Our Favorite Books Read in 2023: Jeanne's Mysteries

Mysteries are my favorite genre, so I have a lot of those to list.  On another post, I’ll list favorite non-mysteries.  Don’t worry—that list is a LOT shorter.  Several of these were already reviewed on our blog.

 A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton:  Kinsey Milhone is a private detective in Los Angeles in the 1980s.  Strong plots, strong sense of place, and a wonderful protagonist in Kinsey, this is a series to savor.

Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen: Hiaasen has an off-beat sense of humor and I really like the Florida setting—especially when it’s cold and dreary outside my window.  His books are always a wild ride!

War and Peas by Jill Churchill: Jane Jeffries is a single mother who ends up solving mysteries along with her friend Shelly.  Both are sensible but also very funny, and certainly not prone to rushing into danger. 

Fatal Glow by Valerie Wilson Wesley: Odessa Jones, a widow working in a real estate office and trying to make some extra money catering.  She also sees “glimmers” or auras around people that give her slight clues. She’s not only sensible, but kind and compassionate. The supernatural aspects don’t dominate and don’t solve the mystery. 

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch: Another entry in the Rivers of London series about Peter Grant, a young police officer who is also an apprentice magician.  Packed with historical tidbits about London, dark plots, fantastical characters and leavened with humor, these are addictive.   They definitely need to be read in order.  

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano:  Finlay is a divorced mother of two small children who is trying to hold it all together and not doing very well—and then someone mistakes her for a hitwoman.  It’s fast-paced and very funny, but with high stakes

 Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman:  The residents of an English retirement village are about to have their way of life  disrupted by a developer.  When he turns up dead, the residents decide to investigate.   

Mrs. Malory's Shortest Journey by Hazel Holt: Another older series (started in the 1990s) but for me did not seem dated at all.  Mrs. Malory is a widow and literary critic with a keen eye for observation.  The characters are well developed and the plots are interesting, and the British setting is a plus.

 

Honorable Mentions:

 

See Something: A Witch City Mystery by Carol J Perry:   Lee is a TV reporter in Salem, Massachusetts who has some psychic abilities but they don’t overwhelm the story. . I really like the characters in this one, especially O’Ryan, a witch’s cat who is probably more than an ordinary cat, and Lee’s Aunt Ibby who is a librarian. 

On the Spine of Death by Tamara Berry: this series gave me Finlay Donovan vibes a bit. The main character is a best selling thriller author who has a rebellious teenage daughter.  I particularly liked  that the author character would meet someone and immediately start mentally writing the person as a character in her book, giving a new background, motivations, etc.  This is the second title and I felt Berry really hit her stride here, though first one was good. 

Shady Hollow by Juneau Black:  This entertaining first in series books features anthropomorphic animals in a village mystery.  If you don't like animals sipping tea and chatting, avoid this book.

Jolabokaflod!

 

 

Ramblings by Jeanne 

 In Iceland, there's a tradition of giving books on Christmas Eve. Everyone then spends the evening reading their new acquisitions.  It's called Jolabokaflod, meaning Christmas Book Flood:  a fine name for a fine tradition.

I sometimes travel at the holidays and I have my own book tradition:  I visit the Gift Shop at the Bristol Public Library where there is a lovely selection of books at rock bottom prices.  I buy three or four books that look interesting but I probably wouldn't read otherwise and I take them with me to read during layovers.  I can then jettison whatever books I finish and lighten my luggage.  (I'm just not into ebooks; even if I were, the charging stations enroute are sometimes less than reliable.) 

This year I really hit the jackpot.  Every book I picked turned out to be memorable and made the time fly by-- no pun intended.

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty had piqued my interest awhile back because it was set at Biltmore. The story revolves around a young girl who lives on the grounds with her father, who works for the Vanderbilts.  Serafina sees a disturbing encounter one night and becomes convinced that there is a dangerous man on the premises. The question is, can she prove it? This was a well done juvenile historical fantasy that made excellent use of its setting and introduced the reader to intriguing characters. It's the first in a series as well.

Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen was an impulse choice.  I had only read one of Hiaasen's books previously, but was hoping for a return (or at least an update) on some characters from the previous books and I wasn't disappointed.  Hiaasen is known for his ecological themes, and this time the focus is on the pythons who are multiplying rapidly. His humor may not be for everyone, but this time some lines made me laugh out loud.

