In The Bleak Midwinter...

My last post on Christmas romances brought about a few requests from you all asking for some Christmas mystery recommendations. While I am always thrilled that you think enough of my taste in books to make those sorts of requests, this one made me slightly queasy. It's truth time folks, while I am an avid reader of mysteries of all sorts, I don't really like Christmas mysteries. There.  I said it. Or rather, I wrote it, but you get the drift.

Perhaps it is just too difficult to mix murder and mayhem and making merry! Christmas is a time when we want to think about what is good and right with the world and crime and punishment do not happily blend with those sentiments. Another issue with holiday mysteries is that most tend to be found in cozy series and that is, frankly, my least favorite sub-genre. Oh, I read cozies, but I think we have established that I read almost everything including cereal boxes, so that alone doesn't mean much. Having stated the fact that I don't really care much for holiday mysteries, never let it be said that I can't offer up a few suggestions when I have loyal blog readers looking to mix some murder in with their holiday cheer.

In The Bleak Midwinter - Julia Spencer-Fleming
Rev. Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries 
The first book in this amazing series and it just happens to be set at Christmas!  I've raved about this series before and it is well-deserved. If someone had told me that one of my favorites would involve the exploits of a female, ex-chopper pilot, episcopal priest and an ex MP, current police chief in a small upstate NY town, I'd have been doubtful to say the least. Thanks to Ms. Spencer-Fleming's talent, I fell in love with these characters. The series is a strange mix of cozy elements with much more bleak and hard-boiled plotlines. The chemistry between the two main characters is off the charts and the setting in a small upstate New York town certainly provides plenty of winter charm!  If you have not tried this series, you really must, it is one of my favorites.

The Thin Man -Dashiell Hammett

Nick and Nora Charles

There are worse ways to spend Christmas than hanging with the ever urbane and witty Nick and Nora Charles in NYC. One of my favorite classic mysteries and even though the Christmas setting isn't a major component, you really can't lose with this one.  

Midnight Clear - Kathy Hogan Trocheck

Callahan Garrity series

Before she hit it big writing hilarious southern chick lit mysteries Mary Kay Andrews was Kathy Hogan Trocheck and she wrote a couple of really excellent mystery series including the Callahan Garrity books.  The House Mouse mysteries featured an ex Atlanta cop turned house cleaning service owner. Callahan was a charming and capable woman and I loved the secondary characters in the books as well.  It pains me that this series is no more, I miss Callahan and the gang at the House Mouse.  Oddly enough, some of the books in this series don't seem to be in print, but others, including Midnight Clear are available on kindle and in print.  Take advantage of the ones that you can find, you won't be sorry.

The Body in the Sleigh - Katherine Hall Page

Faith Fairchild series

While I haven't read all of the books in this cozy series set in Massachusetts, I've enjoyed the ones that I have read including The Body in the Sleigh. This book finds the Fairchild family taking a holiday vacation in Maine and I love Maine almost as much as I love mysteries, so this really worked for me. I like the characters in this series and I really need to get back to it and get caught up.

So, my dears, there you have it. A few suggestions for those who wish to lose themselves in a mystery during their holiday break. I hope you enjoy them and I also beg of you to leave your suggestions in the comments area.  I'd love to hear about your favorite holiday book, no matter the genre, so c'mon, it's the season for giving...

I Love a Big Party...

Lucky me. I spent last week in sometimes sunny California attending the RT Booklovers Convention. For those who aren't familiar with RT Reviews, it was formerly known as Romantic Times magazine. It features tons of reviews of genre fiction and every year they hold a big blow-out for readers, writers, librarians, booksellers, publishers and anyone else who feel like celebrating all the best in genre reading. I've always wanted to attend an RT and this year I couldn't resist the lure of southern California. So how was it? Well, it was fabulous! I really had a great time talking to authors and readers about books. The energy and enthusiasm of the folks attending this conference was absolutely contagious. Everyone wanted to talk about their fave. It helped me to remember why reading is and always has been my favorite thing in the world.

There were great sessions geared to almost any interest from pirates to steampunk. There were plenty of extravagant parties and lovely swag and books galore. If you're a fan of genre fiction, I can't recommend attending next year's conference strongly enough. You'll have a blast!


And here's a quick list of some of my favorites from RT:

Most interesting party favor: Fruit flavored personal lubricant from the lovely folks at Ellora's Cave.

Best panel discussion for aspiring authors:  The Editors panel which featured editors from a zillion publishers telling you exactly what they hope to publish this year.

Favorite author to swill champagne with: Lynsay Sands, hands down. She is bright, warm, and hilariously funny. And the girl knows her way around a glass of Moet!

Favorite party:  The Steampunk Social. Excellent costumes, beautiful little cakes and plenty of squid to stroke. What more can one ask for?

Favorite author to chat about books with: Lauren Willig.  She was as lovely and gracious as one might suspect from reading her charming Pink Carnation series, and she has excellent taste in books! I feel she is the perfect person to join me in my quest to bring back the traditional gothic. What a delight!

Favorite party food:  The corndogs at the Avon Paranormal bash.  Paranormals, corndogs and magaritas! A winning combination.

In celebration of this wonderful experience, I'm going to try a first for this little blog and do a giveaway!  Just leave a comment telling me which author you would most like to meet and I'll do a random drawing next week for a gift bag featuring goodies straight from the RT conference.  This is the perfect time for all you lovely lurkers to take a second and comment.  I'd love to hear from you...

A Cheerful Giver...

Ok, we all know that the best gift one can give, involves your love, heart, time, attention, etc. However, in case those are running in short supply this holiday season and you need a nice alternative, I'm going to use today's top 5 Tuesday list to provide a little help. The holidays are hectic and finding the perfect gift is no easy thing, so here is a list of my top 5 favorite places to buy gifts for book lovers and readers.

The Literary Gift Company
An amazing store based in the UK that sells wonderful gifts for readers! The alphabet scarf above is one of my faves this season.  They ship internationally and quickly.  If you are a book lover and you're expecting a gift from me this year, it will likely be from this place.

The Reader's Catalog
A collaboration between the NY Review of Books and The Little Bookroom, this place offers some really charming gifts for readers, as well as a lot of truly beautiful books. I am currently loving the set of inscribed pencils seen above.

Out of Print Clothing
A very cool site that offers best selling book covers reproduced on t shirts. Wear your love for your favorite author proudly.

The New York Public Library Shop
There is nothing I love more than museum and library shops. You get very cool gifts and support good efforts at the same time.  The NYPL shop is one of the best!

Etsy
Yes, I know there is a lot of um, interesting stuff, on Etsy, but searching for gifts for readers and book related items, brings up many wonderful and unique gift ideas. Be sure and visit a couple of my fave book related vendors, Bookity and He Said Books and Gifts.

So there you have it. I have provided you the means to sit on your sofa, sipping a nice hot cup of tea and still find interesting and unique gifts for all of the book lovers on your list. And remember, if all else fails, you can always get them a Kindle e reader. I am so in love with my Kindle that it is silly. It really is the perfect gift for an avid reader. Thanks to my Kindle, I am reading more than ever!  Flove!