First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Enjoy a touch of paranormal romance with your mysteries?  Like sarcastic humor?  Then meet Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper.  She’s not what you would expect.  She doesn’t wear a hood or carry a sickle.  She does manage to get herself in a lot of trouble.  Seeing the dead and being able to talk to them when no one else can does make you appear a little strange to your fellow humans.  But as a private investigator Charley gets results.  It’s great when a murder victim can tell you who killed them.

Love listening to the Janet Evanovich books?  Then you’re going to love this.  The award-winning narrator of the Stephanie Plum series, Lorelei King, is the reader of these books as well.  First in a series, I’m getting ready for number two.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline


So far, this is the best book I’ve read all year. Love eighties pop culture? Then this book is for you. Were you a geek growing up devouring coin-operated video games and Dungeons & Dragons? Then this book is for you. Fan of cyberpunk? Fan of virtual worlds? Bleak future books? Great stories? Interesting characters? Something completely different? Yep. Then this book is for you.


In 2044 the world is pretty darn awful. Most people spend their hours hooked into OASIS, a very-interactive online utopia, to escape the drudgery and gloom of their RL (real life) existence. When the creator of OASIS dies he sends an email out to the billions who have OASIS accounts. That email contains a video with a simple worded puzzle at the end. He’s left vast fortune to the person who can find the three keys to open the three gates he’s hidden on the worlds of OASIS. The video holds the first clue. Years pass, and now, finally, the first key has been found. The race for the fortune is on…


I must admit, some of my passion for this book stems from the fact that I was able to figure out the location and look of the first gate before Wade did. I was also able to puzzle out a few of the other gate and key locations without Wade’s help. While this was rewarding, it also made me realize that I was a HUGE geek in the 80s. Upon further reflection I have realized that I’m pretty darn proud of it.


This book isn’t coming out until August 16th (I managed to get my hands on an advance copy) so place your holds now!

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

A letter is lost, and found, and delivered fifty years after it was posted.  The delivery of that letter changes the lives of two families causing events of the past and present to collide in fortunate and disastrous ways.

Kate Morton has a very gothic style, rich with descriptions.  A dark tone envelops her characters, yet shafts of light do break through the mists.  While not all is grim, there is a melancholy resting over the elderly sisters moldering away with their castle in the English countryside.

Time, the fluidity of it, and the nature of the relationships between mothers, daughters and sisters are the heart of this intriguing novel.

Event by David Lynn Golemon

Event by David Lynn Golemon

Aliens are making a comeback (Super 8, Area 51) so what better time to read a thrilling new take on the Roswell incident?  In Event, a clandestine government agency known fittingly enough as the Event Group, is on high alert after two Navy planes are destroyed.  The one survivor of the incident swears his plane was bumped by a failing flying saucer. 

The Event Group caught the whole thing from their spy satellite and is now racing to recover the fallen spacecraft.  The Group knows something we don’t.  Back in 1947 one of the aliens survived long enough to pass on a message.  There is something coming that we are not prepared to fight.  Something that may have survived this new wreck.  And it’s going to be hungry…  

I’m a big fan of adventure books that take historical fact and twist it around to make a “cool legends come to life and the world may end” storyline.  Usually the history is a bit more historical (Excalibur, Atlantis, etc.) so it was neat to read about a recent event like Roswell.  Plus, who doesn’t love little green men?

This is now the second Event Group book I’ve read (Legend being the first I read, but the second in the series) and I’m looking forward to reading more.

The Venetian Betrayal by Steve Berry

The Venetian Betrayal by Steve Berry

If you’re a fan of adventure/thrillers and you haven’t discovered Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series you’re in for a treat.  Malone is former agent enjoying life as a rare book dealer in Copenhagen.  At least he tries to enjoy his non-agent life.  No one seems to want to let this guy just relax and run his shop.  Which is very fortunate for us readers.

In The Venetian Betrayal Malone is recruited to help find the most famous of missing tombs, the resting place of Alexander the Great, before the maniacal leader of the new Central Asian Federation does.  It was interesting having a warrior female leader as the villain in this book.  A nice twist.  Berry is great at combining ancient legends and history to come up with plausible stories.  It’s also neat to find out what’s fact and fiction when you get to the author’s notes at the end.

