Female Detective Series

Some are amateurs. Some are professionals. Some are young. Some are not so young. All are sharp and great at what they do! There are many female detective series. A few to consider:

• Agatha Christie “The Murder at The Vicarage”(Miss Marple Series)
• Sue Grafton ” ‘A’ is for Alibi”(Kinsey Milhone Series)
• Kerry Greenwood “Cocaine Blues”(Miss Phryne Fisher Series)
• Carolyn Keene “The Secret of the Old Clock” (Nancy Drew Series)
• Alexander McCall Smith “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency”(No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series)
• Barbara Neely “Blanche on the Lam”(Blanche White Series)
• Sara Paretsky “Indemnity Only”(V.I. Warshawski Series)

Happy Reading! – Allen

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The Martians Are Coming!

With the possible exception of the Moon, no heavenly body has loomed larger in literature than the planet Mars. Whether an invasion from the Red Planet or the colonization of it; there are many novels to consider.

• “Moving Mars” by Greg Bear
• “The Martian Chronicles” by Ray Bradbury
• “A Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs
• “The Sands of Mars” by Arthur C. Clarke
• “Martian Time-Slip” by Philip K. Dick
• “Mars Trilogy”- “Red Mars” “Green Mars” and “Blue Mars” by Kim Stanley Robinson
• “The Martian” by Andy Weir
• “The War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells

Happy Reading!-Allen

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Gothic Classics

A bit of horror, a bit of thriller, a bit of romance (often doomed of course). Noble families and great houses decaying over the generations. Today’s list consists of Gothic Classics. A few to consider:

• “Plots and Counterplots: More Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott” by Louisa May Alcott
• “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte
• “My Cousin Rachel” by Daphne Du Maurier
• “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier
• “Castle Eppstein” by Alexandre Dumas
• “Melmoth the Wanderer” by Charles Robert Maturin
• “The Bride of Lammemoor” by Walter Scott

Happy Reading  – Allen

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A Really Good Scare – Good Horror

Sometimes you want a really good scare in your books. If you would like a book that will have you on the edge of your seat, consider one of the following:

• “The Exorcist” by William Peter Blatty
• “Psycho” by Robert Bloch
• “The Shining” by Stephen King
• “Darkfall” by Dean R. Koontz
• “The Shuttered Room and Other Tales of Terror” by H. P. Lovecraft
• “Tales of Horror and Suspense” by Edgar Allan Poe
• “The Ruins” by Scott Smith

Happy Reading – Allen

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Food Glorious Food

Food is a necessity for life. A great Chef can make food a wonderful experience! Books about food can help to you to be a better cook. Also they can teach you about a culture. A few books to consider:

• “Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating” by Mark Bittman
• “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly” by Anthony Bourdain
• “Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking” by Julia Child
• “Hungering for America: Italian, Irish and Jewish Foodways in the Age of Migration” by Hasia R. Diner
• “My Year in Meals” by Rachel Ray
• “Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue” by John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed (locally recorded at NCLBPH)
• “My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved my Life” by Ruth Reichl

Happy Reading and Eating! – Allen

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Historical Fiction – Real Places Unreal Stories

Historical Fiction is what the name implies. A work of fiction with a historical setting. Often it will include historical individuals and fictional characters. Sometimes it may combine elements of romance or mystery. A few to consider:

• “The Alienist: A Novel” by Caleb Carr
• “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Tracy Chevalier
• “The Last Tudor” by Philippa Gregory
• “El Paso” by Winston Groom
• “Wolf Hall: A Novel” by Hilary Mantel
• “Gods and Generals: A Novel of the Civil War” by Jeff Shaara
• “Burr” by Gore Vidal

Available from NCLBPH! – Happy Reading! – Allen

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Western Mysteries – Coyotes, Ranchers and Murder!

Wide open spaces, small towns, coyotes, ranchers and murder. If these sound like a good combination, consider a western mystery. A few possibilities:

• Peter Bowen “Coyote Wind”(Gabriel Du Pre Series)
• J. Box “Open Season”(Joe Pickett Series)
• Tony Hillerman “The Blessing Way”(Leaphorn and Chee Series)
• J.A. Jance “Desert Heat” (Joanna Brady Series)
• Craig Johnson “The Cold Dish” (Walt Longmire Series)

Available from NCLBPH! – Happy Reading!

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Vampires – Mythical Creatures through Books and Series

Is there something in human nature that makes us want to be scared by mythical creatures we know can not hurt us? If so, that may provide part of the explanation for the popularity of vampires in film, television and books. Here are a just a few of the individual books and series available from the library:

• The classic “Dracula” by Bram Stoker is the one to start with
• You may then wish to read “Salem’s Lot”by Stephen King
• From Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist “Let the Right One In” (also known as “Let Me In”)

If you wish to tackle a series, and there are many; consider one of the following:

• The “Vampire Chronicles” Series by Anne Rice
• The “Twilight” Series by Stephenie Meyer
• The “Southern Vampire Mystery” (sometimes called “Sookie Stackhouse” Series) Series by Charlaine Harris
• The “Vampire Empire” Series by Susan and Clay Griffith

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North Carolina Authors – First Novels

There is something special about reading a first novel by an author from your home state. You may recognize the settings. You may recognize individuals in the novel. You may know the author. A few first novels by North Carolina authors to consider reading:

• “The Enlightenment of Angeline” by Joshua Berkov, staff member at the Library
• “Raney” by Clyde Edgerton
• “Cold Mountain” by Charles Frazier
• “Ellen Foster” by Kaye Gibbons
• “At Home in Mitford: the Mitford Years, Vol. 1” by Jan Karon
• “The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed” by Lee Smith
• “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks

Happy Reading! – Allen

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Entertaining Biographies

One of the most popular types of autobiographies and biographies are those of entertainers. A few in the NCLBPH library to consider are:

• “Home Work: A Memoir of my Hollywood Years” by Julie Andrews
• “Bossypants” by Tina Fey
• “The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America” by John F. Kasson
• “Shakey: Neil Young’s Biography” by Jimmy McDonough
• “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road” by Willie Nelson and Kinky Friedman
• “The Moon’s a Balloon” by David Niven

Happy Reading! – Allen

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