Sally Woods at Murder By The Book since 2011
I read a bit of everything, so I've tried to include both old and new favorites. That said, my favorite genre is dystopian. Though,sometimes I think I read too much of it as I can get obsessed. Two of my favs are in this stack. ( I had to stop watching The Walking Dead when I started becoming too aware of my surroundings and looking for escape routes.)
Other favorite authors are Kevin Brockmeier, whose writing makes me happy, and Marianne Wiggins whose Evidence of Things Unseen is possibly my favorite book of all time.
Mystery wise, Tana French has a wonderful Irish series. I always look forward to anything by Laura Lippman and Megan Abbott. I'm trying to catch up on women crime writers from the 40's and 50's, the collection here is incredible. David Joy. His writing will stop you in your tracks with its beauty.
Sally's 2020 Top 10:
In no particular in order
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howell Hall
Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas
The Last Flight by Julie Clark
I See You So Close by M Dressler
If It Bleeds by Stephen King
Firewatching by Russ Thomas
The End of October by Lawrence Wright
Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay
The Two Mrs Carlyles by Suzanne Rindell
Bonus Fun Book!
Behind the Horror: True Stories that Inspired Horror Movies by Lee Mellor
Check out Sally's Recommendations Playlist on the MBTB YouTube channel.
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER
THE WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER
#1 Indie Next Pick—October 2020
Recommended by Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, NPR, Slate, and Oprah Magazine
“Sharp, witty and perfectly paced, And Now She’s Gone is one hell of a read!” —Wendy Walker, bestselling author of The Night Before
Isabel Lincoln is gone.
But is she missing?
“[A] delicious literary Gothic debut.” –THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, EDITORS' CHOICE
“Moody and evocative as a fever dream, Catherine House is the sort of book that wraps itself around your brain, drawing you closer with each hypnotic step.” – THE WASHINGTON POST
The instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller
The dead and their secrets refuse to stay buried in this thrilling sequel to M. Dressler’s award-winning The Last to See Me, for fans of Lauren Oliver and Kazuo Ishiguro
Emma Rose Finnis has never made peace with her death . . . or with her ghostly afterlife.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author, legendary storyteller, and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary collection of four new and compelling novellas—Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, The Life of Chuck, Rat, and the title story If It Bleeds—each pulling you into intriguing and frightening places.
"A pitch-perfect blend of the best of the old and the best of the new--all the traditional strengths and charms are here, with a fresh and relevant twenty first-century edge. I loved it."--Lee Child
“An eerily prescient novel about a devastating virus that begins in Asia before going global . . . A page-turner that has the earmarks of an instant bestseller.” —New York Post
“Fresh and surprising. Survivor Song may be one of Tremblay’s best— beautifully detailed, viscerally frightening, and deep with emotional resonance." —Dan Chaon, New York Times bestselling author of Ill Will
A wonderful, sometimes spooky, story about three young women in the early 1900's trying to start new lives. Afterc oming into wealth after the 1906 earthquake, the story really takes off. Violet marries Harry Carlyle and none of their lives are quite the same. I throughly enjoyed The Two Mrs Carlyles.
Definitely for fans of Rebecca. - Sally
This book has the origin stories of all your favorite scary movies, including Psycho, The Exorcist, The Amityville Horror, The Silence of the Lambs and Scream. Just to name a few. A great book to have on your bedside table. - Sally