Non-fiction

Pandemic Themed Fiction and Nonfiction

 

You asked for it. A list of books that deal with pandemics. In the past, weโ€™ve watched the pandemic movies and TV shows and a few thriller authors have addressed the topic in their fiction. But, here we are in 2020, fighting a real life pandemic. Donโ€™t read any of these books if you want to be reassured. Some, although written decades ago, are eerily predictive of our current worldwide battle with the Coronavirus, Covid 19.

Bobby Akart series: Starts with โ€œPandemic: Beginnings: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Seriesโ€

Michael Crichton: โ€œThe Andromeda Strainโ€

Molly Caldwell Crosby: โ€œThe American Plagueโ€ (nonfiction)

Stephen King: โ€œThe Standโ€

Dean Koontz: โ€œThe Eyes of Darknessโ€

Emily St. John Mandell: โ€œStation Elevenโ€

William Maxwell: โ€œThey Came Like Swallowsโ€

Thomas Mullen: โ€œThe Last Town on Earthโ€

Katherine Ann Porter: โ€œPale Horse, Pale Riderโ€

Richard Preston: โ€œThe Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virusโ€ (nonfiction)

Mary Shelley: โ€œThe Last Manโ€

Karen Thompson Walker โ€œThe Dreamersโ€

Do you have a favorite pandemic themed book thatโ€™s missing from the list? Let us know in the comments below.
 

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The Edgar Awards – 2020

 

Each year at this time, the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announces the nominees for The Edgar Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, and television published or produced in the previous year. Because of the Covid-19 virus pandemic, the annual MWA April conference was cancelled, but the Edgar Awards for 2020 were still voted upon by the members and the winners announced on April 30, 2020. (indicated in red)

 

BEST NOVEL
โ€œFake Like Meโ€ by Barbara Bourland
โ€œThe Stranger Diariesโ€ by Elly Griffiths
โ€œThe Riverโ€ by Peter Heller
โ€œSmoke and Ashesโ€ by Abir Mukherjee
โ€œGood Girl, Bad Girlโ€ by Michael Robotham

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
โ€œMy Lovely Wifeโ€ by Samantha Downing
โ€œMiracle Creekโ€ by Angie Kim
โ€œThe Good Detectiveโ€ by John McMahon
โ€œThe Secrets We Keptโ€ by Lara Prescott
โ€œThree-Fifthsโ€ by John Vercher
โ€œAmerican Spyโ€ by Lauren Wilkinson

 

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
โ€œDread of Winterโ€ by Susan Alice Bickford
โ€œFreedom Roadโ€ by William Lashner
โ€œBlood Relationsโ€ by Jonathan Moore
โ€œFebruaryโ€™s Sonโ€ by Alan Parks
โ€œThe Hotel Neversinkโ€ by Adam Oโ€™Fallon Price
โ€œThe Bird Boysโ€ by Lisa Sandlin

 

BEST FACT CRIME
โ€œThe Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder that Shocked Jazz-Age Americaโ€ by Karen Abbott
โ€œThe Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identityโ€ by Axton Betz-Hamilton
โ€œAmerican Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Centuryโ€ by Maureen Callahan
โ€œNorco โ€™80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American Historyโ€ by Peter Houlahan
โ€œIndecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewallโ€ by James Polchin

 

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD
โ€œThe Night Visitorsโ€ by Carol Goodman
โ€œOne Night Goneโ€ by Tara Laskowski
โ€œStrangers at the Gateโ€ by Catriona McPherson
โ€œWhere the Missing Goโ€ by Emma Rowley
โ€œThe Murder Listโ€ by Hank Phillippi Ryan

 

THE G.P. PUTNAMโ€™S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD
โ€œShamedโ€ by Linda Castillo
โ€œBorrowed Timeโ€ by Tracy Clark
โ€œThe Missing Onesโ€ by Edwin Hill
โ€œThe Satapur Moonstoneโ€ by Sujata Massey
โ€œThe Alchemistโ€™s Illusionโ€ by Gigi Pandian
โ€œGirl Gone Missingโ€ by Marcie R. Rendon

 

Nominees for other categories (Best Critical/Biographical, Best Short Story, Juvenile, YA, Teleplay) can be found at https://mysterywriters.org/mwa-announces-the-2020-edgar-nominations/

 

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners for the 2020 Edgar Awards!

