Book Title Trends

Today I was reading a pamphlet on great books for book discussion groups and I thought for about the 100th time, "Why do so many books have (insert word here) in the title?"  Recently, the title trend that always catches my eye is books with "The Art of" in the title.  Here are just a few books with that title:

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television and by listening closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. On the night before his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through, hoping, in his next life, to return as a human.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
At Westish College, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for the big leagues until a routine throw goes disastrously off-course. In the aftermath of his error, the fates of five people are upended and Henry's self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life. As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Phillips Sendker
A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats spans the decades between the 1950s and the present.  When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia has any idea where he might be - until they find a love letter he wrote many years ago to a Burmese woman they have never heard of. Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father’s past, Julia decides to travel to the village where the woman lived. There she uncovers a tale of unimaginable hardship, resilience, and passion that will reaffirm the reader’s belief in the power of love to move mountains.

Please do not get me started on all the titles similar to/or parodies of Fifty Shades of Grey. Since the success of E.L. James trilogy there have been a slew of parodies and books with the title of "Fifty Shades of __________".  Beloved classic literature and fairy tale characters have gotten the Fifty Shades treatment (Mr. Darcy and Alice in Wonderland, I'm looking at you).  If you don't believe me, go to Amazon and type in "Fifty Shades of" and see how many results you get.  Many of these are self-published or only available as an e-book.

Are there any book title trends that you have noticed? There are a lot of sound-alike titles out there, check out the library's Sounds the Same board on our Pinterest page.  Please feel free to leave a comment.

Amy, Adult Services

Spotlight on True Adventure: Discovery & Battle of Wits

Nonfiction or True Adventure stories deliver the adrenaline rush of exploration, survival, and discovery, without having to leave your comfiest chair. Though similar to Adventure Fiction (see Clive Cussler), part of the enjoyment to be found in True Adventure are the practical details. Whether it's the tools and procedures for mountain climbing, or descriptions of far off or extreme landscapes, readers will be immersed in a fantastic, but all too real, world.

This is our second post on True Adventure titles. You can read our first post, which focused on Survival Stories and Natural Disasters, by following this link: http://carnegiestout.blogspot.com/2012/01/spotlight-on-true-adventure-survival.html

Voyages of Discovery
The Lost City of Z: a tale of deadly obsession in the Amazon by David Grann (918.11 GRA) Author David Grann retraces the 1925 journey of Percy Fawcett, who disappeared in the Amazon while in search of a missing city filled with Incan gold.

Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson
(940.5451 KUR) The story of two scuba divers who discover an unknown U-boat off of the coast of New Jersey, and their dangerously obsessive 11-year quest to identify the wreck.


Blind Descent: the quest to discover the deepest place on earth by James M. Tabor
(796.525 TAB) Not a tale for the claustrophobic, Mr. Tabor provides a look at the competitive world of professional spelunking from Oaxaca, Mexico to the Republic of Georgia.

Too Far from Home: a story of life and death in space by Chris Jones
(629.45 JON) When the space shuttle Columbia was destroyed, two American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut became stranded on the International Space Station. Journalist Christ Jones combines the details day-to-day life in space, with the dangerous rescue attempt à la Apollo 13.

The Lady and the Panda: the true adventures of the first American explorer to bring back China's most exotic animal by Vicki Croke
(LP 599.789 CRO) In 1936 socialite Ruth Harkness' husband was killed in an attempt to capture a Giant Panda for an American zoo, and Ms. Harkness decided to complete her husband's dangerous quest.

A Battle of Wits
Agent Zigzag: a true story of Nazi espionage, love, and betrayal by Ben Macintyre
(Biog Chapman) Conman Eddie Chapman trained as a spy for the Germans, but when given a mission to destroy a British airplane factory, he became a double agent for MI5 instead.

Sex On the Moon: the amazing story behind the most audacious heist in history by Ben Mezrich
(364.1628 MEZ) Thad Roberts worked hard to escape his life in Utah and become a NASA fellow, but then he decides to impress his girlfriend, a NASA intern, by involving her in a plot to steal moon rocks. Ben Mezrich is also the author of The Accidental Billionaires, the book behind The Social Network.

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: the astonishing rise and spectacular fall of a serial impostor by Mark Seal
(364.1633 SEA) When Clark Rockefeller's marriage comes to a bad end, he kidnaps his young daughter, but the FBI investigation turns up more than expected. Rockefeller is not the man he claimed to be.

