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| Patricia Wentworth Courtesy of Goodreads |
2. Elizabeth Enright - As a child one of my very favorite books was The Four Story Mistake but somehow I never seemed to realized that it was actually part of a series. In pre-internet days this was much harder to discover. Luckily I discovered the rest of the books about the Melendy family and the 2 Gone Away Lake books and have basically inhaled them. The only negative is that I can just imagine how much I would've loved them as a child. Books to try: The Saturdays or Gone Away Lake
3. Tony Horwitz - His book Baghdad Without A Map is one of my favorite travel books of all time and I'm generally avoid books set in the Middle East. It was funny and fascinating with bits of poignancy all mixed together. Probably the book he is most known for is Confederates in the Attic which is by far my least favorite book by him. His book about Captain Cook had me waking up my husband in the middle of the night to ask him "did you know" questions. Yet, despite all the information it doesn't feel like an overload. Books to try: Baghdad Without A Map or Blue Latitudes
4. Laurie R. King - King's take on Sherlock Holmes is wonderfully done and not read nearly enough. She does a great job of going in a completely different direction than either of the current TV adaptations but still making Holmes distinctly Holmes. Book to try: The Beekeeper's Apprentice
5. Deborah Crombie - Brilliant British mysteries featuring detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. They're smart without being overdone, gritty without being too dark and always a great mystery. Books to try: A Share in Death is the first and a little lighter, And Justice There is None is further in the series and reflects the darker more serious tone the series took.
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| Shirley Jackson Courtesy of Wikipedia |
7. Daphne du Maurier - For the longest time I kind of assumed Rebecca was the only book du Maurier had ever written until I discovered the wonderful creepiness of The Birds. It's now my mission to read everything she's ever written. Book to try: The Birds and Other Stories.
8. Santa Montefiore - I loved her book Secrets of the Lighthouse when I read it earlier this summer. The Irish setting was incredible and the characters were unique and very well drawn. I was stunned when I discovered she has quite the backlist that I'd never come across before. I'm planning on reading several of hers to my TBR very soon. Book to try: Secrets of the Lighthouse
9. Beverly Connor - If you like the TV show Bones you will love Connor's forensic thriller series featuring forensic anthropologist Diane Fallon. The Lindsey Chamberlain books are good too but I like the Fallon books best. There hasn't been a new one in awhile so I was thrilled when I saw on her site that she's working on a new one. Books to try: One Grave Too Many
10. Laura Lee Guhrke - as far as historical romance goes Guhrke is one of those authors whose books I always enjoy. Her female leads are always unique and strong willed without being annoying. Book to try: And Then He Kissed Her
YES to Laurie King! I read The Bones of Paris for France Book Tours, it was really so so good!
ReplyDeleteI'm on the waitlist for The Bones of Paris. Glad to see you enjoyed it! I love her Mary Russell Books.
DeleteGood choices. I can heartily second Wentworth, King, Crombie, and Connor. I've read only one or two books by each of them and you make me want to go back and read more. By the way, Wentworth's Miss Silver books have recently been released as eBooks by Open Road Media’s Murder & Mayhem imprint. And, these eBooks are available through libraries which have signed up with the Freading.com service.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if my library is signed up with Freading but I'll have to check. I'm so glad to hear that the Miss Silver books have been released as I'm still missing a few. Thanks for sharing that information!
DeleteI loved Elizabeth Enright's books growing up too! I might have to check out Patricia Wentworth's books as I love the Miss Marple stories. I haven't read Rebecca yet but I keep meaning to... I've watched the movie though. I guess I'll have to check out The Birds as well now. Is that the novel the Alfred Hitchcock film is based off of?
ReplyDeleteThe movie is loosely based on this story though I find the story much better! If you enjoy Marple I really think you'd love Wentworth. They're similar types though I think Miss Silver has a more practical air. I only got the one Enright growing up but I've been making up for lost time now!
DeleteI love Shirley Jackson! I was forced to read some of her stuff in college and had to get my hands on more! Thanks for all the suggestions :)
ReplyDeleteHere are my Top Ten!
She's wonderful! She definitely gets overlooked but her books are brilliant!
DeleteI've only read Shirley Jackson and Daphne du Maurier, but have Blue Latitudes by Tony Horwitz on my shelf. Looks like I have lots of new authors and books to investigate!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Blue Latitudes. It was a bit of history that I didn't know much about. If you like it make sure you get Baghdad Without a Map!
