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Unusual Suspects

My Best Mystery Read of February, & More Mystery/Thrillers

Hi my fellow mystery fans! Did you hear that humpback whales got together and started a mystery book club? Okay, not really but since Mother Nature seems to be weeping especially loud lately I’m just gonna pretend that’s what is happening until scientist figure this one out. (I’d just really like to be invited to a whale book club–or a game of Clue!)

Sponsored by John Darnielle’s Universal Harvester.

universal harvesterIt’s the late 1990s and Jeremy works at the Video Hut in Nevada, Iowa. A local schoolteacher comes in to return Targets and says: “There’s something on it.” Two days later, a different customer returns a different tape and says: “There’s another movie on this tape.”

Jeremy discovers that in the middle of each movie, the screen blinks dark and the movie is replaced by a few minutes of jagged, poorly lit home video.

“This chilling literary thriller follows a video store clerk as he deciphers a macabre mystery through clues scattered among the tapes his customers rent. A page-tuning homage to In Cold Blood and The Ring.” — O: The Oprah Magazine

My best read in February and I’m still raving about it!

The Secret History of Las Vegas by Chris Abani: Abani is an excellent writer who wonderfully mixed literary fiction, mystery, crime, and horror together. And by that I mean the writing was perfect, the depth of character fantastic, the mystery interesting, and the horror breath-stopping the way only a reminder of how truly awful humanity can be can do. The novel begins with conjoined twins (named Fire and Water) bathing near a barrel that turns out to be filled with blood, which leads a detective desperate to solve unsolved murders to swear it must be them. Sunil, a doctor specializing in sociopaths, is tasked with evaluating the twins–and more importantly proving they are sociopaths. But he doesn’t really think they are and seems more drawn to understanding them and their lives. That is of course when Sunil isn’t remembering his life in South Africa–a dark past–and falling in love with Asia, a prostitute.

Betty Rhyzyk is my new favorite detective!

The Dime by Kathleen Kent: To be totally honest, I had planned on skipping this one since I wasn’t really in the mood for the whole Mexican gang rapist/drug dealers thing (what I assumed it would be about–it’s not!) BUT Mulholland Books has yet to disappoint at all AND Liberty recommended it. I AM SO GLAD I READ THIS ONE. After a huge weekend reading slump where nothing I picked up made me want to keep reading, this one enveloped me into its pages and wouldn’t let me go. I tell you all this because I don’t think the summary does this awesome book justice. Rhyzyk is a hard-ass, take-no-shit detective trying to balance her career, her personal relationship with her doctor girlfriend, and the ghosts of her past. And by ghost I mean her recently deceased uncle who’d always been the only true family and good advice giver in her life. While she may start out investigating a Mexican cartel in Texas, this takes some hard turns into different territory and leaves you with an ending you wouldn’t expect. Kent has written a brilliant detective with hard-edges and heart while striking the perfect balance of humor, violence, action, and procedural. I want more!

The Woman in Cabin 10 is getting a film adaptation! There was apparently some competition for the rights that CBS Films ended up winning and Hillary Seitz will be writing the script. This was one of my favorite 2016 mystery releases and I’m really looking forward to the film.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web is coming to theaters in 2018: And I should finally read it! Seems all the issues with continuing the U.S. adaptation of the series have been resolved by adapting TGITSW and deciding to cast all new actors for the parts. Have any thoughts who should play Lisbeth? Blomkvist?

Have you been watching HBO’s Big Little Lies adaptation? While I agree that this was a perfect opportunity for women writers and directors to helm a project–it’s written by David E. Kelly, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée– I am really enjoying the series. The acting is A+ and the dark mood from the book and the flashbacks are perfectly portrayed… If you like think-pieces about the shows you’re watching Emily Nussbaum wrote a nice piece for The New Yorker: The Surprising Generosity of “Big Little Lies”

J.K. Rowling uses Twitter, and humor, to reveal the title for the next Cormoran Strike novel: EW rounded-up the fun.

MacMillan Audio has a sample of Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama narrated by Richard Burnip: Listen to Chapter Two. (And if you want to read my review: here.)

Has your life been missing Murder, She Wrote guest star playing cards? Have I got great news for you!

