Fall Reading and a Link to My Book Review: The Clan of the Cave Bear

Happy fall, y'all!

I'm looking forward to a book club evening at my local public library. The focus is genre fiction, and this time the genre is mystery. I headed over to Goodreads just now to see which mysteries I had read so far this year. The two most recent sure couldn't be much more different!

Barbara Ross's Sealed Off, #8 in the Maine Clambake mystery series, took me back to my roots in the Pinetree State. Even though I hadn't read books 1-7, I felt I could jump right in and follow the characters as they explored a secret room, feasted on good New England seafood, and solved a murder within their midst. I'm interested in reading the first book in the series to find out the characters' origin stories.

The Likeness by Tana French is the second in the popular Dublin Murder Squad series. Admittedly, the far-fetched nature of the premise (you're going to have to read the blurb on Goodreads) had me doubting whether or not I could get through this one. I kept reading, though, because. . .well, it's Tana French. Somehow, she pulled it off. If a little bit of grit in your mysteries doesn't bother you, start with Book 1, In the Woods, or read the series out of order, since each book features a different protagonist.

One non-mystery book that got me through my school's recent two-week quarantine period of distance learning was Jean M. Auel's The Clan of the Cave Bear. While I feel the need to give a trigger warning about sexual abuse, the book offers a different world to readers in 2020 who are hungry for escape. Check out my review on the New Pages blog.

What mystery or non-mystery books provide readers a great escape this fall? Share your favorites in the comments!

Amy

How one small-town public library continues to serve during shelter-at-home

This week, I had the opportunity to interview the director of the Camas County Public Library, Stephanie Jewett, about how this small library has much to offer, even during social distancing. The resulting article is ready to read in the Weekly Beaver, another small-town Idaho gem. I guess this is what teachers do during Spring Break of the coronavirus pandemic.

Looking for some great reads? I received an email today from a friend seeking some fresh book picks for her family. Here's what I sent her:

• The Lost City of the Monkey God (nonfiction, archeology, Central America)
• Where'd You Go, Bernadette (silly, mental health, absurdities of schools, Antarctica)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (nonfiction, cell science, medical ethics, real people)
• On the easier reading end of the spectrum, A Wolf Called Wander (wolf protagonist, classic story of a journey, based on a real wolf's trek)
• Also for younger reading, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (historical fiction set in Maine, whales, discrimination, baseball)
• For John Grisham fans, An Equal Justice by Chad Zunker (legal thriller, helping homeless people in Austin, TX)
• And if you haven't read Tana French's police thriller In the Woods, it's gripping. It's the first in a series set in and around Dublin, Ireland.

What have you read lately? Have any book recommendations for families with kids? Share in the comments!

No Winner in the Book Giveaway

Hi, Everybody!

The book giveaway has ended with no entries and thus no winners. The contest post had lots of traffic, though, so I am dying to know if readers tried to enter but had technical problems. If that was the case, please leave a comment on this post or email me, Amy, at this address: amy [at sign] amyballard.com.

You can of course purchase Shhhh. . .Murder on Amazon and elsewhere on the Web, but it's disheartening to think someone may have missed out on a win because of issues with the Rafflecopter widget.

If you live in southern Idaho, there's another opportunity coming up, and this one doesn't involve technology! You're invited to the Camas County Public Library on November 15 at 6 p.m. for a reading of two cozy mystery stories from Shhhh. . .Murder! and a chance to win the paperback edition as a door prize. See you there!

Library-Themed Book Giveaway Coming This Week: Shhhh. . .Murder!

Shhhh. . .Murder!

The fall book giveaway is just five days away! Stop by Christian Teacher, Public School from Thursday, October 25 at 12 a.m. EST to Saturday, October 27 at 12 a.m. EST to enter for a chance to win a paperback copy of Shhhh. . .Murder! The anthology features librarians in sticky situations, trying to solve "Cozy crimes in libraries." Some stories veer more toward noir, while others are solidly cozy reads. It's the perfect fall book pick, with twenty-four mysteries by various authors, including me, Amy Ballard.

In my story, "Bookish Dreams," assistant librarian Emma and her English bulldog Billy help solve a murder in the old library building across town. There's a smattering of romance, a pile of old National Geographics, and plenty of small-town charm for cozy mystery readers who like a happy ending.

Also don't miss Michael Bracken's "Mr. Sugarman Visits the Bookmobile," a cozy mystery with characters that feel so real they could be your neighbors. After I read this one, I just had to send the author fan mail via his Web site. Michael was kind enough to reply! I know you'll love the story as much as I did.

Can't wait to read the collection? Get the Kindle edition for $2.99 or the paperback for $12.95. Like what you read? Leave an Amazon review. Reader reviews will help the book find more readers.

If you're a Goodreads user, you can add the book to your lists and follow Amy Ballard there, too.

Use the sharing buttons below to spread the word about the contest to book lovers and library lovers in your life!

More:

Landlocked: Poems by Amy Ballard
The Swans of Starlight Lake, a traditional fairytale by Amy Ballard and Reagan Ballard, .99 for Kindle
"The Ghosts of the Composers," a short story by Amy Ballard on Penultimate Peanut