Opening the door to a public library is like opening a gift box of bakery treats. It's packed with a mixture of pleasant surprises.
WHAT'S IN THE MIX AND WHY?
At Library Mix, I hope to serve up a tasty, useful, and unique blend of essays about books for all ages as well as news about public libraries and literacy. Library Mix is a member of Blogcritics, an online publisher of critical reviews concerning books, film, and culture.
The theme of this issue is 'mystery and mysterious writers.'
ADULT MIX
Not-so-mysterious statistic: Women love reading mysteries
Edgar Alan Poe is credited with creating the modern detective mystery in 1841 when his short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” was published in Graham’s Magazine. It wasn’t long before American women began penning mysteries as well. According to a 2011 survey published by the mystery writer organization Sisters in Crime, women purchase 68 percent of mystery novels. Plus, women write many of these novels and have been doing so since Victorian times. Click here to read more.
Read mini reviews of mysteries by Margaret Coel, Irene Fleming, Shamini Flint, Tana French, Sue Grafton, Elly Griffiths, Lene Kaaberbol and Agnette Friis, Rett MacPherson, and Sara Paretsky.
Read a full review of Karin Fossum's enigmatic Broken, A Mystery.
Read mini reviews of mysteries by Margaret Coel, Irene Fleming, Shamini Flint, Tana French, Sue Grafton, Elly Griffiths, Lene Kaaberbol and Agnette Friis, Rett MacPherson, and Sara Paretsky.
Read a full review of Karin Fossum's enigmatic Broken, A Mystery.
TEEN MIX
A Nancy Drew of the morgue: Meet Cameryn Mahoney
Cameryn Mahoney, the star of Alane Ferguson's teen forensic mysteries, is a modern day Nancy Drew who knows more about body bags and toe tags than she does about shoulder bags and toe rings. She is pretty, but also pretty strange in the eyes of her small town high school classmates in the southwestern Colorado hamlet of Silverton. That’s because she spends a significant amount of time with dead bodies. Click here to read more.
KID MIX
Cynthia Rylant's 'High-Rise' gumshoes inspire giggles
Bunny the bunny and Jack the raccoon are private gumshoes in Cynthia Rylant's High-Rise Private Eyes easy reader series. They like to frequent the Grill Next Door when they aren’t cracking cases or jokes. An argument about the edibility of Brussels sprouts versus potted-plant leaves is resolved by agreeing to go out for pancakes instead. But before they can dig in to a short stack of hotcakes with syrup and butter, they are hot on a case. Click here to read more.
MIX & SHAKE
Why do readers love mystery novels?
Here is a mystery in itself: Why do so many of us read so many mysteries? Googling the topic, I discovered that a high school student had asked a similarly phrased question — perhaps in search of information for an essay assignment — at the eNotes.com website. It drew lots of thoughtful responses, including a link to the scholarly paper “Why Use Detective Fiction in the AP Classroom” by Eric J. Pollock and Hye Won Chun. Click here to read more.
MIX AND SHAKE MYSTERY RECIPE:
"P" is for Kinsey Milhone's Peanut Butter & Pickle Sandwiches
This issue’s blue-plate special recreates the peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches that are a staple of private investigator Kinsey Milhone in Sue Grafton’s bestselling alphabetically titled mystery series that currently stretches from A is for Alibi to V is for Vengeance. Click here to read more.
MIX AND SHAKE MYSTERY RECIPE:
"P" is for Kinsey Milhone's Peanut Butter & Pickle Sandwiches
This issue’s blue-plate special recreates the peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches that are a staple of private investigator Kinsey Milhone in Sue Grafton’s bestselling alphabetically titled mystery series that currently stretches from A is for Alibi to V is for Vengeance. Click here to read more.
QUICK MIX
Quick Mix is a space for bits and pieces. To see old Quick Mix entries, including the previous post — "Mysterious appeal of getting rid of clutter" — visit Library Mix's Mixed-Up Archives.
World Book Night volunteers help plant love of reading
Courtesy of World Book Night
Books are like seeds containing so many possibilities — from blissful escape to immersion in valuable information. To make the contents blossom, all we have do is take time to read. Giving a copy of a book you love to a reluctant reader or someone who has limited access to books is an act of nurturance similar to improving the soil in a garden. It aids growth. Click here to read more at the Mix & Shake page.