Hello mystery lovers! Some of you may have noticed that it's getting hard to find a library copy of July's selection, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. But we've ordered six more copies, and they should be here soon. You can place a hold by clicking "request" on this page.
Let us know if you're having trouble getting your hands on the book. See you July 13th at 7 pm! We'll be meeting upstairs, in one of the library conference rooms.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Last Night's Discussion
Thanks to all who came to our inaugural meeting last night!
Below is the list of books that everyone suggested, to the best of our memory and notes. Please tell us in the comments if we left something out or if there are additional great titles that need a mention.
Thanks again, and we hope to see you July 13, for a discussion of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
Below is the list of books that everyone suggested, to the best of our memory and notes. Please tell us in the comments if we left something out or if there are additional great titles that need a mention.
Thanks again, and we hope to see you July 13, for a discussion of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
Mysteries
Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
Rolling Thunder by Chris Grabenstein
Monkeewrench by P. J. Tracy
Tao Yun Shan series by Eliot Pattison
C.I. Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny
Inspector Salvo Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri
Commissioner Guido Brunetti series by Donna Leon
The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid
Bloodhounds by Peter Lovesey
Cooper and Fry series by Stephen Booth
Science Fiction
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Novels and Short Stories
Housekeeping and Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Friday, June 4, 2010
Mystery v. Thriller
Is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo a mystery, or a thriller? And what's the difference?
The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction points out that every mystery is a puzzle, in which the author must hide certain key elements. "[T]he author provides clues to the solution but attempts to obscure some information so that the puzzle cannot be solved too easily."
But for a thriller to function, the reader must be more aware of what is going on behind the scenes. "The role of the readers of thrillers is to watch, to follow the action step-by-step," Joyce G. Saricks writes in the Guide.
The Web site mysterynet.com has an interesting essay on the subject from novelist Janet L. Smith. She notes that according to master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, suspense is created when the audience is "holding its collective breath," waiting for an event that it expects will happen -- like a bomb under the table that the audience knows is set to explode at a certain time. If the bomb goes off without prior warning, then it is simply a surprise, but not suspenseful, Smith writes.
Readers of thrillers may know about the bomb under the table, but mystery authors often must keep the reader in the dark. "The dilemma created for the writer of traditional mysteries," Smith writes, "is the fact that the villain and the details of the crime must remain unidentified, breaking Hitchcock's rule of keeping the audience informed."
When does The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo act like a thriller and when is it a mystery? Does it go off track and become more about vengeance than solving the crime? Bring your thoughts to the discussion.
The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction points out that every mystery is a puzzle, in which the author must hide certain key elements. "[T]he author provides clues to the solution but attempts to obscure some information so that the puzzle cannot be solved too easily."
But for a thriller to function, the reader must be more aware of what is going on behind the scenes. "The role of the readers of thrillers is to watch, to follow the action step-by-step," Joyce G. Saricks writes in the Guide.
The Web site mysterynet.com has an interesting essay on the subject from novelist Janet L. Smith. She notes that according to master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, suspense is created when the audience is "holding its collective breath," waiting for an event that it expects will happen -- like a bomb under the table that the audience knows is set to explode at a certain time. If the bomb goes off without prior warning, then it is simply a surprise, but not suspenseful, Smith writes.
Readers of thrillers may know about the bomb under the table, but mystery authors often must keep the reader in the dark. "The dilemma created for the writer of traditional mysteries," Smith writes, "is the fact that the villain and the details of the crime must remain unidentified, breaking Hitchcock's rule of keeping the audience informed."
When does The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo act like a thriller and when is it a mystery? Does it go off track and become more about vengeance than solving the crime? Bring your thoughts to the discussion.
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