Caroline Graham novels), Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Foyle’s War (which he created and wrote for eight seasons).
Recently, Masterpiece offered his first two Susan Ryland books (Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders) to audiences; the third, coming out in April, has just begun filming. And the estates of Ian Fleming (James Bond) and Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) engaged Horowitz to write in the voices of these authors to keep the franchises alive. (We own the first book in each series.) Horowitz is an inventive writer who often offers a twist. In the Ryland series, he gives us a book within a book. The "book within" is set in the 1950s and features fictional detective Atticus Pünd; the other book is set present day while Ryland tries to solve a second crime that has lots of parallels to the one Pünd is working on. Though it may seem confusing, it works! The surprising conceit of the Hawthorne and Horowitz series—balm to me in late 2024—is that Horowitz makes himself a character in the stories. Hawthorne is a disgraced detective who the police only call to consult when the case is very complex. Hawthorne approaches Horowitz to write about his cases, grudgingly allowing him to “ride along” on five murder investigations over five books. Horowitz was merciless in portraying himself—a successful mystery writer—as a wanna-be detective who never figures it out. That combined with glimpses into Horowitz’s “real life” were just delightful, while at the same time the plot flew along with major twists and the author developed the character of Hawthorne (a troubled, strange man with many secrets) and the relationship between the two men. For me, it was spectacular storytelling and just what I needed at the time. The Library's books by Anthony Horowitz can be found in our new online catalog and always accessible from our Library’s Find and Check Out Books page. But briefly, here a list:
You’ll find these books in the Mystery/Spy section on the Library’s second level, except those with asterisks, which are new additions that you’ll find on the Recent and Relevant shelves starting today and for the next few months. Enjoy!
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer 128 pages, Top Amazon book in Biology, Botany and Nature Writing, NY Times Best Seller
A followup to Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, she uses a close look at the ecology of the serviceberry to develop a vision for how to use the natural world to orient ourselves around gratitude and community. On the Recent and Relevant shelf, call number Nature/Environment (Kimm) Winter's Song: A Hymn to the North by T. D. Mischke 186 pages These essays by a Saint Paul author and radio host celebrate the intense relationship that Americans living in the northern Midwest have with winter. It uses humor and engaging storytelling to highlight this wonderful season and its impact. As a Minnesota transplant, I laughed out loud at some of the stories, remembering cold wet experiences with Carolina snowstorms. (Including one memorable December night-time trip into the woods with my brother to cut down a cedar Christmas tree, my loafers covered with plastic bags held on by rubber bands. Why? Because what Carolina girl actually owns snow boots?) On the Recent and Relevant shelf, call number Minnesota/Midwest (Misc) A Psalm for the Wild Way by Becky Chambers 147 pages, Hugo Winner 2022, one of the first books to represent the “Solarpunk Aesthetic” A gentle heartwarming book composed of philosophical conversations between Dex, a Tea Monk, and Mosscap, a robot. Dex is on a quest to hear the sound of crickets and he is joined by Mosscap on his own quest to find out what humans need. On the Recent and Relevant shelf, call number Fiction (Cham) And one bonus, located not at Coffman but at both Hennepin and Ramsey County Libraries (paper, audio and ebook): 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff 112 pages A beloved classic, one of my all-time favorites, set in post-war London. A story for people who love books, told through a series of letters between a freelance writer living in New York City and a used book dealer in London. Also made into an award winning movie with Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft and Judi Dench.
Our taste in reading stayed stable. Seventy-four percent of loans were fiction and mystery/thriller compared to 73% in 2023. Biography/memoir and history made up 12%, and poetry made up 2%—all very similar to prior years. The total number of loans? Again, 2024’s 1,307 is similar to the past four years, which range from 1,189 to 1,457. And who is reading? Women made up 80% of the loans. Finally, a whopping 73% of the units checked out at least one book. Our readers were drawn to new releases but also to the backlists of popular authors. As was true in 2023, Saint Paul’s William Kent Krueger and his Cork O’Connor series topped the most checked out author list with twenty-eight loans of fifteen books. Donna Leon was second with twenty loans of twelve books. They were followed by fiction authors Colm Toíbín and Louise Erdrich, and mystery/thriller authors Anthony Horowitz, CJ Box, John Sandford, Richard Osman, John le Carré, and Louise Penny. Finally, a personal recommendation. If during these long winter months, you dream of escaping to the south of France, you could do worse than to pick up A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France by Shoreview’s own Steve Hoffman. Hoffman is a tax preparer who grew up in Roseville, but after spending a formative year in Paris, was “desperately and pretentiously” in love with France. He finally returned with his family—not to Paris or to Provence—but to Languedoc, the “other southern France” of the title. This book tells how he came to love the food, the wine, and the people of the region and became a better person himself. Named one of The New York Times Five Best Wine Books of 2024, you can find it in our library to read during these winter months. |
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