Flawless: inside the largest diamond heist in history by Scott Andrew Selby
(364.162 SEL) In 2003, upwards of a hundred million dollars of diamonds and other gems were stolen from the high security Antwerp Diamond Center. Though, unlike a Hollywood crime caper, the thieves do not get away, but most of the valuables were never recovered.

Readers may also be interested in our Ann Rule Read Alike post, which includes reading suggestions about crimes and criminals.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!

Spotlight on Urban Lit

Urban Lit (a.k.a Urban Fiction, Street Lit) is an increasingly popular genre that features African-American and Latino characters, often set on the gritty streets of the city, whose lives are circumscribed by racism, violence, drugs, love and sex. The tone of the stories is frequently dark, as the characters struggle to survive on the street, and the language is often frank and explicit. Many stories are presented as cautionary tales, and a means of shedding light on the struggles and inequities of daily inner-city life, but they also offer hope and the possibilities of a better life.

Some must-read urban lit:

True to the Game, True to the Game II and True to the Game III by Terri Woods – This fast-paced trilology follows Gena, a young girl from the projects, who meets Quadir, a millionaire drug dealer, and falls madly in love. Quadir builds a massive empire while fighting his rivals and enemies. Gena faces the challenges of holding onto her man, and the life she’s fought so hard for. Both of them find themselves caught up in a vicious yet seductive world, and learn that success in this game is no easy win.

The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah – After Winter Santiaga’s drug-kingpin father is arrested, the young teen leaves the easy and luxurious life she has known for a much rougher existence in foster care. An urban lit classic.

Push by Sapphire - When 16-year-old Precious, who lives in the projects and is pregnant with her father’s child, enrolls at an alternative school, she slowly forges a new path out of her dire circumstances. The 2009 Oscar-winning movie Precious was based on this novel.

Let That Be the Reason by Vickie Stringer – This semi-autobiographical novel features Carmen, a single-parent hustler who deals drugs and starts her own escort business to support her daughter.

A Hustler’s Wife and Forever a Hustler’s Wife by Nikki Turner - Des, one of the leading criminals in Richmond, Virginia, and Yarni, an innocent girl from a well-to-do family, hook up. But when Des is arrested, Yarni begins exploring the city’s criminal underworld.

Death Before Dishonor by 50 Cent and Nikki Turner - Hip-hop megastar 50 Cent and this collaboration with Nikki Turner follows successful beauty shop owner Sunni who despairs of finding a lasting relationship and Trill, who, after serving time in prison for a crime he did not commit, plots revenge.

Eviction Notice by K’wan - Porsha: the ghetto princess. Boots: the scandalous baby mama. Frankie aka Francine: the con artist. These three girls live in one apartment and are into all kinds of hood foolishness while having fun until one day they find an eviction notice taped to their door. Now they have seventy-two hours to find out how to come up with all the money they owe in months of back rent.

Decoded by Jay–Z – An exploration of the process and meaning behind Jay-Z’s music, Decoded also presents the evolution of hip-hop and rap, set against the the author’s own life and the lives of prominent African-American artists.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!

Spotlight on True Adventure: Survival & Natural Disasters

As most avid readers will tell you, a book can offer an escape from your everyday life. Nonfiction or True Adventure stories deliver the adrenaline rush of exploration, survival, and discovery, without having to leave your comfiest chair. Though similar to Adventure Fiction (see Clive Cussler), part of the enjoyment to be found in True Adventure are the practical details. Whether it's the tools and procedures for mountain climbing, or descriptions of far off or extreme landscapes, readers will be immersed in a fantastic, but all too real, world.

Whether you're already a fan or you're looking to try something new, we've put together a list of suggestions for True Adventure. You can read our second True Adventure post, which focuses on Voyages of Discovery and Spies & Conmen, by following this link: carnegiestout.blogspot.com/2012/02/spotlight-on-true-adventure-discovery.html
Stories of Survival
Lost in Shangri-la by Mitchell Zuckoff
(940.548 ZUC) Three Americans survive a WWII plane crash in remote New Guinea.

Not Without Hope by Nick Schuyler
(910.452 SCH) Mr. Schuyler survives a terrible boating accident that kills three of his friends, two of whom played in the NFL.

Miracle in the Andes: 72 days on the mountain and my long trek home by Nando Parrado
(982.6 PAR) Mr. Parrado's tragic tale of survival after a tragic plane crash high in the Andes is considered a classic of the True Adventure genre.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston
(Biog Ralston) While hiking in Utah, Mr. Ralston becomes trapped beneath and boulder and must make a difficult decision. His story is the basis for the film 127 Hours.

