{"id":4283,"date":"2021-12-09T05:21:47","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T13:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/?p=4283"},"modified":"2021-12-09T17:32:33","modified_gmt":"2021-12-10T01:32:33","slug":"reviewers-book-club-faves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/reviewers-book-club-faves\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviewers & Book Club Faves"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our two regular reviewers, Cathy Akers-Jordan<\/strong><\/em> and Vicki Kondelik<\/strong><\/em>, have shared their top 10 lists with us, and the book club chimes in on their favorite reads of the year as well.\u00a0 Lots of good reading here!<\/p>\n

Cathy:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Daughter of the Morning Star, <\/em>Craig Johnson.\u00a0 The new Longmire book is always the highlight of my mystery-reading year. The rez isn\u2019t part of Walt Longmire\u2019s jurisdiction, but when Tribal Police Chief Lolo Long recruits Walt and Henry to protect her niece, we learn the shocking statistics on the abuse and murder of Indian Women. Walt deals with a teenage basketball star while trying his best to keep her alive.<\/p>\n

The Madness of<\/em> Crowds, <\/em>Louise Penny.\u00a0 Although I loved seeing the Gamache family in Paris, I was really excited to see them all back in Three Pines. It will be interesting to see the future family dynamics now that both Gamache children and Armand\u2019s godfather live nearby.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>An Irish<\/em> Hostage, <\/em>Charles Todd. Bess Crawford goes to Ireland for a wedding. The \u201ctroubles\u201d keep her from easily leaving. Of course she solves the murder but there\u2019s a surprising development in her friendship with Simon. I can hardly wait for the next book.<\/p>\n

One of Our Own<\/em> by Jane Haddam (last book).\u00a0 Gregor Demarkian, retired FBI profiler, and his wife decide to foster a child. Where their new family is threatened by attempted murder on their own street, Gregor comes out of retired to solve the case. A nice wrap-up to the series. RIP, Jane Haddam.<\/p>\n

The Weaver\u2019s Revenge, <\/em>Kathleen Ernst. Kathleen writes in one of my favorite formats: parallel plots. In the modern story Chloe works at a restored Finnish family farm in Michigan\u2019s UP. In the past story, we learn about the people who lived there and the real significance of the artifacts Chloe is working with, when she\u2019s not busy solving a murder or two.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Murder in the Cookbook Nook<\/em> by Ellery Adams. Seriously, I want to live in this book-lovers retreat where every public room is filled with books and named after a famous author. Manager Jane steward has her hands full with a competitive cooking show filming at the retreat turns deadly.<\/p>\n

Laying Bones, <\/em>Reavis Z. Wortham. Another highlight of my reading year ever year. Constable Ned Parker\u2019s nephew dies is a car accident, or was he murdered? While Grandpa Ned investigates a suspicious honky-tonk his grandson Top, meets the new kids in town. Twins who are nothing but trouble.<\/p>\n

Dark Yule, <\/em>R.M. Callahan. A cat cozy with a Lovecraftian twist. Pumpkin Spice protects her na\u00efve human witch from an evil lurking in a nearby swamp. Evil grows stronger during the long winter nights as Pumpkin and the other cats work to save their village before the winter solstice. (You needn\u2019t be familiar with H. P. Lovecraft to enjoy this story.)<\/p>\n

Chasing Jack, <\/em>Parnell Hall (last book). This brilliantly funny dark-humor caper follows two killers who just can\u2019t seem to find the mysterious man named Jack whom they are hunting. Only Parnell Hall could write such a fun adventure while awaiting a lung transplant. Only Parnell Hall could promote it while rehospitalized for transplant complications. Sadly, it. was Parnell\u2019s last book and one heck of sendoff. RIP, Parnell Hall.<\/p>\n

Furmidable Foes, <\/em>Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown. This long-running series contains a series within a series, of which Furmidable Foes is the last. Books 23-28 have parallel plots, one set in the present and on set right after the Revolutionary War. It\u2019s fun to see the story of Harry and Susan\u2019s ancestors and their homes. Of course, the murders in the present have a connection to the historical plot.<\/p>\n

Vicki:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Dark Heart of Florence,\u00a0<\/em>Tasha Alexander<\/p>\n

Death of a Showman,\u00a0<\/em>Mariah Fredericks<\/p>\n

The Postscript Murders, <\/em>Elly Griffiths<\/p>\n

A Fatal First Night,\u00a0<\/em>Kathleen Marple Kalb: “Wonderful series about Ella Shane, an opera singer who sings male roles in 1890’s New York.\u00a0 This series should be much better known.”\u00a0 (Agree!\u00a0 ed.)<\/p>\n

The Hollywood Spy,\u00a0<\/em>Susan Elia MacNeal<\/p>\n

Murder in Old Bombay,\u00a0<\/em>Nev March<\/p>\n

The Bombay Prince, <\/em>Sujata Massey<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Murder at Mena House,\u00a0<\/em>Erica Ruth Neubauer<\/p>\n

The Madness of Crowds,\u00a0<\/em>Louise Penny.\u00a0 “Set in a post-pandemic Three Pines, this thought-provoking novel gives the reader insight into the nature of crowds, and why they get taken in by dangerous ideas.”<\/p>\n

