Authors, Books, and Blogs

Read any good books lately?

I have always been a voracious reader which makes libraries and bookstores (online and otherwise!) some of my favorite places in the world! I haven't figured out exactly what I want to do with this section yet so please bear with me as I figure out where this is going. So far I have created a couple of sections listing some of my favorite authors with titles of their works within specific series: Mysteries and Paranormal Romance and Horror. It's a start! Soon, I'm hoping to add annotations to the entries and expand to include some of my favorite nonfiction titles as well so check back often and see what's new!

What do I enjoy reading? Here's a quick overview of my favorite areas of reading:

Nonfiction
  • Medieval history, particularly focusing on England and Wales
  • Paganism, Heathenism, Druidry, and earth-based religions as well as Buddhism and Taoism
  • Web design
  • True crime and forensic science materials
  • Self-help/psychology
Fiction
  • Mysteries -- favorite authors include:
    • Donna Leon (Inspector Brunetti; mysteries set in present day Venice, Italy)
    • Archer Mayor (Joe Gunther; mysteries set in Vermont)
    • Elizabeth George (Inspector Lynley)
    • Agatha Christie (Do I need to say more??)
    • Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey)
    • Patricia Cornwell (Coroner Kay Scarpetta; the early books are excellent)
    • Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)
    • Richard and Frances Lockridge (Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries)
  • Paranormal Romances and Horror -- favorite authors include:
  • Science fiction -- favorite authors include:
    • Frank Herbert -- particularly the Dune novels
    • Isaac Asimov (The Master!)
    • Douglas Adams
  • English literature -- favorite authors include:
    • Anthony Trollope
    • Jane Austen
    • Emily Bronte
    • Charlotte Bronte
    • John Galsworthy
    • R.F. Delderfield

Currently Reading...

I usually have two or more books going at a time. Currently, I'm reading:

Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey
Type: Fiction
Genre/Topic: Literature
Comments: Nothing like Jane Austen to while away the winter hours. PBS has been airing a number of Austen dramatisations and I caught the end of Northanger Abbey so felt compelled to read the novel again. And they say TV discourages reading... Ha!
Debbie Stoller: Stitch 'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook
Type: Nonfiction
Genre/Topic: How-To
Comments: This book is just fun! I've recently picked up knitting again and am actually taking some classes to learn more about it and do it right. This book includes funny anecdotes, touching stories, and instructions.

It's Just a Mystery...

A Select List of Novels Organized by Author, Series, Publication Date

Allen, Garrison

"Big Mike" (Mycroft, the Abyssinian cat) Mysteries
  1. Desert Cat- 1994
  2. Royal Cat - 1995
  3. Stable Cat - 1996
  4. Baseball Cat - 1997
  5. Dinosaur Cat - 1998
  6. Movie Cat - 1999

Christie, Agatha

Hercule Poirot Series
  1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles - 1920
  2. Murder on the Links - 1923
  3. Poirot Investigates - 1924
  4. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - 1926
  5. The Big Four - 1927
  6. The Mystery of the Blue Train - 1928
  7. Peril at End House - 1932
  8. Lord Edgware Dies - 1933
  9. Murder on the Orient Express - 1934
  10. Death in the Clouds - 1935
  11. Three Act Tragedy - 1935
  12. The ABC Murders - 1936
  13. Cards on the Table - 1936
  14. Murder in Mesopotamia - 1936
  15. Death on the Nile - 1937
  16. Dumb Witness - 1937
  17. Murder in the Mews - 1937
  18. Appointment With Death - 1938
  19. Hercule Poirot's Christmas - 1938
  20. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe - 1940
  21. Sad Cypress - 1940
  22. Evil Under the Sun - 1941
  23. Five Little Pigs - 1943
  24. The Hollow - 1946
  25. The Labours of Hercules - 1947
  26. Taken at the Flood - 1948
  27. The Under Dog and Other Stories - 1951
  28. Mrs. McGinty's Dead - 1952
  29. After the Funeral - 1953
  30. Hickory Dickory Dock - 1955
  31. Dead Man's Folly - 1956
  32. Cat Among the Pigeons - 1959
  33. The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding - 1960
  34. The Clocks - 1963
  35. Third Girl - 1966
  36. Hallowe'en Party - 1969
  37. Elephants Can Remember - 1972
  38. Poirot's Early Cases - 1974
  39. Curtain: Poirot's Last Case - 1975
  40. Black Coffee - 1997
Miss Jane Marple Series
  1. The Murder at the Vicarage - 1930
  2. The Thirteen Problems - 1932
  3. The Body in the Library - 1942
  4. The Moving Finger - 1943
  5. A Murder is Announced - 1950
  6. They Do it with Mirrors - 1952
  7. A Pocket Full of Rye - 1953
  8. 4.50 From Paddington - 1957
  9. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side - 1962
  10. A Caribbean Mystery - 1964
  11. At Bertram's Hotel - 1965
  12. Nemesis - 1971
  13. Sleeping Murder - 1976
Tommy and Tuppence Beresford Series
  1. The Secret Adversary - 1922
  2. Partners in Crime - 1929
  3. N or M? - 1941
  4. By the Prinking of my Thumbs - 1968
  5. Postern of Fate - 1973

