Books & Beyond

 

The next Books & Beyond Discussion Group (BAB) meeting will be Tuesday, January 27 at 6:30pm and the topic up for discussion is gold rushes.  Don’t get too bogged down in what that means!  If you’re looking for ideas, click here to find the BAB area on our Shelf Care page to see some of the books out on display at the 2^nd floor service desk.

Last week, BAB met for our final chat of 2025 and there was no assigned topic.  I’m always surprised and pleased at the great variety of information our members bring to the table!

A Taste of Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the KillersWho Use Them by Neil Bradbury

As any reader or listener of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring—and popular—weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. It can be slipped into a drink, smeared onto the tip of an arrow or the handle of a door, even filtered through the air we breathe. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict? In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and true crime, Dr. Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level.

Hidden Killers BBC series (streaming on Tubi, the Roku Channel, and Youtube)

Suzannah Lipscomb reveals the killers that lurked in every room of the Tudor, Victorian, Edwardian, and Post-war home.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

The first in a series of outlandishly clever adventures featuring the resourceful, fearless literary detective, Thursday Next. In Jasper Fforde's Great Britain, circa 1985, time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection. But when someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Brontë's novel, Thursday is faced with the challenge of her career. Fforde's ingenious fantasy unites intrigue with English literature in a delightfully witty mix.

The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories

Celebrating a new generation of bestselling and acclaimed Black writers, The Black Girl Survives in This One makes space for Black girls in horror. Fifteen chilling and thought-provoking stories place Black girls front and center as heroes and survivors who slay monsters, battle spirits, and face down death. Prepare to be terrified and left breathless by the pieces in this anthology.

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favorite criminal. But when Elizabeth meets Nick, a wedding guest asking for her help, she finds the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. And when Nick disappears without a trace, his cagey business partner becomes the gang’s next stop. It seems the duo have something valuable—something worth killing for.

Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

December 1952. While the young Queen Elizabeth II finds her feet as the new monarch, she must also find the right words to continue the tradition of her late father’s Christmas Day radio broadcast. But even traditions must evolve with the times, and the queen faces a postwar Britain hungry for change. 

As preparations begin for the royal Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk, old friends—Jack Devereux and Olive Carter—are unexpectedly reunited by the occasion. Olive, a single mother and aspiring reporter at the BBC, leaps at the opportunity to cover the holiday celebration, but even a chance encounter with the queen doesn’t go as planned and Olive wonders if she will ever be taken seriously. 

Jack, a recently widowed chef, reluctantly takes up a new role in the royal kitchens at Sandringham. Lacking in purpose and direction, Jack has abandoned his dream to have his own restaurant, but his talents are soon noticed and while he might not believe in himself, others do, and a chance encounter with an old friend helps to reignite the spark of his passion and ambition. As Jack and Olive’s paths continue to cross over the following five Christmases, they grow ever closer. Yet Olive carries the burden of a heavy secret that threatens to destroy everything. 

Christmas Day, December 1957. As the nation eagerly awaits the Queen’s first televised Christmas speech, there is one final gift for the Christmas season to deliver… 

The Gown by Jennifer Robson

An enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the twentieth century—Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown—and the fascinating women who made it.

The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas by James Patterson

At Christmastime, the Sullivans are missing someone dear to them ... until unexpected guests begin to arrive at their empty brownstone in Harlem—and they keep coming. And they stay. For twelve long, hard, topsy-turvy, messy days. But that’s when the Sullivans discover that the moments in life that defy hope, expectation, or even imagination, might be the best gifts of all.

Miranda Mills Youtube channel

Subscribe for weekly reading vlogs and seasonal living inspiration in the English countryside. I especially enjoy reading golden age mysteries, classic literature, vintage books and nature writing. Join me as I share reading vlogs, literary adventures, book hauls and reviews.

Lords & Ladles (requires an Acorn TV subscription, but there are many clips on Youtube)

Lords and Ladles feature three of Ireland's top chefs - Derry Clarke, Catherine Fulvio and Paul Flynn - who are challenged to recreate elaborate menus from different centuries in some of Ireland's grandest Country Homes.

London Rules by Mick Herron

Ian Fleming. John le Carré. Len Deighton. Mick Herron. The brilliant plotting of Herron’s twice CWA Dagger Award-winning Slough House series of spy novels is matched only by his storytelling gift and an ear for viciously funny political satire.

The Powers That Be by David Halberstam

Crackling with the personalities, conflicts, and ambitions that transformed the media from something that followed the news to something that formed it, The Powers That Be is David Halberstam's forceful account of the rise of modern media as an instrument of political power, published here with a new introduction by the author.

Slayer Slang: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lexicon by Michael Adams (not available in the JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)

In its seven years on television, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has earned critical acclaim and a massive cult following among teen viewers. One of the most distinguishing features of the program is the innovative way the show's writers play with language: fabricating new words, morphing existing ones, and throwing usage on its head. The result has been a strikingly resonant lexicon that reflects the power of both youth culture and television in the evolution of American slang. Using the show to illustrate how new slang is formed, transformed, and transmitted, Slayer Slang is one of those rare books that combines a serious explanation of a pop culture phenomena with an engrossing read for fans of the show, word geeks, and language professionals.

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing custom journals for her New York City clientele. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Knowing the upcoming marriage of Reid Sutherland and his polished fiancée was doomed to fail is one thing, but weaving a secret word of warning into their wedding program is another. Meg may have thought no one would spot it, but she hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid. A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. 

Law & Order (tv show)

A BAB member reports that all 25 seasons have dropped for streaming on Hulu! Lives hang in the balance as detectives and prosecutors pursue justice in New York City. In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place -- and keep the worst offenders off the streets.

