MYSTERY LOVES COMPANY BOOKSELLERS 

http://www.mysterylovescompany.com/ 

NOVEMBER 2007 

Come experience the joy of a full-service bookstore

*Monthly newsletter & recommendations

*20% off your book clubs' books

*Frequent author signings

*Special orders

*Book gift baskets

*New and gently used books

*Listen to us Friday mornings on WCEI 96.7fm

In Oxford: 202 S. Morris Street, Oxford, MD 21654, 410-226-0010, Hours: Fri & Sat 10-6, Sun, Mon, Tues. 10-4

In Baltimore: 1730 Fleet Street, Baltimore MD 21231, 410-276-6708, 800-538-0042, Hours: Thursdays-Sat 11-5, Sunday 12-5.

CHANGE IN HOURS. Please notice that the Baltimore store is now closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If you need to make a special appointment to visit us, we'll try to accommodate you.

SPECIAL HOURS:  We will be closed October 27 in both stores so we can attend the Dying to Write 2 events in Chevy Chase, MD. See below.

HOLIDAY HOURS: We also will be closed in Oxford November 20 and both stores November 22 and 23 for Thanksgiving. We will open again at regular hours November 24.

REMEMBER: Our online store at http://www.mysterylovescompany.com/ is always open

UPCOMING EVENTS...

Saturday, October 27, 2007 all day (CHEVY CHASE, MD) Chevy Chase Embassy Suites Hotel, DYING TO WRITE 2 conference sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Last year's event was a sell-out, so if you have a mystery inside you that needs to be published get yourself going and come to this conference. Great speakers including Laura Lippman & Katherine Neville and workshops and author signings. MLC will be selling books. More details at http://www.mwa-ma.org/events.html

Sunday, October 28, 2007, 2pm (OXFORD) CHESAPEAKE SCRIBES at the Oxford Community Center. Authors talk about and sign their works. Authors include G.M.O. Callaghan author of HERONS POYNTE; James Tigner, Jr. author of ST. MICHAELS, OXFORD AND THE TIDEWATER BASIN; Sue Ellen Thompson, poet and author of THE GOLDEN HOUR; A. M. Foley, author of HAVING MY SAY; John Page Williams, author of CHESAPEAKE: Exploring the Water Trail of Capt. John Smith; Ian Scott author of MUDLARK'S GHOST, and Terry Nolan author of MICHAEL'S MOM, about her son with ADD. All these books make great holiday gifts.

Wednesday, October 31, 5:30- 8:00pm (OXFORD) Come to the store 202 S. Morris Street for a Halloween Party with cider and treats. All ages welcome. Join the folks in Oxford as they have a traditional door-to door trick or treat night. Costumes welcome.

Saturday, November 3, 12:30 - 2:00pm (COLUMBIA, MD) Howard County Library Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime meeting. MLC will be selling members books published in 2007. Ellen Crosby, M. Sindy Felin, Mary Ellen Hughes, Patrick Hyde, Sandra Parshall, Pamela Ridley, and Sara Rosett.

Saturday, November 10, 10:00am - 1:00pm (BALTIMORE) SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE BRITISH ARMY. Pratt Library 400 Cathedral. Tom Harig will present a gift certificate to the winner of the Sherlock Holmes contest at the Annual gathering of the Six Napoleons. The event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, November 28 6:30 (CHEVY CHASE, MD) Mid Atlantic chapter of Mystery Writers of America. $35.00 Information at http://www.mwa-ma.org/. Speaker is TV and Film Critic Arch Campbell.

Saturday and Sunday December 1 and 2, 2007, 12:00 - 4 pm (OXFORD) Holiday Open House. Spend the day in beautiful Oxford. On December 1 we have as our guest Diane Marquette (IN OVER MY HEAD). On Dec 2 we host Mary Ellen Hughes signing her new crafts mystery STRING OF LIES. We will have hot snacks and drinks ready as you savor our holiday goodies. Many of the Oxford shops will be hosting events. Tree lighting at Town Park 5pm Dec 2.