DeleteYea, I had a hard time picking one genre on mine.
ReplyDeleteI've not read any books from the authors you've listed. In fact I think I've only know of three of them. Though not very well. I just know their names(pretty much).
Great list. I'll check out some authors you've listed.
Happy reading!
Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
It was definitely a challenge partly because I read a pretty random mix of genres. I think you read a little more scifi than me so these may not all be your cup of tea though I do really recommend Shirley Jackson.
DeleteI've only read Rebecca by du Maurier but I have a couple of her others on my shelf. Not The Birds, though! The only other author I recognize on this list is Shirley Jackson and I've only read "The Lottery." Guess I need to read some more of these!
ReplyDeleteThe Birds was so good. I was reading it thinking "this is silly. how scary can birds be." Then I found out. Insanely scary. Definitely read more Shirley Jackson. The Lottery is good but her other books are so much better.
DeleteI've read du Maurier, Connor and Jackson and wholeheartedly agree. I want to pick up Laurie R. Kiing, have to look for the Beekeeper's Apprentice to read them in order though. Thanks for a good list.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll like Laurie R. King. She can be a little bit dry but her books are just so smart.
DeleteI read The Haunting of Hill House when I had this crazy idea that I wanted to find a book to really scare me. Still haven't found a really good horror book to keep me up at night.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I would classify Hill House as a horror. Probably more just creepy. The Birds may be the same way for you though I will say when I see a big crowd of birds all together I get a bit jumpy!
DeleteShirley Jackson's one of my favorite authors. I should read Life Among the Savages...
ReplyDeleteLife Among the Savages is very different from her other books but still very distinctly Jackson. It's definitely worth a read if you enjoy her other books. I could definitely related to quite a bit of it!
DeleteDeborah Crombie made a few lists on this topic. I will have to try her. I did read one book by Beverly Connor, one of her Chamberlain books and I wasn't impressed. I didn't realize she had another series too, maybe I'll try it.
ReplyDeleteI think the Fallon books are better than the Chamberlain books. One of the first 2 of the Chamberlain series was a DNF for me but I ended up really enjoying her other books. You may want to try again! Crombie is one of my go-to mystery authors.
DeleteThe Four Storey Mistake was one of my favourites too as a child - and it took me a while to discover the rest featuring that lovely Melendy family. And I heartily echo your sentiments about Du Maurier, Laurie R. King, Patricia Wentworth, Shirley Jackson - I haven't read the others you mention, so I cannot judge. Isn't it interesting that most of them are women - was that a deliberate choice of yours or it just happened?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not a deliberate choice. In fact so not a deliberate choice that I didn't realize it until your comment! I think the majority of the authors I read are women so that probably plays a part.
DeleteOh I hope you enjoy them!
ReplyDeleteGreat choices, all. My TBR list is to the floor and out the door!
ReplyDeleteI completely understand! If I add many more to mine I'll need a room just for the list!
DeleteGreat list, Katherine I am going to check out the ones I do not know.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I hope you find some new authors you enjoy!
DeleteYes, yes, yes! You know I love Laurie King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. And Deborah Crombie, even though I'm way behind on the series. And Elizabeth Enright - wonderful books! I still re-read them.
ReplyDeleteI've had mixed feelings about du Maurier (Rebecca was really good but gave me the creeps), but I liked Frenchman's Creek and Jamaica Inn, both of which I read in college, I think.
I need to try Wentworth again. I found her rather dry when I first tried, years ago, but it may have either the wrong book or I was in the wrong mood. And Horwitz sounds good - a bit like Bill Bryson, perhaps?
du Maurier can definitely do creepy well. The Birds was the scariest book I've ever read.
DeleteDo try Wentworth again. The Grey Mask which is the first Miss Silver isn't really the best but I have really enjoyed her others. Horwitz is similar to Bryson but I actually like him better. He's a little less impressed with himself!
I used to read a lot of Miss Silver's adventures, but I definitely love Daphne du Maurier ! Jamaica Inn is very good too, but my favorite is The house on the strand. Rule Britannia also was very original ;)
ReplyDeleteJackson and du Maurier are the only of these authors that I have heard of - I'd have to say the others really must be underrated!
ReplyDeleteGreat list, Katherine! It took me forever to try Deborah Crombie and I loved the book I read by her. She's one I can't wait to read more of. Laurie R. King and Daphne du Maurier are both authors on my must read list.
ReplyDelete