The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

Set in London of the 1660s and of the early twenty-first century, The Weight of Ink is the interwoven tale of two women of remarkable intellect: Ester Velasquez, an emigrant from Amsterdam who is permitted to scribe for a blind rabbi, just before the plague hits the city; and Helen Watt, an ailing historian with a love of Jewish history. Electrifying and ambitious, The Weight of Ink is about women separated by centuries—and the choices and sacrifices they must make in order to reconcile the life of the heart and mind.  

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity by an acclaimed and beloved author. Called “a tour de force” by the San Francisco Chronicle, this ambitious, electrifying work traces the harrowing journey of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in fifteenth-century Spain. When it falls to Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, to conserve this priceless work, the series of tiny artifacts she discovers in its ancient binding—an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair—only begin to unlock its deep mysteries and unexpectedly plunges Hanna into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultranationalist fanatics.

A Traitor to Memory by Elizabeth George

When Eugenie Davies is killed by a driver on a quiet London street, her death is clearly no accident. Someone struck her with a car and then deliberately ran over her body before driving off, leaving nothing behind but questions.

What brought Eugenie Davies to London on a rainy autumn night? Why was she carrying the name of the man who found her body? Who among the many acquaintances in her complicated and tragic life could have wanted her dead? And could her murder have some connection to a twenty-eight-year-old musical wunderkind, a virtuoso violinist who several months earlier suddenly and inexplicably lost the ability to play a single note? For Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, whose own domestic life is about to change radically, these questions are only the first in an investigation that leads him to walk a fine line between personal loyalty and professional honor.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were. Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life. And for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special—and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together.

How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

For fans of Cloud Atlas and Station Eleven, a spellbinding and profoundly prescient debut that follows a cast of intricately linked characters over hundreds of years as humanity struggles to rebuild itself in the aftermath of a climate plague—a daring and deeply heartfelt work of mind-bending imagination from a singular new voice. 

Children of Men by P.D. James

Civilization itself is crumbling as suicide and despair become commonplace. Oxford historian Theodore Faron, apathetic toward a future without a future, spends most of his time reminiscing. Then he is approached by Julian, a bright, attractive woman who wants him to help get her an audience with his cousin, the powerful Warden of England. She and her band of unlikely revolutionaries may just awaken his desire to live . . . and they may also hold the key to survival for the human race. Told with P. D. James’s trademark suspense, insightful characterization, and riveting storytelling, The Children of Men is a story of a world with no children and no future.

1923 (tv show)

This prequel spinoff from the Yellowstone series follows an earlier generation of The Duttons as they face a new set of challenges in the early 20th century, including the rise of Western expansion, Prohibition, and the Great Depression.

We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of ModernIreland by Fintan O’Toole

In We Don't Know Ourselves, Fintan O'Toole weaves his own experiences into Irish social, cultural, and economic change, showing how Ireland, in just one lifetime, has gone from a reactionary "backwater" to an almost totally open society - perhaps the most astonishing national transformation in modern history.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.

Ireland’s Dirty Laundry documentary film (I don't find this readily streaming anywhere)

Built on the testimony of those who worked in Ireland's notorious Magdalene Laundries, this documentary tells the full, shocking story of a shameful system, created by the Irish State but supported by all levels of Irish society, which enslaved over 10,000 women for decades. The film bears witness to the women's experiences in their own words, before during and after their time in the laundries, and show how, even today, attempts are being made to try to silence them. We examine not only why and how the Magdalene phenomenon arose, but also how it was allowed to continue unchallenged for so long. At every level - family, parish and state - Irish society, at best, turned a blind eye; at worst, it supported, facilitated and even profited from the operation of these institutions, while perpetuating the stigma and shame of the women imprisoned there.

The Chieftans: Live Over Ireland, Water from the Well (I don't find this readily streaming anywhere)

Journey with The Chieftains to the special places and people of the home counties that formed the band’s musical soul. Derek Bell, Kevin Conneff, Martin Fay, Sean Keane, Matt Molloy, and Paddy Moloney tell the tales of their earliest memories of Irish music. Their thoughtful and often amusing stories capture the emotion behind the scenes of every performance.

Remastered: The Miami Showband Massacre (streaming on Netflix)

In 1974, while on the way home from a gig, the apolitical Irish rock group, The Miami Showband, fell into the crosshairs of a Protestant unionist paramilitary group that planted explosives on their bus when it was stopped at a fake checkpoint.

Philomena (film)

A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.

New Orleans' Irish Channel neighborhood 

Bound by Jackson Avenue and Delachaise, Magazine, and Tchoupitoulas streets, New Orleans’ Irish Channel is a quaint neighborhood named in honor of the wave of Irish immigrants who first settled there in the 1830s. Then, it was known for its shotgun homes, working-class community, and the ports and breweries where many residents worked. Today, the Irish Channel remains a mainly residential neighborhood with a thriving brewery scene and a number of local hangouts and restaurants. 

 

Item descriptions pulled from Amazon, Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, and Youtube.

 

Forensic Sciences

 

The November meeting for Books & Beyond to chat about forensics was a novel one for the group…we had a special guest, Dr. Greg Davis, Chief Coroner/Medical Examiner for Jefferson County! 

He shared aspects of his education, career path, and job with us and it was fascinating!  I asked him if there were any movies, tv shows, books, etc. that got the job right, and he shared a few things.

Coroner to the Stars (2025) (I saw this film at this year's Sidewalk Film Festival in downtown Birmingham and loved it!)

