Recordpub.com - One for the Books: Mysteries for Summer Reading

Would you like a good mystery to read over the summer? How about four?

Let's start with an old-fashioned cozy, set in the little village of Bishop's Lacey, England, in 1950. "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley introduces Miss Flavia de Luce, age 11, one of the most refreshing sleuths I've ever found. Flavia is way too clever for her own good. She has "acute hearing" (good for snooping), loves to study chemistry (especially poison), and frequently carries out lab experiments. After she discovers a body in the garden of her family's centuries-old house, she waggles her way right into the middle of a mystery of historic proportions -- and into mortal danger.

Flavia tells the story herself, and she has quite a sense of humor. In describing the elderly former librarian, she writes: "She had been Librarian-in-Chief ... when Noah was a sailor. ... The villagers still held novenas to pray she wouldn't come out of retirement." But she also reveals lovely detail: "As I stepped outside, I saw that the silver light of dawn had transformed the garden into a magic glade, its shadows darkened by the thin band of day beyond the walls. Sparkling dew lay upon everything, and I should not have been at all surprised if a unicorn had stepped from behind a rosebush and tried to put its head in my lap."

I love Flavia! I can still "see" her riding her bicycle, Gladys, through the countryside. She combines elements of Miss Marple, Harriet the Spy, Nancy Drew and a "CSI" technician. This is the first of a proposed series to feature the young sleuth, and it's a great adventure, suitable for young people. It should be an instant hit and may well go on to become a classic for mystery fans.

"Flipping Out" is the third Lomax and Biggs Mystery by Marshall Karp. Detective Mike Lomax writes in the first person about solving a case of homicide in Los Angeles with his partner, Terry Biggs. The popular wife of a fellow police officer has been killed, and the crime has them stunned. It turns out that she and the wives of several other officers are part of a group who call themselves the L.A. Flippers -- they buy houses, renovate them quickly and them re-sell or "flip" them. One of their group is a murder-mystery author who profits from using the addresses of the flipped houses as the settings for her books.

Biggs and Lomax are led in unexpected directions, and the author gives us a complex world with warm, interesting relationships among the police officers and their families. It has adult language and situations, but the book is completely entertaining, quick and easy, humorous and surprising. Karp's books are first-rate all the way!

"Look Again" follows author Lisa Scottoline's usual pitch-perfect style with a strong central character, but this plot is unlike any of her others. Newspaper reporter Ellen Gleeson has a happy life in Philadelphia with her 3-year-old adopted son, Will. She's working on a story about women who've lost their children to city violence when one day she notices that the photo of a missing boy on a postcard looks just like her son. As she investigates the possibility that her son and this missing boy may be connected, what she discovers makes her uncomfortable. "She had thought that Will was hers and would be forever ... and now Ellen was deathly afraid of what was true." And "deathly" is right -- there could be danger in store for more than one person.

Scottoline is one of my favorite mystery authors, and here she blends a fascinating premise with tense action. She sets us up with a heart-breaking dilemma and makes us ask ourselves: What defines a parent? What can you do when there can't be a happy ending? The book also has adult situations.

Finally, here is the book I've waited all year for -- the latest entry in the quirky adventures of New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum and her band of recurring characters: "Finger Lickin' Fifteen" by Janet Evanovich. Stephanie's on-again, off-again relationship with Joe Morelli is "off" again because of a "disagreement over peanut butter that turned into a disagreement over everything under the sun." The wonderfully flamboyant Lula has just witnessed two guys "removing a head from some guy's body," and she's understandably terrified when the killers come after her. The dead man turns out to be a celebrity chef whose famous hot sauce was expected to win first place at the local barbecue cook-off. His demise inspires Lula to team up with Stephanie's grandmother to develop their own sauce and win the big-money prize.

The most exciting news: The gorgeous but elusive Ranger shows up on page 11. And oh, yeah, he is all over this book. He needs Stephanie to "snoop around," to help him solve a series of burglaries. And once again Stephanie is living and working at Rangeman headquarters, which she calls the "Batcave." As usual, she has been dealt a handful of hilarious "skips" to round up, and she has no luck at all trying to keep a car.