Saturday, December 8, 12:30 - 2:00 pm. (BALTIMORE) Sisters in Crime Holiday party at Mystery Loves Company - Baltimore. Join your Sisters (and Brothers in Crime, too) and come even if you are not a member. Lunch will be served at 12:30pm (Cost $7.00) Bring your appetite, meet some great authors and have fun holiday shopping. RSVP to mysterylovescompany(at)gmail.com

Sunday, December 9, 2:00 - 4:00 pm (ANNAPOLIS) Read Between the Wines event sponsored by The Friends of the Annapolis Symphony featuring Donna Andrews, Marcia Talley, Mary Ellen Hughes, Ellen Crosby, Maria Lima, Cylde Linsley, Sandra Parshall, Lucia St Clair Robson, Mary Jo Putney, Sally MacKenzie, and Tracy Ann Warren.

MARK THOSE 2008 CALENDARS...

Thursday January, 12- 1:30pm (EASTON, MD) Talbot County Free Library.  Bring your lunch and eat with the author. Kathy Harig and two mystery authors will discuss Chesapeake Mysteries.

Tuesday, March 11, 8:00 a.m.  (BALTIMORE) Spoons Restaurant, Cross Street. Have breakfast with Laura Lippman who will be signing her new Tess Monaghan mystery, ANOTHER THING TO FALL.

April 25 - 27, 2008 (CRYSTAL CITY, VA) Malice Domestic XX. Join Lindsey Davis, Charlaine Harris Daniel Stashower, and Peter Lovesey as they celebrate twenty years of the traditional mystery.

October 9 - 12, 2008 (BALTIMORE) Bouchercon 2008. It is not too early to sign up for Bouchercon in our own Charm City. "Charmed to Death” is being run by Ruth Jordan and her team from Crimespree magazine. You can reach her at ruth@crimespreemag.com about registering and any of your concerns. The Hotel is the Sheraton Baltimore City Center. Remember there are two Sheraton's. Rates are $175.00 for a single and $195.00 for a double. The hotel is located at 101 West Fayette Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201. Registration for the convention is $150.00. We have forms at our Baltimore store or I can send you one. MLC will be in the dealers' room and we plan to be fully staffed at the Fleet St store for your shopping convenience. See you there.

BOUCHERCON 2007 ANNOUNCES THE ANTHONY WINNERS...

A very wonderful list of books by lots of our favorite authors.

BEST NOVEL: Laura Lippman for WHAT THE DEAD KNOW

BEST FIRST NOVEL: Louise Penny for STILL LIFE

BEST PAPERBACK ORGINAL: Dana Cameron for BONES AND ASHES

BEST SHORT STORY: Simon Wood for "My Father's Secret" in CRIMESPREE

BEST CRITICAL NON-FICTION: Jim Huang editor for MYSTERY MUSES

HAMMETT PRIZE IS ANNOUNCED...

Special Congratulations to our very own Dashiell Hammett Award winner Dan Fesperman for PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO. The Hammett Award is given annually by the International Association of Crime Writers. We have signed editions of GUANTANAMO if you are interested, and you should be! Dan received his award appropriately in Baltimore at the NAIBA (New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association) conference on October 15, 2007.

NEW THIS MONTH...

DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR by Dean Koontz. ($27.00) Koontz delivers suspense for all seasons with a transcendent thriller--a heart-gripping tour de force featuring a dedicated dog rescuer, a very special golden retriever she saves, and the murderous adversaries they must face together.

 A VERY PLEASANT ENTERPRISE, by Elizabeth Ironside. ($14.95) The winner of Britain’s CWA Creasey award for Best First Crime Novel of the Year, an excellent novel, with original and interesting characters, great atmosphere, good action, and a genuine surprise. You may have read her DEATH IN THE GARDEN or THE ACCOMPLICE.

ALL SHOTS, by Susan Conant ($22.95) Holly Winter, the malamute trainer, knows she’s not the only Holly Winter in her town, but it would be so much nicer if the other woman calling herself Holly Winter didn't turn up dead. Holly number one and her prize-winning pups will have to bring the case to heel on their own--before a killer sniffs them out. GAITS OF HEAVEN is also available in paperback ($6.99).

PRAYER FOR THE DAMNED, by Peter Tremayne ($24.95) In 668 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel and her companion are about to be married. But on the eve of the ceremony, the fanatical and much-disliked Abbot Ultan is found murdered in his chamber. It’s up to Fidelma to uncover the murderer if the tenuous peace of the land is to be maintained.