Coroner to the Stars chronicles the extraordinary journey of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the former Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner whose groundbreaking autopsies forever shaped American culture. From Marilyn Monroe and Robert Kennedy to Sharon Tate and Natalie Wood, Noguchi's outspoken expertise pushed forensic science into the spotlight-even as Hollywood elites and political adversaries sought to silence him. A Japanese immigrant who unwittingly rose to fame in a city driven by stardom, Noguchi's fearless pursuit of truth often placed him in the cross hairs of controversy.

Dial M for Murder (1954) 

Ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) wants to have his wealthy wife, Margot (Grace Kelly), murdered so he can get his hands on her inheritance. When he discovers her affair with Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), he comes up with the perfect plan to kill her. He blackmails an old acquaintance into carrying out the murder, but the carefully orchestrated set-up goes awry, and Margot stays alive. Now Wendice must frantically scheme to outwit the police and avoid having his plot detected.

M.A.S.H. (1970) (Dr. Davis specifically mentioned the surgery scenes in this film as accurately reflecting a full and busy medical examiners office.)

Based on the novel by Richard Hooker, M*A*S*H follows a group of Mobile Army Surgical Hospital officers at they perform surgery and pass the time just miles from the front lines of the Korean Conflict. Led by Captains Hawkeye Pierce (Donald Sutherland) and Trapper John McIntyre (Elliott Gould), they add to the chaos and hilarity of the situation.

A few of our group members shared some titles, either in the meeting during the discussion, or via email afterward.

Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell

A killer is stalking the streets of Richmond, Virginia. When the bodies begin to mount, Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta is pulled into a chilling investigation that blends high-stakes forensics with psychological warfare. Armed with cutting-edge science and unflinching resolve, Scarpetta must navigate hostile forces both inside and outside the investigation—because someone isn’t just trying to hide the truth. They’re trying to kill her.

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

Adelia Aguilar is a rare thing in medieval Europe - a woman who has trained as a doctor. Her specialty is the study of corpses, a skill that must be concealed if she is to avoid accusations of witchcraft. But in Cambridge a child has been murdered, others are disappearing, and King Henry has called upon a renowned Italian investigator to find the killer - fast. What the king gets is Adelia, his very own Mistress of the Art of Death. 

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

An oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers (some willingly, some unwittingly) have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

New York City, 1956: the city is reeling from a string of bombings orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the “Big Apple Bomber,” who has been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a yearslong manhunt, the police turn in desperation to a young doctor at a local mental hospital who espouses a radical new technique: psychological profiling.

The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie by Carla Valentine

Christie wouldn't have talked of "forensics" as it is understood today—most of her work predates the modern developments of forensics science—but in each tale she harnesses the power of human observation, ingenuity, and scientific developments of the era. A fascinating, science-based deep dive, The Science of Murder examines the use of fingerprints, firearms, handwriting, blood spatter analysis, toxicology, and more in Christie's beloved works.

Royal Autopsy, BBC documentary series, 2 seasons

• Autopsy and dramatized reconstructions explore the deaths of King Charles II and Queen Elizabeth I, examining the final days of these British monarchs through a fusion of investigation and historical reenactment.
• The lives and deaths of King Charles II and Queen Elizabeth I are investigated in this fusion of cold case investigation and lavish historical drama. A modern day autopsy is conducted to help determine the cause of death of these two key British monarchs while the final dying days are brought to life in emotional dramatic reconstructions.

18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics by Bruce Goldfarb

Frances Glessner Lee, born a socialite to a wealthy and influential Chicago family in the 1870s, was never meant to have a career, let alone one steeped in death and depravity. Yet she developed a fascination with the investigation of violent crimes and made it her life's work. 18 Tiny Deaths, by official biographer Bruce Goldfarb, delves into Lee's journey from grandmother without a college degree to leading the scientific investigation of unexpected death out of the dark confines of centuries-old techniques and into the light of the modern day.

The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death by Corinne May Botz (Not held in the Jefferson County Library Cooperative)

Frances Glessner Lee, a wealthy grandmother, founded the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard in 1936 and was later appointed captain in the New Hampshire police. In the 1940s and 1950s she built dollhouse crime scenes based on real cases in order to train detectives to assess visual evidence. Still used in forensic training today, the eighteen Nutshell dioramas, on a scale of 1:12, display an astounding level of detail: pencils write, window shades move, whistles blow, and clues to the crimes are revealed to those who study the scenes carefully.

Corinne May Botz's lush color photographs lure viewers into every crevice of Frances Lee's models and breathe life into these deadly miniatures, which present the dark side of domestic life, unveiling tales of prostitution, alcoholism, and adultery. The accompanying line drawings, specially prepared for this volume, highlight the noteworthy forensic evidence in each case. Botz's introductory essay, which draws on archival research and interviews with Lee's family and police colleagues, presents a captivating portrait of Lee.

Of Dolls & Murder (2010, available on Youtube) 

John Waters narrates Susan Marks’ documentary film exploring the field of murder-scene dioramas, and their originator, who intended them as training tools for detectives in the 1930s and '40s.

Maggots, Murder, and Men: Memories and Reflections of a Forensic Entomologist by Zakaria Erzinclioglu (Not held in the Jefferson County Library Cooperative)

The science of forensic entomology-the application of insect biology to the investigation of crime-is extremely specialized, combining as it does an expert knowledge of entomology with keen powers of observation and deduction. Before his untimely death in 2002, Dr. Erzinclioglu had been a practitioner for over twenty-five years and was involved in a great number of investigations, including high-profile cases, where his evidence was critical to the outcome.