The book is simply scrumptious, filled with flirty fun, adult situations and accessible humor, with sound effects and silly scatological references. I laughed out loud at Steph's father taste-testing Lula's recipes, fell off my chair over Lula's antics, and screamed out loud because of Grandma. I had to agree with Stephanie: "I was laughing so hard tears were rolling down my cheeks and I could hardly see." I didn't want it to end. And there's never enough Ranger. I don't think there's a better humor/mystery series out today. It comes out June 23. And next June -- and book 16 -- can't come soon enough!

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What's Happening: The Friends of the Brimfield Library will hold sidewalk book sales outside the library in the Brimfield Plaza from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, and again July 11 and Aug. 8.

For book news and more, visit my blog, "Shine A Light," at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light.

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BOOK NOTES, One for the Books Extra Online Exclusives:

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Follow me on Twitter @One4TheBooks.
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Check out my new blog on books, inspiration, fun and thought-provoking goodies! It’s called “Shine A Light!”

http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/

If you lose that link, go to www.recordpub.com. Click “Blogs” in the blue bar at the top of the page, and find “Shine A Light.”

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LOCAL BOOK CLUBS:

The Book Discussion Group at the Randolph Library meets the first Monday of the month, except August, at 6:30 p.m. in the Randolph Senior Center. The group is open to everyone, and new members are always welcome. The library will stock copies of the books each month. Call the library at 330-325-7003.

Pierce-Streetsboro Library’s Book Discussion Group meets regularly on the second Monday of each month at 6:45 p.m. in the library’s meeting room. New members are always welcome to attend and participate in the discussion. The library is located at 8990 Kirby Lane in Streetsboro, next to the administrative offices of the Streetsboro City Schools. For more information, call the library at 330-626-4458.

The Book Discussion Group at the Mogadore Branch of the Akron-Summit County Library, 144 S. Cleveland Ave., 330-628-9228, meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays to discuss books.
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The Friends of the Brimfield Library will hold sidewalk book sales outside of the library in the Brimfield Plaza from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 13, July 11 and Aug. 8.
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The NCR Book Club has added a review of “American Babylon: Notes of a Christian in Exile” by Richard John Neuhaus.

http://ncronline.org/node/13477

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from Shelf Awareness: New Books Out June 15 and 16:

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafron
Dune Road: A Novel by Jane Green
Knockout by Catherine Coulter
L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad
The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner
A Rogue of My Own by Johanna Lindsey
Real Change: The Fight for America's Future by Newt Gingrich
Kissinger: 1973, the Crucial Year by Alistair Horne

Now in paperback:

Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government by Glenn Beck
Sensuality: Caramel Flava II by Zane
A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS
By The Associated Press

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. “Skin Trade” by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley) (F-H)
2. “The Scarecrow” by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company)
3. “Medusa: A Novel From the Numa Files” by Clive Cussler, Paul Kemprecos (Putnam)
4. “Shanghai Girls: A Novel” by Lisa See (Random House)
5. “Matters of the Heart” by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press)
6. “Gone Tomorrow” by Lee Child (Delacorte Press)
7. “Dead and Gone” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
8. “The 8th Confession” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown)
9. “The Strain” by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (William Morrow)
10. “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
11. “Wicked Prey” by John Sandford (Putnam)
12. “First Family” by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing)
13. “Cemetery Dance” by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing)
14. “Undead and Unwelcome” by MaryJanice Davidson (Berkley Hardcover)
15. “Pygmy” by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday)

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. “Excuses Begone! How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits” by Wayne W. Dyer (Hay House)
2. “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment” by Steve Harvey (Amistad)
3. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions)
4. “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
5. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
6. “Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan” by Doug Stanton (Scribner)
7. “The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Friendship” by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham)
8. “Renegade: The Making of a President” by Richard Wolffe (Crown)
9. “Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!” by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst (Crown)
10. “Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities” by Elizabeth Edwards (Broadway)
11. “Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist” by Michael J. Fox (Hyperion)
12. “Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone’s Favorite Treat” by Martha Stewart Living Magazine (Clarkson Potter)
13. “The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide” by Elisabeth Hasselbeck (Center Street)
14. “Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood” by Michael Lewis (W.W. Norton & Co.)
15. “My Remarkable Journey” by Larry King (Weinstein Books)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult (Pocket)
2. “Right Next Door: Father’s Day 1/4The Courtship of Carol Sommars” by Debbie Macomber (Mira)
3. “Angels & Demons” by Dan Brown (Pocket)
4. “Salvation in Death” by J.D. Robb (Berkley)
5. “Harbor Lights” by Sherryl Woods (Mira)
6. “The Last Oracle” by James Rollins (Harper)
7. “Under the Radar: Sisterhood Series No. 8” by Fern Michaels (Zebra)
8. “The Front” by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley)
9. “Sail” by James Patterson and Howard Roughan (Vision)
10. “Lip Service” by Susan Mallery (HQN Books)
11. “From Dead to Worse” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
12. “The Last Patriot” by Brad Thor (Pocket)
13. “Dead Until Dark” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
14. “Living Dead in Dallas” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-P)
15. “Say Goodbye” by Lisa Gardner (Bantam)

