What we're reading in October 2006
Ever wonder what the folks who work at a mystery bookstore like to read? Well, here's your answer. Each month we ask everyone here to pick a book, current or older, that they truly enjoyed and are enthusiastic about. Of course, if you visited the store, we'd tell you directly what we like but for those of you who can't come see us, this is the next best thing. Our special thanks to Judi for pulling this feature together and to all the staff who contributed their picks.
Presented here are the picks for October, an archive of earlier months is available from the menu at the left.
What Judi is reading
A simple domestic just isn’t that simple for Guido Guerrieri in A Walk in the Dark. Martini Fumai is accusing her ex-boyfriend of assault. The boyfriend is the son of a powerful judge and this is Italy where it really isn’t whether you’re right or wrong but who you know. Gianrico Carofiglio’s novels are a refreshing look into a land and culture that is more than old buildings, good food and great art.
What Kathy O. is reading
With the rising popularity of book clubs, there are many 'primers' such as this out on the market; but I would recommend The Book Club Companion as a step above others I've seen. Organized in chapter groupings such as 'Memoirs', 'Classics', 'Respites', and 'Black Lit', this book offers some great suggestions, along with recipes, theme gatherings, and tips for discussion starters. It also includes lists of what book groups from different decades might have read, as well as other lists, for 'angry housewives' as an example. Humorous and informative, this book is a great choice for new book clubs looking for a starting point as well as for established book groups looking to go beyond the 'usual' choices.
What Margo is reading
Although this is far from a classic mystery, this novel (partially set in the Pittsburgh area) is a real page turner with such beautifully written passages that you yearn to read them again and again. When two families are linked by a birth but separated by a haunting secret, what follows is a mesmerizing picture of love, regret and finally, forgiveness. It is sure to get your tear ducts flowing and give your grey cells a workout.
What Richard is reading
This debut is a beguiling mystery of an Argentine grad student in Oxford who becomes involved in bizarre series of murders with mathematical overtones. His landlady is the first victim and a mysterious note left with the body--a circle and the phrase “first in the series”—is the beginning of a compelling story that keeps you guessing. A satisfying academic mystery with many original features.
What Mary Alice is reading
World War II is a hot topic in fiction right now and Follett returns to this early subject of his with the marvelously tense Jackdaws. The central figure is Flick Clairet, an Englishwoman married to a Frenchman in the resistance, who works for British intelligence--one of a small number of women serving behind enemy lines. The action takes place just before D-Day with a last minute effort to take out a crucial German installation before the invasion. Follett does his typically fine job of keeping you turning pages while filling in a slew of facts about the resistance movement and the actual role of English women in the success of D-Day. There is a larger Trade Paperback coming for the perfect Holiday gift for a teen or another reader.
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The Memory Keeper's Daughter
The Oxford Murders
Jackdaws
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