Clicking Our Heels - Summer Reading List

Summer is almost over, but there still is time for a few great summer reads before Labor Day. Here are a few suggestions from members of The Stiletto Gang.

Paula Benson:
Gigi Pandian’s Accidental Alchemist mysteries -- The Accidental Alchemist, The Marauding Magician, and The Elusive Elixir -- I love the living gargoyle, Dorian Robert-Houdin. His vegetarian recipes almost convince me to try that lifestyle.

Anything by Lori Rader-Day -- The Black Hour, Little Pretty Things, and The Day I Died -- Her novels will all keep you on the edge of your seat.

Lee S. Robinson’s Lawyer for the Dog and Lawyer for the Cat -- two great legal chick lit virtual journeys to Charleston, SC. They will keep you laughing and turning pages.

Cathy Perkins:

I’m a little burned out on mysteries (perish the thought!) so this week, I’m reading Kristin Hannah’s Firefly Lane; Lisa Unger’s Ink and Bone; and Glen Erik Hamilton’s Past Crimes (because you can never not read mysteries).

Dru Ann Love:

Lowcountry Bonfire by Susan M. Boyer 
The Tell-Tale Tarte by Maya Corrigan 
Death of a Bachelorette by Laura Levine 
Down a Dark Road by Linda Castillo 
Cat About Town by Cat Conte 
Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett

Barbara Plum:

HOW EMOTIONS ARE MADE by Lisa Feldman Barrett--a surprising and different twist on the brain and emotions. THE ACHIEVEMENT HABIT by Bernard Roth, a Stanford engineer who has created a program to harness the wanna-save-the-world ideals of young students.

Juliana Aragon Fatula:

Sherman Alexie Memoir You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,
the absolute true diary of a part time indian,

by Denise Chavez: The King and Queen of Comezon, A Taco Testimony, Meditations on Family, Food,  and Culture, The Last of the Menu Girls

by Joy Harjo: A Map to the Next World

by Leslie Marmon Silko: Storyteller

by Louise Penny: How the Light Gets In

Linda Rodriguez:

I'll go with what I want to read myself (but probably won't have a chance to until summer's gone).

REEK OF RED HERRINGS by Catriona McPherson
MURDER ON THE RED RIVER by Marcie Rendon
GARDEN OF LAMENTATIONS by Deborah Crombie
ARACHNID VERVE by Shauna Osborne
CITIZEN by Claudia Rankin
THE OBELISK GATE by N.K. Jemisin
IRRADIATED CITIES by Mariko Nagai
COURT OF FIVES by Kate Elliott

Jennae Phillippe:

Oh man. Whatever makes you happy? I tend to go lighter in the summer, heavier in the winter. But I find recommending books really hard. I would suggest people check out The Stiletto Gang authors. :-P

Sparkle Abbey:

Anita: I haven't read as many books as I'd like. I've been reading meal prep cookbooks. I finally finished Death but Tiara and Death of a Bachelorette by Laura Levine.

Mary Lee: I'm doing a lot of reading different things this summer. Mysteries, of course, women's fiction, and non-fiction. Some I'd recommend are: Flight Patterns by Karen White; Death of a Bachelorette by Laura Levine, and The Knowledge Illusion by Steven Sloman and Philip Fernbach.

Kay Kendall:

*Trail of Echoes: A Detective Elouise Norton Novel by Rachel Howzell Hall  

*Kilmoon: A County Clare Mystery by Lisa Alber

*Quiet Neighbors: A Novel by Catriona McPherson
*The Darkest Secret: A Novel by Alex Marwood      
                                                                                                    

Summer Reading - Part II

Summer Reading – Part II by Debra H. Goldstein

For ten days, I forgot about being a writer.  Instead, other than reading Murder on Wheels with an eye towards reviewing it, I let my mind forget about the tools of the trade and I read for pleasure.

Biographies, cozies, thrillers, literary fiction – all were fair game.  My goal was pure enjoyment or as I like to refer to it:  FUN.