A great admirer of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Erzinclioglu compares his own techniques with those of his fictional hero, and takes the reader behind the often gruesome but deeply fascinating scenes of a murder investigation. This absorbing book ranges over cases from history, prehistory and mythology to the present day and is as gripping and readable as a good thriller.

The Skin Collector by Jeffrey Deaver

In his classic thriller The Bone Collector, Jeffery Deaver introduced readers to Lincoln Rhyme-the nation's most renowned investigator and forensic detective. Now, a new killer inspired by the Bone Collector is on the loose and Rhyme must untangle the twisted web of clues before the killer targets more victims-or Rhyme himself. The killer's methods are terrifying. He stalks the basements and underground passageways of New York City. He tattoos his victims' flesh with cryptic messages, using a tattoo gun loaded with poison, resulting in an agonizing, painful death. When a connection is made to the Bone Collector-the serial killer who terrorized New York more than a decade ago-Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are immediately drawn into the case. 

Forever Ours: Real Stories of Immortality and Living from aForensic Pathologist by Janis Amatuzio

Forensic pathologist Janis Amatuzio first began recording the stories told to her by patients, police officers, and other doctors because she felt that no one spoke for the dead. She believed the real experience of death, namely the spiritual and otherworldly experiences of those near death and their loved ones, was ignored by the medical professionals, who thought of death as simply the cessation of breath. She knew there was more. From the first experience of a patient in her care dying to the miraculous "appearances" of loved ones after death, she began recording these experiences. Dr. Amatuzio found that by telling the story of their death to a loved one, she could help bring some sense of completion to the grieving family and friends. Written by a scientist in approachable, nonjudgmental language for anyone who has lost someone they love, this book offers stories that can't be explained in purely physical terms.

Title descriptions pulled from Amazon and Rotten Tomatoes.

 

 

oh, the horror!

 

The next Books & Beyond meeting will be on Tuesday, November 25 at 6:30pm in the Library’s Conference Room.  The topic up for discussion is forensic sciences.  There are many topics within forensics, but I have invited the Jefferson County Medical Examiner to the meeting to speak about that aspect in particular. 

In October, Books & Beyond met to chat about all things horror.  If you aren't ready to give up those spooky books quite yet, read on!

Horror: A Thematic History in Fiction and Film by Darryl Jones

As Darryl Jones shows, the horror genre is huge. Ranging from vampires, ghosts, and werewolves to mad scientists, Satanists, and deranged serial killers, the cathartic release of scaring ourselves has made its appearance in everything from Shakespearean tragedies to internet memes. Exploring the key tropes of the genre, including its monsters, its psychological chills, and its love affair with the macabre, this thematic history discusses why horror stories disturb us, and how society responds to literary and film representations of the gruesome and taboo.

The Elementals by Michael McDowell

After a bizarre and disturbing incident at the funeral of matriarch Marian Savage, the McCray and Savage families look forward to a restful and relaxing summer at Beldame, on Alabama's Gulf Coast, where three Victorian houses loom over the shimmering beach. A haunted house story unlike any other, Michael McDowell's The Elementals (1981) is one of the finest novels to come out of the horror publishing explosion of the 1970s and '80s.

Frankie’s Funhouse: Animatronic Horror Romance by Beatrix Hollow (This title not available via the JCLC, but some of the author's other work is available on Hoopla)

Desperation for cash has led me down a rainbow painted hallway to Frankie’s Funhouse—a children’s gambling casino. Or as my boss likes to call it, a pizza arcade. The coworkers are strange, the patrons are disturbing, and the animatronics are possessed. Which I was willing to put up with until my boss died. Well, he was murdered, actually. Now I have to serve pizza and birthday cake while thinking about burning down the mall to hide a body for an animatronic that keeps hitting on me.

The Guy Sure Looks Like Plant Food to Me by Santana Knox (This title is not available via the JCLC, but it is on Amazon.)

This is a killer rom-com, feel-good, magical short story homage to Little Shop of Horrors about fated love blooming in the most unexpected of places.

Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Griffin

After losing her job and her fiancé and moving back from the city to live with her parents, Shell Pine needs some help. And according to the sign in the window, the florist shop in the mall does too. Shell gets the gig, and the flowers she works with there are just the thing she needs to cheer up. Or maybe it’s Neve, the beautiful shop manager, who is making her days so rosy?

But you have to get your hands dirty if you want your garden to grow—and Neve’s secrets are as dark and dangerous as they come. In the back room of the flower shop, a young sentient orchid actually runs the show, and he is hungry . . . and he has a plan for them all.

The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs

When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan. comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann, are both magicians! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watchng magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Selenna Izard. It seems that Selenna and her husband built a timepiece into the walls--a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!  Adapted to a movie, starring Jack Black as Uncle Jonathan.

Whales on Stilts by M. T. Anderson

Sure, Lily Gefelty is just an average twelve-year-old girl. But her dad—a normal-enough-seeming guy—just so happens to work for an evil genius who plans to unleash an army of extremely cranky, stilt-walking, laser-beam-eyed whales upon the world.

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher

When a young woman clears out her deceased grandmother’s home in rural North Carolina, she finds long-hidden secrets about a strange colony of beings in the woods.

The Witch (2015, rated R)

In 1630 New England, panic and despair envelops a farmer, his wife and their children when youngest son Samuel suddenly vanishes. The family blames Thomasin, the oldest daughter who was watching the boy at the time of his disappearance. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, twin siblings Mercy and Jonas suspect Thomasin of witchcraft, testing the clan's faith, loyalty and love to one another.