Fforde, Jasper

Thursday Next Series
  1. The Eyre Affair - 2001
    "My father had a face that could stop a clock. I don't mean that he was ugly or anything; it was a phrase the ChronoGuard used to describe someone who had the power to reduce time to an ultraslow trickle." (p.1) With this unusual opening, we start the first adventure of Thursday Next. Thursday, the daughter of a Special Operations Chronoguard renegade, works for Special Operations as a Literary Detective. The LiteraTecs investigate the sale of counterfeit editions of classic works of literature as well as theft and resale of first editions. Interspersed between these exciting types of cases, they authenticate titles and investigate copyright violations.

    Thursday ends up working on the theft of an original manuscript of Charles Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit. Her investigation leads her to arch-criminal Acheron Hades, whose name alone should be a criminal offense! What does Hades plan to do with this priceless original? What does this theft have to do with Thursday's eccentric uncle Mycroft's "Prose Portal," an invention that allows people to actually go into a manuscript and interact with the characters? When a minor character in Martin Chuzzlewit suddenly disappears from all printed versions of the novel based on the stolen manuscript and another original manuscript, Jane Eyre is stolen, Thursday must quickly solve the case before anything happens to the characters in this classic work.

    This book was just plain fun; an interesting mix of humor, Literature 101, mystery, and science fiction. Jasper Fforde has started a wonderful series. The characters are quirky, the literary references stretch your mind, and the balance of detective work and time travel really works. The best part of it all: the book makes me laugh! Definitely a good read.

    Buy from Amazon.com: Paperback

  2. Lost in a Good Book - 2002
  3. The Well of Lost Plots - 2003
  4. Something Rotten - 2004

George, Elizabeth

Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels
  1. A Great Deliverance - 1988
  2. Payment In Blood - 1989
  3. Well-Schooled in Murder - 1990
  4. A Suitable Vengeance - 1991
  5. For the Sake of Elena - May 1993
  6. Missing Joseph - June 1994
  7. Playing for the Ashes - Sept. 1995
  8. In the Presence of the Enemy - April 1996
  9. Deception on His Mind - Aug. 1997
  10. In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner - Aug. 1999
  11. A Traitor to Memory - July 2001
  12. A Place of Hiding - July 2003
  13. With No One As Witness - Mar. 2005
  14. What Came Before He Shot Her - Oct. 2006

Graham, Caroline

Inspector Barnaby Mysteries
  1. The Killings at Badger's Drift - 1987
  2. Death of a Hollow Man - 1989
  3. Death in Disguise - 1993
  4. Written in Blood - 1995
  5. Faithful unto Death - 1998
  6. A Place of Safety - 1999
  7. A Ghost in the Machine - 2004

King, Laurie R.

Mary Russell Novels
  1. The Beekeeper's Apprentice - 1994
  2. A Monstrous Regiment of Women - 1995
  3. A Letter of Mary - 1997
  4. The Moor - 1998
  5. O Jerusalem - 1999
  6. Justice Hall - 2002
  7. The Game - 2004
  8. Locked Rooms - 2005