Now in paperback:

Alligator Candy by David Kushner: This is a memoir where Kushner talks about growing up after his older brother was murdered at the age of 11, and the two times in his life he faced actually learning all the circumstances of the crime. He had only been four at the time so he’s always questioned whether his memories–especially of the last moment he saw his brother before the murder–were even real. He also looks back at how his other family members dealt with the tragedy, now from the perspective of an adult. While raw in parts and gut-wrenching in others–the crime was brutal–the book is also a reminder of the healing power of community and is written without the gross sensationalizing of a crime, which sadly happens too often.

Over on Book Riot: Katie McGuire has recs for Feminist Crime Comics for Fans of My Favorite Murder and I talk about 5 Japanese crime writers I love.

I have to go shopping now:

This “Cereal Killer” spoon is awesome.

And I am all emoji heart eyes for Book Riot’s Agatha Christie “The Body in the Library” t-shirt.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

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Categories
The Goods 2

2 days left: nolite te bastardes carborundorum

It’s the last day, folks! Pre-order your limited-edition tee inspired by The Handmaid’s Tale. You know what to do.

 

Categories
Giveaways

A Giveaway for the True Book Nerd

Get your clicking fingers ready: We’re launching Book Radar, a weekly newsletter focused on upcoming titles! It’ll look at books anywhere from four weeks to six months out, and the first newsletter will hit your inboxes on Monday, April 17. It’s intended for anyone who wants to keep track of what new and exciting books are coming up, whether you’re a librarian, a bookseller, a reviewer, or just love pre-ordering (and who doesn’t, am I right).

To celebrate, we’re giving away a pretty great stack of books.

Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the image below. Good luck!

Categories
Riot Rundown

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Cage Match is back! Unbound Worlds is pitting science fiction characters against fantasy characters in a battle-to-the-death tournament, and you can win a collection of all 32 books featured in the competition.

Enter now for your chance to win this library of sci-fi and fantasy titles!

Categories
In The Club

In The Club Mar 22

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive right in.

Book clubs are for cities, too: New York City is starting a One Book, One New York initiative, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah is the inaugural book. Adichie’s recent comments regarding transgender women have been disheartening, but Americanah is a strong work and a great book to spur discussion. To sweeten the deal for New Yorkers, Scribd is offering a free audiobook version. And New York is not the only city with such a program; there’s a One Book, One Philadelphia, and a Seattle Reads. Get local and check to see if your region has a book club — that’s at least one month’s pick done!

Don’t worry, be booky: Our own Amanda Diehl talks about how she learned to love hosting a book group (spoiler: it took a minute). If you’ve had this experience, you’re definitely not alone. And if your nerves are stopping you from getting one going, maybe this will help!

Armchair book group: Daily Action, a group that encourages people to make daily phone calls to their representatives, has started an online book club and they’re one month in. Mid-month, they host a video discussion of the book in question — the next one is for Evicted by Matthew Desmond. It’s always hard to tell actual attendance numbers on Facebook, but the March event had over a thousand people logged, and I dig the concept.

Femmes fatale: From Agatha Christie to Natsuo Kirino to Gillian Flynn, LitHub rounds up 30 crime reads written by women in the last 100 years. This is a great place to start if you want wide-ranging, well-written mysteries for your group to dive into, and includes some excellent bonus factoids about the books.

And now for this week’s Read Harder Challenge recommendations! Here are round-ups of themed lists for a couple tasks, plus a shout-out each to a personal favorite.

For: read a debut novel.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk– Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain is short, funny, and searingly incisive about the way the US treats its armed forces personnel — all of which makes it an excellent book group pick. Bonus: the movie adaptation was directed by Ang Lee!
– The Center For Fiction’s 2016 shortlist for the First Novel Prize is all killer, no filler.
– Liberty gives you 100 must-read debuts.
– Liberty also gives you 100 must-read sf/f debuts.
– Bustle’s best debuts of 2016 list has a few I loved and a few I missed entirely, which is always a sign of a good list.