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Dial)
2. “The Shack” by William P. Young (Windblown Media)
3. “Cook Yourself Thin: Skinny Meals You Can Make in Minutes” by Lifetime Television, (Voice)
4. “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press)
5. “When You Are Engulfed in Flames” by David Sedaris (Back Bay Books)
6. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith (Quirk Books)
7. “Vision in White” by Nora Roberts (Berkley Trade)
8. “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin)
9. “Firefly Lane” by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Griffin)
10. “Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana de Rosnay (St. Martin’s Griffin)
11. “Love the One You’re With” by Emily Giffin (St. Martin’s Griffin)
12. “Beach House” by Jane Green (Plume)
13. “Testimony” by Anita Shreve (Back Bay Books)
14. “Olive Kitteredge” by Elizabeth Strout (Random House Trade Paperbacks)
15. “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel (Workman Publishing Group)
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WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLERS
By The Associated Press

FICTION
1. “Skin Trade” by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley)
2. “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown for Young Readers)
3. “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown for Young Readers)
4. “The 39 Clues: Beyond the Grave” by Jude Watson (Scholastic)
5. “The Last Olympian” by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion Books for Children)
6. “The Scarecrow” by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company)
7. “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss (Random House)
8. “Shanghai Girls: A Novel” by Lisa See (Random House)
9. “Gone Tomorrow” by Lee Child (Delacorte Press)
10. “Matters of the Heart” by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press)
11. “The Strain” by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (William Morrow)
12. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw” by Jeff Kinney (Amulet)
13. “Dead and Gone” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
14. “The 8th Confession” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown)
15. “Wicked Prey” by John Sandford (Putnam)

NONFICTION
1. “Excuses Begone! How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits” by Wayne W. Dyer (Hay House)
2. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions)
3. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
4. “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment” by Steve Harvey (Amistad)
5. “Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan” by Doug Stanton (Scribner)
6. “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
7. “Renegade: The Making of a President” by Richard Wolffe (Crown)
8. “StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths” by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)
9. “Thank God It’s Monday: How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love “ by Roxanne Emmerich (FT Press)
10. “Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!” by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst (Crown)
11. “The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Friendship” by Jeffrey Zaslow
12. “Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood” by Michael Lewis (W.W. Norton & Co.)
13. “How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In” by Jim Collins (Jim Collins)
14. “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne (Atria/Beyond Words)
15. “Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities” by Elizabeth Edwards (Broadway)

The Wall Street Journal’s list reflects nationwide sales of hardcover books during the week ended last Saturday at more than 2,500 Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Bookland, Books-a-Million, Books & Co., Bookstar, Bookstop, Borders, Brentano’s, Coles, Coopersmith, Doubleday, Scribners and Waldenbooks stores, as well as sales from online retailers Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
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USA Today Best-Selling Books
By The Associated Press
Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback

