Really Great Mysteries

Who doesn’t love a great mystery!?  Here are some of my favorite mysteries.  They are all well-written, with a creative plot and interesting characters.  These all break the mold for an ‘average’ who-dun-it.

 

1.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Wow.  Just Wow.

2.  The Snowman by Jo Nesbø

3.  Faithful Place by Tana French

4.  A Great Deliverance (Inspector Lynley Mystery #1) by Elizabeth George

5.  And then there were None by Agatha Christie

Classic!

6.  Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard

7.  Before I go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Slightly thriller rather than mystery but still counts!

Books That are Entertaining but will not Hurt Your Brain

…yet not so simple that you’ll feel dumber after you finish it.  These books are solidly written but not particularly controversial, entertaining but can be put down.  Pairs well with the pool or beach or traveling.  Also good as a chaser to a really thought-provoking novel.

These books make super book club picks for newer clubs still feeling out the preferences of their members.

Enjoy!

1.  Saving Cee-Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Officially categorized as Adult Fiction, but borderline Young Adult.  First person story of an 12-year old girl who begins living with her grandmother and maid in Savannah, Georgia after her mentally ill mother passes away.

2.  The Firm by John Grisham

A newly graduated Harvard lawyer takes a job with a powerful firm in Tennessee, only to find that their practices are not exactly above-board.

 3.  The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard

A girl’s father’s murder is being released after 23 years in prison.  The man’s son is a lawyer fighting to prove his innocence.  The 2 of them form a sort of relationship and work to move past the losses they’ve both experienced.

4.  The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Told from the perspective of Enzo, a golden retriever nearing the end of his life.  It is pretty touching, especially for those who have pets.

5.  The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

The story about Lily, a girl who witnessed her mom’s murder when she was four.

6.  The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Mary Boleyn becomes the newest conquest of King Henry VIII, and she is expected to play the part to bring her family fame and fortune.  It is not, however, as easy as one might expect.

7.  American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

Alice grows up as a part of the baby boomer generation and falls in love with a man who ends up becoming president of the United States.

8.  Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

The fictional life of a famous geisha named Sayuri born in the late 1920s.

 

Read all of these?  Message me for more –  I can certainly add to this list!

Do you have any books you would add?

Matchmaking

A lot of times when I’m searching for a book to read, I know I’m in the mood to read a certain type of book.  Unfortunately, the description I’d use rarely matches up with the ‘general’ categories used in the libraries and book stores.  For example, last month I was looking for something “smart and sassy like chick lit, but smart chick lit with a heroine I can really support and not some boring Manhattanite” and the book I finally found the library categorized as “Fiction”.  It gets tedious to find a book that fits my specific reading mood.

I also talked with a dear friend yesterday about how my blog works great for me but it’s not super user-friendly.  She explained that there’s a lot of information about good books on my site, she’s just not sure what to do with it.

So taking all of that into account, I am going to attempt to play matchmaker with my readers and the books I am familiar with, I am introducing a new section of my blog where I pair a mood with a book that will fit it.

If you are looking for something to read, please email me or comment and I’ll help find you something that will be perfect.  Then I can add what you were in the mood for to this too!