For: a book about books.
Republic of the Imagination by Azar Nafisi– The Republic of Imagination by Azar Nafisi could be one or several book groups in and of itself. In it, Nafisi looks at four or so American classics and reflects on what they mean in the context both of their own times and in the history and trajectory of the United States. While you may not always agree with her conclusions, there is tons of food for thought (and discussion) herein.
– Author Connie Willis recommends six of her own favorites!
– Margret rounded up 100 for you.
– And our readers suggested 50+ more.

More Resources: 
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page

This newsletter is sponsored by Duplicity by Jane Haseldine.

Julia Gooden knows how to juggle different lives. A successful crime reporter, she covers the grittiest stories in the city while raising her two young boys in the suburbs. Julia’s marriage, too, is a balancing act, as she tries to rekindle her relationship with her husband, Assistant District Attorney David Tanner, while maintaining professional boundaries. David is about to bring known criminal Nick Rossi to trial for crimes. But the story becomes much more urgent when a courthouse bomb claims several victims–including the prosecution’s key witness–and leaves David critically injured. Though Julia is certain that Rossi orchestrated the attack, the case against him is collapsing, and his power and connections run high and wide. Julia has risked her career before, but this time innocent lives–including her children’s–hang in the balance, and justice may come too late to save what truly matters…

Categories
New Books

Lady Sleuths, Missing Twins, and More New Books!

Welcome back, book fans! It’s Tuesday, so you know what that means – NEW BOOKS. To start, there’s an amazing collection of Mary McCarthy out today from the Library of America. (I always want these collections, even if I’ve never read the author, because they look so smart and fancy on my shelves. BOOK LIFE.) I also have a few great books to tell you about today, and you can hear about more wonderful books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few awesome books we loved, including The Collapsing Empire, Our Short History, and Midnight in America. 

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Lola by Melissa Scrivner Love.

An astonishing debut crime thriller about an unforgettable woman who combines the genius and ferocity of Lisbeth Salander with the ruthless ambition of Walter White. The Crenshaw Six are a small but up-and-coming gang in South Central LA who have recently been drawn into an escalating war between rival drug cartels. To outsiders, the Crenshaw Six appear to be led by a man named Garcia, but the gang’s real leader (and secret weapon) is Garcia’s girlfriend, a brilliant young woman named Lola.

“Lola is a gritty, fast-paced thriller rife with gangland intrigue layered over a moving story of absolution.” –Booklist

girl in disguiseGirl in Disguise by Greer Macallister

The author of The Magician’s Lie is back with a fictionalized account of the adventures of Kate Warne, the Pinkerton Detective Agency’s first female agent. Warne went undercover in dozens of operations and provided invaluable assistance in helping to solve crimes, thwart plots, and occasionally protect people. (*cough* Abraham Lincoln *cough*) There are hardly any remaining accounts of Warne or photos to show what she looked like. Macallister does a great job with what little there is to learn about Warne and weaves a believable tale of one of America’s little-known historical figures.

Backlist bump: Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

wait till you see me danceWait Till You See Me Dance: Stories by Deb Olin Unferth

Fans of Lorrie Moore and George Saunders will love Unferth’s first collection of stories, culled from more than a decade of work. These 39 tales are profound, acerbic, and surprising, and most are nothing short of amazing. If you enjoy droll, smart fiction, run to get this book! Hopefully having so many examples of her terrific short fiction in one place will help bring Unferth the new readers she deserves.

Backlist bump: The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel by Amy Hempel

follow me downFollow Me Down by Sherri Smith

If you like your mysteries a little more on the vicious side, pull up a chair: Follow Me Down is a deliciously nasty little punch in the mouth. Mia, a pill-addicted pharmacist, returns to her hometown in North Dakota after receiving a call informing her that her twin brother is not only wanted for the murder of a high school student, but that he’s missing. There she tries desperately to locate Lucas to clear his name of a crime she can’t imagine he committed, while the rest of the town seeks to find him so they can enact revenge. During her search, old wounds are reopened, new enemies are made, and long-hidden secrets are spilled. It’s a seriously bumpy ride.

Backlist bump: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

YAY, BOOKS! That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! As always, it has been a delight to share recommendations with you. And if you want to hear more about books, old and new, you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Be excellent to each other.