PURE IN HEART, by Susan Hill ($24.95) in this follow-up to "The Various Haunts of Men," Detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler is on vacation in Venice, trying to come to terms with the brutal murder of a young woman who had been in love with him. His trip is cut short after he is summoned home to the cathedral town of Lafferton, where a little boy has been snatched.

ACCESSORY TO MURDER by Elaine Viets ($6.99) someone has killed Halley Hardwicke, a hot young designer, in the mall parking lot--and police have their eye on Jake, the husband of Josie's best friend Alyce. It seems Halley and Jake were a little too neighborly. So Josie decides to do what she does best to help out her friend. Includes shopping tips.

BEWARE FALSE PROPHETS by Emile Richards ($6.99) After church member Joe Wagner, the president of Emerald Springs food bank, disappears; Aggie Sloan-Wilcox discovers his secret life--as a female impersonator. Meanwhile, the murder of the mayor’s wife at the annual food bank fundraiser puts Joe on top of the suspect list

FOR GIFT GIVING...

THE LIBRARY LION by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes ($16.99) A New York Times Bestseller, and a NAIBA award winner for best children’s book in 2006. Miss Merriweather, the librarian has many library rules. But when a lion comes to visit one day, no one knows what to do, since there are no rules regarding lions in the library. But when there is an accident in the library, the lion does the only thing that can save the day, even if it means breaking one of the library rules. The book for that special someone who has spent a lot of time in the library, or maybe should, or will some day.

WINTER: A POP UP BOOK ($12.99) This jewel of a book celebrates the wonders of winter, from snow dancing across branches to the scrape of an ice skate across a pond to the whoosh of a sled down a hill. With magnificent pop-ups by legendary writer, artist, and paper engineer Sabuda, this book is a joy to share.

STAR WARS: A POP UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY ($32.99) Lucasbooks and Matthew Reinhart join forces to celebrate the 30th anniversary of STAR WARS! Featuring more than 35 pop ups. For ages 7 and up. Includes working light saber.

THE BALTIMORE YEARS by Edgar A. Poe ($14.95) Audio CD. Audio of Poe's writing while he was in Baltimore. Dan Stashower's BEAUTIFUL CIGAR GIRL or Louis Bayard's PALE BLUE EYE and a POE Character Pillow ($45.00) would be good accompaniments.

CHESAPEAKE: BAY OF LIGHT Text by Tom Horton, Photographs by Ian J. Plante. ($45.00) Following in the footsteps of Captain John Smith's voyages from 400 years ago, this book, filled with breathtaking photographs, captures the wild, untamed beauty and hidden and forgotten locales of the Chesapeake Bay. Peppered with quotes from Captain Smith and with powerful essays that speak of the harrowing plight of the Bay and the recent attempts at resuscitation, this keepsake presents the abundant wildlife and waterways of one of America's most celebrated natural treasuries. An absolutely spectacular book you can get lost in. You might add Warner's BEAUTIFUL SWIMMERS ($14.95), Lippson's LIFE ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY ($25.00) or Horton's AN ISLAND OUT OF TIME ($14.00) to make it really special.

STARRING SHERLOCK HOLMES by David Stuart Davies ($35.00) The great master detective in films and TV. This stunning book is the definitive guide to the great master detective in films and TV, Sherlock Holmes We also have a Sherlock Holmes Character pillow that would go nicely with this book ($45.00).

And for more on Sherlock's creator there's ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE: A Life in Letters, edited by Jon Lellenberg, Dan Stashower, and Chris Foley ($37.00) An annotated collection of Doyle's previously unpublished correspondence, offering the first complete portrait of one of the world's most treasured writers. This is a must-have gift for all those Sherlockians you know.

BLACK LIZARD BIG BOOK OF PULPS Otto Penzler, ed. ($25.00) Here are 45 of the best stories and the major writers who ever appeared in celebrated pulps like "Black Mask, Dime Detective," and "Detective Fiction Weekly." These are the classic tales that created the genre and gave birth to hard-hitting detectives. Forshaw's A ROUGH GUIDE TO RIME FICTION (Foreword by Ian Rankin) is a good stocking stuffer at $12.99.

