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 2019 Top "10":
1. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
2. Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman
3. The Butterfly Girl by Rene Denfeld
4. We Were Killers Once by Becky Masterman
5. The River by Peter Heller
6. Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand
7. The Institute by Stephen King
8. Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly
9. Tear it Down by Nick Petrie
10. A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill
11. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
Favorite Short Story Collections:
Full Throttle by Joe Hill
Growing Things by Paul Tremblay
Favorite Re-Reads
A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Turnsten
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE
The Testaments is a modern masterpiece, a powerful novel that can be read on its own or as a companion to Margaret Atwood’s classic, The Handmaid’s Tale.
A New York Times Bestseller!
“A heartbreaking, finger-gnawing, and yet ultimately hopeful novel by the amazing Rene Denfeld.” —Margaret Atwood, via Twitter
"Former FBI agent Brigid Quinn, with her trademark toughness, raw humor, and human frailty, is back and better than ever in Masterman’s latest novel. As Quinn is drawn into an infamous cold case with a possible link to the two killers immortalized by Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, she finds danger closing in.
A Nominee for the 2020 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
"A fiery tour de force… I could not put this book down. It truly was terrifying and unutterably beautiful." –Alison Borden, The Denver Post
An intrepid young woman stalks a murderer through turn-of-the-century Chicago in "this rich, spooky, and atmospheric thriller that will appeal to fans of Henry Darger and Erik Larson alike." (Sarah McCarry)
A NEW YORK TIMES 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2019 SELECTION
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King, the most riveting and unforgettable story of kids confronting evil since It.
In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SU
An utterly propulsive and unpredictable psychological thriller from stunning new talent T. Marie Vandelly
She didn't run from her dark past. She moved in.
In the new edge-of-your-seat adventure from national bestselling author Nick Petrie, Peter Ash pursues one case--and stumbles into another--in the City of the Blues.
"If John Irving ever wrote a horror novel, it would be something like this. I loved it.” —Stephen King
Noah Turner sees monsters.
His father saw them—and built a shrine to them with The Wandering Dark, an immersive horror experience that the whole family operates.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE 2014 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
WINNER OF THE 2014 DILYS AWARD
A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF 2013
From New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger, a brilliant new novel about a young man, a small town, and murder in the summer of 1961.
“That was it.
A New York Times Bestseller
Thirteen relentless tales of supernatural suspense, including “In the Tall Grass,” one of two stories cowritten with Stephen King and the basis for the terrifying feature film from Netflix.
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
"One of the best collections of the 21st century." — Stephen King
THE EDGAR AWARD-WINNING NOVEL
THE FIRST KATE MARTINELLI MYSTERY
Ben Mears has returned to Jerusalem’s Lot in hopes that exploring the history of the Marsten House, an old mansion long the subject of rumor and speculation, will help him cast out his personal devils and provide inspiration for his new book.