Fall Into Reading: Beyond Halloween

The leaves are crunching beneath our boot heels, the sweaters are coming out of the corners of our closets, and cozying up with a book goes along with this season like a warm fire and fuzzy socks! Fall into the season with these reads celebrating all the various festivities the season has to offer!

The Progress of a Crime: a Fireworks Night Mystery by Julian Symons

After witnessing a murder of a local tavern owner on Guy Fawkes Night (Nov. 5), Hugh Bennet has trouble remembering what took place as he attempts to write the story for the paper. It doesn’t help that the witnesses aren’t very reliable as none can actually recall seeing the stabbing itself. Combining classic sleuthing with a concerned inquiry into troubled society, this 1960 crime classic by the grandmaster Julian Symonds is an excellent commentary of the Autumn of the year, and of the 20th Century.

Leda and the Swan by Anna Caritj

It’s Halloween night and the party atmosphere is abuzz as our main character Leda makes her way to a campus party. Hours later when she wakes, she can only remember bits and pieces of the night. What happened with her and her crush, Ian? She remembers talking to a swan…named Charlotte? Charlotte, who is now missing? And as the weeks go on, she uncovers more about what happened on Halloween night, to her growing alarm.

A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli

Niki Randhawa has always treaded through life carefully and practically, but that doesn’t pay off when she finds herself laid off. Seeking solace in her best friend Diya, she flies to Mumbai for Diya’s wedding and gets derailed by Sameer. Sam is everything she’s not, and as the days go on that turns out to be exactly what she needed. But when a job offer back home comes knocking, she’ll need to decide to head down the same predictable path or throw caution to the wind? (This year, Diwali is on Nov. 4, with festivities all that week.)

The Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Sure, you’ve seen all those classic horror movies like Halloween and Scream, but did you ever wonder what happens after? Five final girls – lone survivors – Heather, Marilyn, Julia, Adrienne, Dani, and Lynnette, meet up for group therapy and attempt to move on with their lives after enduring brutal violence. However, their survival is at risk again when something starts hunting them down.  And this time it’s Lynnette who is ready to face the monster head on.

Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester

Isabel meets her father-in-law Omar for the first time on her wedding day. The trouble is, he’s dead. He continues to visit her every year on her wedding anniversary, which is also the Day of the Dead. Only she can see him and he needs her help to reconcile with his wife and son. Weaving from past to present, it’s tells the story of a Mexican-American family – their struggles, their love, and their path to finding deeper understanding of one another. This year’s Day of the Dead is on Nov. 1st and 2nd.

          ~ posted by Kara P.

New Fiction Roundup – October 2021

October’s fiction release calendar finds plenty of new horror, from the slightly creepy to the gory; new titles by big names, such as Jonathan Franzen and Amor Towles; a debut from an astronaut; a posthumous release by a master of spy fiction; and much much more.

10/5: The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
In this final book in the Practical Magic series, three generations of the Owens family wage a final battle against the curse that has plagued them since the 17^th century that has caused anyone who has loved an Owens to die. (fantasy/general fiction)

10/5: Cackle by Rachel Harrison
After a devastating breakup, Annie Crane starts over in a small town in upstate New York. She quickly makes a new friend in Sophie, who seems to lead a charmed life but also inspires fear in the townsfolk. Could she be … a witch? (fantasy)

10/5: Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
This first in a new trilogy introduces Midwestern family the Hildebrandts as Pastor Russ, wife Marion, and their children grapple with the preoccupations and dilemmas of the 1970s. (general fiction)

10/5: The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Practical, grown orphan Jane Lawrence has settled on a plan to secure her future, by marrying local doctor Augustine in a union of convenience. She agrees to his only stipulation, that he always spend the night at his ancestral home, and that she never do. But then comes an accident, and a breaking of the promise, and the discovery of the ghosts that Augustine has hidden. (horror)

Fall into a Cozy Mystery, 2021

As the weather turns and the rains begin, I love nothing better than to curl up with a good book. Cozy mysteries are a genre I’ve recently discovered, only to lament that I hadn’t started reading them sooner! Don’t let the pun-filled titles deter you from this warm, light, and friendly genre, which is often thematic. There are series set in book stores, series set in coffee shops, series centered on dogs and cats, and even foodie series: whatever hobby you are into, there’s probably a cozy mystery series for you! These are some of the cozies I’ve enjoyed and recommended recently.  

Margaret Loudon’s Open Book series starts with Murder in the Margins and is set in a quintessential small British Hamlet. Our main character is an American woman on a grant-based writing trip, working part time at the Open Book Bookshop. The delightful cast of side characters and the quaint setting will reel you into this cozy, bookish series.

Watch & Read: Ozark

Ozark is one of those shows that is just pure madness – it snakes in on itself in perpetual chaos. No breaks, no ease, just edge of your seat shenanigans the whole time. And I can’t get enough! While we wait for the next season, here are a few items in our collection that will also have you saying, WTF?!

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
Bazell gives us a brutal and entertaining rollercoaster ride, punctuated with clever footnotes. His main character, Dr. Peter Brown, is working as an intern in a Manhattan hospital, and his daily encounters of blood and mayhem don’t even come close to his nightmarish past career as a hit man for the mob. Pietro “Bearclaw” Brnwna went into witness protection, changed his name, went to medical school and thought he’d left his past behind. But when patient Nicholas LoBrutto recognizes Dr. Brown, he asks him to help him beat the reaper – or the mob will be told where to find him.

The Nightworkers by Brian Selfon
It’s a family business: Uncle Shecky launders money and teaches his nephew, Henry, and niece, Kerasha, the trade. But everyone has secrets in this family, and when money goes missing, those secrets will rise to the surface. In this exceptionally good crime novel, the characters are developed beautifully and the sense of place truly shines. Just as the Ozarks are a character in that series, so here we delve into the avenues and back alleys of Brooklyn.

#BookBingoNW2021: Mystery and Crime under 250 pages

As Summer Book Bingo 2021 comes down to the wire (deadline: Sept. 7), you may be looking to maximize your remaining reading time. To that end, here are a selection of mysteries that clock in under 250 pages, for rapid reading. Feeling more leisurely? Check out our longer list of suggested mystery/crime novels.