Into Thin Air: a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster by Jon Krakauer
(796.522095496 KRA) Journalist Jon Krakauer's deadly 1996 Mt. Everest expedition is another classic in True Adventure writing.

The Ledge: an adventure story of friendship and survival on Mount Rainier by Jim Davidson
(796.522092 DAV) This more recent account of mountain climbing tells of a 1992 disaster on Mount Rainier, and its inspirational impact on survivor Jim Davidson.

Natural Disasters
The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin
(977.031 LAS) The story of a tragic blizzard in 1888 that caused the death of many recent and unprepared immigrants, especially school children.

F5: Devastation, survival, and the most violent tornado outbreak of the twentieth century by Mark Levine
(551.553 LEV) In April of 1974 more than one hundred tornadoes struck the central U.S. Mr. Levine focuses on the impact of these deadly storms on a community in rural Alabama.

The Perfect Storm: a true story of men against the sea by Sebastian Junger
(974.45 JUN) This account of the deadly storm which struck the New England coast in October of 1991 is another True Adventure classic and served as the basis for the 2000 movie.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
(976.335 EGG) Mr. Eggers tells the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun who disappeared in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: empire, intrigue, murder, and the new Madrid earthquakes by Jay Feldman
(551.22 FEL) The story of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and '12 and how they affected the people and politics of the day.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!

The Best Books of 2011

As the end of the year approaches, it's a time for reflection: holiday letters with the family's yearly update, New Year's Resolutions, and Best of Lists. We've compiled a list of the ten most anticipated books of 2011 at Carnegie-Stout Public Library, and you can check them out at the link below.

Ten Most Anticipated Books at Carnegie-Stout, 2011

We've also gathered together links to some of the popular Best Books of 2011 lists, and we'd love it if you shared your favorite books from the year in the comments here or on Facebook!

Publisher's Weekly: Best Books of 2011

• This year, Publisher's Weekly presents their Top Ten lists as an interactive guide, beginning with their top ten of all books published this year. You can also browse their list by genre.

Book Page: Ten Best Books of 2011

• Book Page is the monthly magazine of book reviews available at the library, and the contributors have written a series of articles on their blog about the best in books for 2010.

The New York Times: The 10 Best Books of 2011

• The New York Times is famous for their bestseller lists, and it would be surprising if they didn't compose a best of the year article. They have also created a list of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2011.

NPR: Best Books of 2011

• The many and varied programs on NPR each week introduce listeners to a variety of different books and authors. Their collection of Best of Lists likewise cover all manner of topics from cookbooks to guilty pleasures as selected by writers, critics, and booksellers.

Library Journal: Best Books of 2011

• Library Journal covers the news of the library world and reviews thousands of books each year. This is their first end of the year Best of List, and unsurprisingly, they found it difficult to limit the list to just 10. Within the article, you can find links to lists for Genre Fiction, Audiobooks, and more.

Photo: "I Love to Read" by Carlos Porto

Cozy Mysteries-Books and Libraries

A list of cozy mystery series just wouldn't be complete without taking a look at all the authors writing about books, bookstores, libraries and librarians. I found eleven different series, but I think my favorite has to be Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr, a bookseller who also happens to be a thief.

Clicking on the blue hyperlink will take you to the library catalog for the entire series. The bold title is the first book in the series, followed by a description, provided by NoveList.

Booktown mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Barrett, Lorna
Murder is Binding: When fellow bookstore owner Doris Gleason is murdered, Tricia Miles, deciding to investigate, discovers that someone wanted to get their hands on a rare cookbook in Doris's possession and that the locals believe that someone is her.

Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries (Most Recent: 2004)
By: Block, Lawrence
Burglars Can't be Choosers: Hired to perform a seemingly simple break-in, Bernie Rhodenbarr is horrified when he takes the fall for a murder rap and is forced to flee, and stationed in an out-of-town apartment, he tries to discover why he was set up.

Ophelia and Abby mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Damsgaard, Shirley
Witch Way to Murder: Thirty-something librarian--and psychic--Ophelia Jensen and her grandmother Abby, a practicing witch, set out to uncover the truth about an enigmatic, handsome stranger whose recent arrival in their tranquil Iowa town has apparently triggered an onslaught of disaster, from the theft of bomb-making materials to murder.

