The Magic of Mysteries

Last October I concentrated my reading for the spookiest month of the year on the fantastic. Fantasies about ghosts, witches, wizards, etc. were the flavor of the holiday season. This year I've rediscovered the wonder of the mystery genre. Starting with the anthology here, Murder by Magic edited by Rosemary Edgehill. It is a terrific collection of 20 short mysteries. They are cleverly re-imagined twists on every category of mystery you can think of, from the modern, to the genteel manor house, to the futuristic sci-fi world, and even the mystery that is unclassifiable. I highly recommend this anthology. Best of all it still includes magic in each of the stories. Sorry, I just can't help but be drawn to the fantasy element of things. October is the best time of year to delve into the mystical and eerie of the unknown.

Of my reading fair though, I haven't limited myself to just fiction or mysterious fantasy. I've got on my reading list this month a nonfiction spy piece.

George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War

What could be better than reading about one of our founding fathers and his use and instigation of a successful spy ring to help us win our independence from Great Britain. I haven't managed to start reading it yet. But my husband, who isn't particularly a history buff or interested in nonfiction for the youthful reader, gave this book a try. He gave it four out of five stars on Goodreads. Pretty high praise from him, since he loves mainly fantasy fiction, or thriller fair such as the Gabriel Allon series by Dan Silva, or Brad Thor's popular series featuring Scott Harvath.

Other youthful reads I plan to delve into this month include: Exposure by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes, part of their Twisted Lit series, this one based on Shakespeare's Macbeth, A Spark Unseen by Sharon Cameron, a sequel to her Crystal Kite Awarded novel The Dark Unwinding. Another sequel to an excellent series by Maile Meloy is The Apprentices set in London post-WWII and involving magical science practiced by a very special apothecary. Other new authors I'll be reading are Jonathan Stroud with his bestseller, The Screaming Staircase a novel that has ghosts, Destiny Rewritten by Kathryn Fitzmaurice, and a novel by another Kathryn I haven't read before, a mystery involving food, Bliss Kathryn Littlewood.

For those who prefer adult mysteries here are six other books I hope to tackle this month and probably next. The final novel in Larry Correia's Grimnoir Chronicles, Warbound. The third books in two different mystery series, Unsympathetic Magic by Laura Resnick, featuring her struggling actress character Esther Diamond, and a Bibliophile Mystery, by Kate Carlisle, One Book in the Grave, which is a mystery that doesn't include magic just a love of old books. Other authors I haven't read before include: Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris and their Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel, Phoenix Rising, as well as Shirley Daamsgaard's Witch Way to Murder, and Jasper Fforde's alternate history novel, The Eyre Affair. I'm also reading another Vintage Magic Mystery by Annette Blair, a series I'm terribly behind on, called, Skirting the Grave.

To purchase any of these books feel free to click on the titles which will take you directly to Amazon. Help me support my book addiction by ordering them through my Amazon Affiliate links. Or if you prefer to support a local independent bookseller in your area over a giant retail chain, I completely understand. One of my faves is Joseph-Beth booksellers.

Next week check back in for a book review of the latest novel in the Elemental Enchanters series, Under the Burning Stars by Carrigan Richards. Happy reading this October! Let me know what mysteries you love.