Guillermo del Toro, At Home with Monsters: Inside His Films,Notebooks, and Collections

In 2016, a new exhibit on the work of visionary director Guillermo del Toro debuted at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This book focuses on del Toro’s creative process, including the well-defined themes that he obsessively returns to in all his films, the journals in which he logs his ideas, and the vast and inspiring collection of art and pop culture ephemera that he has amassed at his private “man cave,” Bleak House. This book delivers an engrossing look into the mind of one of the great creative visionaries of our time.

Crimson Peak (2015, rated R)

After marrying the charming and seductive Sir Thomas Sharpe, young Edith (Mia Wasikowska) finds herself swept away to his remote gothic mansion in the English hills. Also living there is Lady Lucille, Thomas' alluring sister and protector of her family's dark secrets. Able to communicate with the dead, Edith tries to decipher the mystery behind the ghostly visions that haunt her new home. As she comes closer to the truth, Edith may learn that true monsters are made of flesh and blood.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

City of Masks by Daniel Hecht

When Lila Beauforte takes up residence in her ancestral home, the 150-year-old Beauforte House in the Garden District of New Orleans, she is terrified by ghostly apparitions. The family reluctantly calls Cree Black for help. Based out of Seattle, Cree, a parapsychologist with a degree from Harvard, is a "ghost buster." But as Cree gets closer to the truth, the proverbial skeletons in the closet of the prestigious Beauforte family come crashing down on her, and she must struggle to keep her own ghosts at bay.

Diavola by Jennifer Thorne

The gorgeous, remote villa in tiny Monteperso seems like a perfect place to endure so much family togetherness, until things start going off the rails―the strange noises at night, the unsettling warnings from the local villagers, and the dark, violent past of the villa itself. Beautifully unhinged and deeply satisfying, Diavola is a sharp twist on the classic haunted house story, exploring loneliness, belonging, and the seemingly inescapable bonds of family mythology.

Camino Ghosts by John Grisham

Mercer Mann, a popular writer from Camino Island, is back on the beach, marrying her boyfriend, Thomas, in a seaside ceremony. Bruce Cable, infamous owner of Bay Books, performs the wedding. Afterward, Bruce tells Mercer that he has stumbled upon an incredible story. Mercer desperately needs an idea for her next novel, and Bruce now has one. The true story is about Dark Isle, a sliver of a barrier island not far off the North Florida coast. It was settled by freed slaves three hundred years ago, and their descendants lived there until 1955, when the last one was forced to leave. Something about the island seriously clouds the dollar signs in the developer’s eyes: the island is cursed. It has remained uninhabited for nearly a century for some very real and very troubling reasons. The deep secrets of the past are about to collide with the enormous ambitions of the present, and the fate of Dark Isle—and Camino Island, too—hangs in the balance.

GENERAL DISCUSSION

One of our members saw a fun (and funny!) production of Dracula put on by the Bell Tower Players at East Lake United Methodist Church. Find more information about their performances here: https://www.eastlakeunitedmethodist.org/btp/

We discussed a novel we couldn’t remember, told from Bertha’s (Jane Eyre) perspective.  Perhaps it is Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys?  

With Wide Sargasso Sea, her last and best-selling novel, she ingeniously brings into light one of fiction’s most fascinating characters: the madwoman in the attic from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. This mesmerizing work introduces us to Antoinette Cosway, a sensual and protected young woman who is sold into marriage to the prideful Mr. Rochester. Rhys portrays Cosway amidst a society so driven by hatred, so skewed in its sexual relations, that it can literally drive a woman out of her mind.

If you want a long-term, self-paced fun deep dive into literature, explore the Youtube channel of the Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia.  There are multi-week, multi-episode explorations of Dracula, Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice, and Sherlock Holmes.  Explore here: https://www.youtube.com/@RosenbachMuseum/playlists

We also discussed how sound effects and music are an integral part of horror movies.  Lots of fun discussion on this topic!

Every Frame a Painting on Youtube is no longer active but was a series of video essays about film form.  The episode we discussed in the meeting was The Marvel Symphonic Universe.  Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vfqkvwW2fs

Films with music, sound effects, or lack thereof:

The Birds (1963, rated PG-13)

Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet store and decides to follow him home. She brings with her the gift of two love birds and they strike up a romance. One day birds start attacking children at Mitch's sisters party. A huge assault starts on the town by attacking birds. This was adapted from a short story of the same name by Daphne du Maurier.

Zone of Interest (2023, rated PG-13)

The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.  This was adapted from a book of the same name by Martin Amis.

Paranormal Activity (2009, rated R)

Soon after moving into a suburban tract home, Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) become increasingly disturbed by what appears to be a supernatural presence. Hoping to capture evidence of it on film, they set up video cameras in the house but are not prepared for the terrifying events that follow.

Item descriptions pulled from Amazon and Rotten Tomatoes. Photo by Stefano Pollio on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

100 years of The Great Gatsby

 

"Misunderstanding has been a part of The Great Gatsby's story from the very start. Grumbling to his friend Edmund Wilson shortly after the novel was published in April 1925, Fitzgerald declared that "of all the reviews, even the most enthusiastic, not one had the slightest idea what the book was about". Fellow writers like Edith Wharton admired it plenty, but as the critic Maureen Corrigan relates in her book So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures, popular reviewers read it as crime fiction, and were decidedly underwhelmed by it at that. Fitzgerald's Latest A Dud, ran a headline in the New York World. The novel achieved only so-so sales, and by the time of the author's death in 1940, copies of a very modest second print run had long since been remaindered.