Christy Castleman cozy mysteries (Most Recent: 2008)
By: Darty, Peggy
When the Sandpiper Calls: Christy Castleman, a pretty, young novelist, has made a name for herself writing books about mystery and intrigue. The Sassy Snowbirds, a group of lively ladies, spread fun, friendship, and good deeds around the seaside town of Summer Breeze. Everyone is content in their cozy world–until a message is found in a small Victorian glass bottle half buried in the sand.

Aurora Teagarden mysteries (Most Recent: 2003)
By: Harris, Charlaine
Real Murders: A society of crime buffs discovers a mutilated body in their clubhouse kitchen and the town librarian suspects a fellow member because the crime closely resembled the club's "murder of the month."

Death on Demand mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
Alternate series name: Annie Laurance Darling mysteries
By: Hart, Carolyn G.
Death on Demand: Annie Laurance, the lovely, young owner of the "Death on Demand" bookstore, and her wealthy lover, Max Darling, search for a killer after author Elliot Morgan is murdered during a meeting of famous mystery writers.

Crochet mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Hechtman, Betty
Hooked on Murder: When Molly Pink, a bookstore event coordinator, is accused of murdering the leader of the weekly crochet group at Shedd & Royal Books and More, she, while unraveling the clues, decides to take up crocheting to catch the real killer.

Cat in the stacks mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
Alternate series name: Charlie Harris mysteries
By: James, Miranda
Murder past Due: A famous author returns to his hometown and is murdered. It's up to Charlie Harris, the town's librarian, and his cat Diesel, to find the killer before the wrong person is arrested for the crime. The trouble is, every last one of Charlie's friends and coworkers had a score to settle with the novelist.

Haunted bookshop mysteries (Most Recent: 2009)
By: Kimberly, Alice
The Ghost and Mrs. McClure: When a guest author drops dead in the middle of a book signing after revealing a secret about a 1940s mystery that is linked to their bookstore, young widow Penelope Thorton-McClure and her aunt set out to find the truth - with a little otherworldly assistance.

Murder by month mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Lourey, Jess
May Day: Mira decides to begin a new life in rural Battle Lake. Right away she is offered jobs as an assistant librarian and part-time reporter, and falls into an unexpected romance with a guy who seems to be the perfect man until he turns up dead between the reference stacks her tenth day on the job.

Marjorie McClelland mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Meade, Amy Patricia
Million Dollar Baby: Successful young writer Marjorie McClelland leads a solitary, comfortable life in the quiet, post-prohibition town of Ridgebury, CT. Her tranquil life is disrupted when she meets Creighton Ashcroft and they stumble across a body while touring the ample grounds of Creighton's new estate.

Country house crime novels (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Raichev, R. T

The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette: Twenty years after a little girl disappears during the melee of Charles and Diana's royal wedding, Antonia Darcy, a divorced assistant librarian at the Military and Naval Club, puzzles over the ongoing bizarre behavior of the child's family and their absent former nanny.

Cozy Mysteries - Great Britain

The last specialty cozy category we are going to explore is mysteries set in Great Britain; including England, Scotland and Wales. This category tends to be a favorite of mystery readers. Although she is not included here, Agatha Christie is perhaps the most well known of all cozy mystery writers. So it is fitting that we close out our look at cozies with those set in Great Britain.

If you find that you still haven't had your fill of cozy mystery series, stop down at the Recommendations desk and ask for more!

I hope you have enjoyed checking out this series of lists as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Clicking on the blue hyperlink will take you to the library catalog for the entire series. The bold title is the first book in the series, followed by a description, provided by NoveList.

Roger Hayes mysteries (Most Recent: 2007)
By: Armstrong, Vivien
No Birds Singing: After being transferred to the quiet village of Newton Greys, Chief Inspector Roger Hayes investigates the murder of hairdresser Sandy Prentice, and slowly begins to realize that not everything is as it seems.

Aunt Dimity mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Atherton, Nancy
Aunt Dimity's Death: Summoned from her latest dreadful temp job by her lawyers, Lori Shephard discovers that Aunt Dimity--her mother's favorite bedtime story heroine--was a real person who has left her millions and the challenge to solve an eerie mystery.

Agatha Raisin mysteries (Most Recent:2010)
By: Beaton, M. C.
Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death: In order to introduce herself to the picturesque English village where she has just retired, Mrs. Agatha Raisin enters a quiche in a local competition and promptly finds herself a murder suspect when the judge dies from her poisonous pie.

Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Bebris, Carrie
Pride and Prescience: Just after their wedding, the newlywed hero and heroine of Pride & Prejudice become involved in a bizarre mystery involving wedding guest Caroline Bingley, who has become engaged to wed a wealthy, charismatic American.

Constable Evans mysteries (Most Recent: 2006)
By: Bowen, Rhys
Evan's Above: As constable of the Welsh village of Llanfair, Evan Evans enjoys the quiet life among the town's eccentrics, until two visiting hikers are found dead, and Evan must discover the link between their murder and the destruction of prize-winning tomatoes.

Royal Spyness mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
Alternate series name: Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie novels
By: Bowen, Rhys
Her Royal Spyness: A penniless twenty-something member of the British nobility, Lady Victoria puts her sleuthing talents to work when an arrogant Frenchman, who is determined to gain control of her family's eight-hundred-year-old estate for himself, ends up dead in her bathtub.

Fethering mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Brett, Simon
The Body on the Beach: Retiree Carole Seddon's peaceful life in the English seaside town of Feathering is turned upside down when she stumbles upon a corpse on the beach while walking her dog and joins forces with her bohemian neighbor, Jude, to find a killer.

Ellie Haskell mysteries (Most Recent: 2009)
By: Cannell, Dorothy
The Thin Woman: Reluctant to show up at her family reunion carrying so many extra pounds, unmarried, overweight Ellie Simons hires Bentley T. Haskell to pose as her fiancé, thus beginning a weekend of romance, jealousy, and murder.

Dorothy Martin mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Dams, Jeanne M.
The Body in the Transept: Struggling through a painful first holiday season after the death of her beloved husband, eccentric amateur sleuth Dorothy Martin finds further trouble when she discovers a dead body, but a handsome chief constable lifts her mood.

Dido Kent mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Dean, Anna
Bellfield Hall, or, the Observations of Miss Dido Kent: Visiting Bellfield Hall to comfort her niece, who has been seemingly abandoned by her wealthy fiancé, Miss Dido Kent investigates the possibly related death of a young woman, a situation that is complicated by surprising secrets.

Cornish mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
Alternate series name: Eleanor Trewynn mysteries
By: Dunn, Carola
Manna From Hades: The day after collecting donations, elderly widow Eleanor Trewynn and the vicar's wife find the dead body of a longhaired, scruffy-looking youth hidden in the stockroom of the charity shop. Then they discover that some donated jewelry thought to be fake is actually very real, very expensive, and the haul from a violent robbery in London. Making matters more complex, the corpse found in the storeroom is apparently not one of the robbers.

Daisy Dalrymple mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Dunn, Carola
Death at Wentwater Court: When her father dies and her boyfriend is killed in the war, the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple declines the opportunity of living with her mother and strikes out on her own as a journalist. She's hired by a magazine to do a series of articles, of English country manor houses. At Wentwater Court, her first assignment, she's with old friends and a new face, the sinister Lord Stephen Astwith. When he's found dead, the connection is made to area jewel thefts, but the house is full of likely suspects.

Harriet Martens mysteries (Most Recent: 2008)
By: Keating, H. R.F.
The Hard Detective: Two of hard-nosed detective Harriet Martin's officers have been murdered, and Harriet must desperately try to prevent further deaths as she connects the murders to a quote from the Book of Exodus about "Life for life, eye for eye".

Isabel Dalhousie mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
Alternate series name: Sunday philosophy club
By: McCall Smith, Alexander
The Sunday Philosophy Club: The editor of "The Review of Applied Ethics" and a curious lover of puzzles, Isabel Dalhousie decides to investigate when she witnesses the fatal fall of a young man and discovers that he had been probing misdeeds at his brokerage firm.

Read Alike: Nevada Barr

Nevada Barr’s U.S. Park Ranger heroine, Anna Pigeon, is a larger-than-life woman whose contradictory thoughts and feelings mirror those of many readers. Anna is at once capable yet self-doubting, professionally dedicated to her work and reluctant to commit to a personal relationship, serious and logical but with a wryly humorous outlook and a willingness to accept the supernatural as a possibility. Although claustrophobic, she will enter caves, tunnels and wells in pursuit of the truth. Fiercely loyal herself, she is nonetheless always amazed when others demonstrate their loyalty on her behalf.