The Mountains Wild,\u00a0<\/em>Sarah Stewart Taylor. “(And its sequel, A Distant Grave.<\/em>\u00a0 OK, I’m cheating a little, with two by one author in one entry.\u00a0 But I liked them equally well).\u00a0 Outstanding new series about Maggie D’Arcy, a Long Island homicide detective, whose cousin disappeared in Ireland over twenty years ago.\u00a0 A present day case may provide clues to what happened to Maggie’s cousin.\u00a0 In A Distant Grave,<\/em> Maggie investigates the murder of an Irish humanitarian aid worker on Long Island.\u00a0 The books alternate locations between Long Island and Dublin, and make the reader want to go to Dublin.\u00a0 These two books are the best I read all year.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Book Club Picks<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lisa Arnsdorf:<\/strong> The Night Hawks,\u00a0<\/em>Elly Griffiths;\u00a0When No One is Watching,\u00a0<\/em>Alyssa Cole; The Guest List, <\/em>Lucy Foley and A Ghost in the Garden,\u00a0<\/em>Elly Griffiths (“loving her YA series!).\u00a0 Not a mysteries: You’ll Grow Out of it,\u00a0<\/em>Jessi Klein, “so funny”;\u00a0The Midnight Library,\u00a0<\/em>Matt Haig.\u00a0 “A fun, easy mystery for the holidays”:\u00a0Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case,\u00a0<\/em>Kristen Painter. “It’s a surprisingly tight mystery and lots of fun to read.\u00a0 Magic, elves of various varieties, a few vampires, some entertaining romance, and a mystery.\u00a0 Fun!”<\/p>\n

Lesli Ballard:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Firekeeper’s Daughter,\u00a0<\/em>Angeline Boulley.\u00a0 and “not a mystery but one of my absolute favorites for a fun funny book”,\u00a0The Rosie Project,\u00a0<\/em>Graeme Simsion.<\/p>\n

Tori Booker:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>The Thursday Murder Club,\u00a0<\/em>Richard Osman and\u00a0The Missing American,\u00a0<\/em>Kwei Quartey.<\/p>\n

Jane Auringer Danjin:<\/strong> The Madness of Crowds,\u00a0<\/em> Louise Penny.<\/p>\n

Mary K Mcintire: <\/strong><\/em>The Merrick Dossier,\u00a0<\/em>Charles McCrarry and not a mystery,\u00a0Great Circle,\u00a0<\/em>Maggie Shipstead.<\/p>\n

Tammy Rhodes:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>“I have enjoyed the series by Paula Munier, most recently\u00a0The Hiding Place.\u00a0<\/em>I also have enjoyed Margaret Mizushima, her latest in the series is\u00a0Striking Range.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>In addition I am 3 books into a….series by Dustin Stevens, 1st of which is The Boat Man.<\/em>…All of the above series are about humans and their working dogs.”\u00a0 She also mentioned\u00a0The Holdout<\/em> by Graham Moore and Caroline B. Cooney’s The Grandmother Plot<\/em> and\u00a0Before She Was Helen.<\/em><\/p>\n

Kathryn Rybka:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Arsenic and Adobo,\u00a0<\/em>Mia P. Manasala.\u00a0 Kathryn says: “The expression, ‘meet someone where they’re at,’ applied for me with this work.\u00a0 I needed a book that was somewhat ‘soothing’, that moved along, had characters I liked, and offered the authentic voice of the author.\u00a0 It also focused on family and friends — and with so little family, I treasure my friends ever more so.\u00a0 I know this is not a perfect…book, but it was one I looked forward to picking up each night and read every word of it.”<\/p>\n

Rob Weaver:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Dark Sky,\u00a0<\/em>C.J. Box;\u00a0The Guest List,\u00a0<\/em>Lucy Foley;\u00a0The Midnight Library,\u00a0<\/em>Matt Haig;\u00a0Klara and the Sun,\u00a0<\/em>Kazuo Ishiguro and\u00a0the Last Talk with Lola Faye,\u00a0<\/em>Thomas H. Cook.<\/p>\n

Roxie Weaver:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>The Holdout,\u00a0<\/em>Graham Moore;\u00a0Under a Dark Sky,\u00a0<\/em>Lori Rader-Day;\u00a0The Last Mona Lisa,\u00a0<\/em>Jonathan Santlofer; the\u00a0The Final Twist,\u00a0<\/em>Jeffrey Deaver. She says one she read that wasn’t a mystery but “so weird but I really liked”,\u00a0Nothing to See Here,\u00a0<\/em>Kevin Wilson.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our two regular reviewers, Cathy Akers-Jordan and Vicki Kondelik, have shared their top 10 lists with us, and the book club chimes in on their favorite reads of the year as well.\u00a0 Lots of good reading here! Cathy: Daughter of the Morning Star, Craig Johnson.\u00a0 The new Longmire book is always the highlight of my … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[730,691,732,80,350,57,731,410,184,38,448,735,734,733,736,356,107,42,275],"class_list":["post-4283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-of","tag-charles-todd","tag-craig-johnson","tag-ellery-adams","tag-elly-griffiths","tag-erica-ruth-neubauer","tag-jane-haddam","tag-kathleen-ernst","tag-kathleen-marple-kalb","tag-louise-penny","tag-mariah-fredericks","tag-nev-march","tag-parnell-hall","tag-r-m-callahan","tag-reavis-z-wortham","tag-rita-mae-brown","tag-sarah-stewart-taylor","tag-sujata-massey","tag-susan-elia-macneal","tag-tasha-alexander"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4283"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4302,"href":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4283\/revisions\/4302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}