1. “New Moon” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
2. “My Sister’s Keeper: A Novel” by Jodi Picoult (Pocket) (F-P)
3. “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
4. “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
5. “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
6. “Skin Trade” by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley) (F-H)
7. “The Shack” by William P. Young (Windblown Media) (F-P)
8. “Right Next Door: Father’s Day 1/4The Courtship of Carol Sommars” by Debbie Macomber (Mira) (F-P)
9. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Dial) (F-P)
10. “Under the Radar: Sisterhood Series No. 8” by Fern Michaels (Zebra) (F-P)
11. “The 39 Clues: Beyond the Grave” by Jude Watson (Scholastic) (F-H)
12. “Cook Yourself Thin: Skinny Meals You Can Make in Minutes” by Lifetime Television, (Voice) (NF-P)
13. “The Last Olympian” by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion Books for Children) (F-H)
14. “Angels & Demons” by Dan Brown (Pocket) (F-P)
15. “Matters of the Heart” by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press) (F-H)
16. “Salvation in Death” by J.D. Robb (Berkley) (F-P)
17. “Say Goodbye” by Lisa Gardner (Bantam) (F-P)
18. “Medusa: A Novel From the Numa Files” by Clive Cussler, Paul Kemprecos, (Putnam) (F-H)
19. “Rogue” by Danielle Steel (Dell) (F-P)
20. “Vision in White” by Nora Roberts (Berkley Trade)(F-P)
21. “The Scarecrow” by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company)(F-H)
22. “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss (Random House) (F-H)
23. “Sundays at Tiffany’s” by James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet (Vision)(F-P)
24. “Harbor Lights” by Sherryl Woods (Mira) (F-P)
25. “The Front” by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley) (F-P)
26. “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment” by Steve Harvey (Amistad) (NF-H)
27. “Excuses Begone! How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits” by Wayne W. Dyer (Hay House) (F-H)
28. “The Last Oracle” by James Rollins (Harper) (F-P)
29. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions) (NF-H)
30. “Three Cups Of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) (NF-P)
31. “Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan” by Doug Stanton (Scribner) (NF-H)
32. “Dead Until Dark” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-P)
33. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw” by Jeff Kinney (Amulet) (F-H)
34. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith (Quirk Books) (F-P)
35. “Marked” by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast (St. Martin’s Griffin) (F-P)
36. “State Secrets” by Linda Lael Miller (Harlequin) (F-P)
37. “Sail” by James Patterson and Howard Roughan (Vision) (F-P)
38. “When You Are Engulfed in Flames” by David Sedaris (Back Bay Books) (NF-P)
39. “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-H)
40. “Comanche Heart” by Catherine Anderson (Signet) (F-P)
41. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown) (NF-H)
42. “The Beach House: A Novel” by Jane Green (Plume) (F-P)
43. “Gone Tomorrow” by Lee Child (Delacorte Press) (F-H)
44. “Dead and Gone” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-H)
45. “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan (Miramax/Hyperion Books for Children) (F-P)
46. “Living Dead in Dallas” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-P)
47. “Shanghai Girls: A Novel” by Lisa See (Random House) (F-H)
48. “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion) (NF-H)
49. “The 8th Confession” by James Patterson (Little, Brown) (F-H)
50. “Betrayed” by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast (St. Martin’s Griffin) (F-P)

Reporting stores include: Amazon.com, B. Dalton Bookseller, Barnes & Noble.com, Barnes & Noble Inc., Books-A-Million and Bookland, Booksamillion.com, Borders Books & Music, Bookstar, Bookstop, Brentano’s, Davis Kidd Booksellers in Nashville, Jackson, Memphis, Tenn., Doubleday Book Shops, Hudson Booksellers, Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Cleveland), Powell’s Books (Portland, Ore.), Powells.com, R.J. Julia Booksellers (Madison, Conn.), Schuler.
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For a list of authors currently visiting talk shows to discuss their books, go to http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4603929

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Here are links to other recent One for the Books columns. More links are available on my blog at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/one-for-the-books/

Father’s Day Gift Ideas -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4596658

Novels Set in India -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4592641

Books for Mom -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4583126

Historical Thrillers -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4573374

Picture Books for Children -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4563834

WWII Internment of Japanese Americans -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4554807

Book Club Recommendations -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4545419

Lighter Goodies -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4535339

Slavery -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4525809


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Thanks for reading One for the Books. Please let us know what kind of book news you’d like to see on this page. Send e-mail to Books@recordpub.com. Send other mail to Mary Louise Ruehr, Books Editor, Record-Courier, 126 N. Chestnut St. (P.O. Box 1201), Ravenna, OH 44266.

“One for the Books” appears the second and fourth Fridays of the month in the Record-Courier. Extra columns may appear on occasion, especially preceding Christmas and Hanukkah.