Liberty

Categories
This Week In Books

Did Jane Austen Die From Accidental Poisoning? This Week in Books: March 20, 2017

Arsenic and Old Glasses?

A new theory based on an examination of three of Jane Austen’s old pairs of glasses says the author might have died from accidental arsenic poisoning. The glasses show evidence that Austen’s vision went downhill close to her death, and that she possibly developed cataracts (a sign of arsenic poisoning). Speculation about Austen’s skin pigmentation near the end of her life also points to possible accidental arsenic ingestion. Of course, the actual cause of her death is still an open mystery, and one we’re not likely to solve with existing evidence. While accidental poisoning from toxic substances was more common in Regency England than it is now, this evidence is scant.

Young Readers Are Sticking to Print Books 

Ebook sales in the UK have fallen for the second year in a row while physical bookstore sales have risen, and it looks like younger readers are driving the reversal. While the huge numbers of adult coloring book sales probably has something to do with this (alas, you still can’t color on your Nook or Kindle), a 2016 Nielsen survey of readers 16-24 showed that 62% of them prefer to read a physical book to a digital one. Also a notable trend: use of tablets and phones overtook dedicated ereaders as the device of choice for reading digital books. Perhaps younger readers spend so much time looking at screens otherwise, they want a physical book for their reading?

We’re Getting a New Lisbeth

Sony is releasing their adaptation of The Girl in the Spider’s Web in October of 2018, and they’re doing it with a whole new cast. The company is conducting a “global search” for the next Lisbeth Salander, making the lucky actress the third to play the role on the big screen. It’s disappointing that we won’t see Rooney Mara back in the role (she was so perfect). Maybe Lisbeth will become the Doctor Who of thriller movies–same great character, new actress every few years.

Thanks to Unbound Worlds’ Cage Match for sponsoring this week’s newsletter.

Cage Match is back! Unbound Worlds is pitting science fiction characters against fantasy characters in a battle-to-the-death tournament, and you can win a collection of all 32 books featured in the competition. Enter now for your chance to win this library of sci-fi and fantasy titles!

 

Categories
Giveaways

Win a Copy of THE BOOK THAT MADE ME!

We have 10 copies of The Book That Made Me, edited by Judith Ridge, to give away to 10 Riot readers.

Here’s what it’s about:

What if you could look inside your favorite authors’ heads and see the book that led them to become who they are today? What was the book that made them fall in love, or made them understand something for the first time? What was the book that made them feel challenged in ways they never knew they could be, emotionally, intellectually, or politically? What book made them readers, or made them writers, or made them laugh, think, or cry? Join thirty-one top children’s and young adult authors as they explore the books, stories, and experiences that changed them as readers — for good.

Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the cover image below:

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Riot Rundown

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Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by The Book That Made Me edited by Judith Ridge.

What if you could look inside your favorite authors’ heads and see the book that led them to become who they are today? What was the book that made them fall in love, or made them understand something for the first time? What was the book that made them feel challenged in ways they never knew they could be, emotionally, intellectually, or politically? What book made them readers, or made them writers, or made them laugh, think, or cry? Join thirty-one top children’s and young adult authors as they explore the books, stories, and experiences that changed them as readers — for good.

Categories
What's Up in YA

Girls in the Labor Movement, Black Sabbath Songs With YA Books, & More Bookish Links

Happy Monday, YA Readers!

 

Let’s take this week’s newsletter as an opportunity to explore what we’ve been talking about YA over on Book Riot’s website over the last month or so. There’s something for every one here, so enjoy!

 

  • YA girls, fiction and real, who love and excel at STEM (that’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math for the non-acronym savvy!).
  • YA books that explore money, class, and power (seriously, though, these books are not only outstanding but tackle some big stuff I haven’t seen much before!).
  • Which of these YA novels about nerds are worth your bucks and which are worth a checkout at the library? The verdicts are in.

 

That’s a wrap this week! I’ll be handing over control of the YA Newsletter next week to middle grade queen Karina Glaser, as I’ll be traveling. I’m eager to see what she talks about and hope you are, too!

Until later, keep fighting the good fight and reading great YA books.

-Kelly Jensen

@veronikellymars