Leon, Donna

Commisario Guido Brunetti
  1. Death at La Fenice - 1992
  2. Death in a Strange Country - 1993
  3. The Anonymous Venetian [aka Dressed for Death] - 1994
  4. A Venetian Reckoning [aka Death and Judgment] - 1995
  5. Acqua Alta - 1996
  6. The Death of Faith[aka Quietly in Their Sleep] - 1997
  7. A Noble Radiance - 1998
  8. Fatal Remedies - 1999
  9. Friends in High Places - Apr. 2000
  10. A Sea of Troubles - Oct. 2001
  11. Wilful Behaviour - Mar. 2002
  12. Uniform Justice - Mar. 2003
  13. Doctored Evidence - Mar. 2004
  14. Blood from a Stone - Mar. 2005
  15. Through a Glass Darkly - Apr. 2006
  16. Suffer the Little Children - May 2007

Marsh, Ngaio

Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn Series
  1. A Man Lay Dead - 1934
  2. Enter a Murderer - 1935
  3. The Nursing Home Murder - 1935
  4. Death in Ecstasy - 1936
  5. Vintage Murder - 1937
  6. Artists in Crime - 1938
  7. Death in a White Tie - 1938
  8. Overture to Death - 1939
  9. Death at the Bar - 1940
  10. Death of a Peer [aka Surfeit of Lampreys] - 1940
  11. Death and the Dancing Footman - 1941
  12. Colour Scheme - 1943
  13. Died in the Wool - 1944
  14. Final Curtain - 1947
  15. A Wreath for Rivera [aka Swing, Brother, Swing] - 1949
  16. Night at the Vulcan [aka Opening Night] - 1951
  17. Spinsters in Jeopardy [aka The Bride of Death] - 1953
  18. Scales of Justice - 1955
  19. Death of a Fool [aka Off with His Head] - 1956
  20. Singing in the Shrouds - 1958
  21. False Scent - 1960
  22. Hand in Glove - 1962
  23. Dead Water - 1963
  24. Killer Dolphin [aka Death at the Dolphin] - 1966
  25. Clutch of Constables - 1968
  26. When in Rome - 1968
  27. Tied Up in Tinsel - 1972
  28. Black As He's Painted - 1974
  29. Last Ditch - 1976
  30. A Grave Mistake - 1978
  31. Photo Finish - 1980
  32. Light Thickens - 1982

Marshall, William

Yellowthread Street
  1. Yellowthread Street - 1975
  2. The Hatchett Man - 1976
  3. Gelignite - 1976
  4. Thin Air - 1977
  5. Skulduggery - 1979
  6. Sci-Fi- 1981
  7. Perfect End - 1981
  8. War Machine - 1982
  9. Far Away Man - 1984
  10. Roadshow - 1985
  11. Head First - 1986
  12. Frogmouth - 1987
  13. Out of Nowhere - 1988
  14. Inches - 1994
  15. Nightmare Syndrome - 1997
  16. To the End - 1998

Mayor, Archer

Lt. Joe Gunther Series
  1. Open Season - 1988
  2. Borderlines - 1990
  3. Scent of Evil - 1992
  4. The Skeleton's Knee - 1993
  5. Fruits of the Poisonous Tree - 1994
  6. The Dark Root - 1995
  7. The Ragman's Memory - 1996
  8. Bellows Falls - 1997
  9. The Disposable Man- 1998
  10. Occam's Razor - 1999
  11. The Marble Mask - 2000
  12. Tucker Peak - 2001
  13. The Sniper's Wife - 2002
  14. Gatekeeper - 2003
  15. The Surrogate Thief - 2004
  16. St. Albans Fire - Oct. 2005
  17. The Second Mouse - Oct. 2006
  18. Chat - Oct. 2007

Patterson, James

Alex Cross Series
  1. Along Came a Spider - 1993
  2. Kiss the Girls - 1995
  3. Jack & Jill - 1996
  4. Cat & Mouse - 1997
  5. Pop Goes the Weasel - 1999
  6. Roses are Red - 2000
  7. Violets are Blue - 2001
  8. Four Blind Mice - 2002
  9. The Big Bad Wolf - 2003
  10. London Bridges - 2004
  11. Mary, Mary - Nov. 2005
  12. Cross - Nov. 2006
  13. Double Cross - Nov. 2007

Pickard, Nancy

Jenny Cain Series
  1. Generous Death - 1984
  2. Say No to Murder - 1985
  3. No Body - 1986
  4. Marriage is Murder - 1987
  5. Dead Crazy - 1988
  6. Bum Steer - 1990
  7. I.O.U. - 1991
  8. But I Wouldn't Want to Die There - 1993
  9. Confession - 1994
  10. Twilight - 1995

Sayers, Dorothy L.