Already on the New York Times best seller list is WORLD WITHOUT END the sequel to PILLARS OF THE EARTH (pb $20.00). The new one tells what happens to the British cathedral town after the Middle Ages. PILLARS was one of my favorite reads. I am eager to jump into the 900 plus pages of WWE.

CAT DECK THE HALLS, by Shirley Rousseau Murphy. ($16.95) Feline P.I. Joe Grey and friends must catch a holiday killer in this 13th delightful and sophisticated mystery in the popular, award-winning series. One of our embroidered cat book covers, or a BOOKS, CATS LIFE IS SWEET book bag ($20.00) or sweatshirt complete a neat package.

THE CRITIC, by Peter May ($24.95).Gil Petty, the world’s number one wine critic, goes missing during a tasting tour of the little-known wine region of Gaillac. Four years later, his body is discovered strung up on a cross in the vineyards of southwest France. A book of Ellen Crosby (MERLOT MURDERS or CHARDONNAY CHARADE) or Bill Shepard VINTAGE MURDER or MURDER ON THE DANUBE) would be a welcome addition.

BIRDS OF MARYLAND AND DELAWARE: Field guide and Audio CD in brown plastic case. ($39.99) We wouldn't be without ours. Colorful photos arranged by the color of the bird. Sally Roth's ATTRACTING BIRDS TO YOUR BACKYARD ($18.95) gives you full color illustrations of ideas and plants to make your own yard bird-friendly.

SHROUDS OF HOLLY, by Kate Kingsbury. ($14.00) While decorating for a Christmas reception, Cecily sends her husband Baxter and stable manager Samuel into the woods to cut some fresh holly. Their one-horse carriage returns--with the unwelcome gift of a dead body--and Baxter and Samuel are nowhere to be found. SLAY BELLS is also available in paperback ($6.99).

CAROL FOR A CORPSE, by Claudia Bishop ($6.99) For the Quilliam sisters, there’s nothing jolly about this Christmas. Meg and Quill are nearly broke. At least a big-time magazine and TV show will feature the inn. But soon the editor’s husband skis to his death. Now, if the Quilliams are to save the inn from a lawsuit, they'll need to prove this was no accident. Includes recipes.

Although it is still warm and sunny here, I'm sure you will want to stock up for those days when it is not. We can help! Need to know what the next book in a series is; need a gift idea for Uncle George; need a recommendation for what to read next? That's what we have been doing for more than sixteen years (and a little longer if you count being a librarian from 1977-2001).

UMBRELLAS, TOTEBAGS, MUGS, T-SHIRTS, SWEATSHIRTS, EMBROIDERED BOOKCOVERS, BOOKMARKS, BOOK GIFT BASKETS, NOTECARDS & CHARACTER PILLOWS GALORE, OH MY! ..Check out our “Gifts and gift certificates,”” Mugs, “and “ T-Shirts and Sweatshirts” pages in our MLC STORE on our website http://www.mysterylovescompany.com/ where you can see colored photos of our wonderful gifts for book lovers. We have umbrellas, tote bags, mugs, and note cards with famous male and female authors.

Our four umbrellas feature 1. Female authors, 2. Female artists 3. Jane Austen and 4. William Shakespeare. Sharon does our wonderful embroidered book covers featuring many subjects.  Tell us who you need a gift for and we'll find the perfect one.

SPECIAL NOTE: Please tell us if the item you are ordering is for a gift and when it is needed so we can advise you about shipping options and estimated delivery date. Personalized autographs of author's books, Book Gift Baskets, and custom items such as Character Pillows and special embroidery pieces need to be requested ASAP. We are always here to offer recommendations for reading and gift giving. Don’t forget those MLC gift certificates in any amount.

Well, that is just the tip of the list for November, a busy book month. Check our website http://www.mysterylovescompany.com/ for the complete lists of current books.

Thank you for all your support. We know you have choices where you get your books. As an independent bookstore, we rely on your loyalty and try to earn it.

Happy Fall Holidays from Kathy, Tom, Dotty, Brenda, and Nick and Nora (Mew!)