating chapters from Margo and Patricia’s points of view. As they get to know each other, each becomes obsessed with what the other suspects or knows. The tension builds deliciously with a couple of twists that I did not see coming. I won’t give too much away, but this short novel is a delight and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books, libraries, or murder.

Pressed Flowers: Forever Flowers by Bernice Peitzer and Pressed Flowercraft by Sylvia Pepper

Reviewed by Jeanne

Recently while going through some donated books, one of our staff members found some pressed flowers which had apparently been forgotten. It took me back to the time when I did a flower collection for a science class. This sent me to our shelves to see what we had on the topic. 

 Pressed Flowercraft: A Practical Guide to Techniques, Design, & Presentation by Sylvia Pepper offers a very thorough description of the process, from building a flower press to how to select and collect the flowers. She advises either taking a press along as you gather or else to take plastic bags along, blow into the bag, and then seal it so the air will cushion the flowers until you can get them in the press. Pepper offers suggestions of good flowers and plants to press, and when and how to press each. The last part of the book is devoted to “presentation” and how best to use these items. Bookmarks, necklaces, wall plaques and more are suggested. It’s a lovely book. The tone is somewhat formal, and a few phrases suggest a British origin, but it’s still a very useful resource for American audiences. 

 Forever Flowers: A Flower Lover’s Guide to Selecting, Pressing, and Designing by Bernice Peitzer covers some of the same ground, though she includes a section on growing plants from seeds as well. While that’s a bit much for me (I most definitely do NOT have a green thumb!), I liked the somewhat more casual tone in this book and found the layout appealing. Peitzer offers several suggestions for ways of drying flowers, including using a telephone book—so we know this book is a few years old. She has design tips for the dried flowers and suggests numerous projects, from jewelry to candles to framed pictures. Of course, the bookmarks were the item that caught my eye! 

 Both books offer instructions on building your own flower press which I can pretty much guarantee I won’t get around to doing on my own. However, in October the Jones Creativity Center will help you make a customized flower press using the Glowforge. The cost is only $10! Come by or call 276-645-8790 to schedule a time. This is a good time of year to get not only those last flowers in bloom but some of the beautiful colored leaves.

Note:  We hope to have a Nevermore report next week!

Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Agatha Christie has to be one of the best-known authors in the world.  Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, came out in 1920 and her books have been in demand ever since.  Numerous movies, TV shows, and plays have been based on her works, including the 2023 movie “A Haunting in Venice” with Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot.

But what of the author herself?  There have been numerous biographies of Dame Agatha and even a few fictional treatments, most revolving around her 1926 disappearance.  The lady herself continues to intrigue, as evidenced by the best-seller status of this book—helped along, no doubt, by the prominence of the author.

Lucy Worlsey is a historian known for her interesting documentaries which run on PBS such as “Royal Secrets” or “12 Days of Tudor Christmas.”  For me, it’s her background as a historian which makes this biography of Christie stand out.  She views Christie as a product of her times, and backs it up with references from her many novels. 

Agatha was born in 1890, at the end of the Victorian era, to an American father and an English mother, and was the youngest of their three children.  While the family had been upper middle class, financial problems arose: servants had to be let go, and there wasn’t even enough money for Agatha to have a proper debut. When she was 24, she married an artillery officer who was home on leave from fighting in France during World War I. 

After the war, they set up housekeeping in London. Society was undergoing a lot of changes:  think Downton Abbey or Upstairs Downstairs.  Agatha gave birth to a daughter, which she found almost bewildering. Fortunately, there was a nanny to take care of the child, while the Christies tried to find ways to make ends meet. One of those ways was for Agatha to try her hand at writing a mystery.

One book led to another, and soon Agatha was in demand as an author of mysteries.  Unfortunately, there were troubles in her marriage: Archie was spending a lot of time away from home. It’s debated how much Agatha suspected, but in August 1926, Archie asked for a divorce, having been carrying on an affair with Nancy Neely, a woman Agatha knew. 

The result was that Agatha went missing.  Search parties spent days looking for the famous author, finding only her abandoned car.  There were even dark suspicions that she might have met with foul play.  When she turned up at a spa, registered under the name of Neely, speculation was rampant.  Was she trying to frame her husband for murder? Did she have amnesia? Was it all a huge publicity stunt?

Worsley believes the explanation has already been given by Agatha herself and puts forth her own interpretation of the event, which I found plausible. Again, part of the understanding depends on knowing the time period.

The book continues with the rest of Agatha’s life, including her second marriage to a much younger man, her relationship with her daughter and grandson, and of course her writing.  I liked that Worsley didn’t feel as if this one incident defined Mrs. Christie (as she continued to be known, despite divorce and remarriage) and wanted to show the whole of her life.

The tone is conversational and light.  A great deal of research has gone into the book, including reading personal letters for background.  (One such gives lie to Agatha’s stance that she wrote her second novel only to help out with the household expenses, but Worsley explains that, given the times and Agatha’s upbringing, she would have felt obliged to have an excuse for doing something outside of being a housewife—which is what she continued to list as her occupation.  That, or “married woman.”) I also like that Worsley touches on some of the events or persons in her life that made their way into her fiction.  I very much want to re-read some of the books now.

If you are looking for scandal, this isn’t going to be the book for you. If, on the other hand, you’re interested in one of the most influential mystery writers of all time, by all means give it a try.