Gatsby's luck began to change when it was selected as a giveaway by the US military. With World War Two drawing to a close, almost 155,000 copies were distributed in a special Armed Services Edition, creating a new readership overnight. As the 1950s dawned, the flourishing of the American Dream quickened the novel's topicality, and by the 1960s, it was enshrined as a set text. It's since become such a potent force in pop culture that even those who've never read it feel as if they have, helped along, of course, by Hollywood."

Read the whole article here: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210209-the-worlds-most-misunderstood-novel

Interested in reading The Great Gatsby, or some of the books about or inspired by this great American novel and writer?  Try one of these!

young adult

Tell Me My Name by Amy Reed 

For fans of The Grace Year and We Were Liars comes a mesmerizing, can't-put-it-down psychological thriller—a gender-flipped YA Great Gatsby that will linger long after the final line.

adult nonfiction

On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books by Karen Prior

Prior takes readers on a guided tour through works of great literature both ancient and modern, exploring twelve virtues that philosophers and theologians throughout history have identified as most essential for good character and the good life.

Literary Yarns: Crochet Projects Inspired by Classic Books by Cindy Wang

Learn how to make adorable crochet dolls of your favorite literary characters, including Anne of Green Gables, Elizabeth Bennet, and Sherlock Holmes!

F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing

A collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s remarks on his craft, taken from his works and letters to friends and colleagues—an essential trove of advice for aspiring writers.

Gatsby: The Cultural History of the Great American Novel by Bob Batchelor

A cultural historian, Batchelor explains why and how the novel has become part of the fiber of the American ethos and an important tool in helping readers to better comprehend their lives and the broader world around them.

So We Read On: How the Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures by Maureen Corrigan

Offering a fresh perspective on what makes Gatsby great - and utterly unusual - So We Read On takes us into archives, high school classrooms, and even out onto the Long Island Sound to explore the novel's hidden depths.

Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald

Through his alcoholism and her mental illness, his career lows and her institutional confinement, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald's devotion to each other endured for over 22 years. Now, for the first time, we have the story of their love in the couple's own letters.

The Gatsby Affair: Scott, Zelda, and the Betrayal that Shaped an American Classic by Kendall Taylor

Both a literary study and a probing look at an iconic couple's psychological makeup, The Gatsby Affair offers listeners a bold interpretation of how one of America's greatest novels was influenced.

Careless People: Murder, Mayhem, and the Invention of The Great Gatsby by Sarah Churchwell

Fitzgerald set his novel in 1922, and Careless People carefully reconstructs the crucial months during which Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald returned to New York in the autumn of 1922 - the parties, the drunken weekends at Great Neck, Long Island, the drives back into the city to the jazz clubs and speakeasies, the casual intersection of high society and organized crime, and the growth of celebrity culture of which the Fitzgeralds themselves were the epitome.

fiction

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is considered F. Scott Fitzgerald’s magnum opus, exploring themes of decadence, idealism, social stigmas, patriarchal norms, and the deleterious effects of unencumbered wealth in capitalistic society, set against the backdrop of the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties.

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor

Bestselling author Jillian Cantor reimagines and expands on the literary classic in this atmospheric historical novel told in three women’s alternating voices.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Fowler

With brilliant insight and imagination, Fowler brings us Zelda's irresistible story as she herself might have told it.

Beautiful Fools by R. Clifton Spargo

Iin 1939, Scott is living in Hollywood, a virulent alcoholic and deeply in debt. Despite his relationship with gossip columnist Sheila Graham, he remains fiercely loyal to Zelda. In an attempt to fuse together their fractured marriage, Scott arranges a trip to Cuba.  After a disastrous first night in Havana, the couple runs off to a beach resort outside the city.

Montauk by Nicola Harrison

Montauk captures the glamour and extravagance of a summer by the sea with the story of a woman torn between the life she chose and the life she desires.

Another Side of Paradise by Sally Koslow

Working from diaries and other primary sources from the time, Sally Koslow revisits a scandalous love affair in this compelling historical novel saturated with the color, glitter, magic, and passion of 1930s Hollywood and London.

The Great Mann by Kyra Lurie

In this poignant retelling of The Great Gatsby, set amongst L.A.’s Black elite, a young veteran finds his way post-war, pulled into a new world of tantalizing possibilities—and explosive tensions.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, Ernest Hemingway and Hadley Richardson set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris.

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami

A tour de force of love and loneliness, war and art - as well as a loving homage to The Great Gatsby - Killing Commendatore is a stunning work of imagination from one of our greatest writers.

Nick by Michael F. Smith

A critically acclaimed novelist pulls Nick Carraway out of the shadows and into the spotlight in this "masterful" look into his life before Gatsby (Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author)

Daisy by Libby Sternberg

While simultaneously remaining true to the original and adding new information, Sternberg weaves Daisy's perspective and Nick Carraway's account together, correcting what Daisy knows is inaccurate from her cousin's novel.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

From the number one New York Times best-selling author, this is a “sharply stylish” (Boston Globe) book about a young woman in post-Depression era New York who suddenly finds herself thrust into high society.

A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams

Williams brings the Roaring '20s brilliantly to life in this enchanting and compulsively listenable tale of intrigue, romance, and scandal in New York society, brimming with lush atmosphere, striking characters, and irresistible charm.

The Gatsby Gambit by Claire Anderson-Wheeler

Deftly subverting romantic notions about money, power, and freedom that still stand today, The Gatsby Gambit is a sparkling homage to, and reinvention of, a world American readers have lionized for generations.