 As should be obvious from my reviews, I read a lot of mysteries but somehow I never started reading the Kinsey Millhone books. That was remedied when I found  A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton. I was hooked from the first chapter and since have gone on to read two more in the series.

It was like a Christmas stocking full of unexpected goodies!

For about $2, I had hours of entertainment.  Yes, that's right:  $2. The BPL Gift Shop is a treasure trove!   And believe it or not, they are now having a sale with prices cut even more:  paperbacks are 10 for $1, hardback books are 50% off. You can't beat that.

So if you're still looking for gifts, do your pocketbook a favor and check out some of the bargains at the Gift Shop.  You may find just the perfect coffee table book for Uncle Joe or a great cookbook for Grandmother. Or you may be like me, and just find stuff for yourself.   At those prices, you can treat everyone!

Nevermore: Nightingale, Lions, Forsytes, and More!

Reported by Ambrea

This week at Nevermore, our readers explored some new books—new to our book club, that is—and even discovered some new favorites with The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, Descent by Tim Johnston, and Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy.

Our readers first dived into an audiobook copy of U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton.  Twenty years after the disappearance of a four-year-old girl, Kinsey Millhone is asked to investigate the case by Michael Sutton.  Sutton, a college dropout at twenty-seven, may possibly be the only witness in a mystery that’s remained notoriously unsolved for two decades—and Kinsey must help him dredge up a memory she’s not even sure existed in the first place.  Bouncing back and forth in time, following both the original witness of the case and Kinsey Millhone as she seeks to fit together pieces of the puzzle, U is for Undertow is a psychologically intricate thriller that received high praise from our Nevermore reader.  She said it was “absolutely incredible—I love this kind of stuff!”

Next, our readers explored a second novel by Justin Halpern called I Suck at Girls.  Like Sh*t My Dad Says, I Suck at Girls is an uproariously funny narrative.  Chronicling his misadventures with the opposite sex—from first dates to engagement parties, from high school to college and beyond—I Suck at Girls is a poignant memoir about the best and worst of love.  Our Nevermore reader absolutely loved Halpern’s latest book.  Both light-hearted and funny, I Suck at Girls was a comedic adventure of the very best kind—and, having listened to the audiobook, she thought it was hilarious how the author managed to give a different voice for every character.

One of our readers also picked Ghosts of Tsavo:  Stalking the Mystery Lions of East Africa by Philip Caputo.  Set in Tsavo River Kenya in 1898, Ghosts of Tsavo explores the construction of the Uganda Railway through east Africa—and the lions that brought construction to a grinding halt after killing 140 people.  According to our reader, Caputo’s book has the opportunity to spark an intriguing discussion—especially after the debacle with Theo Bronkhorst, a big game hunter, and Cecil the lion—but our reader found she just couldn’t become enthusiastic about man-eating lions.  She managed to read 135 pages, but she just “couldn’t go any farther.”

Our readers also visited The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which follows the intersecting lives of sisters Vianne and Isabelle.  Vianne, who must cope with her husband’s departure for World War II, and Isabelle, a rebellious young woman who falls in love—and, subsequently, joins the Resistance—are “separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion, and circumstance, [but] each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom…”  For our Nevermore reader, The Nightingale was an incredible novel.  Although she was initially hesitant to begin Hannah’s novel, having read so many books based in the midst of World War II, our reader was quickly hooked and begrudged having to do anything other than read.

The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy also made an appearance at our Nevermore meeting.  Published in a series of three novels from 1906 to 1921, The Fosyte Saga received recognition in 1932 when Galsworthy earned a Nobel Prize in literature “for his distinguished art of narration which takes its highest for in [his novel].”  For the most part, Galsworthy’s novel centers on Soames Forsyte—a successful solicitor who lives in London, and a pillar of excellence in his Victorian community—and his wife, Irene.  But beneath the happy façade of their marriage, the Forsytes’ relationship is crumbling into a bitter feud within the family.  According to our Nevermore reader, The Forsyte Saga was excellent.  Although she said it takes some patience to read through the entire series, she said it’s a beautifully written novel that’s well worth reading.

Last, our readers discussed Descent by Tim Johnston.  Chronicling the disappearance of Caitlin Courtland and her family’s desperate search for answers, Descent is an emotional rollercoaster ride that tears the Courtlands’ apart before finally bringing them together again.  Two of our Nevermore members have had the chance to read Johnston’s novel, and they have both given positive reviews:  one reader said he was left speechless by this book, saying it was “very good, extremely good,” while another asserted it was by far the best book she’s read this year