This is another series that you can jump into at any time.  This happens to be book three of seven; The Jefferson Key just came out.  (His standalones are fun too!)

The Secret of Excalibur by Andy McDermott

The Secret of Excalibur by Andy McDermott

Archaeologist Nina Wilde and her fiancé, and sort of bodyguard, Eddie Chase, are hoping to hop over to England to visit with Eddie’s family when Nina hears from an old friend of her deceased parents.  Of course it is not a social visit, the old friend has a problem, one he hopes Nina can help with, and when he’s killed his problem – finding the legendary sword Excalibur – is suddenly hers…

I absolutely love McDermott.  I was compulsively reading this one on an airplane when I really should have been napping.  The author manages to mix historical fact, legends, adventure, action and humor in an absolutely riveting way.  This is the third in the series; you can jump in at any time.   

Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen

Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen

Sarah and David have been married for five years and things just aren’t going as well as either of them hoped.  They’ve been in marriage counseling for a while and are wondering if it’s worth continuing when they enter the office for their last session.  That’s when their marriage counselor tries to eat them.  Nothing brings a couple together like a crisis and the zombie apocalypse definitely qualifies!

If you’re not a fan of romance because they are too cute, or zombie books because they are too gory, this will be the perfect mix for you.  

Eve by Iris Johansen

Eve by Iris Johansen

This year Johansen is finally going to answer the question the fans of her Eve Duncan series have been burning to know: Who killed Bonnie?  Years ago Eve’s seven-year old daughter was abducted from a local park on a school field trip.  Eve knows her daughter is dead, but she needs the closure of bringing Bonnie’s bones home.  She also needs to know who killed her little girl, and why.  In this book we learn all about Eve’s past and the identity of the father of her daughter.  Eve’s job as a forensic sculptor is put on hold as she tries to solve the mystery which has become her obsession.

An interesting combination of romance, thriller and mystery, even those who haven’t followed the series for years will be able to enjoy the twists and turns found here.  This book works well on audio even though the voice of one of the characters didn’t quite seem to fit, but I got used to it over time. 

This is the first in a trilogy coming out over the course of 2011.  Next is the series will be Quinn followed by Bonnie.

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

Want to meet a bunch of intriguing people without leaving your armchair (or your beach chair)?  Binchy once again weaves a story with a myriad of characters, each distinct in their own interesting ways, and each affecting the lives of those around them.  It’s a good thing Binchy constantly reminds us that we’re in the large city of Dublin, because this section of the city has a very small town feel. 

At the heart of the story is the motherless Frankie.  Her father, Noel, finds out about her imminent arrival weeks before her birth, and had Frankie’s mother not been dying he may have never known she existed.  But now, Noel, his parents, and neighbors are all banding together to help raise this little girl.  As with any Binchy novel, there are subplots and twists which keep the narrative moving and keep the reader guessing what could possibly happen next.

The Popular Fiction Book Discussion Group will be discussing Minding Frankie on Tuesday, August 23^rd at 7pm at the Bridgewater Library.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Over a year ago one of my colleagues wrote a blurb about this book and I finally got around to reading it myself.  Why did I wait? 

I enjoyed the author’s use of language, especially her British-sounding wit from the lips and mind of her main character, the kindly Major Pettigrew.  Clashes in cultures, class and age all come to a boiling point in this small English town.  If you’re a fan of Jane Austen and Edith Wharton, you shouldn’t put off reading this one much longer.

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

Do you miss Lisbeth Salander from the Stieg Larsson books? Then you should really meet Vanessa Michael Munroe. She’s as intelligent, feisty, and prickly as Lisbeth, but she’s got an uncanny knack for languages and a great grasp of human nature and relationships – she’s just got problems with getting close to people herself.


This is an edge of your seat thriller. A four year old missing person’s case seems like it would be a cakewalk for Munroe, but she’s back on her home turf in Africa and no one can dig up secrets like she can. What seems routine is anything but and soon she and those around her are fighting for answers and their lives.


I really enjoyed this on audio. The pace is fast, the facts are flying, and the accents keep you in Africa. If you’re looking for a well-crafted thriller and a very intelligent capable heroine check out this one.