Elements of paranormal activity often show up in Barr’s stories in the form of ghostly appearances of long-dead persons, hallucinations or visions, etc. Frequently there is a strong historical tie with emotional or unhappy events of the past. Barr, a park ranger herself, employs a strong sense of place in all of her stories, setting them in various areas of spectacular beauty or historical interest, from West Texas to Florida to the Statue of Liberty, and many points in between. While identifying the evil and tracking down the killer in each setting, Anna in her official role is dedicated to nurturing and protecting the natural world against the greed of those who would despoil it for their own purposes.

The continuing internal conflict between the demands of Anna's work and desire for independence vs. the loneliness she experiences after accepting far-flung posts allows Barr slowly to develop a complex and often long-distance relationships. Other friends she meets in her various positions offer on-the-spot support in crisis, forming short-term bonds which seem as deep and strong as those of the close family Anna lacks. Pacing is not rushed in fact some sequences feel almost dreamlike at times. Barr skillfully builds tension throughout the stories and the series by re-introducing characters from past novels in continuing roles, embroiling Anna in family and friendship issues, and allowing her at times to digress mentally from the current situation into what-if scenarios.

Although each book in the Anna Pigeon series stands alone as a mystery, Track of the Cat was the first story and as such offers valuable insights into Anna's current character, strengths and foibles and develops a basis for the rest of the stories. When Anna's husband dies, she leaves New York City for a job as U.S. Park Ranger in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park of western Texas. Shortly thereafter, she discovers the remains of a fellow ranger, Sheila Drury, who was apparently killed by a mountain lion. Anna is not convinced, however, and begins her own investigation into the death.

Read-alikes:

Of the range of Wildlife Mystery Thrillers currently available, Jessica Speart's Rachel Porter mysteries are perhaps the closest to the feel of the Anna Pigeon stories. Sassy and spunky, yet with an underlying vulnerability, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent Rachel Porter investigates all sorts of crimes for which she is woefully unprepared. Every time she solves a crime her bosses affect a transfer to somewhere even more remote and undesirable, where she immediately finds herself in more trouble. In Border Prey, Rachel is cultivating a snitch that is then found dead -- murdered with his cell phone. Hot on the track of smugglers, she discovers that a booming business in all sorts of exotic animals is being conducted in her territory, by the man who previously held her job. The action is fast-paced and the characters range from pathetic, to ornery, to lovable but eccentric. Meanwhile, Rachel's continuous stream-of-consciousness commentary ties it all together with humorous asides and wistful musings on the location and status of her absent lover, FBI agent Jake Santou, who is currently stationed half the continent away.

Karen Kijewski's Kat Colorado Mysteries, although set in big-city environments rather than scenic parklands, embody many of the same factors which appeal to Barr's readers. Kat is a private investigator with a cop for a boyfriend in an on-again, off-again long-distance relationship. Although the pacing is more rapid than in Barr's work, the same sense of urgency prevails, drawing the reader along from one shocking discovery to another but leavening the experience with humor and well-developed recurring secondary characters who support Kat as she works through issues in both her personal and professional life. In Alley Kat Blues, Kat tries to find the person who mutilated a young woman and left her along the highway. At the same time, she has discovered her lover's bed is occupied by an exotic dancer and his time is taken up with trying to identify and apprehend a brutal serial killer, which leaves him neither the energy nor the inclination to reassure Kat of his fidelity and interest in her.

Finally, a book set halfway across the world with traditional Scotland-Yard detectives may take the reader in different directions, but there are many parallels between A Finer End, by Deborah Crombie, and the adventures of Anna Pigeon. Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James were formerly partners at Scotland Yard. Since Gemma's promotion to Inspector, they no longer work together but their personal relationship has grown and prospered. Gemma, however, has a small son and is not quite ready to take the plunge into matrimony, while Duncan is facing parenting issues of his own. When his childhood friend and cousin calls requesting help, Duncan sees this as a chance to spirit Gemma off to Glastonbury for a mini-vacation and some courting practice. The location itself is exceptionally dramatic, being an ancient Druidic ruin and former legendary Abbey. Malevolent forces, visions and tangled pasts combine to create a situation fraught with tension and evocative of both paranormal and criminal experiences, while Gemma tries to sort out herself, her feelings and intentions toward Duncan, and the murder of one person and attempts on at least two more.

Other authors that may write in a style similar to Barr include: Peter Bowen, C.J. Box, Lillian Jackson Braun, Linda Fairstein, Sue Grafton, Sue Henry, Tony Hillerman, J.A. Jance, and Dana Stabenow.

Annotations courtesy of NoveList.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!