I’ve discovered that in my quest to write decent short stories and novels (or at least publishable ones), I sometimes replace my love of words with mechanical technicalities.  When I’m writing, the same critical eye comes into my reading habits.  I pick apart the language of other authors.  I look to see how they use dialogue, plot, setting, word choice, and grammar instead of simply relaxing into the story.  If two linked ideas couldn’t realistically connect in real life, I’m disturbed.  If a character’s name isn’t remembered correctly or a hole exists in the plot, the book is a disaster for me.

When I stop writing and become a reader again, I regain my ability to enjoy well-written and not so well-written books.  I chuckle, I laugh, I cry, and I am fulfilled by the different worlds I visit.  Best of all, I remember why I want to write – to help provide even a smidgen of these feelings to others.
So, what did I read on my break that refreshed me and gave me the drive to write again:

I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Mary Higgins Clark
Destroyer Angel – Nevada Barr
night, night, sleep tight – Hallie Ephron
Truth Be Told – Hank Phillippi Ryan
Interpretation of Murder – B.K. Stevens
The Kept – James Scott
The Inverted Forest – John Dalton
A Fine Romance – Candice Bergen

Have you read anything you’ve liked lately?  I’m making a list for my next ten day break.

Welcome to Summer and book giveaway!

by Maria Geraci

We're just a couple of days from Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start of summer, arguably, most people's favorite time of year. Summer means vacations and warm weather and trips to the beach and the lake and wherever else you like to go in your free time. It also means beach reading! My most favorite thing to do in the world is set up my beach chair along the shore, slather myself in sunscreen, stick my feet in the water and open up a good book.

In honor of the upcoming holiday (and just because) I've been doing a beach book giveaway over on my blog and Facebook page. I'm giving away a free autographed copy of my second book, BUNCO BABES GONE WILD. All you have to do to enter is click on the word blog or Facebook page in the previous sentence and you'll be take to a link to
leave a comment. Contest ends Friday night at midnight and is limited to US entries only. I'd love it if you stopped by and entered!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! And remember to thank a Veteran for their service!

Summer Reading List

Lazy summer days are perfect for ready a drop dead excellent mystery. Cozies are my favorites. I definitely go through phases, and I’m in one now, devouring as many books as I can, using my time to enjoy new authors and reacquaint myself with old favorites.

Here’s a list of some great cozy mystery authors to dive into when you have a lazy summer day.

Agatha Christie = Mystery

Agatha’s the goddess of the the murder mysteries. Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot are two of the most recognizable sleuths in fiction and live on even today. Of course I have fond memories of Tommy and Tuppence, too, as my mom named two of our cats Tommy and Tuppence.

Cat Among the Pigeons was one of my favorites (I spent my entire high school career holed up in a math classroom during lunch reading Grand Dame Agatha’s books... no dances, no dates, no prom, just mysteries!).

All of her books may not be traditionally cozy, but she’ll always be my favorite.

Other authors I’m loving at the moment are:

Wendy Lyn Watson and her mystery ala mode books (book 2 will be out in September!). Ice cream and mystery, what’s not to love?

Heather Webber and Truly, Madly, not to mention Deeply, Desperately. Matchmaker mysteries? LOVE them.

Juliet Blackwell and her Witchcraft Mysteries. Now, I am in the middle of this book and I am really enjoying it. It has la Llorona in it! I wrote a romantic suspense that centered on la Llorona, so I was destined to love this.

Annette Blair and her Vintage Magic Mysteries. Vintage clothing store, ghosts, and small New England living. Just my cup of tea.

Charlaine Harris and her Aurora Teagarden and Lily Bard Mysteries. I haven’t tried Harper Connelly... any thoughts?

These are just a few of the many, many books on my tall, tall stack.

I’d love other suggestions, though, so I know what to move to the top (stiletto books excepted, as the high-heeled lady’s books already some of my faves!!).

Go ahead, help me craft my summer reading list!

~Misa

And check out Word Filled Writer's Workshop Wednesday!! ( you can still play along, even though it's Thursday, now! )

Books in Waiting (or the pile on my sofa)

Some of you know I just had eye surgery on both eyes. It's been a long six months of weaning myself off my gas permeable contact lenses so that the eye surgeon could figure out what strength of corrective lens to implant. During this process, I haven't had great vision and haven't read very much for pleasure. But now the surgery is over, my eyes have healed, and I can see again!!! I'm ready to dive back into the wonderful world of reading.

