Lost manuscripts, ancient religious secrets, secret societies, symbols and codes…Dan Brown made this kind of thriller popular with Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, but other authors have kept this genre alive and added their own twists. Here are two recent titles to liven up a rainy fall day. In The Temple Mount [...]
Filed under: Book Lists, Mysteries and Thrillers | No Comments »
True confession: I love gothic novels! As a teenager, I was swept away to the Yorkshire moors with Heathcliff and Cathy in Wuthering Heights. I was Jane Eyre’s “Dear Reader.” I dreamt I went to Manderley with the heroine of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca. I love the moody atmosphere, the buried secrets, and the romance. [...]
Filed under: Book Lists, Fiction | No Comments »
Westerns are not just about cowboys and Indians, as the recent Spur Awards show. (The Spur Awards are given annually by the Western Writers of America for distinguished writing about the American West.) Snowbound by Richard S. Wheeler tells the amazing tale of American explorer John Fremont and his attempt to find a railway route to [...]
Filed under: Book Lists, Fiction, Prize Winning Books | No Comments »
If you’re tired of hearing about the economy and think the financial world is boring, maybe it’s time to take a look at some of these new financial thrillers in which big money means big danger. In Due Diligence by Jonathan Rush, a young investment banker is assigned to a team who is working on [...]
Filed under: Book Lists, Mysteries and Thrillers | 1 Comment »
Although William Shakespeare’s exact birthday is not known – he was baptized on April 26, 1564 and died on April 23, 1616 – his birthday is usually celebrated on April 23rd. Shakespeare, regarded by many as the greatest writer in the English language, continues to influence writers today, including two up-and-coming American novelists. The Great [...]
Filed under: Book Lists, Fiction | No Comments »
April may be too early to plant your garden in Northeast Ohio, but it’s a great time to read new gardening mysteries. For most of us, being the White House gardener would be a big enough job without having to solve mysteries as well, but not for Cassandra “Casey” Calhoun. In the debut cozy mystery Flowerbed [...]
Filed under: Book Lists, Mysteries and Thrillers | No Comments »
Lettice Knollys, Countess of Essex and Countess of Leicester (1543–1634), was an English noblewoman and mother to Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. A grandniece of Anne Boleyn and close to Princess Elizabeth since childhood, she was banished from court after marrying Elizabeth I’s favorite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Interestingly enough, Lettice Knollys, is a [...]
Filed under: Book Lists, Historical Fiction | No Comments »
If you don’t like vampires or “women in jeopardy” stories, or you’re tired of time travel and men in kilts – try one of these romances set in a small town. Olivia is peeved when soap opera star Noah Falcon roars back into Cricket Creek, Kentucky. He’s determined to show Olivia he’s not just playing around [...]
Filed under: Book Lists, Romance | No Comments »
Many novels use flashbacks and the voices of different characters to tell a story, but there is a kind of historical novel which goes even further–novels that unfold in two or more time frames, contemporary and historic. Frequently the historic narrative sets the stage for some mystery to be solved or family issue to be [...]
Filed under: Book Lists, Historical Fiction | No Comments »
The fiction librarians in Popular Culture have spent the last seven months updating and revising the Favorite Fiction booklists and we’re finally done! We’ve added links to the library catalog, so you can check availability and request titles, and we’ve also added series information to many of the lists. Looking for Amish inspirational fiction? There’s a [...]
Filed under: Book Lists, Fiction | No Comments »