Mansion Beach by Meg Moore

A sparkling, escapist novel following a young woman entwined in the opulent lives of her neighbors, set against a backdrop of scandal, secrets, and a not-so-subtle love triangle.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

Nghi Vo’s debut novel reinvents a classic of the American canon as a coming-of-age story full of magic, mystery, and glittering excess, and introduces a major new literary voice.

film

There are two Great Gatsby films.  Robert Redford starred in the 1974 version and Leonardo DiCaprio headlined the 2013 adaptation.  

2025 Kirkus Prizes

 

Lucas Schaefer, Scott Anderson, and Thao Lam are the winners of this year’s Kirkus Prizes, given annually to works of exceptional merit in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature.

The winners of the awards were announced Wednesday night during a ceremony at the TriBeca Rooftop in New York. The event was also livestreamed on Kirkus’ YouTube channel.

Schaefer won the fiction prize for The Slip, his debut novel about the characters associated with an Austin, Texas, boxing gym and a 16-year-old boy who goes missing. In a citation, the prize jurors wrote, “This debut novel fearlessly explores issues of race, class, sex, and gender through a wildly inventive group of characters and events…Franzen/Roth/Irving comparisons are earned and deserved.”

The judges for the fiction award were Thérèse Purcell Nielsen, a Kirkus reviewer and former public librarian; Oscar Villalon, a journalist and editor of the literary journal ZYZZYVA; and Kirkus fiction editor Laurie Muchnick.

 

Anderson took home the nonfiction award for King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation, a history of the 1979 revolution that forever changed the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. “It’s a masterful and propulsive account that chronicles a devastatingly transformative series of events whose aftereffects reverberate to this day,” the judges said in a citation.

This year’s nonfiction jurors were Calvin Crosby, an owner of the King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City and executive director of the nonprofit Brain Food Books; Anita Felicelli, the books editor of Alta Journal and author of the books Chimerica, Love Songs for a Lost Continent, and How We Know Our Time Travelers; and Kirkus nonfiction editor John McMurtrie.

Lam won in the young readers’ literature category for Everybelly, her picture book about a young child who encounters neighbors of different shapes and sizes at the local swimming pool. In the prize citation, the judges said, “This joyful celebration of humanity springs to life through masterful, vibrant collages and text that’s both poignant and witty.”

 

Judging this year’s young readers’ literature award were Annette Y. Goldsmith, a librarian and co-founder of “Building a Global Youth Literature Collection 101”; Erika Long, a librarian, lecturer, and founder/consultant at Not Yo Mama’s Librarian, LLC; and Kirkus young readers’ editors Mahnaz Dar and Laura Simeon.

The winners of the prizes were chosen from books that received a starred review from Kirkus during the eligibility period of November 1, 2024 to October 31, 2025: 383 fiction titles, 290 nonfiction titles, and 497 young readers’ titles. The winning authors each received a trophy created by the London design team of Vezzini & Chen, along with a cash prize of $50,000. In a statement, Tom Beer, the editor-in-chief of Kirkus, said, “This year’s Kirkus Prize winners bring us vital messages for our time—messages about the joys of community, the power of self-transformation, and the mutability of historical events—all conveyed through exhilarating prose and pictures.” The Kirkus Prize was first awarded in 2014. Previous winners include Percival Everett for James, Brian Broome for Punch Me Up to the Gods, and Harmony Becker for Himawari House.

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/winners-of-the-2025-kirkus-prize-revealed

Agatha Christie

 

UPCOMING O'NEAL LIBRARY PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS:

Every Tuesday morning 10-11am – Gentle Yoga with Marie Blair (drop in)

Tue, Oct 7 6-8pm – Sustainable Style: Clothing Swap 

Thu, Oct 9 5:30-7pm – Writing Workshop with Miriam Calleja  

Sat, Oct 11 10:30-noon – Medicare Made Clear  

Sun, Oct 12 3-4:30pm – Poetry as Prayer  

Mon, Oct 13 6:30-7:30pm – Great Short Stories discussing“Cyclists’ Raid” by Frank Rooney 

Tue, Oct 14 10-11:30am – The Bookies Bookclub discussing“The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (drop in)

Tue, Oct 14 5:30-7pm – Writing Workshop with Miriam Calleja  

Sun, Oct 19 3-4:30pm – Poetry as Prayer 

Wed, Oct 22 10-11:30am – Medicare Made Clear 

Wed, Oct 22 10am @ Junior League of Birmingham (2212 20th Ave South) - O'Neal Library presents Technology Tips for Everyday Life in collaboration with ALL IN Mountain Brook's Silver Spartans

Wed, Oct 22 5:30-8pm – (ages 18+) Nightmare on Oak Street:DIY Sweater Pumpkins  

Thu, Oct 23 6-7pm – Neurodivergent Community Group  

Fri, Oct 24 6:30-8:30pm – Traditional Music of Scotland withmusician Jim Malcolm  

Fri, Oct 24 – Ticket vouchers available for Alabama SymphonyOrchestra Masterworks concert  

Sat, Oct 25 – Ticket vouchers available for Alabama SymphonyOrchestra Masterworks concert  

Sun, Oct 26 3-4:30pm – Poetry as Prayer 

Tue, Oct 28 6:30-8pm – Books & Beyond discussing horror (drop in)  

Every year, Books & Beyond (BAB) takes one month for an author study, where any work by or about an author is fair game. This week, BAB met to chat about all things Agatha Christie!

FILM & TELEVISION:

Miss Marple, starring Joan Hickson

Miss Marple, titled Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the series, is a British television series based on the Miss Marple murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie, starring Joan Hickson in the title role. It aired from December 26, 1984 to December 27, 1992 on BBC One. All twelve original Miss Marple novels by Christie were dramatized.