I have a nice stack of books on my sofa. These are the books I have just read, or I'm currently reading, or I intend to read over the summer. Of course as soon as I pick one of them up, I feel guilty for not spending the time writing. Oh, well, I'll just have to deal with the guilt.

Damaged by Alex Kava
I had never read any of Ms. Kava's novels before but I really enjoyed this advance copy. Wonderful characters and lots of excitement as the serial killer is tracked. I love the female Coast Guard rescue swimmer character and hope this wasn't her last appearance.

Rules of Betrayal by Christopher Reich
I'm hoping to read this thriller soon. The plot involving a Doctors Without Borders surgeon and his double agent wife sounds great!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest – all by Stieg LarssonI may be one of the few who haven't read these books, but I'm determined to cure that oversight this summer. I'm just a few pages into the first of the three, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I'm hooked.

Last week I went shopping in a real brick & mortar bookstore for books for my Dad's birthday gift. I found him a non-fiction book about George Custer's last stand and two thrillers whose titles escape me at the moment. The important part of this story – (insert smile) is that I also found a couple of books for me. Isn't that amazing the way that works? I encourage everyone to shop for gifts in bookstores. I purchased The Ark by Boyd Morrison – a mystery concerning the search for Noah's Ark. I'm about a chapter into it. So far someone has tried to kill the heroine twice in three days. I'm seeing a pattern and suspect foul play. I also bought the wonderful Nancy Pickard's The Scent of Rain and Lightning. I read her last one set in Kansas and loved her writing. I'm anticipating great things from this new book!

How about you? What are you reading? What do you plan to read this summer?

Rhonda
aka The Southern Half of Evelyn David

Summertime and the Living Was Easy

Do you remember when summer used to be half the year? I don't think I noticed that it was only three months until well into high school. Summers meant swimming, softball, staying up late, sleeping in, odd jobs for spending money, and reading – reading as many books as possible. Summer was wonderful.

In grade school I loved westerns (covered wagon stories, Kit Carson, and all the Zane Grey novels I could get my hands on) and mysteries (Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and Trixie Belden.) My best friend and I cleaned a motel swimming pool one summer for a little cash and free use of the pool. We cleaned in the mornings and then sat by the pool during the afternoon, reading. When we'd had enough chlorine and sun, we'd go over to the motel restaurant to drink large cokes and eat chips and salsa.

In high school my reading tastes shifted a little. I discovered biographies. My favorite subjects were Abraham and Mary Lincoln, Golda Meir, Amelia Earhart, Mary Queen of Scots, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Yeah, I was all over the place, but that was half the fun. I also discovered true crime (In Cold Blood, Helter Skelter) and the bittersweet romance of Danielle Steele. Ms. Steele made me cry every time.

I worked one summer for the National Park Service. I'd spend a couple of hours in the morning at the lake, swimming and reading, and then I'd get ready for work. I had the 3:00 pm to midnight shift at a campground. I was supposed to collect camping fees and make sure nobody disturbed the peace by playing their boom boxes too loudly or engaging in public screaming matches with their spouses. I also had to keep the campground kiosk open in case someone had an emergency and I needed to radio for help (this was pre-cell phone days folks.). But it was a slow summer, the springs at the campground were dry and the tourists preferred the lake. Mostly I sat alone in the kiosk, a small rock building with windows on all sides. People could see me, but because of the forested darkness outside, I couldn't see them. I sat there, night after night and read the scariest stuff Stephen King had to offer. That was a great summer!

I still like to read all kinds of fiction, although I read less since I started writing. I was shopping on Saturday for a Father's Day gift and books were at the top of my list. I picked up the latest Lee Child novel for my Dad and couldn't resist grabbing a paperback mystery for myself. The book, The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid, had a lake scene on the cover and a blurb from one of my favorite authors promising it was "irresistible."

If I get a sunny afternoon this next week, I might play hooky from work, lay in a lounge chair in the backyard with my book and pretend I'm on summer vacation from school. No bills to pay, no career to worry about, no deadlines looming. I won't even notice that the lawn will need mowing again and that my deck could use a coat of fresh paint. I'm going to ignore all that and do a little time traveling – back to when summers lasted half the year.

Evelyn David
http://www.evelyndavid.com/