Lord Peter Wimsey Series
  1. Whose Body? - 1923
  2. Clouds of Witness - 1926
  3. Unnatural Death - 1927
  4. Lord Peter Views the Body [Short Stories] - 1928
  5. The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club - 1928
  6. Strong Poison - 1930
  7. Five Red Herrings - 1931
  8. Have His Carcase - 1932
  9. Hangman's Holiday [Short Stories] - 1933
  10. Murder Must Advertise - 1933
  11. The Nine Tailors - 1934
  12. Gaudy Night - 1935
  13. Busman's Honeymoon - 1937
  14. In the Teeth of the Evidence [Short Stories] - 1939
  15. Striding Folly [Short Stories] - 1978
  16. Lord Peter : The Complete Lord Peter Wimsey Stories [Includes all of the Wimsey stories from Lord Peter Views the Body, Hangman's Holiday, In the Teeth of the Evidence, and Striding Folly] - 1986?
  17. Thrones, Dominations [unfinished novel; completed by Jill Paton Walsh] - 1998

Things That Go Bump in the Night

A Select List of Novels Organized by Author, Series, Publication Date

Ashley, Amanda

Vampires
  1. Embrace the Night (1995)
  2. Deeper than the Night (1996)
  3. A Darker Dream (1997)
  4. Sunlight, Moonlight (1997)
  5. Shades of Gray (1998)
  6. Masquerade (2001) -- in anthology After Twilight
  7. Midnight Embrace (2002)
  8. After Sundown (2003) [Sequel to Shades of Gray]
  9. A Whispter of Eternity (2004)
  10. Born of the Night (2004) -- in anthology Stroke of Midnight
  11. Night's Kiss (2005)
  12. Desire After Dark (2006)
  13. Dead Sexy (2007)
Miscellaneous
  • The Captive (2000)
  • Darkfest (2003) -- in anthology Midnight Pleasures

Banks, L.A.

Vampire Huntress Legend
  1. Minion (June 2003)
  2. The Awakening (January 2004)
  3. The Hunted (June 2004)
  4. The Bitten (January 2005)
  5. The Damned (January 2006)
  6. The Forbidden (June 2006_
  7. Forsaken (July 2006)
  8. The Wicked (February 2007)

Feehan, Christine

Dark Series/The Carpathians
  1. Dark Prince (August 1999)
  2. Dark Desire (December 1999)
  3. Dark Gold (April 2000)
  4. Dark Magic (July 2000)
  5. Dark Challenge (November 2000)
  6. Dark Fire (August 2001)
  7. After Twilight (Dark Dream) (September 2001)
  8. Dark Legend (January 2002)
  9. Dark Guardian (May 2002)
  10. Dark Symphony (February 2003)
  11. The Only One (Dark Descent) (May 2003)
  12. Dark Melody (October 2003)
  13. Dark Destiny (July 2004)
  14. Hot Blooded (Dark Hunger) (September 2005)
  15. Dark Secret (February 2005)
  16. Dark Demon (March 2006)
  17. Dark Dreamers (August 2006)
  18. Dark Celebration (September 2006)

Golden, Christopher

The Menagerie
  1. The Nimble Man (September 2004)
  2. Tears of the Furies (May 2005)
The Shadow Saga
  1. Of Saints and Shadows (October 1998)
  2. Angel Souls and Devil Hearts (November 1998)
  3. Of Masques and Martyrs (December 1998)
  4. The Gathering Dark (June 2003)
The Veil
  1. The Myth Hunters (January 2006)

Hamilton, Laurell K.

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter
  1. Guilty Pleasures
  2. The Laughing Corpse
  3. Circus of the Damned
  4. The Lunatic Café
  5. Bloody Bones
  6. The Killing Dance
  7. Burnt Offerings
  8. Blue Moon
  9. Obsidian Butterfly
  10. Narcissus in Chains
  11. Cerulean Sins
  12. Incubus Dreams
  13. Micah
  14. Danse Macabre
Merry Gentry Series
  1. Kiss of Shadowsn
  2. Caress of Twilight
  3. Seduced by Moonlight
  4. Stroke of Midnight
  5. Mistral's Kiss

Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Dark Hunter/Were Hunter/Dream Hunter series
  1. Fantasy Lover (2002) -- Related Dark-Hunter, Julian's Story
  2. "The Beginning" (2002?) -- Dark-Hunter Acheron's story [found online at http://www.kinleymacgregor.com/hunter/acheronstory.htm or included in Sins of the Night (2005)
  3. Dragonswan (2002) -- Were-Hunter Sebastian's Story
  4. Night Pleasures (2002) -- Dark-Hunter Kyrian's story
  5. Night Embrace (2003) -- Dark-Hunter Talon's story
  6. "Phantom Lover" -- Dream-Hunter V'Aidan's story [in the anthology Midnight Pleasures (2003)]
  7. Dance with the Devil (2003) -- Dark-Hunter Zarek's story
  8. "A Dark Hunter Christmas" (2004) -- Dark-Hunter Gallagher's story [found online at http://www.kinleymacgregor.com/hunter/xmasstory.htm or at the end of Dance with the Devil (2003)]
  9. Kiss of the Night (2004) -- Dark-Hunter Wulf's story
  10. Night Play (2004) -- Were-Hunter Vane's story
  11. "Winter Born" (2004) -- Were-Hunter Dante's story [in the anthology Stroke of Midnight (2004)]
  12. Seize the Night (2005) -- Dark-Hunter Valerius's story
  13. Sins of the Night (2005) -- Dark-Hunter Alexion's story
  14. Unleash the Night (2006) -- Were-Hunter Wren's story
  15. Dark Side of the Moon (2006) -- Dark-Hunter Were-Hunter Ravyn's story
  16. My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (2006) -- Dark-Hunter Rafael's story [Multi-author short story collection]
  17. Love at First Bite (2006) -- Dark-Hunter Velkan & Retta's story [Multi-author short story collection]
  18. Dream Hunter (2007) -- Dream-Hunter Arik's story
  19. Devil May Cry (Aug. 2007) -- Sin's story
  20. Upon The Midnight Clear (Oct. 2007) -- Dream Hunter book 2

Rice, Anne

Vampire Novels
  1. Interview with the Vampire (1976)
  2. The Vampire Lestat (1985)
  3. Queen of the Damned (1988)
  4. The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)
  5. Memnoch the Devil (1995)
  6. The Vampire Armand (1998)
  7. Merrick (2000)
  8. Blood and Gold (2001)
  9. Blackwood Farm (2002)
  10. Blood Canticle (2003)
New Tales of the Vampires
  1. Pandora (1998)
  2. Vittorio the Vampire (1999)
The Mayfair Witches
  1. The Witching Hour (1990)
  2. Lasher (1993)
  3. Taltos (1994)
Miscellaneous
  • The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned (1989)
  • Servant of the Bones (1996)
  • Violin (1997)

Shayne, Maggie

The Twilight Series
  1. Twilight Phantasies (1993) -- Available in Wings in the Night
  2. Twilight Memories (1994) -- Available in Wings in the Night
  3. Twilight Illusions (1995) -- Available in Wings in the Night
  4. Beyond Twilight (1995) -- Available in At Twilight
  5. Born in Twilight (1997) -- Available in At Twilight
  6. Twilight Vows (1998) -- Available in Two by Twilight
  7. Twilight Hunger (2002)
  8. Embrace the Twilight (2003)
  9. Two by Twilight (2003) -- Includes Run from Twilight and Twilight Vows
  10. Edge of Twilight (2004)
  11. Blue Twilight (2005)
  12. Prince of Twilight (2006)
The Witch Books
  1. Everything She Does is Magick (1997) in anthology Bewitched
  2. Musketeer by Moonlight (1998) in anthology Moonglow
  3. Eternity (1998)
  4. Infinity (1999)
  5. Destiny (2001)
  6. Witch Moon Rising, Witch Moon Waning (2001)
  7. Immortality (2002) in anthology Out of This World
  8. Anytown, U.S.A. (2002) in anthology Words of the Witches
  9. Under Her Spell (2003) in anthology Midnight Pleasures
  10. Immortality (2005)
Miscellaneous
  • Her Best Enemy (2004) -- in anthology Night's Edge
  • Awaiting Moonrise (2004) -- in anthology Hot Blooded

Ward, J.R.

Black Dagger Brotherhood
  1. Dark Lover (September 2005)
  2. Lover Awakened (September 2005)
  3. Lover Eternal (March 2006)

Viehl, Lynn

Darkyn
  1. If Angels Burn (April 2005)
  2. Private Demon (December 2005)
  3. Dark Need (June 2006)