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

The affable Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) is being tried for the murder of a wealthy woman, and legendary lawyer Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) has chosen to represent him. Unfortunately, Leonard's alibi depends on the testimony of his callous wife, Christine (Marlene Dietrich) -- who, after the discovery of a legal loophole, makes the shocking decision to appear in court against him. To Sir Wilfrid's surprise, this is only the first in a series of puzzling revelations and reversals.

Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen (2022)

Historian Lucy Worsley explores the life of Agatha Christie through documents and interviews and tries to understand what inspires her to write her novels.

Evil Under the Sun (1982)

Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov), solves the murder of an actress at a Balkan resort.

Ordeal by Innocence (1984)

A 1950s U.S. scientist (Donald Sutherland) probes the murder of a British friend's (Christopher Plummer) wife (Faye Dunaway).

4:50 from Paddington (1987)

Miss Marple (Joan Hickson) investigates her friend's (Mona Bruce) claim that she witnessed a murder on a train.

Murder She Said (1961)

When aging sleuth Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford) witnesses a murder through the window of her passing train car, she alerts the authorities. Unfortunately, the police are hesitant to take the word of an old lady in lieu of an actual body. Taking matters into her own hands, Marple gets a job as a maid at Ackenthorpe Hall, where she believes the murder took place. There, she must match wits with blowhard Luther Ackenthorpe (James Robertson Justice) if she wants to solve the mystery.

BOOKS SIMILAR TO OR ABOUT AGATHA CHRISTIE:

Marple: Twelve New Stories

Bringing a fresh twist to the hallmarks of a classic Agatha Christie mystery, these twelve esteemed writers have captured the sharp wit, unique voice, and droll ingenuity of the deceptively demure detective. A triumphant celebration of Christie’s legacy and essential reading for crime lovers, Marple is a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains one of the most famous detectives of all time.

A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Harkup

Fourteen novels. Fourteen poisons. Just because it's fiction doesn’t mean it's all made-up ...Agatha Christie revelled in the use of poison to kill off unfortunate victims in her books; indeed, she employed it more than any other murder method, with the poison itself often being a central part of the novel. Christie's extensive chemical knowledge provides the backdrop for A is for Arsenic, in which Kathryn Harkup investigates the poisons used by the murderer in fourteen classic Agatha Christie mysteries.

The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujanta Massey

Mistry Law has been appointed to execute the will of Mr. Omar Farid, a wealthy Muslim mill owner who has left three widows behind. But as Perveen examines the paperwork, she notices something strange: all three of the wives have signed over their full inheritance to a charity. What will they live on? Perveen is suspicious, especially since one of the widows has signed her form with an X—meaning she probably couldn't even read the document. The Farid widows live in full purdah—in strict seclusion, never leaving the women's quarters or speaking to any men. Are they being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous guardian? Perveen tries to investigate, and realizes her instincts were correct when tensions escalate to murder. Inspired in part by the woman who made history as India's first female attorney, The Widows of Malabar Hill is a richly wrought story of multicultural 1920s Bombay as well as the debut of a sharp new sleuth.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, she’s intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alan’s traditional formula has proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job.

Conway’s latest tale has Atticus Pünd investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but the more Susan reads, the more she’s convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

In December 1926, Agatha Christie goes missing. Investigators find her empty car on the edge of a deep, gloomy pond, the only clues some tire tracks nearby and a fur coat left in the car―strange for a frigid night. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away. Agatha Christie novels have withstood the test of time, due in no small part to Christie's masterful storytelling and clever mind that may never be matched, but Agatha Christie's untold history offers perhaps her greatest mystery of all.

Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.

BOOKS BY AGATHA CHRISTIE:

There are a variety of Miss Marple ebooks and eaudiobooks available on the Libby and Hoopla apps!

And Then There Were None

Ten people, each with something to hide and something to fear, are invited to an isolated mansion on Indian Island by a host who, surprisingly, fails to appear. On the island they are cut off from everything but each other and the inescapable shadows of their own past lives. One by one, the guests share the darkest secrets of their wicked pasts. And one by one, they die…which among them is the killer and will any of them survive?

Endless Night

When penniless Michael Rogers discovers the beautiful house at Gypsy’s Acre and then meets the heiress Ellie, it seems that all his dreams have come true at once. But he ignores an old woman’s warning of an ancient curse, and evil begins to stir in paradise. As Michael soon learns: Gypsy’s Acre is the place where fatal “accidents” happen.

Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories

Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories is a collection of eleven tantalizing tales of murder and other criminal pursuits—including the classic title story, the basis for the 1957 Oscar-nominated Billy Wilder film starring Marlene Dietrich, Tyrone Power, and Charles Laughton.

Sparkling Cyanide (previously published as Remembered Death)

Six people sit down to a sumptuous meal at a table laid for seven. In front of the empty place is a sprig of rosemary - "rosemary for remembrance." A strange sentiment considering no one is likely to forget the night, exactly a year ago, that Rosemary Barton died at exactly the same table, her beautiful face unrecognizable, convulsed with pain and horror. But then Rosemary had always been memorable - she had the ability to arouse strong passions in most people she met. In one case, strong enough to kill....

Evil Under the Sun

It was not unusual to find the sun-loving Arlena Stuart stretched out on a beach, face down. Only, on this occasion, there was no sun…she had been strangled. Ever since her arrival, the air had been thick with sexual tension and each of the seaside guest had a motive to kill her, including Arelena’s new husband. But Hercule Poirot suspects that this apparent ‘crime of passion’ conceals something much more evil.

Item descriptions pulled from Rotten Tomatoes and Amazon.