 

 

 

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“New York Times Best Fiction and Nonfiction of 2019”

 

Itโ€™s always interesting to see which books the Book Review editors choose for their โ€œBest ofโ€ฆโ€ lists for the year. The titles are sometimes bestsellers, sometimes from debut or international writers, but more importantly, the NYT Book Review editors have fallen in love with the story (or the writing) and ta-da! the book makes the list.

 

Check out their Best of Fiction and Nonfiction choices from 2019. Listed in alphabetical order by author, click on the book titles to read their reviews.

 

Fiction:

 

โ€œNight Boat to Tangierโ€ by Kevin Barry

 

โ€œExhalationโ€ by Ted Chiang

 

โ€œThe Topeka Schoolโ€ by Ben Lerner

 

 

 

โ€œLost Children Archiveโ€ by Valeria Luiselli

 

 

โ€œDisappearing Earthโ€ by Julia Phillips

 

Nonfiction:

 

โ€œThe Yellow Houseโ€ by Sarah M. Broom

 

โ€œThe Clubโ€ by Leo Damrosch

 

โ€œMidnight in Chernobylโ€ by Adam Higginbotham

 

 

 

 

 

โ€œSay Nothingโ€ by Patrick Radden Keefe

 

 

 

โ€œNo Visible Bruisesโ€ by Rachel Louise Snyder

 

Have you read any of the titles? Please let us know what you thought in the comments below.

 

 

 

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National Book Awards – 2019

 

The prestigious National Book Awards2019 for last year's books were bestowed in New York City on November 20, 2019. There were 25 finalists – five each in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People's Literature.

 

Take a look at the finalists and winners (indicated in red) and click on the titles to learn more about the books:
 

FINALISTS FOR FICTION:

 

FINALISTS FOR NONFICTION:

 

FINALISTS FOR POETRY:

 

FINALISTS FOR TRANSLATED LITERATURE: 

 

FINALISTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE:

 

Congratulations to all!!!

 

 

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Barnes & Noble booksellers choose 8 Best of Year Finalists

 

Barnes and Noble did a survey of booksellers at its brick and mortar stores, asking which books they enjoyed selling the most during the year. Here’s the list of the eight top nominees. In December, the booksellers chose among the finalists for the B&N Book of the Year. It's highlighted in red.
 

Click on the titles to learn more about the books.

 

"The Testaments (Barnes & Noble Book Club Edition)"  by Margaret Atwood

 

 

"The Food of Sichuan"  by Fuchsia Dunlop

 

 

"Mythos: (Ancient Greek Mythology Book for Adults, Modern Telling of Classical Greek Myths Book)"  by Stephen Fry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse"  by Charlie Mackesy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Silent Patient"  by Alex Michaelides
 

 

"Olive, Again"  by Elizabeth Strout

 

 

"No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference"  by Greta Thunberg

 

 

"The Nickel Boys (Barnes & Noble Book Club Edition)"  by Colson Whitehead

 

 

What do you think of the list? Which one(s) did you read? Let us know in the comments below.  ๐Ÿ™‚

 

 

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Macavity Awards-2019

 

Each year the members of Mystery Readers International nominate their favorite mysteries in five categories from the previous year for the Macavity Awards. The winners of this coveted award were announced at the end of October, 2019, at the Bouchercon convention in Dallas, Texas.
 

Mystery Readers International, Mystery Readers Journal, and the Macavity Awards, were created by Anthony Award winner, Janet Rudolph.

 

The winning titles are indicated in red.
 

Best Novel:

  • Lou Berney: November Road
  • Alison Gaylin: If I Die Tonight
  • Jane Harper: The Lost Man
  • Jennifer Hillier: Jar of Hearts
  • Naomi Hirahara: Hiroshima Boy
  • Lisa Unger: Under My Skin
     

Best First Novel:

  • Oyinkan Braithwaite: My Sister, the Serial Killer
  • John Copenhaver: Dodging and Burning
  • Delia Owens: Where the Crawdads Sing
  • Catherine Steadman: Something in the Water
  • C.J. Tudor: The Chalk Man
     

Best Nonfiction:

  • Laird R. Blackwell: The Metaphysical Mysteries of G.K. Chesterton: A Critical Study of the Father Brown Stories and Other Detective Fiction
  • Margalit Fox: Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for Justice, and the World’s Most Famous Detective Writer
  • Leslie S. Klinger: Classic American Crime Fiction of the 1920s
  • Michelle McNamara: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
  • Laura Thompson: Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life
  • Sarah Weinman: The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World
     