Holy Terrors and Nightmares in the Sky

 

Holy Terrors:  Gargoyles on Medieval Buildings by Janetta Rebold Benton

Nightmares in the Sky, text by Stephen King, photographs by f-stop Fitzgerald

Reviewed by Jeanne

Many, many years ago there was a made for TV movie called “Gargoyles.” I remember nothing of the plot or cast, but the whole concept of gargoyles made a huge impression on me.  I tried to find information on gargoyles but there wasn’t much out there beyond a definition in an encyclopedia which had nothing to do with the monsters in the movie.

As it turns out, I’m not the only one who remembers that movie: Stephen King refers to it in Nightmares in the Sky, calling it a really terrible movie—but admitting that the gargoyles had a certain power.

Long before sometime decided to make gargoyles into monsters, these stone figures adorned buildings but even so kept an air of mystery about them. It’s difficult to put a date to most, as they rarely show up in records of buildings, and even the origin of the name is in disputed. Their function, however, is clear.  They’re waterspouts.  The backs are hollow, and the openings protrude away from the building to keep water from flowing down the masonry.  There are similar figures which are not waterspouts, but those are more properly called grotesques or chimeras.

Holy Terrors is a wealth of information about these fascinating figures.  The book’s focus is on medieval European examples, though it does mention that animal waterspouts were found on Etruscan and Roman buildings. Photos abound, showing and discussing all sorts of figures. Some poses occur in several locations, such as “face puller” (which is just as described), while others are unique.  Some are distinctly human; others may be based on a real animal, and yet others are definitely more mythical creature.  Some of the more interesting ones are found on the rear side of a building, often a more mischievous figure, including figures that have water coming out of, shall we say, a different orifice.

Much of the book is devoted to categorizing and trying to determine if there is an overriding significance to the gargoyles: were they religious in nature? Were they just for fun? Were they artistic expression?

Yes.

 I like that the book doesn’t supply one explanation.  After all, these figures were created over centuries and the reasons for the creation may be as varied as the stone masons who created them.  I also appreciate that the author points out that we tend to view the Middle Ages as some of dark, joyless time when actually people have always managed to find humor and happiness. 

Most of all, I loved the photographs.  While some are small, they’re very clear and detailed.  My only quibble is that sometimes the figures discussed were on different pages than the text, so I’d be flipping back and forth to read the commentary while looking at the photo.

Nightmares in the Sky takes a bit of a different tact.  King’s commentary is more about the visceral appeal of gargoyles, along with speculation on the origins, rather than a detailed examination. That’s not a bad thing, just different. I found his thoughts on the subject to be quite entertaining, especially since, as noted above, he too remembered that obscure TV movie. His essay seems a bit more informed by his subjects, which are American gargoyles, and thus quite a bit younger than those discussed in Holy Terrors.  The photos are beautifully rendered, some in color.  There’s no individual commentary about the photos, but at the end of the book there is a list which tells where each photo was taken.

I enjoyed both books, and recommend them for others who like to look to the skies for stone creatures old and new.

Nevermore: Deacon King Kong; Bird by Bird; The Power of the Dog

 

Reported by Rita

Deacon King Kong by James McBride follows a heavy drinking church deacon in 1960s New York who shoots a drug dealer in the courtyard of a housing project in broad daylight and the events that follow. Full of gritty characters, our reader really enjoyed it. WJ

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott was described by our reader as an interesting book about writing and what it takes to be a writer. Part memoir, part self-help, Lamott shares frank thoughts and insight in this charming non-fiction title. DC

The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage takes the reader back to the 1920s where brothers Phil and George run one of the biggest ranches in their Montana valley. The two couldn’t be more different and when George marries and brings his new bride to the ranch, tensions rise between the brothers. Our reader said it was very intense but an excellent book. PP

Also Mentioned:

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton

The Invincible Miss Cust by Penny Haw

Clinch Mountain Girls: 24 Women Grow Veggies, Animals, and a Community by Nancy Withington Bell

The Girl in the Eagle's Talons by Karin Smirnoff

What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator by Barbara Butcher

A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao

Great Expeditions: 50 Journeys that Changed Our World by Alan Greenwood, Mark Steward

The Hawk's Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty by Sy Montgomery

 

New books:

 

Small Town Sins by Ken Jaworowski

What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds by

Jennifer Ackerman

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

New in October!

 

October 2023 New Books

It's October, so it must be time for the new Christmas books to come out-- or so it seems from the list.  It's certainly time to get into the spirit! (pun may have been intended....) Some big name authors also have non-seasonal titles coming out this month: you may want to put a reserve on some of the more popular ones. 

Andrews, Donna Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow!

Cabot, Amanda  Against the Wind

Child, Lee  The Secret

Colgan, Jenny  Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop

DeMille, Nelson  Blood Lines

Evanovich, Janet Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum)

Grisham, John  The Exchange:  After the Firm

Hannah, Sophie  Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night

Herbert, Brian  Princess of Dune

Martin, Charles  The Last Exchange

McCall Smith, Alexander  From a Far and Lovely Country (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency)

McCloskey, David  Moscow X

McDermott, Alice  Absolution

McEntire, Reba  Not That Fancy:  Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots

McMahon, Jennifer  My Darling Girl

Miller, Linda Lael  Christmas in Painted Pony Creek

Morris, Heather Sisters Under the Rising Sun

Nesbo, Jo  The Night House

O’Connor, Carlene  Some of Us Are Looking

Parton, Dolly  Behind the Seams:  My Life in Rhinestones

Rosenfelt, David  ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas

Sandford, John  Judgment Prey

Steel, Danielle  Second Act

Thayne, RaeAnne  Christmas at the Shelter Inn

Unger, Lisa  Christmas Presents

Ward, Jesmyn  Let Us Descend

Woods, Stuart & Brett Battles Obsession  (Teddy Fay)