The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
It's more than a bookstore, it's an experience.
I tend to shy away from overly damaged heroines. Yes, bad things happen to people. Often these things color life as a whole. Where you lose me is when the damage is used by the author to give the character depth, but when this is the sole motivation (with no growth) all it really does [...]
If you’re already missing 2012, here are my ten favorite reads from last year, in no particular order. Don’t let another minute of the new year go by without taking a look! JACK 1939, Francine Mathews It’s the spring of 1939, and the prospect of war in Europe looms large. The United States has no [...]
With Halloween just around the corner, and the storm brewing on the East coast, like me, you’re probably in the mood for a scary (or scary fun) read. Some are new releases, some are old favorites, some cozy, some creepy—all organized by category of monster. Enjoy, and have a spook-tacular Halloween! [...]
THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS, the first in Sharon Linnéa’s Movie Mystery series, isn’t your typical Hollywood murder mystery novel—in fact, the majority of the story takes place in England—so if you’re picking it up expecting to get a taste of Tinsel Town, think again. It’s been twenty years since the movie Tristan and Isolde became the [...]
The first book in Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy, A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, (which debuted at number two on the NYT bestselling hardcover fiction list) introduced us to historian Diana Bishop, who discovers a strange and magical manuscript, Ashmole 782, hidden in plain sight in Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Though no stranger to magic—she comes from [...]
If you’re headed to the beach wishing you could re-read The Hunger Games, Harry Potter or Percy Jackson and the Olympians again for the first time, you’re not alone. For some reason, the start of summer always puts me in the mood for young adult books. Some of these recommendations are written with even younger [...]
As anyone with access to the media couldn’t help but know, April 15th was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. According to CBS Sunday Morning, over 100 books about the Titanic have been published—just in English—this year alone. Why is this disaster still so fresh in our minds? I don’t credit James [...]
THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, the third in Brad Parks’ Carter Ross series (following the Shamus and Nero Award-winning FACES OF THE GONE and EYES OF THE INNOCENT) begins with the hit-and-run death of Nancy Marino, who delivers newspapers for the Eagle-Examiner where Ross works. After reading her obituary, Ross decides to make her the focus [...]
Former journalist Kira Peikoff’s first novel, LIVING PROOF, is polarizing. I’m guessing most people who read it will find it a strong debut—as long as they can get past the jacket copy. Why? Because the core of the novel centers around a highly divisive political and religious issue: stem cell research. Generally not a topic [...]
Isabel Spellman, PI and somewhat-reformed troublemaker, returns in the fifth in Lisa Lutz’ series, THE TRAIL OF THE SPELLMANS. The Spellman family detective business is booming, and Isabel and her parents are kept busy following a variety of people—with time out to make sure one OCD client unplugged his toaster. Despite this heavy case load, [...]