Best Short Story: (Click on titles in red for links to the stories)

  • Craig Faustus Buck:Race to Judgment” (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Nov/Dec 2018)
  • Leslie Budewitz:All God’s Sparrows” (Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, May/Jun 2018)
  • Barb Goffman:Bug Appétit” (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Nov/Dec 2018)
  • Barry Lancet: “Three-Star Sushi” (Down & Out: The Magazine, Vol.1, No. 3)
  • Gigi Pandian: “The Cambodian Curse” (The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories)
  • Art Taylor:English 398: Fiction Workshop” (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Jul/Aug 2018)
     

Sue Feder Memorial Award for Best Historical Mystery:

  • Dianne Freeman: A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder
  • Elsa Hart: City of Ink
  • Laurie R. King: Island of the Mad
  • Sujata Massey: The Widows of Malabar Hill
  • Ann Parker: A Dying Note
  • Charles Todd: A Forgotten Place
     

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!   ๐Ÿ™‚

 

 

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Take Something Different to the Beach

 

Every once in a while, we should stretch our reading horizons and try something completely different. Just for fun. You may think that straying out of your tried and true and thoroughly enjoyed genre is a bad idea, but here is a batch of books that may change your mind. Go ahead. Take a peek.  ๐Ÿ™‚

 

Adventure/Sci-Fi

 

 

James Rollins writes the exceptional Sigma Force adventure series, which incorporates archeology, historical events, science, a bit of technology, and always a dash of romance. Rollins’ research is so thorough and his writing so skilled that the readers often wonder which parts are true and which are a figment of his incredible imagination. He always includes sections in the books to answer the questions that might arise. Spanning 50,000 years, “The Bone Labyrinth” focuses on the discovery of a subterranean Catholic chapel holding the bones of a Neanderthal woman, as well as revealing a brutal attack on a primate research center. The Sigma Force teams are tasked with finding a connection between the two, taking them to three continents, while being tested as never before by unexpected enemies. The action never stops, with twists and turns until the very last page in this search for the explanations of human intelligence development. “The Bone Labyrinth” is the 11th full length book in the Sigma Force Series, with #14, “Crucible,” out this year.

 

Amish Fiction

 

Laura Bradford writes the wonderful, bestselling Amish Mysteries. “Just Plain Murder” is the sixth installment, with “A Killer Carol” due out in September. In “Just Plain Murder,” Claire Weatherly and Jakob Fisher grow closer and Jakob’s relationship with the family that shunned him shows signs of warming a bit. Jakob’s mentor and retired police chief, Russ Granger, has returned to town, but soon Claire must help Jakob solve the mystery of Russ’ death and so much more. Shocking secrets and lies are uncovered and long-standing relationships are questioned in this marvelous entry in the series. Read them all.
 

 

Christian Fiction

 

 

Terri Blackstock writes entertaining fiction that has wowed her fans for decades. The If I Run Series finishes with book #3, “If I Live.” Casey Cox is still running for her life after being wrongfully indicted for murder. She teams with the investigator on her case to help find the real killers, with consequences for each of them. Blackstock creates a sense of urgency that will keep you spellbound with surprises throughout.

 


 

Non-Fiction

 

 

Gretchen Rubin’s “Happiness Project” is an uplifting way to look at your life and change it for the better. If you’re not happy with the way things are going and want to make some adjustments, this book is for you. Ms. Rubin talks about her own life and how she came to believe that she could be happier. She took a year to experiment with advice given by experts and came up with some ideas of her own, including strategies for each month of the year. It’s a personal plan that can easily be applied to anyone willing to ‘be more present’ in their own life.
 

 

Thriller

 

Internationally bestselling author, Jamie Freveletti, writes the multi-award winning Emma Caldridge Series. Emma Caldridge is a brilliant biochemist who enjoys extreme distance running. She uses both skills while undertaking missions around the world that would reduce the ordinary person to a puddle of fear and mumbling. In “Blood Run,” Caldridge is tasked with delivering vaccines to villages in Africa, but the big pharma CEO accompanying her and providing the financial and logistical support for the operation, is holding out on her. They find themselves in the middle of a war zone between brutal African factions with no way out except through even more dangerous territory. If that weren’t enough, an extra challenge involves an international terrorist who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, complete with a target on Emma’s back. This pulse-pounding story will keep you turning the pages and wondering how in the world Caldridge will make it out alive.

 

Happy reading!  ๐Ÿ™‚

 

 

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